| Company | WWE |
| Event | Royal Rumble 2007 |
| Series | Royal Rumble |
| Edition | 20 |
| Format | Pay-Per-View |
| Date | Sunday January 28 2007 |
| Venue | AT&T Center |
| Location | San Antonio, Texas, USA |
| Attendance | 13,500 |
WWE Royal Rumble 2007
WWE Royal Rumble 2007 is memorable amongst fans to this day. That’s because of The Undertaker and Shawn Michaels creating a highly dramatic finale. The show does have other standout moments, with one in particular being especially noteworthy. But as I shall explain, when fans think of Rumble ’07, they almost always think of Taker and Shawn.
WHAT HAPPENED AT THE PREVIOUS TV SHOWS? READ OUR PRE-PPV REVIEWS OF RAW, ECW & SMACKDOWN!
The Hardy Boyz vs. MNM
I’m not sure why this opening clash isn’t the topic of discussion more often. In late 2006/early 2007, this essentially represented a dream match. On the one hand, you have the Hardyz, reuniting after a long absence. Matt and Jeff were beginning to establish themselves as major players in a singles capacity, so having them back together was magical. Meanwhile, you also have Johnny Nitro and Joey Mercury with Melina at their side. MNM had been WWE’s best team for more than a year prior to Mercury leaving television. Both favoured high-flying, flashy styles of offence which often led to exciting bouts. All of which made this, to me anyway, a mouth-watering prospect.
And yet it’s barely brought up. Maybe it’s because they’d previously clashed in a longer bout at the infamous ECW December To Dismember 2006 show. Perhaps it’s because the Jeff vs. Nitro solo feud had already been going on since September 2006. Or it could simply be that it flies under the radar when people think back to the Ruthless Aggression era. Whatever the case may be, though, I really enjoyed this contest. It was a suitably-significant start to one of the biggest cards of the year. And it had a positive climax, with the Hardyz again defeating MNM after a Twist Of Fate/Swanton Bomb combo. This would more or less be the end for MNM, as Mercury would leave WWE prior to WrestleMania 23. Meanwhile, the brothers Hardy would remain together long enough to enjoy a Tag Team Title reign after Mania.
ECW Championship Match
Bobby Lashley (C) vs. Test
I feel sorry for Bobby Lashley during this era. He was the ECW Champion, a controversial choice because of his lack of ties to the original ECW. But he was still over in 2006, so his title run could have been a success had he fought the right opponents. Instead, WWE put him against Test, who was beyond his prime and beyond any diehard’s interest by this stage. If this had been a mid-card rivalry on Raw, perhaps it might have seemed decent. But as an ECW Championship clash, it could never meet even low expectations.
WHAT HAPPENED AT THE PREVIOUS EDITION? READ OUR WWE ROYAL RUMBLE 2006 REVIEW!
As it turned out, though, this clash didn’t even exceed that minimal bar. But in fairness, this is due to the booking. Get this: in an ECW Title match at Royal Rumble, Lashley would retain by countout. And Test deliberately got himself counted out! If fans didn’t already know it by this point, ECW was already terminal at this stage of its revival. Befuddling the situation, Lashley beat Test on ECW TV prior to and immediately after Rumble. So, why on earth would WWE book the dodgy finish in their only PPV match? And the match wasn’t particularly good to boot. Really poor here, and a sad way for Test to go out. He was fired not long after the Rumble, and he sadly died just two years later. On a lighter note, Lashley’s push would skyrocket as we would progress into WrestleMania season.
WWE World Heavyweight Championship Match
Batista (C) vs. Mr Kennedy
People who didn’t watch WWE during this period have no idea how over Mr Kennedy was. In fact, not only was he over, but he seemed destined to win several World Titles in WWE. So, how crazy is it that this would be his only supercard opportunity at a top prize in WWE? Kennedy had beaten several World Champions in previous months, including a DQ win over Batista at The Great American Bash 2006. And Ken had also won a Beat The Clock challenge to earn this particular title shot. Had this taken place at another time of the year, even at SummerSlam or Survivor Series, I’d have bet on a new champ being crowned.
But with WrestleMania coming, the odds of a title switch were low. Though Kennedy was very popular, Batista remained strongly over with fans. It would be a while before WWE supporters heckled The Animal; at this stage, he was still in their good books. And this would mean a high-profile defence of the WHC for Batista at WrestleMania 23. Therefore, as much momentum as Kennedy had, this would almost certainly be Batista’s night. And so it proved, with a Batista Bomb sealing a successful defence of the gold for Big Dave.
