royal rumble

Wrestling Recap: Women’s Royal Rumble (2018)

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The Date: 28 January 2018
The Venue: Wells Fargo Center; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
The Commentary: Michael Cole, Corey Graves, and Stephanie McMahon
The Stipulation: Thirty woman over the top rope battle royale for a WWE Women’s Championship opportunity at WrestleMania
Notable Competitors: Asuka (Winner), Sasha Banks (#1), Trish Stratus (#30), and Michelle McCool (Most Eliminations)

The Build-Up:
It should be no surprise, with how dominating the World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) is in the wrestling industry, that the WWE has been at the forefront of creativity. By 1988, the then-World Wrestling Federation (WWF) stepped into the mainstream with their inaugural WrestleMania before hosting their first Survivor Series event. To see in the new year, the legendary Pat Patterson sold WWF chairman Vince McMahon on the Royal Rumble, an over-the-top-rope battle royale that eventually became one of the biggest wrestling events of the year thanks to its winners earning a World Championship match at WrestleMania. In the long history of the event, only two women had ever competed in a Royal Rumble match. Indeed, women’s wrestling was little more than an afterthought for decades, especially in WWE, where cheerleaders and models were made to roll around in mud pits. In 2015, WWE’s latest crop of female wrestlers sought to change this. However, while competitors like Paige were at the forefront of changing the perception of women’s wrestling, it was Stephanie McMahon who took credit for spearheading a revolution in the division. Despite the first-ever all-female WWE pay-per-view, Evolution, not being a ratings success, WWE’s female superstars continued to push for a bigger spotlight. The derogatory “Divas” term and title were dropped and women started main eventing shows, pay-per-views, and competing in more gimmick matches. This led to the first-ever women’s Money in the Bank ladder match and, naturally, their first-ever Royal Rumble match.

The Match:
It’s crazy to think how long it took for the WWE to produce a women’s Royal Rumble match. It’s fitting (and surely no surprise) that the first of these occurred in the same year that the WWE produced their first (and, to date, only) women’s-only pay-per-view event. This was the year of the “Women’s Revolution”, after all, which probably explains why this match was the main event of the show. As a side note, I actually had the pleasure of watching this Royal Rumble event live thanks to having a three-month subscription to the WWE Network at the time, which is a rarity for me. It was fitting that two of the key figures in the Women’s Evolution movement, “The Boss” Sasha Banks and Becky Lynch, started this match. Their time alongside Bayley and “The Queen” Charlotte Flair as the “Four Horsewomen” helped change people’s perception of women’s wrestling so it was only right that they kicked off the first-ever women’s Royal Rumble. The two old frenemies started the match with a lock-up and some reversals, going through the early stages of a wrestling match and even going for submission holds rather than trying to toss each other over the top rope. Sarah Logan ran out to break up their showcase, aggressively attacking both and trying to muscle Becky out of the ring. Strangely, Sasha made the save (potentially because Sasha’s group, the Riott Squad, had been causing issues in the Raw women’s division), eating a headbutt for her troubles. Glorified cheerleader Mandy Rose, a poor substitute for the injured Paige, was next out and she and Logan focused on putting the hurt on Sasha and Becky. In record time, the four were joined by women’s legend and Hall of Famer, Lita (one of my favourites of the Attitude Era), to a raucous ovation. Sasha and Becky set aside their differences to take on Lita, but she floored them with clotheslines and got into it with Mandy, an awkward exchange that saw Mandy tumble to the floor. Kairi Sane, still riding a wave of momentum from winning the Mae Young Classic, was number six and immediately went after everyone with an enthusiastic gusto, including hitting her Insane Elbow drop onto Sasha Banks and Becky Lynch. With Kairi standing tall in a ring littered with bodies, powerhouse, Tamini stalked out and began throwing her weight around, though she soon fell foul of a Lita DDT just as Sasha and Becky took her Twist of Fate and Lita-sault. Lita then beckoned in Tamini and dropped her from the ring, only to be immediately dumped by Becky, much to the disdain of the crowd.

Legends and notable figures mixed it up with the WWE’s modern-day female stars.

