The History of the Royal Rumble.

[Dave]

Hello, ladies and gentleman, WrestleZoner’s of all ages and welcome to a threat that I hope will be very successful in explaining to you the importance of WWE’s Royal Rumble event In this thread, I will hope to cover some of the more memorable events and matches that take place at the Royal Rumble every year. It is my aim that I can explain to you, with aplomb, why the Royal Rumble is one of the most important nights of the year, not only in the WWE but for the whole wrestling community, especially the fans. Another goal of mine with this thread is to tell you why, with a mix of great matches, high-excitement and all round fun, the Royal Rumble has become my most anticipated night of the wrestling calendar and why it has made sure that I will be a wrestling fan for life.

A little bit of history.

The Royal Rumble match is not the only thing that will be covered in this thread, indeed, it will be the event as a whole. It will cover all the thrills and spills that have occurred in the 21 year history of this fantastic event.

The inaugural event was held on January 24th 1988 but was not a pay-per-view. The first pay-per-view Royal Rumble was held in 1989 and since then has gone on to cement itself as one of the most anticipated nights of the year. Along with Wrestlemania, Survivor Series and SummerSlam, the even has been grouped and is now known as one of the “big four” pay-per-view events in the WWE calendar. Many have also stated that the “road to Wrestlemania” begins t the royal rumble with the winner of the royal rumble match gaining a place for himself in the main event at the upcoming Wrestlemania, usually for a championship.

If we are counting the Royal Rumble match that took place in 1988, there has been 22 events that have produced some of the biggest shocks in the history of wrestling. It has also managed to propel many to the main event picture. The Royal Rumble in its 22 year history has had 18 different winners, all of which have become main even talent in their own right. Surviving a royal rumble match is very difficult but the 18 men who have managed to do it have received rewards in spades. Over the 22 year tenure of the Royal Rumble, 3 men have won the match more than once. Hulk Hogan, the face of a generation was the first man to repeat the feat of winning the Royal Rumble match. First winning the match in 1990 and then repeating in 1991, entering at position 25 and 24 respectively. Shawn Michaels was the next man to repeat the feat. Entering at entry number 1 in the 1995 Royal Rumble, Michaels managed to out-last 29 other men to win the match. Michaels had an easier time of it the next year however, entering from the 18 position and repeating the feat.

Stone Cold Steve Austin is the only other man to repeat the feat and he is the most successful man in Royal Rumble history. Since it’s inception, only one man has managed to win the event a total of three times. Stone Cold Steve Austin is that man and has rightfully became the most successful man in history to ever cross the ropes at a Royal Rumble pay-per view event. Winning his first Royal Rumble match in 1997, Austin ushered in the new face of WWE. Some have said that with the win, Austin led the way to the most successful era in wrestling history, the Attitude Era. Nevertheless, Austin repeated the feat in 1998 and once more in 2001.

The Royal Rumble has produced some of the biggest matches and events in the history of the WWF/E. Starting with the win from Jim Duggan in 1988, the event has gone from strength to strength and attracts hundreds of thousands of viewers every year, the latest event gaining 450,000 buys.

The first Royal Rumble event that I ever watched was Royal Rumble 2000, I know, I am a n00b. Regardless of that. It was an event that captured the heart and imagination of a 10 year old. I remember it clear as day, Jeff Hardy tossing himself off the balcony through tables and more importantly through D-Von Dudley.

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Believe it or not, this is the first coherent memory of the WWF/E that I have. Along with the event in general, it is the first time I had ever watched any wrestling and it captured my imagination easily. The Royal Rumble in 2000, was such a great event for me and signalled the beginning of a love/hate affair between me and wrestling as a business. The event was eventually won by The Rock but not without controversy. Nevertheless, The Rock being such a huge face in the WWF/E, I completely marked out and I would assume that so many others did too. My point being that the event in 2000 stated something within me that still continues to this day.

History Lesson Over*

I don’t if it was the excitement of the event or just the sheer quality of the program that I was watching that caught my imagination but I will never, ever get tired of watching that event. Triple H vs Cactus Jack was a match that will forever live with me, followed by the match at No Way Out, when Cactus Jack plummeted through the top of the Hell In The Cell and to the mat below. Both of those matches were absolitley brutal and introduced me to a world that I had never seen before. If I had to pin-point the event that made me a wrestling fan, it would be Royal Rumble 2000. So, that is where I will start.