Kennedy did win Money In The Bank at WM 23, but he never cashed it in due to an injury. And by the time he returned, his peak in WWE had already ended. The sudden fall that followed his rapid rise remains one of those “what if” situations. Because I honestly think Kennedy could have become one of WWE’s top stars for many years. But such is life.
WHAT HAPPENED AT THE PREVIOUS PPV? READ OUR WWE NEW YEAR’S REVOLUTION 2007 REVIEW!
WWE Championship Last Man Standing Match
John Cena (C) vs. Umaga
The final match prior to the Rumble concluded the Cena vs. Umaga feud. John had been WWE Champ since Unforgiven 2006, with Umaga having been his main target since November. The Samoan Bulldozer was aiming to defeat Cena for the gold, having lost for the first time in that character to John at New Year’s Revolution. Somewhere along the way, this was made a Last Man Standing match? Why? I don’t know. But it did add stakes to this contest. Although Umaga had been undefeated for nine months on-screen, he still seemed highly unlikely to dethrone Cena here for the same reasons that Kennedy wasn’t going to beat Batista early on.
Nevertheless, it still represented a worthwhile feud for Cena to focus his attention on before Mania season began. Meanwhile, challenging the WWE Champion on consecutive PPVs is hardly a bad spot to be in for Umaga. I should mention one other thing before I describe the match itself. Umaga was not exactly considered a top-flight performer amongst fans prior to the Rumble. Maybe it’s because of his previous life as Jamal in 3 Minute Warning. Or maybe it’s because his Samoan Spike finisher, and his gimmick as a whole, doesn’t exactly scream “excitement”. But Umaga seemingly had a lot to prove to fans from an artistic standpoint.
Thankfully, though, that’s what he did here. Because this was a great Last Man Standing match packed with eye-catching spots. There was Cena hurling a set of steel stairs at Umaga, who was at ringside while Cena stood within the squared circle. Then, you have Umaga busting John open after crushing his head to halt an attempt at an FU on the same stairs. Best of all, though, came in a spot that nobody had ever seen in WWE before. Umaga laid Cena out on one of the three announcer’s tables and sprinted across each desk to hit a giant splash, only for Cena to move out of the way.
WHAT HAPPENED AT THE FIRST EDITION? READ OUR WWF ROYAL RUMBLE 1988 REVIEW!
That wasn’t the finish, though. In another innovative spot, the ring ropes were loosened after Umaga’s manager Armando Alejandro Estrada unhooked a turnbuckle pad. This allowed Cena to take control of the rope and lock Umaga in an STFU using the same rope. The story was that Cena had choked Umaga out with the rope, allowing him to win by virtue of Umaga not bating the ten-count. John Cena had triumphed in one of his best matches to date, a suitable boost ahead of WrestleMania 23. For Umaga, though, this was the highlight of his career, at least from a performance standpoint. He would remain a key part of WWE for a good while, with a particularly high-profile appearance in the Battle Of The Billionaires against Bobby Lashley at WrestleMania.
Royal Rumble Match
Before we get to the Rumble, I should note that allegedly the Mania plan was Cena vs. Triple H in a WM 22 rematch. There, The Game would dethrone Cena, winning his first heavyweight crown in two years. How this would help Cena I don’t know, but it would help HHH, which is the main thing, right? But unfortunately he ended up tearing another quadriceps muscle at New Year’s Revolution, sidelining him until SummerSlam. For the first time since he joined the company in 1995, HHH wouldn’t compete at WrestleMania. Therefore, to say that he was no longer going to face Cena would be an understatement. That’s important here because, while you could argue that the Rumble outcome may have stayed the same, the finishing sequence would have likely been very different if HHH competed here.
Another point about the Rumble field: WWE described it beforehand as being the strongest in history. That’s because it featured stars from all three brands: Raw, SmackDown and ECW. In theory, WWE’s hype job made sense. But with HHH injured and many former headliners having departed, to a man, this wasn’t anywhere near being the weightiest Rumble class in history. In fact, it was made weaker due to the need to represent all three brands: there wasn’t a single unexpected participant. Not every Rumble prior to 2007 included a shock entrant, but every single Rumble since then has included at least one surprise.
Ric Flair and Finlay would begin the Rumble bout. I like this combination. You have two senior competitors, but two men who had somehow never collided. These square-offs help to make the Rumble so unique and interesting. Kenny Dykstra, the recipient of a singles push which would fizzle out within weeks, was #3. Matt Hardy as #4 proved that this was one of those years where some of the under-card guys would do double duty. Edge as #5 was the first serious contender, and he and Dykstra threw out Flair to secure the first elimination. Hilariously, Edge would then send Dykstra himself to the floor. Every man for himself and all that.