Dana Brooke cartwheeled her way into the match next and things returned to a lacklustre brawl as the woman exchanged strikes and stomps and showed little interest in eliminating each other. Dana finally dumped Kairi when she went to the top once too often and Torrie Wilson made a surprising WWE return, though her momentum was cut short by the manic Sarah Logan. Still, Torrie made an impression by clumsily eliminating Dana Brooke, only for Sonya Deville to take her place and lay into Sasha with some hard-hitting strikes. Though she failed to eliminate Becky, Sonya took Torrie out of the match before Liv Morgan entered the fray, taking it to Sasha and teaming up with her Riott Squad teammate, Sarah Logan. Molly Holly was the next Legend to get involved, immediately asserting herself by eliminating Sarah Logan and taking out Sasha out with the Molly-Go-Round. In no time at all (seriously, what was with these timings?), Lana, of all people, came in at number thirteen and got the shit kicked out of her by Liv and Deville. Lana fought back as best she could, but luckily Michelle McCool was next out and the Riott Squad were more interested in fighting her. Naturally, they were no match, and Michelle was soon tossing both women, Molly Holly, and the boisterous Lana. As Becky and Sasha tried to haul out Michelle, Ruby Riott joined the melee and was immediately and repeatedly fighting to stay in the match as everyone tried to toss her. Vickie Guerrero shrieked her way out next, screaming like a banshee and earning her the ire of all. Setting aside their differences, Sasha, Becky, Ruby, and Michelle launched Vickie out to thunderous applause. Number seventeen was Carmella, who unceremoniously got her Money in the Bank briefcase smacked into her face courtesy of an enraged Guerrero, delaying her entry into the ring.

Occasionally feats of strength and agility couldn’t make up for the plodding in-ring action.

When Natalya mocked Carmella during her entrance, she got tugged off the ring apron; Carmella then clumsily scuffled with Becky before finally being planted with the Bexploder. Another glorified cheerleader, Kelly Kelly, was next, McCool was dumped by Natalya, and the women continued to meander as Naomi took everyone out with her Rear View hip attack. Sasha and Becky took turns shutting her down, immediately dousing her fire, before Becky was finally tossed by Ruby Riott. The next Legend entrant was Jacqueline, who showcased her power and experience by running through the competitors, though she failed to eliminate Kelly even with Natalya’s help. Mere moments later, surly Nia Jax stormed the ring and got the usual “monster” treatment. She effortlessly eliminated Jacqueline, Kelly Kelly, and Ruby Riott (with a military press, no less). Naomi went after Nia with gusto, throwing kicks and trying to throw her off balance. When she was knocked from the ring, Naomi was caught by Nia’s victims and walked the barricade and rode a ringside chair back to the ring…only to be immediately dumped by Nia! The NXT Women’s Champion, Ember Moon, was number twenty-three. Despite an injury from a previous match with Shayna Bazler, Ember went for Nia and got tossed like a ragdoll for her troubles. Nia was next challenged by the “Glamazon” Beth Phoenix, the only competitor to have competed in a Royal Rumble before. Beth showed no fear and attacked Nia, but couldn’t quite muscle her up. Even Natalya could only help to shove Nia through the ropes. After an emotional hug, Natalya threw Beth to the floor and got stomped by Carmella in recompense. The “Empress of Tomorrow”, Asuka, energetically took to the ring and floored everyone before renewing her NXT rivalry with Ember Moon, who hit a one-arm version of her Blockbuster-like Eclipse. Asuka no-sold the move, however, and soon took Ember out, bad arm and all.

Asuka’s surprise victory over the Bellas was usurped by Ronda’s awkward appearance.