Royal Rumble 2000.

Kurt Angle vs. Tazz

Some of the matches in this card are not matches which you would consider to be of a great quality if you had never seen it. Discounting the dark matches the event began with Kurt Angle against a mystery opponent. After insulting the fans, Kurt Angle went on to slur against the New York Knicks. Tazz interrupted him and made his WWF/E debut. If we were to look back on it right now, Tazz vs. Kurt Angle would not be a match that we would class as being one for the ages. However, when you think about it more clearly about the match, it was one of the better match ups, technical wrestling wise, that the WWF/E could have done. Both men were technically gifted in every sense of the word and this match was just a suplex-off if you will. Both men giving it everything and suplexing the other man repeatedly. Kurt Angle wasn’t the superstar then as he turned out to be later but man could he wrestle. It was amazing watching these two men go at it, when proceeding it, I had never watched a wrestling match in my life. The pop that Tazz got on his debut was absolutely astounding. Listen to the crowd before the match, they are rabid. The WWF/E really did drop the ball when it came to the debut but still, it only heightened the pop he got and the anticipation of the match as a whole. The match ended when Tazz locked in the Tazzmission and Kurt Angle passed out. Needless to say though, the match was great one and was worthy of being the first match on the card.

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The Hardy Boyz vs. The Dudleys

I think it great to see how far all these men have come since the TLC days. Both Matt and Jeff have stayed with the WWE and have been rewarded for their loyalty. The Dudleys have moved but they are still world renowned for the matches that they put on with both the Hardy Boyz and Edge and Christian. The point is, all these men made their name doing this and most of them cannot escape the legacy of it. Jeff has been labelled a spot monkey because of the legacy that he has left in these matches. Matt is the same but was never as extreme or as much of a fan favourite as Jeff. The Dudleys have gone on to do other things but people know them for these matches. This match was the first match that I can remember coherently. The match itself was exactly what you would expect from both of the team, all action and all high-octane. The match ended when Jeff performed the clip that was shown above, putting himself in danger as he collided with D-Von from atop the balcony. I know it’s not the most amazing spot but it was so different from what I had ever seen before. I loved it.

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I daren’t go into the swimsuit match with exposed Mae Young titties so I’m gonna just pass by it as if it never happened.

Cactus Jack vs. Triple H.

I know that there was two matches in-between this one and the last one that I covered but to be quite honest they were not anything special and to be even more honest, I can barely remember them at all. However, this match was and is one of the most brutal and greatest matches I have ever seen in the time I have been watching pro-wrestling. Imagine me, if you will, as a sheltered 10 year-old. My mother would not allow me to watch pro wrestling because she thought it would encourage me, which it did. Alas, however, she did not realise that it was on terrestrial television from this event onwards. My eyes lit up at 4AM, when this match began. It was unlike anything I had ever seen before and opened my eyes to the exciting world of pro-wrestling. I’m gonna post this match first and then talk about it afterwards because, realistically, no words I can say will describe hoe epically awesome it was.

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I think we can all agree that this was a fucking war. This series of matches is the best that I have ever seen Triple H or Mick Foley in. Ever. Triple H was at the stage in his career that he was beginning to receive the acclaim that he deserved. Although, unlike today, he was not resting on his laurels. He was going out there and putting his body through hell with a man who can only be described as deranged. This match was just exhausting to watch. Not because of a lack of quality but because it was so enduring. Both men left everything in the ring and surrounding areas and it is the match that, I think, made Triple H a star. The match at No Way Out, one month following was just as awesome and made me become a Triple H fan. Amazing stuff.

The Royal Rumble match

The royal rumble match was intense. I always remember Kaientai running in at just the most random times, only to be eliminated shortly after. I also remember Rikishi, Scotty Too Hotty and Grand Mater Sexay getting down in the ring, before Rikishi disposed of them. I would argue that this match is one of the finest example os how entertaining wrestling can be. Not only was it a mix of great wrestling and survival instinct, it was entertaining and more importantly fun to watch. At no point during the live event, or even now, watching it again as a mature fan, am I even remotely bored. It was amazing. Here it is if you don’t believe me.