Tommy Dreamer as #6 would be the first ECW representative in Royal Rumble history. Joey Styles and Tazz couldn’t celebrate, though, as they weren’t commentating on this Rumble. (Incidentally, nor did Jim Ross; Jerry Lawler, Michael Cole and JBL got the nod, which likely peeved JR.) Sabu as #7 would set up a table at ringside, which to me makes no sense. Yes, Sabu’s fondness for tables is famous. But why not set it up in the ring? It’s a Royal Rumble, where you need to stay within the ropes. I know that this was to telegraph a spot, but even so, logic didn’t enter Sabu’s head here, it seems.
Gregory Helms as #8 was still the Cruiserweight Champion, having won the title back at Royal Rumble 2006. He would drop the gold just weeks later in an anticlimactic fashion at No Way Out. Shelton Benjamin as #9 made up the numbers, which is sad as he was really going places in early 2005. Kane was #10 and he added to his record of eliminations by focusing on ECW guys. He eliminated Dreamer, and in the elimination of the night, he Chokeslammed Sabu off the apron through the aforementioned table. Hey, I said Sabu’s tactics lacked logic; I didn’t say the eventual spot wasn’t cool.
CM Punk made his first Rumble appearance as #11, not realising then the eventual importance of the Rumble to his legacy. King Booker as #12 was arguably SmackDown’s second favourite to triumph, and he made an immediate impact by eliminating Helms. Super Crazy as #13 is a Rumble participant I wouldn’t remember if you bet me £100 to do so. Jeff Hardy as #14 earned a stronger reaction, though the crowd pop was more significant for The Sandman as #15. After completing his usual long entrance, Sandman entered the ring and was tossed out by Booker within seconds. JBL quipped that we wouldn’t compare Sandman to Stone Cold Steve Austin after that cameo.
Randy Orton came in at #16, and Rated RKO began to take control of the Rumble bout. Orton and Edge teamed up to eliminate Crazy and then Jeff. Orton himself would then eliminate Matt as Chris Benoit made his final Rumble appearance at #17. After Rob Van Dam came in as #18, Kane eliminated Booker, but the King didn’t react well at all. Booker ran back in to dump Kane out (continuing the idiotic rule that you can be eliminated by someone who isn’t officially involved) and pounded him at ringside.
This booking tactic, often used to set up a Mania match, instead instigated a bout at No Way Out. I mention that because, other than this segment, nothing during the Rumble specifically led to a Mania match aside from the result. Which is unusual when you consider this Rumble also lacked a surprise participant as noted earlier. Talk about a by-the-numbers Rumble contest.
WHAT HAPPENED AT THE LATEST EDITION? READ OUR WWE ROYAL RUMBLE 2020 REVIEW!
The next four participants arrived with little fanfare and achieved little with their contributions. Viscera (#19), Johnny Nitro (#20), Kevin Thorn (#21) and Hardcore Holly were never going to win this Rumble, or any Rumble. Shawn Michaels could, though. In his hometown of San Antonio, Texas, HBK as #23 emerged as Raw’s leading contender to outlast the field and replicate his triumphs in 1995 and 1996. Michaels threw out Finlay to start his appearance strong, before eight (yes, eight) guys teamed up to eliminate Big Vis. Damn. Shawn also eliminated Shelton to remain ahead of him in their one-sided on-and-off saga.
Chris Masters as #24 lowered the temperature in the AT&T Center. Benoit eliminated Nitro in a weird visual considering the events of Vengeance 2007 and, of course, the wider context of that night. Thorn was also dumped by Benoit, as Chavo Guerrero arrived as our 25th participant. After MVP came in as #26, RVD eliminated Masters, and then Carlito arrived as #27. Then, The Great Khali arrived as #28, and unlike later years when he played the comedy role, here he remained a monster. To prove this, he eliminated Holly, Benoit, 29th entrant The Miz (within seconds of his arrival, which shows how far he came in his career in the future), RVD, Punk, Carlito and Chavo. Wow.