Mickie James made a return next and continued the tradition of targeting Sasha and dropping women with neckbreakers before flailing about trying to chuck Natalya and Asuka. Nikki Bella was next in the ring, drawing mockery from the crowd due to her association with John Cena, taunting Charlotte Flair (who was at ringside with Alexa Bliss), and sending the screaming Carmella from the ring. The competitors ganged up on Nikki but luckily, her twin sister, Brie, made the save, milking the crowd’s love for her husband, Daniel Bryan, and teaming with her sister. A heartbeat later, Bayley arrived and also rekindled her NXT rivalry with Asuka, before certified Legend Trish Stratus came out at number thirty. Trish’s presence angered the modern stars, forcing her to plant both Bellas with a Stratusfaction. Though she arrived too late to battle Lita, Trish and Mickie James turned back the clock for a bit before Trish dumped her outside. Everyone then jumped Nia, aiding the Bellas in hefting her over the top rope. Sasha then immediately tossed Bayley, while Natalya locked Trish in the Sharpshooter and got kicked from the ring as a consequence. Sasha then got in Trish’s face and dumped her as she went for the Stratusfaction. Sasha then betrayed Asuka and beat her with the Bellas, directing them to double-team Asuka but being summarily betrayed by the twins while she was mocking Asuka. Despite being outnumbered, Asuka fought off the Bella’s attack and damn-near kicked their heads off; Nikki then stupidly betrayed her sister one last time, leaving her alone with Asuka. Despite Nikki’s best efforts, Asuka’s tenacity won out and, after tying the Bella up with a leg scissors, Asuka unceremoniously dumped Bella to punch her ticket to WrestleMania. Asuka’s celebration and confrontation with the WWE’s Women’s Champions was then completely usurped when “Rowdy” Ronda Rousey sauntered out to play mind games with all three and awkwardly point to the WrestleMania sign.

The Aftermath:
Considering how often Corey Graves, Michael Cole, and Stephanie McMahon hyped up this match as “history in the making”, the first-ever women’s Royal Rumble was a largely dull and tedious affair. The match lacked much of the excitement associated with the stipulation, relying far too much on bringing back Legends or roping in NXT competitors to round out the clearly limited women’s division. The in-ring action was clunky and awkward; there was a lot of standing around, dead air, and far too much half-hearted brawling as competitors stalled for time. The time between entrants was also a joke, with some appearing within a minute and others taken more like four to come out. The Naomi spot was fun, I did like seeing the returning stars, and I liked that Asuka won, but Ronda Rousey showing up at the end really stole Asuka’s thunder. Of course, much of the immediate aftermath did revolve around the question of which WWE Women’s Champion Asuka would challenge at WrestleMania. Asuka was bullied into facing Nia Jax at the Elimination Chamber event to keep the match from becoming a triple threat, though Asuka ultimately decided to face the SmackDown! Women’s Champion at the Showcase of the Immortals. To the surprise of many, Asuka not only lost that match but was forced to submit to Flair’s Figure-Eight, ending her celebrated undefeated streak. She went on to repeatedly fall short of capturing the belt in matches against Carmella after she successfully chased in her briefcase on Flair and it wouldn’t be until the end of the year that Asuka finally won the belt by defeating Becky Lynch and Charlotte Flair in a Tables, Ladders, and Chairs match. As for Ronda Rousey, she made her in-ring debut at WrestleMania by teaming with Kurt Angle in a winning effort against Triple H and Stephanie McMahon, impressing many with her transition from the octagon to the squared circle, before decimating Raw Women’s Champion Alexa Bliss later that year at SummerSlam. The WWE continued to include women’s Royal Rumble matches and shine a greater spotlight on their female division, to varying success, in the years that followed.

My Rating:

Rating: 2 out of 5.

Could Be Better

What did you think to the first-ever women’s Royal Rumble match? Do you agree that the pacing and in-ring action was confusing and disjointed? Which of the returning stars were you most happy to see back in the ring? Who was your pick to win and what did you think to Asuka’s victory? Do you also think Ronda Rousey stole Asuka’s thunder? Which Royal Rumble matches and events are your favourite? Who’s your pick to win this year? I’d love to see your thoughts on the Royal Rumble in the comments so go ahead and leave them there, then check out my other wrestling content on the site.

