The ending of the WWE Royal Rumble this year was not the one scripted going in.
The original plan was to have John Cena escape from a Batista powerbomb one time, then get powerbombed a second time and tossed for the win. However, both men lost their balance and fell out of the ring together, sending the refs into a panic.
At first, they declared Batista the winner, but since it was clear Batista fell first, Vince called an audible from the back.
He went ahead with a tie storyline with Raw referees declaring Batista the winner and Smackdown referees declaring Cena the winner. Vince also decided to come down personally and direct the rest, and of course was injured as he came into the ring. He directed everyone from his seated position, including the ending that did go down, with Batista tossing Cena relatively quickly.
credit: Dave Meltzer Wrestling Observer Newsletter
