Royal Rumble 2011 a success–but you already knew that.

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After 24 years of pretty much the same thing, WWE did something not too drastic, although they would like you to think it’s a drastic change: adding ten men to the traditional thirty-man match. To compensate, the increments between timed entrances were reduced from two minutes to ninety seconds. This resulted in roughly the same total minimum match length, but helped showcase ten more aspiring stars and offering ten more pay-per-view payout bonuses.

This year’s extravaganza had something for everyone. The ‘smarky’ Boston crowd really ate up the opening sequences, as it featured WWE’s best pure wrestlers in the ring together: CM Punk, Daniel Bryan, and William Regal, with Zack Ryder & Justin Gabriel as ‘buffers’ serving as elimination fodder for the three. The three traded stiff shots and showed the crowd a thing or two: Punk & Bryan will one day tear the house down if given the chance, and William Regal is one tough man.

An interesting spot would follow, as not too far into the match, John Morrison teased elimination by catching himself on the edge of the barricade and avoiding touching the floor. Using his ‘parkour’ skills, he managed to jump back onto the ring steps and re-enter the ring–a first in Rumble history.

The New Nexus dominated, and the match slowly ramped up towards bigger and badder opponents. After trampling Tyler Reks, Vladimir Kozlov tried his luck, to no avail. He did however get in a solid kick on CM Punk, who was sent flying backwards in a great spot. R-Truth was next, who didn’t stand a chance against Punk’s group. Punk did the knee/bulldog corner spot, with a hilarious ‘What’s Up’ to the crowd. Another fan favorite dominated by the Nexus, building towards the (not-so) surprising return of Booker T, to roaring ovation. Booker did all of his spots, including the Axe Kick, Book End, and Spinnarooni. This return was short-lived, as Booker was thrown out after losing to the numbers game. Unfortunately for the Nexus, though, the next participant was John Cena.

When Cena arrived, he pretty much trampled through the entire Nexus stable. Hornswaggle came out next, and the two teamed up for some comedic work that  involved Hornswaggle doing ‘Royal Rumble throwback moves’ like the Stunner, Sweet ‘Shin’ Music, the Attitude Adjustment, and even shaking the ropes like Warrior or Batista. It was entertaining, and the crowd ate it up. ‘Swaggle was eventually eliminated by Sheamus, so it was a good plan for easy heel heat on Sheamus.

The pop of the night came for number 32, Kevin Nash, in Diesel attire, including jet-black hair. WWE was not expecting Diesel’s return to get such an ovation, and called an ‘audible’ for Nash to stop and have words with Big Show, potentially setting up a feud (or team). Nash looked to be in great shape, despite being a few years over fifty.

With Michaels getting a Hall of Fame nod and Triple H waiting behind closed doors, expect to see a Kliq reunion in the upcoming months. I’d be shocked if it didn’t happen. Despite numerous ‘Diesel’ chants, Nash’s return didn’t last for long, and he was eliminated by Wade Barrett after a ’619′ from Rey Mysterio. Recent reports indicate that Nash is with WWE for the remainder of his career, wanting to retire as a member of the ‘Yankees of pro-wrestling.’

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The eventual winner was Alberto Del Rio, and I was completely shocked that they gave the win to someone in his debut year. They’ve been pushing him hard lately, but I’m still surprised. Del Rio has the most potential out of anyone on the roster, with looks, star quality, mic skills, ring skills, and experience, so it’s nice to see WWE capitalize on that.

The undercard of the pay-per-view included Dolph Ziggler and Randy Orton challenging for the World Heavyweight and WWE Championships, respectively, against champions Edge and The Miz. Miz-Orton was really nothing to write home about, but involvement from Punk & Nexus gave Miz the win, effectively putting heat on Punk & Miz. Miz would later interfere in the Rumble and eliminate John Cena, gaining more heat. Dolph Ziggler has a great deal of potential for his WWE future, despite lacking experience behind a microphone. His match with Edge was easily better than Miz and Orton’s.

Also that night was a Divas Title match. Originally advertised as a handicap match, the anonymous General Manager added Eve to the match, making it a fatal four-way. Eve is your new Divas Champion, which I am OK with, because I’d rather Awesome Kong comes in to destroy Eve than Natalya, as Natalya will probably be the most likely to be built up to go over Kong to regain the title.