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Saturday, January 25th, 2025

🗓️ On This Day - 2015

Roman Reigns Wins the Rumble, but Fans Revolt

10 years ago today, WWE’s Royal Rumble was held at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The night featured notable matches, including Brock Lesnar retaining the WWE Championship in an epic triple-threat match against Seth Rollins and John Cena. Elsewhere, The Bella Twins defeated Paige and Natalya in tag action, and The Usos retained the WWE Tag Team Championships by defeating Damien Mizdow and The Miz.

The event is most remembered for the controversial Royal Rumble match, where Roman Reigns emerged victorious by last eliminating Rusev. The final four included Kane, Big Show, Rusev, and Reigns. Despite receiving an endorsement from his cousin, The Rock, who entered the ring to celebrate with him, Reigns was heavily booed by the Philadelphia crowd, echoing the backlash Batista faced the previous year.

Fan favorites like Daniel Bryan, Dolph Ziggler, and Dean Ambrose were eliminated earlier in the match, leading the crowd to chant Bryan's name and even cheer for the villainous Rusev. Chants of "bullshit" and "CM Punk" filled the arena, and #CancelWWENetwork trended worldwide on social media after the event. WWE reportedly faced an overwhelming number of network cancellations, with the online cancellation page crashing and phone lines jammed.

Side note: This Royal Rumble, and Roman Reigns’ entire career arc, is captured so perfectly in the video below. Yes, it’s long—over 90 minutes, or more than 16 Hulk Hogan vs. The Iron Sheik match lengths (see Thursdays post)—but however you measure time, it’s absolutely worth watching!

WWE Smackdown Results – January 24th, 2025

WWE SmackDown aired live from the Moody Center in Austin, Texas, on USA Network, delivering the final build toward tonight’s Saturday Night’s Main Event.

• Cody Rhodes Cuts a Promo on Kevin Owens
  Rhodes opened the show with a fiery promo hyping their ladder match for the WWE Championship. He acknowledged Kevin Owens’ talent but accused him of always taking the easy way out. Rhodes vowed to climb the ladder and prove why he’s WWE Champion.

• Motor City Machine Guns def. Pretty Deadly
  In a high-energy tag team match, the Motor City Machine Guns defeated Pretty Deadly after hitting Skull & Bones on Kit Wilson.

• Kevin Owens Confronts Matthew McConaughey
  Kevin Owens interrupted the show to cut a promo at ringside. He then confronted actor Matthew McConaughey, who was sitting in the front row, mocking him with a sports reference and taunting the crowd.

• Charlotte Flair Return Vignette Airs

• Tiffany Stratton Confronted by Rhea Ripley, Bianca Belair, Naomi, and Others
  Tiffany Stratton declared her confidence in not caring who wins the Royal Rumble, only to be interrupted by Rhea Ripley, who promised to take her down at Saturday Night’s Main Event. Bianca Belair and Naomi also staked their claim for the Royal Rumble, with Nia Jax and Liv Morgan adding tension to the segment. A brawl broke out, leading to a six-woman tag match later in the night.

• Candice LeRae, Liv Morgan, & Nia Jax def. Bianca Belair, Naomi, & Rhea Ripley
  In a chaotic six-woman tag match, Candice LeRae scored a surprise pinfall over Bianca Belair with a well-timed crucifix pin.

• Apollo Crews def. Johnny Gargano
  Crews took advantage of a distraction by the Motor City Machine Guns to roll up Gargano for the victory.

• Jacob Fatu and Tama Tonga Promise Destruction
  In a backstage promo, Jacob Fatu hyped his upcoming clash with Braun Strowman, declaring himself “Godzilla and King Kong put together.”

(I could listen to Fatu cut promos like this all day - keep giving him the mic)

• LA Knight def. Tama Tonga
  LA Knight battled Tama Tonga in a hard-hitting match, ultimately winning with the BFT. Post-match, Jacob Fatu attacked Knight, but Braun Strowman stormed in to make the save, squaring off with Fatu to a massive crowd reaction.