Wrestling Recap: Royal Rumble 2001

Dr. KLeave a comment

The Date: 21 January 2001
The Venue: New Orleans Arena; New Orleans, Louisiana
The Commentary: Jim “J.R.” Ross and Jerry “The King” Lawler
The Stipulation: Thirty man over the top rope battle royale for a WWF Championship opportunity at WrestleMania
Notable Competitors: “Stone Cold” Steve Austin (Winner), Jeff Hardy (#1), Rikishi (#30), Kane (Most Eliminations), and Drew Carey (Celebrity Competitor)

The Build-Up:
Since 1988, World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) has brought fans Royal Rumble. The brainchild of the legendary Pat Patterson soon evolved into one of the most exciting events of the year as the winner of the titular over-the-top-rope battle royale would go on to challenge for the World Heavyweight Championship at WrestleMania. Following arguably their best ever year of business in 2000, which had seen the rise of new stars like “Y2J” Chris Jericho and Kurt Angle, the coronation of The Rock as then-World Wrestling Federation (WWF) Champion, and the return of white-hot competitors like Steve Austin and the Undertaker, the WWF took a commanding lead in the ratings war that would see them dominate the industry and anticipation was high for upcoming WrestleMania X-Seven. Heading into the event, five competitors were spotlighted as the odds-on favourites to win: the aforementioned Steve Austin (who had made a dramatic return after being away from the ring for over a year), The Rock (who had recently lost the WWF Championship to Kurt Angle), the Undertaker (simply because of his legendary status), Kane (primarily because of his recent momentum), and the newly-evil Rikishi, who had adopted a mean streak and be propelled into a questionable main event run after it was revealed he helped injure Austin and who had earned the right to enter the match last. The big question heading into the event was whether Kane and the Undertaker were in cahoots; although they’d fought earlier in the year, they had seemingly reforged their alliance in the weeks leading up to the Royal Rumble, and whether WWF Chairman Vince McMahon was seriously going to let comedian Drew Carey put his life on the line by competing in the match!

The Match:
This was peak WWF for me; I was finally able to watch WWF programming thanks to a deal they struck with Channel 4, meaning I was actually able to tape and watch this Royal Rumble event on Sunday night. I was really into everything that was happening at the time, especially the on-again, off-again issues between Kane and the Undertaker, Austins big return, and The Rock’s toppling of Triple H and the McMahon-Helmsley regime. It seemed as though everything the WWF produced was a guaranteed win at the time, with new stars, blockbuster main events, and stellar in-ring action and drama captivating audiences, especially me, and it’s largely because of this time (and this, my first real Royal Rumble match) that I became a life-long fan of wrestling. The match began with Jeff Hardy, one half of the high-flying Hardy Boyz who had electrified audiences with their death-defying antics, taking on Bull Buchanan, the stern-faced muscle of the infamous Right to Censor group, who were universally hated for their grating siren music and for opposing violent and risqué content. Although Jeff valiantly tried to topple and outpace the bruiser, Buchanan’s power and surprising agility saw Jeff taking quite a beating until, conveniently, he was joined in the ring by his brother, Matt. The two immediately teamed up to dump Buchanan over the top rope and then, after a respectful fist bump, began going at it (though, as The King rightly pointed out, it would’ve made more sense for them to work together until the end of the match). After a short exhibition between the two, they paused their fight to intercept Faarooq, one half of the Acolytes Protection Agency (APA), who picked up where Buchanan left off with the power game and very nearly tossed out Jeff before falling victim to a Twist of Fate/Swanton Bomb combination and being thrown out of the ring. The Hardyz celebrated by stripping off their shirts (much to the delight of the audience) and going at it again until the fastest two minutes went by and Drew Carey sauntered out, tracksuit and all, slapping hands with the fans as Matt and Jeff took each other out of the match.

Kane was the undeniable highlight, featuring in comedy spots and dominating the in-ring action.

