| Royal Rumble | |||
|---|---|---|---|
 Promotional poster featuringJohn Cena | |||
| Promotion | World Wrestling Entertainment | ||
| Brand(s) | Raw SmackDown! | ||
| Date | January 25, 2004 (2004-01-25) | ||
| City | Philadelphia,Pennsylvania | ||
| Venue | Wachovia Center | ||
| Attendance | 17,289[1] | ||
| Buy rate | 582,000[2] | ||
| Pay-per-view chronology | |||
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| Royal Rumble chronology | |||
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The 2004Royal Rumble was aprofessional wrestlingpay-per-view (PPV)event produced byWorld Wrestling Entertainment (WWE). It was the 17th annualRoyal Rumble and took place on January 25, 2004, at theWachovia Center inPhiladelphia,Pennsylvania. The event featured wrestlers from the promotion'sRaw andSmackDown!brand divisions. As has been customary since 1993, theRoyal Rumble match winner received a world championship match at that year'sWrestleMania, in this instance,WrestleMania XX. Beginning with this Royal Rumble, the winner could choose which championship to challenge for at WrestleMania, either Raw'sWorld Heavyweight Championship or SmackDown!'sWWE Championship.
Sixprofessional wrestling matches were featured on the event'ssupercard, a scheduling of more than onemain event. The main event was the 2004 Royal Rumble match, which featured wrestlers from both brands. SmackDown!'sChris Benoit, the first entrant, won the match by last eliminatingBig Show, also from SmackDown!. This win resulted in Benoit breaking the longevity record last held byBob Backlund, staying in the match for over one hour, but was then broken byRey Mysterio in2006. Benoit also became the second wrestler to win the match as the first entrant, afterShawn Michaels. The primary match on the Raw brand was aLast Man Standing match betweenTriple H and Shawn Michaels for the World Heavyweight Championship, which ended in a draw. The predominant match on the SmackDown! brand wasBrock Lesnar versusHardcore Holly for the WWE Championship, which Lesnar won to retain the championship. The featured match on theundercard was atables match for theWorld Tag Team Championship betweenEvolution (Ric Flair andBatista) andDudley Boyz (Bubba Ray Dudley andD-Von Dudley), which Evolution won to retain the titles.
TheRoyal Rumble is an annualprofessional wrestlingpay-per-view (PPV) produced every January byWorld Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) since 1988. It is one of the promotion's original four pay-per-views, along withWrestleMania,SummerSlam, andSurvivor Series, dubbed the "Big Four".[3] It isnamed after theRoyal Rumble match, a modifiedbattle royal in which the participants enter at timed intervals instead of all beginning in the ring at the same time. The 2004 event was the 17th Royal Rumble and was scheduled to be held on January 25, 2004, at theWachovia Center inPhiladelphia,Pennsylvania. It featured wrestlers from theRaw andSmackDown!brands.[1]
The Royal Rumble match generally features 30 wrestlers. Traditionally, the winner of the match earns aworld championship match at that year's WrestleMania.[4][5] Theprevious year, the winner earned a match for their respective brand's top championship, but for 2004, the winner could choose to challenge for either brands' world championship atWrestleMania XX: Raw'sWorld Heavyweight Championship or SmackDown!'sWWE Championship.[1]
The card included matches that resulted from scripted storylines, where wrestlers portrayedheroes,villains, orless distinguishable characters in scripted events that built tension and culminated in a wrestling match or series of matches. Results were predetermined by WWE's writers on the Raw and SmackDown! brands, while storylines were produced on WWE's weekly television shows,Raw andSmackDown!.[6][7]
