#wwe #wwe royal rumble 2016 #aj styles  #royal rumble #triple h #roman reigns

OLANDO, Fla. -- On Sunday night, for the first time ever, the WWE World Heavyweight Championship was defended in the annual Royal Rumble match. The Authority ended up getting the last laugh, as their revenge on Roman Reigns ended up precisely according to plan.

As is the custom for the Royal Rumble, there were surprises galore, some welcome returns and lots of pointing at the WrestleMania sign. I was lucky enough to be in the building for the event, so here's everything that went down in the Amway Center on Sunday night and what it all means for the WWE as they steamroll their way toward WrestleMania, which is a scant 69 days away.

Fatal 4-Way Kickoff Match to qualify for the Royal Rumble Match: Mark Henry & Jack Swagger def. Darren Young & Damien Sandow, The Dudley Boyz and The Ascension

The opening match on the Kickoff Show was a tag team battle for the right to earn two spots in the Royal Rumble match later in the evening. Mark Henry and Jack Swagger managed to get the win when Henry pinned Viktor of the Ascension.

What we learned: This match sure didn't end up having much of an impact on the Rumble, as Henry got tossed by three members of the Wyatt Family shortly after entering, and Swagger got F5'd and tossed in mere seconds by Brock Lesnar after his number came up.

The other notable thing about the match was just how much rabid support Damien Sandow has from the WWE fans. He's been mostly off television for months and the crowd was still dying for his team to win, boisterously calling for him to get into the match and going nuts for anything he did. I can't imagine anything will come of it, but it was sure nice to hear and see. Even better was Sandow being completely unable to contain his glee at being the most beloved person in the match.