The main rivalry from the SmackDown brand going into the Royal Rumble was Jeff Hardy and Edge fighting over the WWE Championship. At WWE's last pay-per-view event, Armageddon, Hardy defeated Edge and Triple H in a Triple Threat match, a match with three wrestlers, to win the WWE Championship. On the January 2, 2009 episode of "SmackDown", Vickie Guerrero said that Edge would face Hardy for the WWE title at the Royal Rumble.