The buildup to the Royal Rumble match started on the January 1 episode ofSmackDown!, whenJohn Cena interrupted apromo fromSmackDown! General ManagerPaul Heyman about theTribute to the Troops event in Iraq. This angered Heyman and Heyman forced Cena to compete in ahandicap match with a partner and the two needed to win the match to gain entry in the Royal Rumble match. Cena's partner was revealed to beChris Benoit and the two defeatedThe Full Blooded Italians (Nunzio,Chuck Palumbo, andJohnny Stamboli) to qualify for the Royal Rumble match. As a result, all the three members of Full Blooded Italians lost their spots in the Royal Rumble match; had Cena and Benoit would have lost, neither would have been able to participate in the match. After the match,Kurt Angle announced that he would participate in the Royal Rumble match and would win it. Later that night, Benoit insulted Heyman and Heyman forced Benoit to compete at the #1 spot in the Royal Rumble.[8] On the January 5 episode ofRaw,Kane announced that he was going to win the Royal Rumble but was confronted byBooker T, who claimed that he would eliminate Kane from the match and win the match.[9] Three days later onSmackDown!, Benoit defeated the Full Blooded Italians in a handicap mini Royal Rumble to retain his spot in the Royal Rumble.[10] On the January 12 episode ofRaw,Goldberg defeatedMatt Hardy and announced that he would participate in the Royal Rumble match.[11] On the January 15 episode ofSmackDown!, several qualifying matches were held for the Royal Rumble, including abattle royal between the Full Blooded Italians, which Nunzio won.[12] On the January 19 episode ofRaw, Goldberg,Randy Orton,Rob Van Dam, Booker T,Mark Henry, andChris Jericho won matches to qualify for a Battle Royal to determine the #30 entrant of the Royal Rumble match. Goldberg won the match and earned the #30 spot in the Royal Rumble.[13]
The main rivalry heading into the event from the Raw brand was betweenTriple H andShawn Michaels over theWorld Heavyweight Championship. AtArmageddon, Triple H defeated Goldberg and Kane in atriple threat match to win the World Heavyweight Championship after interference fromEvolution (Ric Flair andBatista).[17] On the December 15 episode ofRaw, Michaels andRob Van Dam defeated Evolution (Triple H, Ric Flair and Batista) in a handicap match, when Michaelspinned Triple H.[18] As a result, Michaels earned a World Heavyweight Championship match against Triple H on the December 29 episode ofRaw in his hometown of San Antonio, Texas. Michaels seemingly defeated Triple H to win the title, but theRaw General ManagerEric Bischoff declared the match a draw due to both men's shoulders being down on the mat during the pinfall. As a result, Triple H retained the title.[19] On the January 5 episode ofRaw, the self-proclaimedSheriff of RawStone Cold Steve Austin announced that Triple H would defend the title against Michaels in aLast Man Standing match at Royal Rumble.[9]
The mainrivalry heading into the event from the SmackDown! brand was betweenBrock Lesnar andHardcore Holly over theWWE Championship. The rivalry could be dated back to September 12, 2002, episode ofSmackDown!, when Lesnar defeated Holly in a non-title match and injured him by breaking his neck, putting him out of action for over a year.[20] A year later, atSurvivor Series, Holly returned to WWE from injury to take revenge from Lesnar.[21] On the December 18 episode ofSmackDown!, Paul Heyman announced that Holly would team withShannon Moore in atag team match against A-Train and Matt Morgan, in which Holly could get a match of his choosing if he won but if he lost, his WWE contract would be terminated. Holly and Moore won the match, allowing Holly to wrestle a match of his choosing.[22] On the January 1 episode ofSmackDown!, Holly intentionally gotdisqualified in a match againstBig Show by brutally assaulting him.[8] On the January 8 episode ofSmackDown!, Holly defeated Big Show in astreet fight.[10] As a result, Big Show placed a restraining order on Holly and Lesnar stayed with Big Show to protect himself from Holly.[12] On the January 22 episode ofSmackDown!, Holly attacked Lesnar during a handicap match pitting Lesnar, Big Show, Matt Morgan, andRhyno against John Cena and Chris Benoit.[16] This led to a match between Lesnar and Holly for the WWE Championship at Royal Rumble.
