Royal Rumble 2005 Royal Rumble 2005 was the eighteenth annual Royal Rumble professional wrestling pay - per - view ( PPV ) event produced by World Wrestling Entertainment ( WWE ) . It took place on January 30 , 2005 at the Save Mart Center in Fresno , California and featured talent from both the Raw and SmackDown ! brands . The main event was the annual 30 - man Royal Rumble match , which featured performers from both brands . Batista , the twenty - eighth entrant , won the match by last eliminating John Cena , the twenty - fifth entrant . The predominant match on the Raw brand was Triple H versus Randy Orton for the World Heavyweight Championship , which Triple H won by pinfall after executing a Pedigree . The primary match on the SmackDown ! brand was a Triple Threat match for the WWE Championship between champion John " Bradshaw " Layfield ( JBL ) , Kurt Angle , and The Big Show . JBL won the match and retained the title after pinning Angle following a Clothesline from Hell . Background . Royal Rumble featured professional wrestling matches that involved different wrestlers from pre - existing scripted feuds , plots , and storylines that were played out on " Raw " and " SmackDown ! " – World Wrestling Entertainment ' s ( WWE ) primary television programs . Wrestlers portrayed a villain or a hero as they followed a series of events that built tension , and culminated into a wrestling match or series of matches . The event featured wrestlers from WWE ' s Raw and SmackDown ! brands – a storyline division in which WWE employees were assigned to a television program of the same name . The main feud heading into the Royal Rumble on the Raw brand was between Triple H and Randy Orton over the World Heavyweight Championship . Their feud started on the night after Summerslam , when Orton was kicked out of Evolution by Triple H . The following month , at Unforgiven , Triple H defeated Orton to win the World Heavyweight Championship . At Survivor Series , Team Orton ( Orton , Chris Benoit , Chris Jericho , and Maven ) defeated Team Triple H ( Triple H , Edge , Batista , and Snitsky ) in a four - on - four Elimination match . Orton won the match for his team by last eliminating Triple H . Two months later , at New Year ' s Revolution , the pay - per - view three weeks before the Royal Rumble , Triple H won an Elimination Chamber match to win the vacant World Heavyweight Championship . Triple H won the match by last eliminating Orton following outside interference from Evolution members Batista and Ric Flair . The next night on " Raw " , Orton defeated Batista to become the number one contender to the title at the Royal Rumble . The following week , after a verbal confrontation between the two in the arena , Triple H ambushed Orton backstage . They fought until Orton tried to use a steel chair , and Triple H fled . On the January 24 episode of " Raw " , Orton faced off against Ric Flair . During the match , as the referee was knocked down , Triple H came in and attacked Orton along with Flair . Orton , however , fought off both men and won the match . The main feud on the SmackDown ! brand was between John " Bradshaw " Layfield ( JBL ) , The Big Show , and Kurt Angle , with the three feuding over the WWE Championship . On the December 16 , 2004 , episode of " SmackDown ! " , Angle challenged JBL to a match for the WWE Championship . The Cabinet ( Orlando Jordan , Doug , and Danny Basham ) interfered and attacked Angle , causing the match to end via disqualification . They continued to attack Angle after the match until The Big Show came out , beat down everyone , and signaled to JBL that he wanted the title . In the weeks that followed , a Triple Threat match for the title between the three was booked for the Royal Rumble . Following this , JBL set up Angle to anger The Big Show , but Angle angered JBL in response . After realizing this , JBL aligned himself with The Big Show and confronted Angle ; however , JBL turned on Big Show and beat him down with Angle . On the January 27 episode of " SmackDown ! " , SmackDown ! General Manager Theodore Long booked a Last Man Standing match between JBL and Angle for later that night . The two eventually turned on each other , and the match ended in a no contest . It was later revealed that the match was Big Show ' s idea . Another feud heading into the event from SmackDown ! was between The Undertaker and Heidenreich . Their feud first started in 2004 at No Mercy , the pay - per - view in October . Heidenreich helped John " Bradshaw " Layfield ( JBL ) defeat Undertaker in a Last Ride match by attacking Undertaker and putting him in the hearse . At Survivor Series , Undertaker defeated Heidenreich by pinfall after executing a Tombstone Piledriver . At Armageddon 2004 , Heidenreich once again cost Undertaker his title match against JBL in a Fatal Four Way that involved Booker T and Eddie Guerrero by pushing Undertaker backwards while holding JBL in the tombstone piledriver position , before JBL pinned Booker T after a Clothesline From Hell . Smackdown ' s General Manager Theodore Long let Undertaker name the stipulation for his match against Heidenreich at Royal Rumble . As Heidenreich mentioned his fear of caskets , Undertaker chose to face him in a casket match for Royal Rumble . A preliminary Raw brand feud was between Shawn Michaels and Edge . Their feud started at Taboo Tuesday 2004 when Michaels was voted over Edge to face Triple H for the World Heavyweight Championship . At New Year ' s Revolution 2005 , Edge lost a shot at the title in an Elimination Chamber with Michaels as special referee . In the Elimination Chamber , Michaels superkicked Edge , followed by a lionsault from Chris Jericho , with Jericho making the cover . Believing it was Michael ' s fault that he was not crowned champion , Edge speared Michaels and the two men were booked into a match at Royal Rumble . Event . Before the event went live on pay - per - view , Maven defeated Rhyno in a match taped for " Sunday Night Heat " . The first match that aired was between Edge and Shawn Michaels . Edge mocked Michaels by performing some of Michaels ' signature taunts during the match . Edge gained the advantage after an Edge - O - Matic ( sitout rear mat slam ) outside the ring . Michaels fought back until Edge left the ring . Michaels came after him , but , with the referee ' s distraction , Edge speared Michaels , both outside and inside the ring . Michaels then knocked Edge off the second rope and executed a