 | |
| Date | January 21, 2005 |
| City | Fresno, California |
| Location | Save Mart Center |
| Show chronology | |
| Previous Heat #3 (21/1) |
Next Raw #4 (22/1) |
| Pay-per-view chronology | |
| Previous First |
Next No Way Out (2005) |
Royal Rumble (2005) was the eighteenth annual Royal Rumble professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE). It took place on January 21, 2005 at the Save Mart Center in Fresno, California, and featured talent from the Raw and SmackDown brands. As has been customary since 1993, the Royal Rumble match winner received a match at that year's WrestleMania, (in this instance: WrestleMania 21) for the world championship of their designated brand (the World Heavyweight Championship on Raw, or the WWE Championship on SmackDown).
Including a match on the Bottom Line pre-show, seven professional wrestling matches were featured on the event's supercard, a scheduling of more than one main event. The main event was the annual 30-competitor Royal Rumble match which featured wrestlers from both brands. The primary match on the Raw brand was for the World Heavyweight Championship between reigning champion Triple H and Shawn Michaels. The primary match on the SmackDown brand was for the WWE Championship between reigning champion Kurt Angle and Rob Van Dam. Featured matches on the undercard included Sting versus Ric Flair in a Royal Rumble qualifying match and John Cena versus Big Show for the United States Championship.
Featured matches background[]
30-man Royal Rumble match[]
Match text
World Heavyweight Champion Triple H vs. Shawn Michaels[]
Match text
WWE Champion Kurt Angle vs. Rob Van Dam[]
Match text
Sting vs. Ric Flair (Royal Rumble qualifying match)[]
Match text
United States Champion John Cena vs. Big Show[]
Match text
Match results[]
| # | Results | Stipulation |
|---|---|---|
| 1P | Chavo Guerrero defeated Tajiri | Singles match |
| 2 | Big Show defeated John Cena (c) | Singles match for the United States Championship |
| 3 | Sting defeated Ric Flair | Royal Rumble qualifying match |
| 4 | Trish Stratus, Jazz & Molly Holly defeated Victoria, Jacqueline & Lita | Six-Diva tag team match |
| 5 | Kurt Angle (c) defeated Rob Van Dam | Singles match for the WWE Championship |
| 6 | Triple H (c) defeated Shawn Michaels | Singles match for the World Heavyweight Championship |
| 7 | Eddie Guerrero won by last eliminating Chris Benoit | 30-man Royal Rumble match |
| (c) - refers to the champion(s) heading into the match
P - indicates the match took place on the Bottom Line pre-show | ||
Royal Rumble entrances and eliminations[]
| # | Wrestler | Brand | Elim. | Main event |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Big Show | SD | 1 | |
| 2 | Chris Jericho | Raw | 2 | |
| 3 | Carlito | SD | 3 | |
| 4 | Cody Rhodes | ECW | 44 | |
| 5 | Evan Bourne | ECW | 5 | |
| 6 | MVP | Raw | 6 | |
| 7 | Jeff Hardy | ECW | ||
| 8 | Kofi Kingston | SD | ||
| 9 | Matt Hardy | Raw | ||
| 10 | Dolph Ziggler | ECW | ||
| 11 | JTG | SD | ||
| 12 | Martin | SD | ||
| 13 | Rob Van Dam | Raw | ||
| 14 | The Great Khali | Raw | ||
| 15 | The Miz | ECW | ||
| 16 | Shawn Michaels | Raw | ||
| 17 | Chavo Guerrero | ECW | ||
| 18 | Mark Henry | ECW | ||
| 19 | Finlay | SD | ||
| 20 | Ted DiBiase | Raw | ||
| 21 | Hardcore Holly | Raw | ||
| 22 | Zack Ryder | SD | ||
| 23 | Mickie James | Raw | ||
| 24 | Daniel Bryan | Raw | ||
| 25 | Kane | SD | ||
| 26 | Vader | - | ||
| 27 | Sheamus | ECW | ||
| 28 | Edge | SD | ||
| 29 | Matt Morgan | Raw | ||
| 30 | Umaga | SD |
Match card graphics[]
To be inserted
| Pay-per-view events | |
|---|---|
| Royal Rumble | 2005 • 2006 • 2007 • 2008 • 2009 • 2010 |
| Current | Royal Rumble (2005-present) • Elimination Chamber (2009-present) • WrestleMania (2005-present) • Backlash (2005-present) • Judgment Day (2005-present) • The Bash (2006-present) • SummerSlam (2005-present) • Unforgiven (2005-present) • Night of Champions (2008-present) • Survivor Series (2005-present) • Breaking Point (2009-present) |
| Former | Bad Blood (2005) • No Mercy (2005) • ECW One Night Stand (2006-2007) • Vengeance (2005-2007) • New Year's Revolution (2006-2008) • Cyber Sunday (2006-2008) • Armageddon (2005-2008) • Extreme Rules (2009) • No Way Out (2005-2009) |