A secondary rivalry heading into the event from the SmackDown! brand was betweenEddie Guerrero andChavo Guerrero. At Survivor Series, theBasham Brothers (Doug Basham andDanny Basham) defeatedLos Guerreros (Eddie and Chavo) to retain theWWE Tag Team Championship.[23] After the event, Los Guerreros started to break up as a team when Chavo began blaming Eddie for the team's recent failure. On the November 20 episode ofSmackDown!, Los Guerreros defeated TheWorld's Greatest Tag Team (Charlie Haas andShelton Benjamin) but after the match, Haas and Benjamin attacked Chavo and injured his leg. This caused Chavo to blame Eddie for the injury.[24] On the November 27 episode ofSmackDown!, Chavo was attacked again and he blamed Eddie.[25] This continued on the December 4 episode ofSmackDown!, when Eddie helped Chavo in defeating Benjamin in aone-on-one match. Chavo blamed Eddie for stealing the spotlight that Chavo needed.[26] On the January 1 episode ofSmackDown!, Eddie and Chavo finally broke up the team after losing to The World's Greatest Tag Team.[8] However, on the January 8 episode ofSmackDown!, Kurt Angle reunited Los Guerreros and earned them a WWE Tag Team Championship match against the Basham Brothers, which Los Guerreros lost. After the match, Los Guerreros finally ended when Chavo attacked Eddie and caused him to bleed. As a result, Chavoturned heel.[10] On the January 15 episode ofSmackDown!, Angle informed Eddie that the SmackDown! General Manager Paul Heyman had made a match between Eddie and Chavo at Royal Rumble.[12]
The secondary rivalry heading into the event from the Raw brand was between Evolution (Ric Flair and Batista) andThe Dudley Boyz (Bubba Ray Dudley andD-Von Dudley) over theWorld Tag Team Championship. At Armageddon, Flair and Batista defeated Dudley Boyz in aTag Team Turmoil match to win the World Tag Team Championship.[27] On the December 29 episode ofRaw, Flair served as thespecial guest referee during a match pitting Dudley Boyz against twoenhancement talents. Flair awarded the victory to enhancement talents by disqualifying Dudley Boyz. Batista then came out and attacked Dudley Boyz from behind.[19] On the January 5 episode ofRaw, Flair and Batista defeated Dudley Boyz to retain the World Tag Team Championship.[9] The next week onRaw, Batista defeated D-Von in a one-on-one match. After the match, Flair tossed atable into the ring and Batista set it up but Bubba Ray entered the ring and chased Flair and Batista.[11] On the January 19 episode ofRaw, Evolution member Randy Orton defeatedThe Hurricane in a match. After the match, Flair and Batista came out to congratulate Orton. Hurricane's tag team partnerRosey came out to check on him but was attacked by Batista. It led to Dudley Boyz coming out to deliver a3-D on Flair through the table butJonathan Coachman ran down to stop them and was hit with a 3D through the table by Dudley Boyz.[13] This led to atables match between Dudley Boyz and Evolution for the World Tag Team Championship at Royal Rumble.
Another secondary rivalry heading into the event from the SmackDown! brand was betweenRey Mysterio andJamie Noble over theWWE Cruiserweight Championship. On the January 1 episode ofSmackDown!, Mysterio defeatedTajiri to win the Cruiserweight Championship.[8] The following week, Tajiri and Noble were scheduled to have a number one contender's match for the Cruiserweight Championship, but Noble was not present on the show. As a result, Paul Heyman ordered Noble'smanagerNidia to replace Noble in the match. Tajirieasily defeated Nidia. After the match, Tajiri tried to assault Nidia, but Mysterio rescued her. This prompted Noble to come out and attack Mysterio as he thought that Mysterio was trying to harm Nidia.[10] On the January 15 episode ofSmackDown!, Noble defeated Tajiri to become the number one contender for the Cruiserweight Championship at Royal Rumble.[12]
| Role: | Name: |
|---|---|
| Englishcommentators | Michael Cole(SmackDown!) |
| Tazz(SmackDown! / Royal Rumble match) | |
| Jim Ross(Raw / Royal Rumble match) | |
| Jerry Lawler(Raw) | |
| Jonathan Coachman(Opening match) | |
| Spanish commentators | Carlos Cabrera |
| Hugo Savinovich | |
| Interviewers | Josh Mathews |
| Terri Runnels | |
| Ring announcers | Tony Chimel(Smackdown!) |
| Howard Finkel(Raw / Royal Rumble match) | |
| Referees | Charles Robinson(Raw) |
| Mike Chioda(Raw) | |
| Jack Doan(Raw) | |