There is an amusing moment to come now. I’ll talk about the quote shortly. But at this stage (and I didn’t hear about this until far later), Khali poses in the ring. But he doesn’t look at the hard camera when doing so. Therefore, as subtle as possible, a seemingly-unconscious Michaels gently points towards the hard cam. And funnily enough, within moments, Khali poses at the hard camera. This is something that is only interesting if you know how WWE’s production operates, but it’s a fun side-story nonetheless. Meanwhile, let’s get back on track with Michael Cole’s comment during Khali’s momentary celebration: “Who can stop The Great Khali?”
GONG!
WHAT HAPPENED AT THE FOLLOWING PPV? READ OUR WWE NO WAY OUT 2007 REVIEW!
Yes, The Undertaker was #30. Talk about timing, eh? Especially since these two had feuded for much of 2006. Taker and Khali brawled for a brief stretch before The Dead Man eliminated him to a huge reaction. Say what you will about Khali, but his cameo here was the best portion of the match prior to the finish in my opinion. Undi’ also eliminated MVP to bring us to four participants remaining: Michaels, Undertaker, Orton and Edge. That’s quite a field to finish with. Any of those could have feasibly won and fans would have accepted it.
Orton stole a chair which MVP had grabbed and whacked Taker with it to bust him open. The blood didn’t really add much to the match, but I guess it heightened the drama to some viewers. Rated RKO then took it in turns to destroy Michaels and Taker again. After a tease of a Rated RKO fight, the duo planned to hit Taker with a Conchairto. But Shawn chose this moment to eliminate Randy and Edge within seconds to a big response. Only Michaels and Undertaker remained, and with Shawn nipping up as Taker sat up, we were about to experience magic.
JBL: “How long has it been since we’ve seen this, Shawn Michaels and The Undertaker?” Jerry Lawler: “I don’t know if I’ve ever seen it!” For the sheer bollocks, that line by Lawler is a classic. And so was this final segment, because we essentially got a mini singles match for the next seven minutes or so. Several heart-stopping elimination teases led to Shawn levelling UT with a top rope elbow drop. But his attempted superkick led to a big Chokeslam.
As Taker tried to capitalise, though, he tasted Sweet Chin Music! Michaels would try to hit his biggest move once more with Taker next to the ropes. But Undi’ had the wherewithal to block it by backdropping Shawn out of the ring! Undertaker had won the Royal Rumble for the only time in his career, and it also marked the first time that the final participant had triumphed at the 20th time of asking.
WHAT HAPPENED AT THE FOLLOWING EDITION? READ OUR WWE ROYAL RUMBLE 2008 REVIEW!
The fireworks exploded around the WrestleMania sign (another first at this Rumble) as Cole humorously said “Undertaker is going to WrestleMania!” The man was 14-0 on the big stage at that point; as if he was gonna miss WM. I know what Cole means, but it’s still funny nonetheless. This scene would lead to Undertaker challenging Batista for his World Title in an awesome WrestleMania clash. And his square-off with Shawn would, in hindsight, lead to a golden age for the Dead Man. Despite his Rumble win, some felt Taker was past it at this stage. However, from this point through to the spring of 2013, Taker would steal the show time and time again. This included seven outstanding WrestleMania matches in a row with his vaunted Streak on the line. Incidentally, Michaels would still end up main eventing WrestleMania by replacing HHH as John Cena’s WWE Title challenger.
This Rumble bout is an interesting one to analyse. From Khali’s arrival through to the end, it’s vintage stuff. And Taker vs. Michaels is the best final chapter of a Rumble bout ever. It’s hard to imagine what could defeat it, especially since Rumble endings very rarely exceeded two minutes prior to 2007. But the rest of the Rumble lacks drama, star power and memorable moments. Really, besides Kane sending Sabu through a table, you could argue that 90% of this Rumble is totally forgettable. With a poor climax, it could go down as one of the weaker Rumbles in history. But thankfully its ending elevates it to a much higher status. And without question, the Taker vs. Michaels showdown, a preview of their iconic WrestleMania battles, is must-see stuff.
WHAT HAPPENED AT THE FOLLOWING TV SHOWS? READ OUR POST-PPV REVIEWS OF RAW, ECW & SMACKDOWN!
Overall, then, I feel that WWE Royal Rumble 2007 is a topsy-turvy show, but the high points are incredible. Cena vs. Umaga is a tremendous brawl. The Hardyz vs. MNM deserves far more praise in my opinion. Even Batista vs. Kennedy is noteworthy due to the parallel career paths both men would end up travelling down. And then you have the closing stretch of the Rumble itself, which is comparable to a large percentage of PPV main events in WWE history. But keep in mind that while the Rumble match ends with a bang, it’s a bit of a slog to get there.
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