Seth Rollins starts out by saying today we’re celebrating the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. He says we can learn a lot from Dr. King today. He reads a quote from King that essentially says you don’t learn the measure of a man from good times, but from times of difficulty and hardship. He says he knows all about that, because it wasn’t that long ago that he was in this ring with his brothers, with titles around their waists. Now he doesn’t have his family, or titles. However he still has his first love, his true love, this. He says as long as he has his love and his feet under him, he plans to go and win the Royal Rumble match. He knows it’s a longshot, but he doesn’t give a damn, because his whole life was a longshot. He says he’s not a typical WWE Superstar; he’s not big like McIntyre or strong like Lashley. He’s from a small town, not much different from Oklahoma, his parents were simple people, working to put food on the table. And if wasn’t for wrestling, he’d probably be working in a factory, or field , or driving a truck. So yeah, him outlasting 30 other men in the Royal Rumble is a longshot but he promises that there will only be one man left standing on Sunday night, the man going on to headline WrestleMania, the man, Seth Freakin’ Rollins.
Drew McIntyre comes out. He says he is going to kick Seth Rollins’ head off tonight, but after listening to him, he needs to provide a rebuttal. He tells Seth that he is lying to himself and the fans, because he has zero chance of winning the Royal Rumble. He says it all comes down to Seths’ style; it makes him easy to eliminate. McIntyre says Seth has a tonne of passion, but what if you took that passion and put it in a 6.5″ body, well you’d have Drew Freakin’ McIntyre. He says he hopes it comes down to the two of them, because he knows how much this means to Rollins. And he wants to throw Rollins out, then he wants Seth to hear them announce that he is the one going to main event WrestleMania. They go one-on-one, next!
*Commercial Break*
Seth Rollins Vs. Drew McIntyre
Once again, we join the match in progress. Rollins clotheslines McIntyre over the top rope and hits a suicide dive onto him!
Rollins sends him back inside, climbs onto the apron, and hits a springboard clothesline for a near fall. Seth chops the chest of Drew and gives him a back body drop over the top rope. Rollins goes to the top rope and dives to the floor, but McIntyre moves and Rollins crashes into the barricade. McIntyre puts Rollins in the ring and stretches him around the ring post.
McIntyre then gets back into the ring and picks up a two count. McIntyre stretches Rollins with a knee in his back. Rollins tries to escape and connects with a jawbreaker, but McIntyre quickly responds a back elbow for a two count. McIntyre stomps Rollins, but Rollins begins fighting back. McIntyre reverses a whip to the corner, and Rollins rolls up the turnbuckles, just like Shawn Michaels. McIntyre hits a belly-to-belly overhead suplex before applying an arm bar.
Again Rollins fights up and tries to use the ropes to slingshot over him, but McIntyre kicks him in the ribs. Rollins goes outside to recover, but McIntyre follows, and hits him with an inverted Alabama Slam on the floor! McIntyre sits by the steps, laughing, as Rollins looks out.
*Commercial Break*
We return to see Rollins in high-gear: chopping Drew, before hitting a slingblade and a blockbuster from the top rope. Drew grabs holds of Rollins but Seth responds with a hurricanrana for a near-fall. Rollins hits the ropes and hits a tilt-a-whirl falcon arrow and scores another near-fall!
Rollins starts to stomp up the band, then kicks McIntyre in the gut, looks for The Stomp but McIntyre avoids it. Rollins chops Drew and sends him into the corner. Seth sets Drew on the top rope and hits an enziguiri to knock him into the tree of woe. As always, McIntyre sits up and tosses Rollins via the head. But Seth landed on his feet! Seth runs at Drew but the Scotsman dodges and Seth hits the turnbuckles. Drew looks for a Claymore but Seth fires back with a superkick for a near-fall!
Both men climb to their feet as the fans chant “this is awesome”. They trade shots until McIntyre lands the Glasgow Kiss and both men fall. McIntyre lifts Rollins onto his shoulders, then begins climbing the ropes, and jumps off to land a white noise! Seth kicks out but Drew immediately lifts him up and powerbombs him for another two. Drew gets angry and lifts Rollins while talking trash. Drew grabs Rollins for a short-arm clothesline but Seth flips over and rolls McIntyre up for the win!