| Earl Hebner(Raw) | |
| Brian Hebner(SmackDown!) | |
| Jim Korderas(SmackDown!) | |
| Nick Patrick(SmackDown!) | |
| General managers | Eric Bischoff(Raw) |
| Paul Heyman(SmackDown!) |
Before the event aired live on pay-per-view,Victoria defeatedMolly Holly bypinning her after aGory Neckbreaker, which Victoria callsWidow's Peak. The match aired live onHeat.[28]
The actual event opened withEvolution (Batista andRic Flair) defending theWorld Tag Team Championship against theDudley Boyz (Bubba Ray Dudley andD-Von Dudley) in a tables match.Jonathan Coachman interfered in the match as he distracted The Dudley Boyz, who attempted aWhassup on Coachman but Flair prevented the move. D-Von performed a Clothesline on Flair, allowing Batista to perform aSpinebuster through a table on D-Von to retain the titles.[1][29][28]
Next,Rey Mysterio defended theWWE Cruiserweight Championship againstJamie Noble. Noble'smanagerNidia held Noble's legs, thinking he was Mysterio. Mysterio took advantage and performed a619 andDroppin' Da Dime on Noble to retain the title.[1][29][28]
After that,Eddie Guerrero facedChavo Guerrero.Chavo Guerrero Sr. interfered and attacked Eddie throughout the match. Eddie performed theThree Amigos and aFrog Splash on Chavo to win the match. After the match, Eddie attacked Chavo and Chavo Sr., causing Chavo to bleed.[1][29][28]
In the fourth match,Brock Lesnar defended theWWE Championship againstHardcore Holly. Holly performed anAlabama Slam on Lesnar and applied aFull Nelson on Lesnar. After the two rolled out of the ring, Lesnar broke the hold by performing a Hangman on Holly. Lesnar performed anF5 on Holly to retain the title.[1][29][28]
In the fifth match,Triple H defended theWorld Heavyweight Championship againstShawn Michaels in a Last Man Standing match. Triple H attempted aPedigree onto a steel chair on Michaels but Michaels countered and dropped Triple H onto the steel chair. Michaels attemptedSweet Chin Music on Triple H, but Triple Hlow blowed Michaels. Triple H performed aDDT and a Pedigree on Michaels, but Michaels stood at a 9 count. Michaels performed Sweet Chin Music on Triple H but fell himself, resulting in the match ending in a draw and Triple H retained the title.[1][29][28]
The main event was the annual 30-man Royal Rumble match, where the winner would get to wrestle the world champion of his brand atWrestleMania XX.Chris Benoit andRandy Orton were the first two entrants. As the match started, Benoit and Orton battled each other untilMark Henry entered at #3 and began attacking both Benoit and Orton.Tajiri entered at #4 and performed aHandspringBack Elbow on Orton. Orton battled Henry and Benoit battled Tajiri untilBradshaw entered at #5 and began dominating all the participants by finishing off Orton, then Henry, then Tajiri, with three consecutiveClotheslines from Hell. Bradshaw attempted to perform a Clothesline from Hell on Benoit, but Benoit countered it into aCrippler Crossface. Bradshaw got out of the hold by picking Benoit up and tossing him over the top rope. However, Benoit jumped on the apron and eliminated Bradshaw instead.Rhyno entered at #6 and attacked Orton, before focusing on Benoit. Tajiri battled Henry and applied aTarantula on Henry. Rhyno performed a Spinebuster on Benoit and attempted to perform aGore on Benoit but Benoit avoided the move and Rhyno instead crashed a rope hung Tajiri. This caused Tajiri to get eliminated from the match. Benoit then tossed Henry over the top rope, eliminating him.[30]Matt Hardy entered at #7, but was quickly tossed over the top rope by Benoit but Hardy landed on the apron. Rhyno tried to eliminate Hardy but Hardy stayed in the ring.Scott Steiner entered at #8 and started dominating all of the participants of the match. Hardy and Orton battled in the corner, where Hardy had nearly eliminated Orton until Benoit attacked Hardy and Orton was saved from being eliminated.Matt Morgan entered at #9 and he performed aSitout Powerbomb on Benoit and aBig Boot on Hardy.The Hurricane entered at #10 and performed aDiving Crossbody on Hardy. The Hurricane then began fighting Morgan, who dominated The Hurricane and eliminated him by tossing him over the top rope. Morgan then tried to eliminate Hardy in the same way, but Hardy landed on the apron and stayed in the ring. Benoit began fighting Rhyno, Steiner battled Orton and Hardy battled Morgan untilBooker T entered at #11. Booker T attacked Steiner and then performed aScissors Kick on Orton. Booker T then eliminated Steiner from the match.Kane entered at #12. Morgan started attacking Kane but Kane performed aChokeslam on Morgan. Kane performed a Big Boot on Rhyno and then Kane chokeslammed Orton. Eventually,The Undertaker's entrance theme music began playing in the arena and the lights went out. When the lights came back, Kane was distracted and Booker T eliminated Kane from behind.