Basking in the adulation of the crowd, Drew’s jovial demeanour was immediately quashed when Kane came to the ring; barely able to continue his excitement, Drew hilariously tried to buy Kane off but promptly eliminated himself from the match after Raven rushed the ring and attacked Kane, sparing the comedian from taking a Chokeslam. Raven came equipped with a kendo stick, kicking off an entertaining impromptu hardcore match as the competitors started bashing each other with plunder and weapons in keeping with the madcap hardcore division. Raven quickly realised he needed these weapons to withstand Kane’s power, blasting him in the face with a fire extinguisher before being attacked by Al Snow, who jumped to gun to extract a measure of revenge against Raven for taking him out of action a few weeks previous. Al Snow went to town, smashing both men with a bin lid and rolling a bowling ball right into Raven’s crotch! Al Snow and Raven soon set aside their differences to keep Kane at bay with metal bins Perry Saturn joined the fight, targeting Kane’s leg, and the competitors ganged up on the Big Red Machine to beat him to the canvas. The hardcore fun continued as the “Lethal Weapon” Steve Blackman rushed the ring with his escrima sticks, attacking everyone in sight, and Grand Master Sexay danced his way into the match. However, Kane got so pissed off with everyone going after him that he went on a rampage and smashed everyone with a bin, clearing the ring in seconds in impressive fashion, only to be met by the Honky Tonk Man! The self-proclaimed greatest Intercontinental Champion of all time cut a promo in the ring and started signing his song, but Kane was having none of it; he bludgeoned the Honkey Tonk Man with his own guitar and tossed him from the ring with a shake of his head for another memorable comedy spot. Things really started to get serious when The Rock rushed the ring and went right for Kane; however, despite the unanimous crowd support and a flurry of strikes, The Rock was quickly overpowered by Kane, who pressed his advantage after taking a quick breather while The Rock made short work of Buchanan’s Right to Censor teammate, the Goodfather. Every time The Rock tried to build some momentum, Kane shut him down; even Tazz racing to the ring was of little consequence as Kane unceremoniously eliminated him within seconds!

Things slowed in the middle until the Big Show and the Undertaker spiced things up with their power.

Kane’s attempt to eliminate The Rock saw the People’s Champion finally start to mount a comeback, but both men were down when Bradshaw (also of the APA) entered the match, allowing the brawler to take immediate advantage. The Rock joined Bradshaw in working over Kane, but Bradshaw ended the alliance in emphatic fashion almost as quickly, flooring The Rock with a clothesline, which in turn earned him a Spinebuster in retaliation which allowed Kane to return to a dominating position. Albert, formally of the tag team T&A, then joined the fight, adding more meat to the match; Kane and Bradshaw briefly teamed up to know the big man down as the match slowed down a little for some brief elimination spots and clubbing offense. Hardcore Holly was out next and joined the lower-carders in trying to eliminate their main event competition; The Rock was able to hold on to the bottom rope but Kane was downed by Albert’s impressive bicycle kick, which very nearly was enough to see him eliminated. K-Kwik was out next and immediately got on the wrong side of Albert; the Right to Censor’s Val Venis hit the ring, followed by the European Champion, William Regal, and Albert’s former tag team partner, Test, to really pad out the middle portion of the match with a lot of rope-hugging, stomping, and miscellaneous grappling in the corners. Test tossed out Regal before going after Albert and then targeting Kane and The Rock continued to find himself absorbing punishment or in a precarious situation despite all his pre-match talk of dominating the match. Things finally got interesting when the Big Show made a dramatic return to th company after an extended absence; the Big Show made his presence known by wrecking everyone with huge Chokeslams before tumbling out of the match courtesy of The Rock. Enraged, the Big Show pulled The Rock under the ropes and sent him crashing through the announce table, effectively eliminating The Rock from the match for some time. Crash Holly entered the ring and the remaining competitors ganged up on Kane once more but he was saved by his brother, the Undertaker, who rode down on his motorcycle and officially solidified his rekindled alliance with Kane by fending off his attackers. The reunited Brothers of Destruction then launched every competitor from the ring and teased a fight before being interrupted by poor Scott 2 Hotty! Despite the horror of the fate that awaited him in the ring, Scotty bravely slid through the ropes and was manhandled, planted with a double Chokeslam, and tossed from the ring like he was a piece of trash.

Neither Haku’s return, Triple H’s attack, or Kane’s impressive performance could keep Austin from victory.

