Sheamus won the 30-Man Royal Rumble Match

ST. LOUIS — WWE fans are going to see a fight at this year’s WrestleMania.

Using his brute strength to triumph over 29 other Superstars, the mighty Sheamus was victorious in the Royal Rumble Match, dumping Chris Jericho to earn a World Title opportunity against a champion of his choosing at WrestleMania XXVIII on April 1. (PHOTOS)

It was a grueling battle for the powerhouse who drew No. 22. Entering before a sold-out crowd that had already witnessed Ricardo Rodriguez rolling to the ring in an ’85 Datsun, Kofi Kingston walking on his hands to avoid elimination and Michael Cole jumping over the top rope to escape the wrath of Kharma, The Celtic Warrior immediately made his presence felt by launching Kingston out of the ring.

From there, the Rumble became a demolition derby of battered bodies and unpredictable arrivals. Booker T, Jerry “The King” Lawler and Michael Cole all left the broadcast booth at one point to try their luck in the bout, but were quickly sent back to their announce table with damaged egos. Old school fan favorites like Mick Foley, “Hacksaw” Jim Duggan and Road Dogg returned to rousing ovations — only to be chucked from the squared circle by dangerous upstarts like Cody Rhodes, Dolph Ziggler and Wade Barrett. Big Show, twice a runner-up in the Rumble, made a huge impact from the 30 spot, tossing Jack Swagger, Rhodes, The Miz and Ziggler in rapid succession.

When the Royal Rumble Match came down to the all-important final four, it was Big Show, Sheamus, Chris Jericho and Randy Orton left standing in the ring. Quickly, though, the 30-man melee was left to two Superstars as The Viper heaved The World’s Largest Athlete only to be immediately eliminated by Jericho.

WWE fans, knowing they would see a first time Royal Rumble Match winner tonight, began to shake the Scottrade Center as Y2J and The Great White waged a dramatic battle for supremacy. When Jericho sent Sheamus over the top rope, the big man hung on and came right back. When The Celtic Warrior dismissed his opponent, Jericho would find a way to return.

The back-and-forth brawl pushed both men to their physical limit before the nefarious Superstar made the mistake of going for his patened Codebreaker. Snatching Jericho in midair, Sheamus deposited the man who promised “the end of the world” over the top rope and then blasted him with The Brogue Kick to make sure he was gone for good.

It was an important victory for the SmackDown Superstar. A year ago, The Celtic Warrior’s WrestleMania XXVI bout against Daniel Bryan was bumped from the card at the last minute. This year, he’ll be competing for a World Title. Don’t expect The Great White to let this opportunity slip through his fingers.

Full list of Royal Rumble Match participants and eliminations

 

Entry Number	Name	Eliminated	Eliminated By	Time
1	The Miz	Alex Riley, R-Truth	Big Show	45:39
2	Alex Riley		The Miz	1:15
3	R-Truth		The Miz	4:57
4	Cody Rhodes	Mick Foley, Santino Marella, Jerry “The King” Lawler, The Great Khali, Booker T, Hacksaw Jim Duggan	Big Show	41:55
5	Justin Gabriel		Ricardo Rodriguez and Mick Foley	6:12
6	Primo		Mick Foley	1:57
7	Mick Foley	Justin Gabriel, Primo, Epico	Cody Rhodes	6:34
8	Ricardo Rodriguez	Justin Gabriel	Santino Marella	2:19
9	Santino Marella	Ricardo Rodriguez	Cody Rhodes	2:31
10	Epico		Mick Foley	0:11
11	Kofi Kingston		Sheamus	17:55
12	Jerry “The King” Lawler	Michael Cole	Cody Rhodes	:43
13	Ezekiel Jackson		The Great Khali	3:46
14	Jinder Mahal		The Great Khali	1:17
15	The Great Khali	Ezekiel Jackson, Jinder Mahal	Cody Rhodes and Dolph Ziggler	7:29
16	Hunico		Kharma	9:00
17	Booker T	Michael Cole	Cody Rhodes and Dolph Ziggler	4:40
18	Dolph Ziggler	The Great Khali, Booker T, Kharma	Big Show	19:46
19	Hacksaw Jim Duggan		Cody Rhodes	0:56
20	Michael Cole		Jerry “The King” Lawler and Booker T	1:23
21	Kharma	Hunico	Dolph Ziggler	1:00
22	Sheamus	Kofi Kingston, Chris Jericho	Winner	22:21
23	Road Dogg Jesse James		Wade Barrett	4:55
24	Jey Uso		RandyOrton	7:03
25	Jack Swagger		Big Show and Sheamus	7:59
26	Wade Barrett	Road Dogg Jesse James	Randy Orton	3:55
27	David Otunga		Chris Jericho	3:15
28	Randy Orton	Jey Uso, Wade Barrett, The Big Show	Chris Jericho	5:46
29	Chris Jericho	David Otunga, Randy Orton	Sheamus	11:34
30	The Big Show	Cody Rhodes, Dolph Ziggler, Jack Swagger	Randy Orton	1:51

Total Rumble Time- 54 minutes and 55 seconds