At the Royal Rumble pay-per-view event in January , Randy Orton successfully defended the WWE Championship against Jeff Hardy at the same event where John Cena returned from an injury and won the Royal Rumble match , where thirty wrestlers competed in a ring and were eliminated by being thrown over the top rope when he last eliminated Triple H. By winning the match , Cena became a top contender for the WWE Championship at WrestleMania XXIV .
At the Royal Rumble in January , John Cena won the Royal Rumble match by last eliminating Triple H to become the number one contender to the WWE Championship at WrestleMania XXIV .