-Daniel Bryan comes down to the ring with a big grin on his face. They roll footage of Kane putting him on the shelf after Extreme Rules 2014. Bryan talks about his history with Kane, and how they used to be a tag team, but Kane traded in his mask for a suit and turned his back on the WWE Universe. He says doctors told him he’d never wrestle again, but tonight’s the night they all find out what happens. He promises to win the Royal Rumble and win back the WWE title at WrestleMania. The entire Authority (minus Stephanie McMahon) cuts him off, and the opening bell rings as they make their way down.
1st Match: Daniel Bryan vs Kane
Winner: Daniel Bryan
-Bryan goes right after him as soon as the bell rings with kicks, and a drop toehold into the bottom rope. Kane with a big shot to the jaw to gain control. He continues the assault with rest holds and elbow shots for a few minutes, hits the big running DDT spot, and goes back to a headlock. Bryan fights back and tries for a suicide dive, but runs into a bit uppercut. Triple H stands over him, mocking Bryan, as we go to commercial. After the break, Kane is still in control. They fight up to the top turnbuckle and Bryan ends up knocking him down and connecting with a flying crossbody. He fires up with a big clothesline and gets the “YES” chants started, then chops down the big man with a dozen kicks to the chest for two. Bryan goes back to the kicks in the corner, floats out of a chokeslam and applies the YES Lock. The Authority hits the ring to cause a DQ. Afterwards, Bryan takes out J&J Security and dropkicks Big Show off the apron. He fights his way out of the ring and bails up the ramp. They start to chase after him, but Roman Reigns and Dean Ambrose come to Bryan’s side. Triple H announces a 6-man tag match for tonight, and pledges to “end the revolution”.
-Bray Wyatt does a backstage promo about being the “forbidden fruit” in the Garden of Eden. Something like that.
2nd Match: The Usos/Naomi vs Mizdow/Alicia Fox
Winner: Mizdow & Alicia Fox
-Naomi goes right after Foxy to start things off, and takes her down with a nice headscissors. She comes off the top rope with a diving crossbody, and Fox tags out to The Miz to force Jay Uso into the match. Miz hits an “exceptional boot” (thanks Cole) and slows things down. Uso fights back but gets caught with the neckbreaker combo. They collide in the ring with clotheslines and both men go down. Mizdow wants to tag in, but doesn’t get in. After a few minutes, Jay fights back and hits Whisper in the Wind to take down Miz, but Alicia Fox saves the match for her team. Jay throws his wife into the air and she Thesz Presses Fox and brawls with her to the floor. Miz tries to steal the match with a small package but it gets reversed. Uso with the superkick but accidentally hits Mizdow instead. Miz takes advantage with the SCF for the 1-2-3.
-Renee Young got a haircut. She asks Roman Reigns if he can coexist tonight with Daniel Bryan and Dean Ambrose. He says Dean will always be his boy, and he has no problems with Daniel. He says they have an opportunity to screw over the Authority tonight, and their big cry baby Big Show. Paul Heyman is in the house. He goes on a rant about Brock Lesnar doing things not because he has a reason to, but because he wanted to. He says Lesnar had nothing against the Undertaker, but ended the Streak and destroyed the Phenom because he wanted to. Lesnar had nothing personal against John Cena, but he took a $100 million franchise and suplexed him on his neck because he had nothing better to do on a Sunday evening. Heyman says NOW Lesnar is pissed off, and he has a reason to show up to the Royal Rumble and send Seth Rollins into obscurity. Rollins cuts him off and comes out with J&J. He says he’s sick of people walking around on egg shells, thinking they need to be afraid of Brock Lesnar. He says he wants to cash in Money in the Bank contract tonight on Smackdown, and gets fired up about it. Heyman says its an interesting challenge, but they all know Brock Lesnar isn’t there. Seth says if he can’t Curb Stomp the champ tonight, he’ll Curb Stomp his greatest asset in Paul Heyman. He basically mounts the advocate in the corner, and says without Heyman, Brock Lesnar is all brawn and no brains, and turns into a 300-pound mass of muscle he can run circles around. He asks WHY he shouldn’t just take out Paul right now, and Heyman says the Authority can be removed from power again, but he’s the one gaining power every single day. Paul says that Brock Lesnar can either BE the champion now, or PROTECT the future champion when he decides the “future is now”. Rollins thinks about it, and lets him go.
3rd Match: Natalya vs Nikki Bella
Winner: Natalya
-Nikki throws an elbow to start off this non-title match. She hooks the arm and climbs to the second rope, working it over and hitting an armbreaker from up high. She puts on a modified arm breaker that’s more of a rest hold than a true submisson attempt. Natalya dead-lifts her and slams the champion into the mat to break it up, then complains about her arm to Paige at ringside. Nattie hits a dropkick in the middle of the ring and connects with a running knee for two. For looks for the Sharpshooter but Brie Bella is up on the apron with the title as a distraction. Paige does the same and slaps Nikki, who rolls back into the Sharpshooter. Nikki taps out.
4th Match: Sin Cara vs Bad News Barrett
Winner: Bad News Barrett
-Sin Cara with a nice roll-up as he tries to steal the match early. He goes to the ropes but Barrett drops him with a big boot then goes to work with elbows and knee-lifts. He goes into a headlock and Sin Cara battles back, fighting free and coming off the ropes with not one, not two, but three springboard crossbody splashes. Challenger off the top rope, landing on his feet, but he runs into the Winds of Change for two. Barrett flips over his elbow pad and sets up for the Bull Hammer, but Sin Cara rolls through and dead-lifts the big man with a massive one-arm slam (WOW!). He comes off the springboard but runs into the Bull Hammer in the air for the win.
-Backstage, Dean Ambrose says he doesn’t play well with others. He talks about the Royal Rumble match, and the person who wins being somebody that doesn’t care about all the “do the right things” crap. Ambrose says two of his competitors are his partners tonight, but his focus is on ending the Authority.
5th Match: Roman Reigns/Dean Ambrose/Daniel Bryan vs Seth Rollins/Kane/Big Show
Winner: Reigns, Ambrose & Bryan
-Ambrose and Reigns take turns beating the hell out of Rollins to start this match. It doesn’t take long for all hell to break loose, and we get a 6-man brawl on the floor. The Authority backs off and takes a breather while we cut to commercial. After the commercials, Big Show is holding Ambrose upside down in a leg lock. The heels take turns working him over for several minutes with alternating tags. The beatdown continues, with Rollins now picking apart Dean’s arm and hand. Ambrose slaps him in the face and almost makes a hot tag, but he gets isolated again. All hell breaks loose a second time, and now Dean makes the hot tag to Daniel Bryan and the arena goes crazy. Bryan dropkicks everyone and knocks the big guys off the apron. He hits Rollins with a hurricanrana for a two-count. Kane makes a blind tag and chokeslams Bryan, but Roman Reigns saves the match. Big Show pulls him out of the ring and hits him with a big boot, but Reigns spears the giant over the announce table! Bryan puts the YES LOCK on Kane, but now its Rollins to break up the match. Ambrose is back and he takes down J&J Security. He heads up to the top rope and drops the elbow off the turnbuckle, taking out Rollins, Mercury and Noble. Daniel Bryan with the running knee strike to Kane for the win. After the match, Triple H comes out and sarcastically congratulates Daniel Bryan on his win. He says that Kane deserves a rematch, so he books Kane vs. Bryan again for Smackdown next week. If Bryan loses, he won’t be a part of the Royal Rumble match.