Welcome back to the United States of Nakamerica! During last night's Royal Rumble Kickoff show, Rusev defended the title against the former champion but things went horribly wrong for the Bulgarian Brute after his wife Lana got involved. As she argued with Nakamura at ringside, Rusev inadvertently knocked her to the floor from the apron which allowed the heel to take him out with a Kinshasa.
That wasn't the only bout relegated to the Kickoff as Buddy Murphy defended the Cruiserweight Championship in a Fatal Four-Way match against Kalisto, Hideo Itami, and Akira Towaza. He retained the title he won at Super Show-Down last year after hitting Itami with Murphy's Law to get the 1-2-3.
Here's a weird one for you, though. Another match on the Kickoff saw RAW Tag Team Champions Bobby Roode and Chad Gable take down Rezar and Scott Dawson after they were paired up to represent the Authors of Pain and The Revival with the opportunity to earn both teams a tag team title opportunity down the line. Alas, they lost once Dawson was pinned after a neckbreaker/moonsault.