The Brothers of Destruction were then denied the chance to put their newfound partnership to the test against Steve Austin as Triple H attacked Austin during his entrance; earlier in the night, Austin had cost Triple H the WWF Championship in his match with Kurt Angle as part of their ongoing rivalry so the slighted Triple H assaulted the Texas Rattlesnake, busting him open and battering him around the aisleway as The Rock returned to the ring to take a beating from Kane and the Undertaker. As referees desperately forced Triple H off Steve Austin’s bloody, battered body, “The One” Billy Gunn hit the ring and the Brothers of Destruction were momentarily scuppered by the returning Haku, who entered to near silence as many (including myself) didn’t know the notorious former Meng. The final entrant, the sour-faced Rikishi, was attacked by Steve Austin, who then stormed the ring and assaulted everyone before Rikishi sent the Deadman tumbling out with his impressive side kick. Rikishi then tried to crush his cousin with his immense ass, but The Rock countered with a low blow and sent the big man out of the match, leaving the final four as The Rock, a bloodied Steve Austin, a heavily fatigued Kane, and, oddly, Billy Gunn. Why Gunn was chosen over the Undertaker or even Rikishi I don’t know but it was a moot point as he was launched from the ring by Austin within seconds so he could have an electric stare down with The Rock. Although The Rock came out on top when they traded blows, he couldn’t hit the Rock Bottom and ate a Stone Cold Stunner, but the People’s Champion was able to recover when Austin got distracted kicking Kane in the balls. A Rock Bottom shut Austin down but, when The Rock tried to heave Austin out, Kane came up from behind and shoved both men from the wring. While it seemed like the Big Red Machine had won, Austin had managed to hold on; although a Chokeslam seemed to do in Austin, Kane got distracted going for the Tombstone Piledriver and got another kick to the balls as a result. Austin then hit the Stunner and absolutely decimated Kane with repeated chair shots to the head, staggering the Big Red Machine and ultimately forcing him from the ring to award Austin his third Royal Rumble win and a first-class ticket to the main event of WrestleMania X-Seven!

The Aftermath:
Although the match meandered in the middle, with the ring filling up with disposable bodies, the 2001 Royal Rumble is largely regarded as one of the best of its kind; Kane’s mammoth stint and dominating performance wouldn’t be toppled for some thirteen years and his reward was a fun match at WrestleMania X-Seven that saw him capture the Hardcore Championship and an extended push alongside his brother throughout 2001. Rather than facing Rikishi and Haku at WrestleMania X-Seven alongside his brother, the Undertaker fought and defeated Triple H and went on to become a primary figure in the resulting “Invasion” storyline. Although he didn’t win the Royal Rumble, The Rock found himself in the main event of WrestleMania X-Seven when he recaptured the WWF Championship the following month at No Way Out. In the weeks leading up to their epic second WrestleMania clash, tensions would rise between Austin and The Rock, especially after WWF Chairman made Austin’s wife, Debra, The Rock’s manager. However, no one could have foreseen that Austin would brutalise The Rock and forge an unholy alliance with McMahon at WrestleMania X-Seven to regain the WWF Championship, kickstarting an ill-advised but somewhat entertaining heel turn for the Texas Rattlesnake that saw him become an unhinged egomaniac who turned his back on friend and foe alike during the Invasion storyline.

My Rating:

Rating: 4 out of 5.

Great Stuff

Did you enjoy the 2001 Royal Rumble match? Do you think it deserves the praise it gets or do you find it a bit dull in the middle portion? Who was your pick to win and what did you think to Kane’s phenomenal performance? Which of the returns did you think was best and did you know who Haku was? What did you think to the hardcore brawl? Were you excited for WrestleMania X-Seven at the time? Who’s your pick to win this year’s Royal Rumble? Whatever you think about the 2001 Royal Rumble, and the match in general, drop a comment below or on my social media and check out my other wrestling content across the site.