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This is what wrestling should be. Entertaining and a great show of skill. The Rock won it but his feet hit the floor before Big Show did in my opinion. Nevertheless, Big Show and The Rock have a match at No Way Out. This results in a triple threat match at Wrestlemania.

Anyway, this card and event has fuelled the love affair that I have with wrestling. Join me next time as I continue my review of the Royal Rumble event.

 

[TerryMagowan]

This results in a triple threat match at Wrestlemania.

Was actully a fatal four way (sorry for being a smartarse)

Anyway I agree, you can almost always count on the royal rumble to offer some sort of surprise one way or another.
Sure some people predicted Orton would win, but how many predicted Rob Van Dam would be in the match?, and im just talking about the royal rumble match itself, the undercard is often very strong aswell with such classics triple h vs cactus jack RR 2000, the I quit match from RR 1999 with rock and mankind and the wrestling clinic beniot and angle put on at RR 2003, just to mention a few.
It usually always does give the best possible start to the ppv year in wwe if im being honest

 

[jma198325]

2001 will always be my favorite rumble. It had good matches (Edge/Christian vs. Dudley's, Benoit/Jericho ladder match, HHH/Angle). The rumble itself goes hardcore a short period when certain stars get in there. Austin is nearly unable to compete thanks to a HHH attack before he even got to the ring. He ends up molding a chair in the shape of Kane's head and wins. Plus, Drew Carrey got into it and offered money to Kane not to hurt him. He quickly gets out. Great event. By the way, was it really necessary for The Rock to flip and flop all over the ring when hit by a stunner? Same motion every time.

I attended RR '05 and that was alot of fun. Crowd was insane for Batista but the roof got blown off when Muhammed Hassan got eliminated by 8 different superstars.

2003 definetely has the best 1 on 1 match of any RR in Benoit vs. Angle.

 

[Dave]

2001 will always be my favorite rumble. It had good matches (Edge/Christian vs. Dudley's, Benoit/Jericho ladder match, HHH/Angle). The rumble itself goes hardcore a short period when certain stars get in there. Austin is nearly unable to compete thanks to a HHH attack before he even got to the ring. He ends up molding a chair in the shape of Kane's head and wins. Plus, Drew Carrey got into it and offered money to Kane not to hurt him. He quickly gets out. Great event. By the way, was it really necessary for The Rock to flip and flop all over the ring when hit by a stunner? Same motion every time.

I attended RR '05 and that was alot of fun. Crowd was insane for Batista but the roof got blown off when Muhammed Hassan got eliminated by 8 different superstars.

2003 definetely has the best 1 on 1 match of any RR in Benoit vs. Angle.

Definitely.

Royal Rumble 2001 is the next one that I will be reviewing. I remember watching it and just marking the fuck out when Kane was clearing house. It was Epic. Didn't he eliminate like 12 guys in that specific royal rumble!? Yeah man, that particular Rumble match was awesome. I will do that one next.

It was the same as the 2000 Royal Rumble in terms of great matches. The ladder match and the Angle/Triple H matches were specifically great. I was so pissed off when Austin interrupted that match because firstly, it was good match and secondly because I mark out for Triple H. Needless to say I thought it was awesome when Austin got fucked up. Also needless to say, I cried when he went on to win the match. Nevertheless, Triple H got one over at No Way Out as I recall.

Oh yeah, 2001 will be next all right.

 

[Agent-67]

In my personal opinion there are about 3 WWE ppv's that I will purchase each year. Survivor Series, Royal Rumble, & WM. If I had to pick one of these to miss it would probably be WM. Say what you want about past Rumbles, some have been pretty bad. However, compared to the other ppv's of that year, the Rumble looks great. PPV's are Raw's/Smackdown's without the promos & with a few more matches. At least with the Rumble I know I am getting an event that I can only see once a year. Same with the Survivor Series, as long as they use the original format. The Survivor Series should be like the one they had in 1990. ECW & Smackdown vs Raw, the team winners advance on for a final showdown match. But even if they don't have this at least the SS is different and can only be caught once a year. I know the Rumble is sometimes predictable, especially with the winner going to mainevent WM. We see TLC, Steel Cage, Iron Man, Last Man Standing, First Blood, etc. matches all the time and a hell of a lot on Raw & Smackdown. They need to always keep the Rumble and The Survivor Series. But how about brining back War Games, make sure the elimination chamber is a once a year deal, KOTR tourney 8 men fight AT THE PPV, I wasnt a big fan of WW3 but it's got more excitement than ordering a Backlash, Judgement Day, or Bash at the Beach ppv, because they are the SAME DAME THING AS THE TELEVISION SHOWS! I concure the Rumble has given us many great moments and will provide many more.

