Royal Rumble 2008 will be the twenty-first annual Royal Rumble professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE). It will take place on January 27, 2008 at Madison Square Garden [1] in New York, New York.[2] The official theme song is “Stand Up For Rock ‘N’ Roll” by Airbourne. As is traditional, the winner of the Royal Rumble Match will get a match at WrestleMania for his choice of the WWE Championship, World Heavyweight Championship, or ECW Championship.[3]

Royal Rumble 2008 will be the first WWE pay-per-view broadcast in HD.[4]

Contents
1 Report
1.1 Background
1.2 Royal Rumble qualification matches
2 Matches
3 References
4 External links
 
Report

Background
 
Randy Orton, who is currently in his second reign as WWE Champion.The main feud on the RAW brand was between Intercontinental Champion Jeff Hardy and Randy Orton, with the two feuding over the WWE Championship. Orton retained the WWE Championship at Armageddon against Chris Jericho after being disqualified after JBL ran-in, booting Jericho in the head. Orton retained the championship as titles do not change hands on disqualification.[5] Hardy defeated Triple H at Armageddon to earn the opportunity to face Orton at the Royal Rumble.[6] The following night, on the December 17, 2007 edition of RAW, Hardy teamed up with Shawn Michaels to take on Orton and Mr. Kennedy. Hardy gained the advantage over Orton, pinning Orton after a Swanton Bomb to earn the victory for himself and Michaels.[7] Two weeks later, on the last RAW of 2007, Hardy and Orton met face-to-face in an in-ring segment. Orton looked set to RKO Hardy, but Hardy countered, performing the Twist of Fate on the Champion.[8] Later in the night, Hardy looked set to defeat Santino Marella, when Orton appeared on the Titan Tron. Orton stated that he had kicked Jeff’s brother Matt where his appendix used to be and then proceeded to kick him in the head.[8][9] The following week on a special “RAW Roulette” edition of RAW, Hardy defended his Intercontinental Championship against Umaga in a Steel Cage match. Hardy managed to overcome the odds in the Cage, jumping off the top of the cage onto Umaga via a Whisper in the Wind to become victorious over Umaga.[10] On the January 14, 2008 edition of RAW, Hardy agreed to face Orton, but with Hardy’s Intercontinental Championship on the line.[11] However, as soon as the bell rung to signify that the match has begun, Orton immediately low-blowed Hardy, getting himself disqualified.[11] Orton and Hardy began to brawl up the ramp, and Orton looked set to kick Hardy in the head when Hardy countered, sending him to the arena floor below. Hardy then climbed the RAW set, and then Swanton bombed off the side of the set onto Orton below.[11] The following week on RAW, Hardy and Orton were scheduled to shake hands but Hardy instead shook the hands of Lilian Garcia, Jerry Lawler, Jim Ross and several fans before re-entering the ring to confront Orton and hit him with the Twist of Fate.[12]

The main feud on the SmackDown! brand was between Rey Mysterio and World Heavyweight Champion Edge with the two feuding over the World Heavyweight Championship. Mysterio won a Beat the Clock Challenge on the January 4, 2008 edition of SmackDown! defeating Edge with 90 seconds to go, securing an opportunity for the World Heavyweight Championship at the Royal Rumble.[13]

Ahead of the annual Royal Rumble match, several qualifying matches for the match took place on RAW. The first qualifying match was on the December 31, 2007 edition of RAW as Umaga quickly defeated Jim Duggan to earn a place in the Rumble. Snitsky also defeated Drew McIntyre at a house show in White Plains, New York to also qualify for the Royal Rumble.[14] Triple H failed to beat Ric Flair; therefore he was no longer allowed to compete in the Royal Rumble Match, by orders made by RAW General Manager William Regal. However, after Triple H destroyed part of the lower TitanTron on the January 14 RAW, Vince McMahon announced he would allow Triple H a second chance at the Royal Rumble if he could defeat his opponent on January 21 edition of RAW.[15] The Game defeated Snitsky, Mark Henry and William Regal in a gauntlet match to gain entry.[16]
Royal Rumble qualification matches
Umaga defeated Jim Duggan - RAW, December 29 (aired December 31)
Snitsky defeated Drew McIntyre - RAW house show, January 4
Hardcore Holly defeated Trevor Murdoch - RAW house show, January 5
John Morrison and The Miz defeated Jimmy Wang Yang and Shannon Moore - SmackDown!/ECW house show, January 6
Hornswoggle and Mick Foley defeated The Highlanders (Robbie and Rory McAllister) - RAW, January 7
Jamie Noble defeated Chuck Palumbo - SmackDown!, January 8 (aired January 11)
Cody Rhodes defeated William Regal - RAW house show, January 11
Carlito and Santino Marella defeated Super Crazy[citation needed] and D.H. Smith[citation needed] - RAW house show, January 12
Shawn Michaels defeated Trevor Murdoch - RAW, January 14
Triple H defeated Snitsky, Mark Henry, and William Regal in a Over the Top Rope Gauntlet Match - RAW, January 21