Wrestling Recap: Royal Rumble 1988

Dr. K1 Comment

The Date: 24 January 1988
The Venue: Copps Coliseum; Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
The Commentary: Vince McMahon and Jesse “The Body” Ventura
The Stipulation: Twenty man over the top rope battle royale
Notable Competitors: “Hacksaw” Jim Duggan (Winner), Bret “Hitman” Hart (#1), The Junkyard Dog (#20), and The One Man Gang (Most Eliminations)

The Build-Up:
Considering how dominating the World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) has been in the industry, it should be no surprise that the company has been at the forefront of creativity; from their celebrated Superstars, impact on pay-per-view entertainment, to the creation of genre-defining match types. By 1988, the World Wrestling Federation (WWF, as it was known then) had already stepped into the mainstream after taking a massive gamble with their inaugural WrestleMania event and added the annual Survivor Series event to their calendar. To see in the new year, WWF chairman Vince McMahon produced the first edition of another annual event, the Royal Rumble, which was headlined by the titular over-the-top-rope battle royale. The match concept was the creation of the legendary Pat Patterson and has since become a trademark event of the organisation, with winners now going on to challenge for the World Heavyweight Championship at WrestleMania, though this aspect wouldn’t be introduced until the 1993 event. After trialling the concept at an untelevised house show, which was won by the Junkyard Dog, there was little rhyme or reason for the match’s debut beyond producing another pay-per-view and showcasing a bunch of WWF’s superstars in one big brawl and, as such, no real storylines leading into the titular match.

The Match:
Generally speaking, I quite enjoy a good Royal Rumble match; it’s a great excuse to debut or bring back wrestlers and can be a lot of fun with the right people in there. They can be difficult to book, however, and often the middle part can get bogged down with tag teams of B- or even C-list lower-card wrestlers who no one’s ever going to believe will win the match. For me, winning the Royal Rumble should be an accolade reserved for the company’s biggest star, preferably their biggest fan favourite; the event itself marks the first step on the Road to WrestleMania and should therefore represent a significant step up in quality. That’s not always the case, of course, and sometimes it feels like the event just takes place because it’s January and that’s what’s supposed to happen. Consequently, I was intrigued to go back to the Rock ‘n’ Wrestling era and see what the inaugural Royal Rumble was like considering this period of wrestling can be a bit hit and miss in terms of match and wrestler quality and that the event didn’t have the WrestleMania stipulation tied to it. Legendary ring announcer Howard Finkel ran down the rules of the match (competitors enter the ring in two minute intervals, are eliminated after being thrown over the top rope, and the last man standing is the winner) while Bret Hart and Tito Santana were in the ring, who were introduced as though it was a one-on-one match rather than simply running to the ring and getting into it like these days.

Bret, Neidhart, Santana, and the Snake all got the match off to a pretty hot start.

Additionally, when the bell rang, the two went at it like it was a single match, pulling off actual wrestling moves as though wearing each other down for the pin fall rather than trying to heave each other over the ropes. Butch Reed came in at number three and initially targeted Bret before teaming up with him to put a beating on Santana; at least, until Butch accidentally nailed Bret. Luckily for him, fellow Hart Foundation member Jim “The Anvil” Neidhart came in next and the three of them desperately tried to force Santana out of the ring but he maintained a death grip on the ropes and refused to go over. Thankfully, Jake “The Snake” Roberts came out at number five to even the odds, dumping Butch for the first elimination of the match and attacking both Bret and Neidhart with a flurry of punches to the absolute delight of the crowd. Neidhart was able to interrupt a double DDT attempt on Bret by Jake and Santana and the former took the brunt of the Hart Foundation’s retribution thanks to a jumping piledriver from Bret. Harley Race was in next and also got in on the action against Jake, dropping a couple of elbows while Neidhart held the Snake helpless on the mat. Jim Brunzell was out next as Neidhart sold a beard pull from Jake (!); things slowed down a little as the guys tried to heff their opponents out of the ring but picked up considerably when Sam Houston sprinted to the ring and went right for the Hart Foundation but, unfortunately, Santana’s time in the match came to an end with the boys in pink tossing him out.

Things slowed and became less exciting as the ring filled up, despite Bret’s stand-out performance.

