The Mexican aristocrat triumphed over 39 other competitors in the biggest Rumble in WWE history to earn the opportunity to headline WrestleMania in a World Championship Match of his choosing on April 4, 2011 in Atlanta.

It was a career-defining moment for the smug Superstar who debuted in WWE barely six months ago. Entering the wild bout at No. 38, Del Rio used his cunning and good fortune to prevail in the all-important battle and join an elite group of Rumble winners that includes WWE legends Bret “Hit Man” Hart, “Stone Cold” Steve Austin and Shawn Michaels. (PHOTOS)

Del Rio’s shocking victory was one of many surprising moments in this year’s over-the-top melee. Before the match even began, No. 1 entrant CM Punk was ambushed by The Corre, resulting in a massive brawl between the SmackDown group and The New Nexus. When the smoke settled and the Rumble started proper, The Straight Edge Superstar survived long enough to be joined by his New Nexus cohorts and the sinister set proceeded to control the match for an extended period of time. That was until John Cena arrived.

Putting on one of the most impressive performances in Rumble history, the Legendary star was by far the most dominant man in the ring, dumping seven Superstars over the top rope, including every member of The New Nexus. But Cena’s fury soon gave way to frivolity as he teamed up with No. 23 entrant Hornswoggle to hurl both Heath Slater and Tyson Kidd. Those unfortunate Superstars should’ve taken a page out of John Morrison’s book. Early in the bout, The Shaman of Sexy avoided elimination by clinging catlike onto the barrier and then jumping back into the ring.

As the action continued to heat up, top Superstars like Big Show, Rey Mysterio and Wade Barrett entered the fray. Even former World Champions Booker T and Diesel made unexpected appearances in the match, much to the delight of the WWE Universe. But it was the man who drove to the ring in a $200,000 Bentley that had the biggest impact on the night’s events.

As one of the final men to enter the ring, Del Rio had an advantage over the last three participants — Cena, Barrett and Orton. The Mexican Superstar lucked out when Cena was unceremoniously tossed by an interfering Miz. From there, it was a rapid turn of events as The Viper chucked Barrett before being dumped himself by an opportunistic Del Rio.

It was not over yet, though. Santino Marella had not been officially eliminated and crawled back into the ring, nailing a distracted Del Rio with The Cobra. The Italian Superstar nearly threw the arrogant competitor over the top rope, but Del Rio reversed at the last second to secure his spot in the main event of The Show of Shows.

With his victory tonight, Alberto Del Rio now begins his journey on the Road to WrestleMania. But as many Superstars can attest, this road can be very bumpy — even from the comfort of one of Del Rio’s luxury cars. Will this privileged Superstar arrive in Atlanta in style? Or will there be a breakdown miles away from the Grandest Stage of Them All? Either way, it’s going to be one hell of a ride. 

BOSTON - World Heavyweight Champion Edge reigned supreme against Dolph Ziggler, retaining his coveted World Title at the sold-out Royal Rumble after sneaking in the banned Spear. Match photos

With the TD Banknorth Garden filled to the rafters, an absolutely intense battle between the two extremely calculating Superstars set the outrageous mood for the entire pay-per-view. The WWE Universe held its collective breath to see if Edge would use the barred Spear and automatically lose his title.

When Vickie Guerrero interfered with the match and jumped up on the ring apron to continuously slap Edge, Kelly Kelly appeared from nowhere and took her out.

Ziggler soon locked in his infamous sleeper and, while the World Heavyweight Champion struggled to break it, the referee got knocked to the canvas and was rendered out of commission. Seizing the opportunity, The Ultimate Opportunist brought the WWE Universe into hysterics, blasting his adversary with the outlawed Spear. Then, as the referee was coming to, he followed it up with the Killswitch for the victory – perhaps paying homage to his former partner Christian.

At WWE TLC one month ago, Edge reached new heights, triumphing over Kane in a TLC Match to become a 10-time World Champion. Truly one of the top Superstars to set foot in the squared circle in the past 15 years, The Rated-R Superstar journeyed into Royal Rumble more dominant than ever.

Dolph Ziggler had a great deal on his side as he attempted to dethrone The Rated-R Superstar. The bleach-blond challenger utilized aggressive skill, an unwavering self-confidence and a boundless ambition – not to mention a great amount of luck. The former Intercontinental Champion triumphed in an intense Fatal 4-Way Match on SmackDown to become The Master Manipulator’s No. 1 contender.

Ziggler’s alliance with the powerful “acting” SmackDown GM Vickie Guerrero has also continued to pay dividends, especially when she banned her ex-husband’s Spear just two days before Ziggler’s World Title opportunity. But, Edge did not become The Ultimate Opportunist by having only one weapon in his arsenal, a lesson Guerrero’s boyfriend had to learn the hard way.

Edge has once again proved his excellence in front of a capacity crowd, retaining the World Title in epic fashion. However – since the victor of the Royal Rumble Match ultimately wins a main-event opportunity with one of the two World Champions at WrestleMania – could his biggest challenge still lay ahead of him?

The battle was fierce and competitive as the sexy, smart and powerful Divas each desired to head in the right direction on the Road to WrestleMania. When the dust settled, Eve stood victorious by taking advantage of the situation, capturing her second Divas Title by pinning Layla. However, Eve’s victory did not come without controversy as the referee did not see Michelle pinning Natalya at the same time.

At Survivor Series, Natalya defeated Lay-Cool in a 2-on-1 Handicap Match to win the Divas Title and would subsequently beat both Michelle McCool and Layla in singles competition. But Lay-Cool believed that this time they had Natalya figured out and could reclaim the butterfly-emblazoned title once and for all. While it was meant to be a Handicap Match, Raw’s Anonymous General Manager had other plans at Royal Rumble.

As dictated by Michael Cole, Raw’s General Manager changed the match to a Fatal 4-Way and introduced a surprise competitor, former Divas Champion Eve. Lay-Cool could still capture the title, but their chances of coming out victorious were significantly decreased. Adding Eve to the mix also created a greater sense of unpredictability because last year the former champion lost the butterfly in a Fatal 4-Way Match without being pinned. Determined to learn from her experience, Eve came to the ring ready to battle against the odds.

Unfortunately for Natalya, her chances of retaining the title did not improve with Eve entering the match, because she would not have to be pinned or submit in order to lose the coveted championship. While it may have seemed like Eve and Natalya would ignite the TD Banknorth Garden by silencing Lay-Cool, both Divas knew what was at stake and any sense of allegiance was quickly cast aside.

Although at the end of the match Michelle protested the referee’s decision, her argument would fall on deaf ears, as the former Diva Search Winner Eve was officially declared the winner and left the Royal Rumble as Divas Champion.