Matches
WWE Championship: Randy Orton (c) vs. Jeff Hardy[17]
2008 Royal Rumble Match[18]
Participants announced: [19]
RAW SmackDown! ECW Alumni
Umaga Hornswoggle John Morrison Mick Foley
Hardcore Holly Batista The Miz 
Snitsky The Undertaker Shelton Benjamin 
Cody Rhodes Kane Big Daddy V 
Santino Marella Finlay Tommy Dreamer 
Carlito Jamie Noble  
Shawn Michaels Mark Henry  
Mr. Kennedy The Great Khali  
Triple H Chuck Palumbo  

World Heavyweight Championship: Edge (c) vs. Rey Mysterio[20]
Chris Jericho vs. John “Bradshaw” Layfield[21]
Ric Flair vs. Montel Vontavious Porter[22]
If Flair loses the match, he must retire from wrestling.
References
^ “WATCH IT! Coming Up On Pay Per View”, WWE Magazine (no. Holday 2007): 36-37, November 2007
^ Roll to Royal Rumble Jackass Style. WWE. Retrieved on 2007-10-12.
^ iN DEMAND WWE: Royal Rumble. iN Demand. Retrieved on 2007-12-18.
^ Clayton, Cory. How do I get WWE HD on my HDTV?. WWE. Retrieved on 2008-01-19.
^ Robinson, Bryan (2007-12-16). Saved by a ‘wrestling god’. WWE. Retrieved on 2008-01-05.
^ Adkins, Greg (2007-12-16). Hardy masters The Game. WWE. Retrieved on 2008-01-05.
^ Adkins, Greg (2007-12-17). Early Rumblings. WWE. Retrieved on 2008-01-05.
^ a b Clayton, Corey (2007-12-31). Orton’s attack shatters Hardy’s momentum, maybe more. WWE. Retrieved on 2008-01-08.
^ Robinson, Bryan (2008-01-06). From ‘Rainbow-haired’ to red with rage. WWE. Retrieved on 2008-01-08.
^ Robinson, Bryan (2008-01-07). Has Orton’s high-stakes gamble backfired?. WWE. Retrieved on 2008-01-16.
^ a b c Bryan Robinson (2008-01-14). Vengeance … but at what cost?. WWE. Retrieved on 2008-01-24.
^ Bryan Robinson (2008-01-21). Randy’s twist of fate just days away?. WWE. Retrieved on 2008-01-24.
^ Dee, Louie (2008-01-04). Time on Rey’s side. WWE. Retrieved on 2008-01-05.
^ Snitsky Qualifies For Royal Rumble.
^ Adkins, Greg (2008-01-14). Stay of execution. WWE. Retrieved on 2008-01-15.
^ Greg Adkins (January 21, 2008). Triple Play. WWE. Retrieved on 2008-01-23.
^ Robinson, Bryan (2007-12-16). Preview: Randy Orton vs. Jeff Hardy (WWE Championship Match). WWE. Retrieved on 2007-12-17.
^ Preview: Royal Rumble match. WWE. Retrieved on 2008-01-03.
^ 2008 Royal Rumble Participants. WWE. Retrieved on 2008-01-07.
^ Preview: Rey Mysterio vs. Edge (World Heavyweight Championship Match). WWE. Retrieved on 2008-01-04.
^ Preview: Chris Jericho vs. JBL at the Rumble - The Real Story Behind the Rivalry. WWE. Retrieved on 2008-01-05.
^ [http://www.wwe.com/shows/royalrumble/matches/6141204/preview/ Preview: United States Champion MVP vs. Ric Flair in a Career Threatening Match]. WWE. Retrieved on 2008-01-08.