diving elbow drop . Edge countered a superkick attempt into an electric chair drop and applied the Edgecator . Michaels broke the hold and attempted a roll - up , but Edge rolled through and pinned Michaels while holding the ropes . The second match was a Casket match between The Undertaker and Heidenreich . The match started back and forth until Heidenreich sent The Undertaker into the side of the casket . The Undertaker came back , applying the triangle choke until Gene Snitsky interfered and attacked The Undertaker . Snitsky and Heidenreich double - teamed The Undertaker and called for the casket to be opened . Kane was revealed to be inside the casket , and he climbed out . He attacked Snitsky and Heidenreich and fought Snitsky into the audience . Heidenreich sent The Undertaker into the steel steps and pushed the casket into him . Heidenreich put The Undertaker in the casket after applying the cobra clutch . The Undertaker stopped the lid from closing with his arm , gaining control briefly . Heidenreich fought back and put The Undertaker in the casket again . The Undertaker , however , fought out of it and executed a chokeslam and a Tombstone Piledriver . Shortly after , Undertaker put Heidenreich in the casket and closed the lid to win the match . The third match was a Triple Threat match for the WWE Championship between champion John " Bradshaw " Layfield ( JBL ) , The Big Show , and Kurt Angle . In the opening minutes , Angle stayed on the outside of the ring , leaving Big Show and JBL on their own . Angle came into the ring to break up a pinfall attempt , but Big Show kept the advantage over both men . Angle hit Big Show with a television monitor to send him through an announce table , thus leaving Angle and JBL on their own . Big Show returned a few minutes later and continued to control the match . Big Show tackled JBL through the steel barricade and performed a flapjack to Angle onto a steel chair . Shortly after , Luther Reigns , Mark Jindrak , Doug , and Danny Basham attacked Big Show , and Orlando Jordan helped JBL back into the ring . JBL then executed a Clothesline from Hell on Angle and pinned him to retain the title . The fourth match was between Triple H and Randy Orton for the World Heavyweight Championship . Prior to the match , Raw General Manager Eric Bischoff banned Evolution ( Batista and Ric Flair ) from ringside . Orton had control at the start of the match until Triple H countered an RKO attempt by throwing Orton out of the ring . Triple H kept the advantage and targeted Orton ' s left knee until Orton kicked him into an announce table . Orton kept the advantage until he suffered a kayfabe concussion from missing a DDT . Triple H knocked both Orton and the referee down with a clothesline and took out a sledgehammer from beneath the ring . He tried to hit Orton with it , but Orton pulled him into the ringpost . Triple H performed another clothesline and a Pedigree to win and retain the title . The final match was the Royal Rumble match . Before the match began , Kurt Angle stole Nunzio ' s entrance number , taking his spot in the match . After the tenth entrant , Raw General Manager Eric Bischoff came to ringside , and SmackDown ! General Manager Theodore Long also came out soon after . The participants then divided into their brands and fought against each other until they worked together to eliminate Muhammad Hassan , the thirteen entrant . Scotty 2 Hotty , the fifteenth entrant , was attacked by Hassan during his entrance and never entered the match . Angle , the twentieth entrant , dominated upon entering the match until Shawn Michaels eliminated him . Angle came back in later to eliminate Michaels and continued to attack him afterwards . Jonathan Coachman , the twenty - first entrant , spent a lot of his time in the match holding onto the bottom rope as he was not a wrestler . The final four participants remaining were Batista , John Cena , Edge , and Rey Mysterio . Edge fought with Mysterio and threw him over the top rope , but he stayed on the apron . Edge then executed a spear to eliminate Mysterio . Cena and Batista then eliminated Edge as he was attacking them . Cena tried to perform an FU on Batista to the outside , but Batista fought off . Batista then attempted a Batista Bomb to the outside , but was countered with a headscissors takedown by Cena , sending both over the top rope and touching the floor at the same time . The referees for the Raw brand believed Batista to be the winner while the SmackDown ! referees believed Cena to be winner . Following this , WWE Chairman Vince McMahon came to the ring , in the process legitimately tearing both his quadriceps muscles , and ordered the match to be restarted with the final two participants , Batista and John Cena . Batista tossed Cena over the top rope following a Spinebuster to win the match . Aftermath . The following weeks on " Raw " surrounded Batista ' s choice of which champion to face at WrestleMania 21 . Triple H devised a scheme to have Batista almost run over by a limousine resembling John " Bradshaw " Layfield ( JBL ) ' s , so Batista would challenge JBL instead of himself . Batista became aware of the scheme and chose to face Triple H for the World Heavyweight Championship at WrestleMania , thus leaving the Evolution stable in the process . He won the title , and their feud continued until he was drafted to SmackDown ! on June 30 . Batista remained champion until the January 13 , 2006 , episode of " SmackDown ! " when he surrendered the title due to injury . John Cena went on to win a tournament to become the number one contender to the WWE Championship at WrestleMania 21 . The tournament concluded in a match between him and Kurt Angle at No Way Out , which Cena won after performing an FU . Following this , he began an angle with JBL . Cena defeated JBL to win the title at WrestleMania , and their feud ended after Cena retained the title in an " I Quit " match at Judgment Day . Following the Royal Rumble , Randy Orton and Kurt Angle began feuding with The Undertaker and Shawn Michaels , respectively . The Big Show faced JBL in the first ever barbed wire Steel Cage match for the title at No Way Out , which JBL won to retain the title . Orton briefly feuded with Christian before moving on to feud with The Undertaker , which spanned nine months . After losing his title match at No Way Out , The Big Show faced Akebono in a sumo match at WrestleMania , and he briefly feuded with Carlito Caribbean Cool afterwards .