• Damian Priest def. Carmelo Hayes
  Damian Priest made an impressive SmackDown debut, overpowering Carmelo Hayes with South of Heaven to secure the win.

• Kevin Owens def. “Big” Jim Uso
  In the main event, Kevin Owens defeated Big Jim Uso with a pop-up powerbomb. Post-match, Cody Rhodes attacked Owens to set the tone for their contract signing at Saturday Night’s Main Event.

See full results here.

🔮 WWE Saturday Night’s Main Event Preview

8pm EST on NBC and Peakcock

• World Heavyweight Championship: (C) Gunther vs. Jey Uso

• Women's World Championship: (C) Rhea Ripley vs. Nia Jax

• Intercontinental Championship: (C) Bron Breakker vs. Sheamus

• Braun Strowman vs. Jacob Fatu

• Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes and Kevin Owens contract signing

🔮 AEW Collision “Homecoming” Preview

8pm EST on TNT

• AEW International Championship: Konosuke Takeshita (c) vs. Katsuyori Shibata

• Daniel Garcia, Daddy Magic, and Coolhand Ang vs. Undisputed Kingdom (Adam Cole, Kyle O’Reilly, & Roderick Strong)

• Gates of Agony vs. Brody King and Buddy Matthews

• Big Bill vs. Powerhouse Hobbs

• Mariah May and Toni Storm meet face-to-face

• Samoa Joe vs. Nick Wayne

• Winner Earns TBS Title Shot: Deonna Purrazzo vs. Serena Deeb vs. Queen Aminata vs. Yuka Sakazaki

• Komander vs. Kazuchika Okada

WWE

🎥 Matthew McConaughey Attends WWE SmackDown - Alright, Alright
Hollywood star Matthew McConaughey made an appearance at WWE SmackDown, delighting fans and further showcasing his love for professional wrestling.

🎵 Redman Continues to Support Wrestlers Using His Track “Slap Da Sh** Outcha”
Redman doubled down on his support for wrestlers incorporating his song into their promos, further solidifying the track as a staple in wrestling entrances and viral moments.

🏆 Rhea Ripley vs. Bianca Belair Match Being Discussed for WrestleMania 41
"According to Fightful Select, Ripley taking on current WWE Women's Tag Team Champion Bianca Belair at 'The Showcase of the Immortals' is being discussed within WWE after both have expressed interest in facing each other in interviews."

🤔 Hulk Hogan Misses Saturday Night’s Main Event Due to Family Commitment
"Featherstone’s report of a family-related reason for Hogan missing the show is also accurate. This had nothing to do with his being booed in Los Angeles or at every arena where the Saturday Night’s Main Event commercial played, or Jesse Ventura or any other reason in that direction."

AEW

💥 Samoa Joe’s In-Ring Return Set for AEW Collision Homecoming
Samoa Joe is officially set to make his in-ring return at AEW Collision Homecoming, setting the stage for an exciting comeback.

🔥 Shelton Benjamin Reflects on NJPW’s Influence on His Career
"NJPW was so good to me; they reinvigorated my enthusiasm for this business," Benjamin said as he reflected on how his time in New Japan transformed his career.

⛔ AEW Stars Reportedly Banned from WrestleMania Week Independent Events
A report reveals that AEW talent has been prohibited from participating in WrestleMania week independent events. This move likely aims to prioritize AEW’s own programming and appearances.

Reddit

😂 Dominik Mysterio reveals memories of his Dad's '06 Royal Rumble win:
"I was a big Randy Orton guy, so I thought Randy was gonna take it. Then Deadbeat just ruins it. But shout out to Triple H too, pulling him out, being a sore loser, throwing him against the steps. I thought that was pretty cool."

💪 Shelton Benjamin on Instagram: "We Hurt People"

📈 [SRS] AEW has been among the top streamed live sports events on Max since the deal started, @FightfulSelect has learned

🏅 I’m down to retire that nickname for Kurt too

🏢 From Pro Wrestling to apartments

🔥 What's your favorite thing going on in AEW right now?

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