 

[z99zazn]

Scotsman Dave, I love this idea, and if I had a bit more prestige on the forums, I would have already started this thread. I've mentioned in a few posts before that I'm sure you haven't seen, I've been recently watching all of the Royal Rumbles since 1997 on DVDs that I've gotten off of Netflix. Like I stated before, I may not have much prestige or power on these forums, but when it comes to the Royal Rumble, I do know what I'm talking about, so great job, and if you ever need help, I'm definitely available.

But, for the 2000 Royal Rumble. The Tazz vs Kurt Angle bout was pretty good. It wasn't that long, but it introduced Tazz to the masses of the WWE audience, and it broke Angle's unbeaten streak. I wish they would have pushed Tazz hard in the WWE, but it sadly never happened. His career in the ring ended way to soon.

The Hardyz vs The Dudleys match, really makes me miss the great tag team action in the WWE. Both teams went through hell in this match, and like you said, its great seeing how all these guys have soared to new heights in their careers.

Jericho vs Chyna vs Hardcore Holly wasn't a very good match. And really, it was kind of pointless to have Hardcore Holly in the match. The only bright spot was that Jericho retained the belt.

The New Age Outlawas vs the APA was a stupid match. No reason to have it on the card if they weren't going to give it any time.

The WWF Championship match was epic. Both guys were bleeding out their ass, and I think this is the kind of match that made Trips the star he is today. You can say whatever you want about the guy, but when it comes to putting your body through hell, taking a beating, and losing a ton of blood, he is among the best in the business.

The Rumble was decent this year. It wasn't very surprising that Rocky was going to win, but nothing special really happened.

I just want to see the review for the 2001 Rumble, seeing as it is probably my favorite of all time!

 

[Y2J1223]

For the most part I could care less about all the other wrestling ppv's but the Rumble holds a warm spot in my heart. I remember watching the very first one in 1988 on cable and I was hooked instantly. I think the main reason why I always liked it is because heels fought heels and faces fought faces. I mean who couldn't remember the collision of Warrior and Hogan in 1990 or Bret vs Luger in 94. Diesel's dominance in 94 or Demolition Ax and Smash drawing one and two in 89.

Every major star of the past three decades have particpated in the rumble with the exception of a few namely Scott Hall, Ricky Steamboat, the Dudleyz, and Sting, but c'mon did you ever think stars of ECW and WCW would take part in the event back in the 90's.

There have been some great matches at the event as well, Benoit vs Angle was a classic, HBK vs Sid in the Alamo Dome in 97, and Cactus vs HHH, heck even the Stieners vs Beverly Bros was fun to watch in 93.

I like how latley they have been bringing legends back into the mix with Piper and Snuka in 08 and Duggan in 09.

But by far the greatest Rumble of all time was without a doubt 1992 where Flair won his first wwf title. The particpants were like the whose who back in the day, guys like Hogan, Slaughter, Piper, Sid, Martel, Snake, Dibiase, Tornado, Bulldog, Undertaker, HBK, Bossman.

The worst one 1995, 1 minute intervels and like 10 tag teams involved, yeah I give HBK credit for going the distance, but a ring filled with the Bushwackers, Well Dunne, Heavenly Bodies, Mantaur, Aldo, and Duke Droese aint exactly accomplishing much. Thats like saying where the Football World Champions of Arena Bowl.

Finally, foir all those who havent gotten one yet, the Rumble Box Set on DVD is a must have for all wrestling fans, even better than Wrestlemania in my opinion.