[30] Following Kane's elimination,Spike Dudley entered at #13. Kane was angered at it and he thought that it was Dudley, who played The Undertaker's gong. An enraged Kane performed a Chokeslam on Dudley on the ramp and Dudley was knocked out which meant that he was unable to participate in the Royal Rumble.Rikishi entered at #14. Along with Rikishi's entrance, Benoitbackdropped Rhyno over the top rope, eliminating him. Rikishi started attacking Hardy and performed aStink Face on Morgan.René Duprée entered at #15 and started battling Hardy beforedropkicking him over the top rope to eliminate him. However, after eliminating Hardy, Duprée was eliminated himself by Rikishi when Rikishi performed aSavate Kick on Duprée, causing him to fall over the top rope.A-Train entered at #16 and began attacking Rikishi. Benoit eventually eliminated Morgan. Orton began dominating the match as he eliminated Rikishi and then backdropped Booker T over the top rope to eliminate him. Benoit battled A-Train, whileShelton Benjamin entered at #17. Benoit eliminated A-Train and Benjamin tried to perform a Superkick on Orton, but Orton ducked the move and eliminated Benjamin. The first two entrants of the match, Benoit and Orton were left remaining.Ernest Miller entered at #18, along with his manager Lamont. Instead of using the opportunity of eliminating the knocked out Benoit and Orton, Miller and his manager Lamont danced to Miller's entrance theme. However, Benoit and Orton recovered and ruined the dance as Benoit tossed Lamont over the top rope and Orton eliminated Miller from the match. Following Miller's elimination, Benoit and Orton continued to battle each other.[30]Kurt Angle entered at #19 and began fighting Benoit while Orton recovered in the corner.Rico entered at #20 and began battling Orton. Rico performed aRoundhouse Kick on Orton while Benoit performed three consecutiveGerman Suplexes on Angle in a row. Orton recovered and backdropped Rico over the top rope, eliminating him.Test's music began playing at #21 but Test did not appear, as he was found knocked out at backstage by some doctors and the Raw SheriffStone Cold Steve Austin. Austin ordered someone to replace Test and gave him the #21 entry number. This person was revealed to beMick Foley who immediately started attacking Orton. Foley performed aFlying Clothesline on Orton, eliminating Orton and himself in the process. Foley and Orton continued to fight each other after their eliminations.Christian entered at #22 and started battling Benoit and Angle. Foley and Orton numerously attacked each other, where Foley was about to perform amandible claw on Orton untilNunzio entered at #23 and Foley turned his focus on Nunzio and performed a Mandible Claw on Nunzio, knocking him down. Orton attacked Foley and then retreated to the backstage. Angle battled Christian and Benoit in the ring while Nunzio sat in the ringside, instead of entering the ring.Big Show entered at #24 and began dominating the participants in the match.[30]Chris Jericho entered at #25 and started fighting Angle. Big Show knocked the heads of Jericho and Christian together before battling Jericho. Christian started attacking Big Show. Benoit, Angle, Christian and Jericho tried to eliminate Big Show but failed.Charlie Haas entered at #26 and was double-teamed by Jericho and Christian. Jericho eventually eliminated Christian.Billy Gunn entered at #27 and performed aLegdrop Bulldog, which he calledFameasser on Angle. Gunn then performed a Fameasser on Jericho and fought Big Show and Haas.John Cena entered at #28 but instead of entering the ring, he focused on Nunzio, who was sitting in the ringside. Cena tossed Nunzio into the ring and began attacking him until Big Show started attacking Cena. Big Show and Nunzio double-teamed Cena until Nunzio attempted to eliminate Big Show, but failed. Cena started attacking Big Show and tried to eliminate him while Nunzio tried to eliminate Benoit.Rob Van Dam entered at #29 and started dominating all the participants of the match. Nunzio tried to eliminate Van Dam but Haas battled Nunzio. Big Show battled Gunn and Cena performed aFireman's Carry Takeover, which he calledF-U, on Angle.Goldberg entered at #30 and performed aSpear on Big Show and then speared Gunn.