The ring really started to fill up as Danny Davis and Boris Zhukov came to the ring; slow, plodding, confused offense was the order of the day here as guys half-heartedly went at it in the corner, against the ropes, or wandered around aimlessly trying to catch their breath. There was a bit of excitement as Don “The Rock” Muraco and Nikolai Volkoff argued at ringside over the number eleven spot; Muraco simply nailed Volkoff and took to the ring to attack the Hart Foundation and, by the time Volkoff was allowed into the ring, his tag team partner, Zhukov, had been muscled out by Jake and Brunzell. Harley Race was next to be dumped and, as he was leaving and the others paired off again, the crowd exploded to life when “Hacksaw” Jim Duggan came to the ring (carrying his trademark 2×4) at number thirteen, having a brief altercation with Race along the way. More miscellaneous brawling, striking, and grappling in the corners and against the ropes followed, however, and the excitement took a nosedive as Ron Bass lumbered to the ring. Brunzell was thrown out shortly after thanks to Volkoff. B. Brian Blair, Hillbilly Jim, and Dino Bravo all joined the fray and, in the process, both Neidhart and Houston were sent packing, with the latter being muscled out by Ron Bass. The Ultimate Warrior raced to the ring and immediately started throwing chops and, in the chaos, Muraco was able to toss Bret from the ring, ending his run at almost twenty-six minutes.

In the end, Duggan outsmarted the One Man Gang to win the first ever Royal Rumble.

Again, the action slowed down and only got slowed as the One Man Gang plodded his way to the ring; the big man made an immediate impression, however, by tossing out not just Blair but also Jake Roberts with a surprising and disappointing amount of ease. The final entrant in his twenty man version of the match was the Junkyard Dog; shortly after he got into the ring, Volkoff was tossed and then the One Man Gang struck again by getting rid of Hillbilly Jim while Bravo took out the Ultimate Warrior with no fuss or fanfare. The Junkyard Dog didn’t last too long either before he was taken out by Bass, who was himself eliminated by Muraco, meaning the final four were Muraco, Duggan, Bravo, and the One Man Gang, an odd selection considering the likes of Bret Hart, Jake Roberts, and the Ultimate Warrior had been in the match. The Rock and the Gang squared off while Bravo and Duggan fought on the other side of the ring; Brave and the One Man Gang worked together to attack both men, with Muraco desperately using his speed to hold them off but a distraction from Frenchy Martin saw him on the back foot and then nudged over the top rope from a weak-ass One Man Gang clothesline that looked as though it would miss and/or take Bravo out as well, but it didn’t. Left alone in a two-on-one situation, Duggan fought back valiantly but looked to be overwhelmed following a double clothesline; however, as he was held helplessly by Brave, he managed to slip away and cause the One Man Gang to accidentally take out Bravo at the last second. Duggan and the One Man Gang brawled for a bit, with Duggan taking a beating against the ropes but, in the end, brains got the better of brawn as Duggan ducked and yanked on the ring ropes as One Man Gang charged him, sending the big man spilled to the outside and becoming the first-ever Royal Rumble winner to an explosive reaction. It may seem like an odd choice to have Hacksaw win the Royal Rumble considering some of the star power featured in the match, but the crowd were absolutely into his win and it’s not like he ended up headlining WrestleMania for winning so it was just a nice feather in the enthusiastic big man’s cap.

The Aftermath:
The main story heading into The Main Event that came out of this event was the WWF Championship rematch between Hulk Hogan and André the Giant but there was some fallout for Duggan following his big win. He and the One Man Gang went at it in a singles match at the same event, with Duggan coming out on top, though he ended up battling Bad News Brown to a double disqualification by the time WrestleMania V rolled around later that year. The Royal Rumble event ended up setting a record as the highest-viewed wrestling program on cable television and would go on to become a yearly event for the company; by the next year, the match was expanded to include the now traditional thirty men and, by 1993, the WrestleMania championship shot had been added and the match has since become one of the WWE’s most anticipated annual events.

My Rating:

Rating: 2 out of 5.

Could Be Better

What did you think to the inaugural Royal Rumble match? Did you like that Hacksaw Jim Duggan won the match or would you have liked to see someone else take the win? Which of the competitors was your favourite? Were there any competitors you would’ve liked to see included? What’s your favourite Royal Rumble match? Whatever your thoughts on the Royal Rumble, share them below or leave a comment on my social media.