 

[Dave]

Hello guys and welcome to another, very belated, instalment of my Royal Rumble review. In the last review I covered Royal Rumble 2000. This time, I want to cover Royal Rumble 2001. I know that they are relatively modern ones and I will try and get some of the older ones done. The problem with that is that they are very hard to come by. Also, as I work in a supermarket, I don’t really have a huge amount of disposable income so I can’t really afford to buy them. Additionally, I no longer own a VHS player. With all that being said, I would welcome any suggestions as to how I can come by the older Rumbles. If you can tell me how to come by the older ones without paying top dollar or I can get it on DVD then please PM me and let me know. I will try my hardest to get them though.

Anyway, the reason that this one was so late, given that I wanted to get this next one up after the last one in a prompt manner is that work has been kicking my ass lately and my personal life hasn't been much better. As such I haven’t been able to get this done or even post a lot in general. Hopefully though, all of that shit is done now and I can concentrate on this.

Nevertheless, you do what you can with what you have and what I do have is a copy of Royal Rumble 2001. Royal Rumble 2001 is one of my favourites and I think that it signals the end of the golden era of the WWE. It was towards the end of the attitude era and I think it is probably one of the most entertaining Rumble matches that I have seen. So here we go…

Royal Rumble 2001

Firstly, check out this awesome video that I found. All credit to the maker.

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History
In the last review I covered why the Royal Rumble of 2000 meant so much to me. In this one I am going to try and do the same. The Royal Rumble is probably my favourite of the PPV’s in the WWE calendar and this one was no exception. In fact this Royal Rumble match is probably the most memorable that immediately comes to my mind. The reason is that is because of the trouble that I had to go through to watch the damn thing. For one reason or another, my Mother wouldn’t allow me to stay up to four in the morning to watch any of the WWE pay per views. Considering that I was 11 years old and that I had school the next morning, it was probably the right thing to do.

So every time there was a WWE PPV on a Sunday night, myself and my brother would keep quiet and not breathe a word of it to my Mother. However, she would always find out and put a damper to our plans. I remember being so excited to watch the Royal Rumble in 2001 that I was so disappointed when my Mum came into the room at half past 12 at night, 30 minutes before it started to take the TV out of my room. I was so gutted. So my Mum thought that I couldn’t watch it live… Thought! What my Mum didn’t know was that I had borrowed a mini TV from one of my friends as a contingency plan in case this very scenario occurred. So there was me huddled under my duvet with a 9 inch TV set that only gave out a black and white picture and very little sound.

Nevertheless, I got to watch the show and I was so excited by the product that I got to see. The memory n.of this Royal Rumble will live long in my memory and it will always be with fond sentiment.

Commentary
The first thing that I want to cover is the commentary. The commentary of this event is some of the best that I have heard in the entire time that I have been watching the WWE and wrestling in general. It is a throwback to the way things that were and how commentary can be successful when you have one heel commentator and one face commentator. Jim Ross and Jerry the King Lawler provided said commentary and I believe it is some of the finest work that they have produced. People that are bitching at Michael Cole should listen to this commentary and listen to what the man is competing against. JR and the King are probably the best commentary team in the wrestling business and it is of no surprise that people are calling for them to be reunited. Lawler played the idiotic heel perfectly and it was only complimented by JR, who played his role with distinction. Some amazing work by both men and is definitely worth a listen.

Promos
The promos of this event were some of the best promos that I have ever came to watch a s a fan of wrestling overall. The addition of Drew Carey to most of the promos was a welcome pleasure and I think that he really made things interesting. I mean of course he was there to plug his show but as long as he was there and being funny, I don’t really care about why he was there. Anyway, I want to talk more about some of the promos. The first one I want to talk about is the APA’s “You show me yours and I’ll show you mine” promo. No, they weren’t talking about their penises and shame on you for thinking that. Indeed, they were talking about their Royal Rumble entrance numbers. It was a great little promo and it was nice to see the APA doing what they did best. Bradshaw could always cut a good promo and so could Ron Simmons but the APA was the pinnacle of their achievements.

The next one I want to talk about is the promo with Chris Jericho after his match with Chris Benoit. This too was a great promo and to be quite honest, looking back on it, Chris Jericho has gone from strength to strength on the mic and it is no wonder that he gets so much time on it now a days. He was always destined to be great but matches like he had with Benoit, which I will cover later, really cemented his legacy.