Winner: Seth Rollins
Still to come, Ronda Rousey and Natalya vs. Sasha Banks and Bayley.
We see The Revival backstage with Vince McMahon. They’re explaining the controversies that have prevented them from winning the Raw Tag Team Championships recently. Vince asks what they want and they ask for another shot, with a referee with 20/20 vision. Curt Hawkins walks up and asks for an opportunity ahead of the Royal Rumble, to which Vince says no. Then he says Hawkins could serve as the referee The Revival have been seeking. He walks off as Dash and Dawson start sucking-up to Hawkins.
*Commercial Break*
Dean Ambrose is backstage. He says that a former partner of his quoted Dr. King tonight. Ambrose quotes King by saying, “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.” It’s an injustice that he is not the Intercontinental Champion. Ambrose can’t wait to eliminate Seth Rollins and Bobby Lashley from the Royal Rumble and win the whole thing.
Jinder Mahal & The Singh Brothers Vs. Lucha House Party
Jinder Mahal starts off against Lince Dorado. Mahal takes him down before tagging in Samir Singh. Dorado knocks Samir him down, so Sunil Singh tags in.
Dorado grabs hold of Sunil, then Kalisto tags in, and they hit a double-team splash on Sunil. Kalisto takes him down and applies an arm bar. Sunil quickly throws Kalisto out of the ring.
Mahal tags in and sends Kalisto to the corner, where he taunts him, before hitting a body slam. He then applies a sleeper hold before he tags in Sunil. Sunil applies a chin lock before releasing and knocking off Dorado. Gran Metalik tags in and hits a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker for the win.
Winners: Lucha House Party
We get a video package hyping the debut of EC3. Then we EC3 posing backstage while Dana Brooke watches. She asks him questions about how he stays in such great shape. Elias then walks by them. Elias will be out, next.
*Commercial Break*
Elias says that 2019 is going to be an incredible year. Even after he wins the Royal Rumble, there will be many roads to walk, and mountains to climb. However there will be one universal truth that will keep them true; WWE stands for Walk With Elias. He says he has written a song for tonight, and it might be his best yet. He begins to play but is interrupted.
Baron Corbin comes to the stage and begs Elias to stop talking. The fans are booing loudly and he tells them to shut up as well. He reminds everyone that last week Elias ratted him out to Braun Strowman, and almost got him killed, to which the fans cheer. He asks what is wrong with them and they chant, “you suck”. Corbin says Vince was right when he said Oklahoma was full of hillbillies. He says he wasn’t going to just sit backstage and allow Elias to sing, so he’s coming down to the ring to put him in his place. Elias says Corbin isn’t the GM anymore, and can’t just do things like this. He tells a stagehand to cut Corbin’s mic, and it does shut-off. Elias then says he was going to sing a song about the Royal Rumble, but now his mind is racing. He sings a song about Baron Corbin, in which he asks why Corbin is still wearing his GM outfit, says he doesn’t stand a chance at the Royal Rumble, and says nobody needs to see them wrestle again. Corbin gets tired and storms the ring but Elias swings the guitar. Corbin slid right back out of the ring before the guitar could connect. They will have a match, next!
*Commercial Break*
Elias Vs. Baron Corbin
We join this match in progress, again. Elias walks on the ropes like The Undertaker before leaping off to hit an arm drag. Elias and Corbin punch it out on the apron before Corbin kicks him back first into the ring post. Corbin punches away at Elias in the ring while the crowd chants, “You got fired!” Elias throws Corbin to the corner, but Corbin slides out of the ring, runs in the other side, and catches him with a clothesline for a two count.
Corbin throws Elias to the apron, but Elias fights him back. Elias catches him with a knee to the face followed by a swinging neckbreaker for a near fall. Elias punches wildly at Corbin, but the referee pulls him back. Corbin uses the referee’s distraction to hit Elias with a right hand in the throat, before hitting the End of Days for the win!
Winner: Baron Corbin
Up next we will get a Royal Rumble edition of A Moment of Bliss!
*Commercial Break*
