The Miz

Damian Priest & R-Truth

Champion Retains

Summary

Somehow, putting Damian Priest in the ring with four of the most absurdly funny, gimmick-heavy personalities imaginable turned into absolute magic. This one leaned hard into entertainment early, with R-Truth doing his usual blend of comedy and out-of-nowhere offense, keeping the crowd hooked from the jump. Priest played the perfect counterbalance, bringing the heavy strikes and slowing things down just enough to keep it grounded. The Miz and Zack Gibson (Wilson) worked like a well-oiled machine, cutting the ring in half and isolating Truth for a solid stretch. But the moment everyone will remember? The chaotic arrival of Danhausen. Truth, in peak Truth fashion, tags him in for absolutely no reason, and Miz immediately loses it, insisting Danhausen has no business being in the ring. Danhausen tries to curse Miz, but Miz, ever the opportunist, yanks the referee in front of him—resulting in the ref taking the curse instead. That little twist paid off instantly: Miz drills Truth with his finisher and goes for the pin, but the referee’s arm freezes mid-count at two. Perfect chaos. That opened the door for the hot tag to Priest, who stormed in, cleaned house, and brought things back to reality with a dominant finish. Not a technical masterpiece, but ridiculously entertaining—and the crowd ate up every second of it.

Summary

The Miz tried to avoid the fight by cutting a promo, positioning himself as a locker-room leader and offering to mentor Femi, but the rising powerhouse shut that down quickly. Once the match began, Femi overwhelmed Miz with ease, shrugging off a high-risk attack before flattening him with a corner charge, a brutal back suplex, and the Fall From Grace to score a decisive squash victory.

Summary

Carmelo Hayes took on The Miz in a non-title contest that saw strong exchanges and Miz gaining offense early with veteran savvy. Miz nearly gained traction with his Skull Crushing Finale, but Hayes creatively countered and connected with The First 48 for the victory. The match reinforced Hayes’s rising status while leaving Miz still chasing story momentum.

Summary

The Men’s Royal Rumble match also featured 30 participants, mixing established stars, surprise returns, and breakthrough performances. Oba Femi made a huge early impact by entering at #1 and eliminating several competitors, including Rusev and Solo Sikoa. Throughout the middle of the match, notable moments included surprise eliminations, then-fresh returns like LA Knight, and clashes involving Brock Lesnar before he was eliminated by alliance efforts from other competitors. The final stretch came down to Roman Reigns (#26), Gunther (#30), Randy Orton, and Logan Paul as the last four. Reigns ultimately survived the fray by spearing Gunther, eliminating him over the top rope to win his second career Royal Rumble and punch his WrestleMania main event ticket.

Summary

Ilja Dragunov went one-on-one with The Miz in a physical bout born from recent interference controversies. Dragunov absorbed early veteran ring strategy from Miz before unleashing hard strikes, chops, and his signature Torpedo Moscow. The Mad Dragon finished Miz with the H-Bomb for the pinfall, continuing his momentum heading into the Royal Rumble.