[30] Goldbergpunched several wrestlers including Angle, Jericho, Van Dam, Cena, and Haas. Nunzio jumped on Goldberg's back while Goldberg eliminated Haas from the match. Van Damkicked Goldberg. Goldberg speared Nunzio and then clotheslined Gunn over the top rope, eliminating him. Goldberg picked up Nunzio in aMilitary Press and threw him over the top rope, eliminating him from the match. Goldberg started attacking Big Show, until Brock Lesnar interfered in the match and performed a F5 on Goldberg and left the ring. Goldberg was distracted and when he recovered, Angle eliminated him from behind. Benoit, Angle, Jericho, Cena and Van Dam all teamed up against Big Show when Big Show picked up Cena and Angle performed aChop Block on Big Show. Van Dam performed aSlingshot Legdrop and followed it with a Five-Star Frog Splash on Big Show. All the five participants tried to eliminate Big Show, but Big Show shoved all of them and eliminated Cena. Van Dam attempted to perform aMonkey Flip on Big Show, but Big Show tossed him over the top rope, eliminating Van Dam, leaving Big Show, Benoit, Angle and Jericho as the final four competitors. Big Show backdropped Jericho over the top rope but Jericho landed on the apron and entered the ring. Jericho applied anElevated Boston Crab, which he callsWalls of Jericho on Big Show. Angle attacked Jericho and Big Show picked up Jericho and eliminated him.[30] Big Show chokeslammed Benoit and fought Angle. Angle performed anOlympic Slam, which he calls "Angle Slam" on Big Show and then performed an Angle Slam on Benoit. Big Show eventually tried to perform a Chokeslam on Angle but Angle rolled it into anAnkle Lock. Big Show was near the ropes, and he flipped out of the Ankle Lock, causing Angle to get eliminated. Big Show landed on the apron. Benoit climbed the top rope and performed aFlying Forearm on the back of Big Show's neck, sending Big Show back into the ring. Big Show tried to perform a Chokeslam on Benoit, but Benoit countered it into a Crippler Crossface. Benoit eventually landed on the apron while applying a front headlock on Big Show. He dragged Big Show over the top rope, who flipped over and got tossed on the floor over the top rope, getting eliminated. As a result, Benoit won the Royal Rumble match and became the second person in history to win the match from the #1 spot (after Shawn Michaels in1995 and laterEdge in2021 andRhea Ripley in2023). He also brokeBob Backlund's longevity record in1993 by staying in the match for 1:01:30.[1][29][30]
On the following night's episode ofRaw, during a confrontation between Triple H and Shawn Michaels, the Raw Sheriff Stone Cold Steve Austin intervened and announced that even though he could not make a match between the two (Austin having lost his Co-General Manager powers atSurvivor Series in November), he would "uphold the law" and announced that Michaels would not get the next shot at Triple H because he did not win the Royal Rumble. Austin revealed that the Royal Rumble winner would face "the champion" at WrestleMania XX, but that there was no specification as to which champion— thus, creating a loophole that Chris Benoit, who was then property ofSmackDown!, exploited to announce that he would join the Raw brand and instead chase the World Heavyweight Championship due in part to bad feelings between himself and SmackDown! General Manager Paul Heyman.[31] On the February 9 episode, Benoit and Triple H were to have their contract signing for the WrestleMania match, but Michaels interfered and hit Sweet Chin Music on Benoit then signed the contract himself.[32] The following week, after Michaels defeated Benoit in a singles match, Austin announced that Triple H would defend the title against Benoit and Michaels in a triple threat match at WrestleMania.[33] At WrestleMania, Benoit defeated Michaels and Triple H by submitting the latter to the Crippler Crossface to win the World Heavyweight Championship.[34] Benoit's defection led to a rule change for the Royal Rumble winner, where he could now choose which world champion he would face at WrestleMania.
Meanwhile, onSmackDown!, in order to make up for Benoit's defection, Heyman announced that a second Royal Rumble match featuring fifteen ofSmackDown!'s wrestlers competing for a shot at Brock Lesnar's WWE Championship atNo Way Out in February. The thirteenSmackDown! wrestlers (Kurt Angle, Rhyno, Charlie Haas, Shelton Benjamin, Bradshaw, Ernest Miller, Tajiri, Billy Gunn, Big Show, John Cena, Nunzio, A-Train, and Rikishi) who competed in the original Royal Rumble match were given entries in the match as were Hardcore Holly and Eddie Guerrero (Holly, who replaced an injured Matt Morgan, wrestled and lost to Lesnar at the Rumble and Guerrero, who replaced Benoit, was continuing his feud with Chavo). Guerrero won the match and earned the title opportunity.[35] At No Way Out, Guerrero defeated Lesnar to win the WWE Championship.[36]
| Draw | Entrant | Order | Eliminated by | Time | Eliminations |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kurt Angle | 14 | Guerrero | 34:14 | 6 |
| 2 | Rhyno | 5 | Angle | 13:59 | 0 |
| 3 | Charlie Haas | 9 | Guerrero | 20:54 | 1 |
| 4 | Shelton Benjamin | 10 | Angle | 19:29 | 0 |
| 5 | Bradshaw | 3 | Big Show | 06:59 | 0 |
| 6 | Ernest Miller | 1 | Angle | 00:42 | 0 |
| 7 | Tajiri | 2 | Big Show | 03:46 | 0 |
| 8 | Billy Gunn | 12 | Guerrero | 14:55 | 1 |
| 9 | Big Show | 8 | Angle, Gunn, Guerrero, Haas, Holly, Rikishi, Cena | 09:22 | 3 |
| 10 | John Cena | 7 | Big Show | 06:09 | 2 |
| 11 | Nunzio | 4 | Cena | 00:52 | 0 |
| 12 | A-Train | 6 | Guerrero | 02:43 | 0 |
| 13 | Eddie Guerrero | - | Winner | 17:44 | 6 |
| 14 | Rikishi | 13 | Guerrero and Angle | 08:17 | 1 |
| 15 | Hardcore Holly | 11 | Angle | 04:00 | 1 |
Chris Benoitmurdered his wife and son before committing suicide over the weekend of June 22–24, 2007. Once the details of Benoit's actions became apparent, WWE made the decision to remove nearly all mentions of Benoit from their website, future broadcasts, and all publications.[37] As a result, this Royal Rumble and Benoit's victory is often ignored in official publications. When referring to the #1 entrant, WWE personalities occasionally stated, for instance, "two people have won from the number one position, includingHall of Famer Shawn Michaels in1995", as commentator John "Bradshaw" Layfield (JBL) did in 2015. Edge and Rhea Ripley would since become the third and fourth wrestlers to win as the first entrant in 2021 and 2023, respectively, which WWE acknowledged they were the third and fourth to do so, but only mentioned Shawn Michaels as the other to accomplish this. Coverage of the Royal Rumble has been very selective; no photos of Benoit exist on WWE's webpage for the event, focusing rather on the Last Man Standing match between Triple H and Shawn Michaels, and Benoit is only mentioned on the results page as the winner of the event.[38] Only a few WWE video features include footage from the Royal Rumble match, but those that do use careful shot selection so that Benoit is not seen on screen.[39][40] WWE's website has also posted photo galleries dedicated to the number one entrants and winners in the Royal Rumble history, both of which completely ignore Chris Benoit and the year of 2004.[41][42] The pay-per-view and the Royal Rumble match, however, exist in their entirety on WWE's streaming services (like theWWE Network) unedited.[43] Benoit went on to win the World Heavyweight Championship at WrestleMania XX (which like this Rumble, it is also available in its entirety on the WWE Network unedited), but like his near erasure from this Royal Rumble, WWE only lists his name in the official title history but have removed the match description (this is also the case for any other WWE-owned title that he has won), as well as the match description for when Randy Orton defeated him for the World Heavyweight Championship atSummerSlam.[44]
| No. | Results[1][29][28] | Stipulations | Times[1] | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1H | Victoria (withSteven Richards) defeatedMolly Holly bypinfall | Singles match | — | ||||
| 2 | Evolution (Batista andRic Flair) (c) defeatedThe Dudley Boyz (Bubba Ray Dudley andD-Von Dudley) | Tables match for theWorld Tag Team Championship | 5:29 | ||||
| 3 | Rey Mysterio (c) defeatedJamie Noble (withNidia) bypinfall | Singles match for theWWE Cruiserweight Championship | 3:06 | ||||
| 4 | Eddie Guerrero defeatedChavo Guerrero (withChavo Guerrero Sr.) bypinfall | Singles match | 8:02 | ||||
| 5 | Brock Lesnar (c) defeatedHardcore Holly bypinfall | Singles match for theWWE Championship | 6:22 | ||||
| 6 | Triple H (c) vs.Shawn Michaels ended in adraw | Last Man Standing match for theWorld Heavyweight Championship | 22:47 | ||||
| 7 | Chris Benoit won by last eliminatingBig Show | 30-manRoyal Rumble match for a world championship match atWrestleMania XX | 1:01:37 | ||||
| |||||||
| Draw[45] | Entrant[45] | Brand | Order eliminated[46] | Eliminated by[46] | Time[46] | Eliminations |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Chris Benoit | SmackDown! | — | Winner | 1:01:35[a] | 6 |
| 2 | Randy Orton | Raw | 19 | Mick Foley | 33:44 | 5 |
| 3 | Mark Henry | Raw | 3 | Chris Benoit | 05:14 | 1 |
| 4 | Tajiri | SmackDown! | 2 | Rhyno and Mark Henry | 03:39 | 0 |
| 5 | Bradshaw | SmackDown! | 1 | Chris Benoit | 00:38 | 0 |
| 6 | Rhyno | SmackDown! | 8 | 14:00 | 1 | |
| 7 | Matt Hardy | Raw | 9 | René Duprée | 14:18 | 0 |
| 8 | Scott Steiner | Raw | 5 | Booker T | 06:49 | 0 |
| 9 | Matt Morgan | SmackDown! | 11 | Chris Benoit | 12:14 | 1 |
| 10 | The Hurricane | Raw | 4 | Matt Morgan | 00:19 | 0 |
| 11 | Booker T | Raw | 13 | Randy Orton | 09:11 | 2 |
| 12 | Kane | Raw | 6 | Booker T | 01:40 | 1 |
| 13 | Spike Dudley[b] | Raw | 7 | Unable to compete | 00:00 | 0 |
| 14 | Rikishi | SmackDown! | 12 | Randy Orton | 03:48 | 1 |
| 15 | René Duprée | Raw | 10 | Rikishi | 00:33 | 1 |
| 16 | A-Train | SmackDown! | 14 | Chris Benoit | 01:44 | 0 |
| 17 | Shelton Benjamin | SmackDown! | 15 | Randy Orton | 00:37 | 0 |
| 18 | Ernest Miller | SmackDown! | 16 | 00:56 | 0 | |
| 19 | Kurt Angle | SmackDown! | 28 | Big Show | 29:04 | 1 |
| 20 | Rico | Raw | 17 | Randy Orton | 01:06 | 0 |
| 21[c] | Mick Foley | Raw | 18 | Himself | 00:43 | 2 |
| 22 | Christian | Raw | 20 | Chris Jericho | 07:39 | 0 |
| 23 | Nunzio | SmackDown! | 23 | Goldberg | 03:48 | 0 |
| 24 | Big Show | SmackDown! | 29 | Chris Benoit | 22:38 | 4 |
| 25 | Chris Jericho | Raw | 27 | Big Show | 14:58 | 1 |
| 26 | Charlie Haas | SmackDown! | 21 | Goldberg | 06:53 | 0 |
| 27 | Billy Gunn | SmackDown! | 22 | 05:37 | 0 | |
| 28 | John Cena | SmackDown! | 25 | Big Show | 07:37 | 0 |
| 29 | Rob Van Dam | Raw | 26 | Big Show | 06:44 | 0 |
| 30 | Goldberg | Raw | 24 | Kurt Angle | 02:04 | 3 |