Perhaps the best promo of the entire night though was The Rock right before the Rumble match. If you haven’t seen it here is what was said:

“Finally, the Rock has come back to New Orleans. The Royal Rumble 2001: The biggest Royal Rumble in history. All shapes, all sizes, all colours. It’s so fitting that we’re right here in New Orleans because the Royal Rumble 2001 is like one big pot of Jambalaya”

“All shapes, all sizes from Crash to Rikishi, Kane to The Undertaker and speaking of Kane and the Undertaker. Everybody wants to ask the question: are Kane and The Undertaker together? ...Well, quite frankly speaking if Kane and The Undertaker are together then every man is gonna be in trouble.”

“But The Rock is sick and tired of asking that question, answering that question. Is Kane together with The Undertaker? is the Undertaker together with Kane? Kane wants to but The Undertaker a box of chocolates, The Undertaker wants to tickle Kane’s big red nipple. Who cares what they wanna do? Because the fact of the matter is this: The Undertaker and Kane, they’re gonna be together tonight. Together getting both of their monkey asses kicked right over the top rope…”

Matches
The matches on this PPV were just amazing. Even when you look back on it now, you think wow! That was just an amazing card of people. Some of the competitors were in their prime and some of the story lines that were running at the time were so enthralling, it was no wonder that I didn’t want to miss this show. Anyway, the first match was between Edge and Christian and the Dudley Boyz.

Edge and Christian vs. The Dudley Boyz for the Tag-Team Championships

This match is one of the finest displays of how a tag team match should be played out in my opinion. Sure, it was a little predictable but it was a fine example of how good the tag-team division was at this point in time. Baring in mind that they had competition from the likes of the Hardys and the APA, being in the title picture of the tag team scene at this point was such an achievement. The match was full of the usual things you would see in a good tag team match. The heel tag team, Edge and Christian, controlled the match for long periods of time and cheated the system on many occasions. I remember as a child watching that match and thinking “You bastards! Stop that shit”. Now of course, I realise that I was just buying into the match like I should have been doing.

The point is that this match just really worked from start to finish. Edge and Christian played the heels very well and it is of no wonder that Edge has made a career out of being the heel in the WWE. He is good at it and this match is just another example of the man’s numerous talents. I especially liked him saying to Bubba that he was going to “Snap D-Von like a twig”. I legitimately lol’d at that point. The match never really had any good spots with the exception of Edge and Christian trying to do the “Wassup!”. That was good too. The Dudley’s eventually came out on top and resulted in one of the most barbaric celebrations I have ever seen, Bubba screaming at the crowd with a demented look in his eyes, scary stuff.

Chris Jericho vs. Chris Benoit for the Intercontinental Championship

Again, this match was one of the finest matches that I have seen from either competitor and I must say that it is no wonder that the championships had som much prestige back in the attitude era. I mean look at the first two matches if you would. Edge and Christian are one of the best and most successful tag teams in the history of the WWE. Chris Benoit and Chris Jericho are two of the finest competitors in the history of the WWE, even if the WWE would like to prove differently by not even mentioning Benoit. That’s fine but the matches that he had will survive the test of time. What you have is two main event guys feuding over a mid-card championship, that’s why the championships had so much prestige at that point.

The match was just spectacular as you would probably imagine. As a ladder match it was full of high quality spots that are all worth a mention. The first one is Benoit performing the suicide dive through the ropes only to be welcomed by a steel chair to the face. That was amazing and never looks like a lot of fun, no matter how many times you watch it. It was a great spot and it is always believable. The problem with most ladder matches is that it becomes unbelievable when people are setting ladders up half way across the ring, obviously you’re not going to reach the belt from there. This match was not really one of those matches though and it seemed like both men were legitimately trying win the match at all time. I also remember Benoit back body-dropping Jericho out of the ring.

There were another couple of spots in this match that are worth a mention. Firstly, Jericho locking in the inverted Walls of Jericho on Chris Benoit on top of the ladder. That was the first time that I had seen anything like that and now it seems like that everyone is trying to do something like that. I don’t know if anything like that existed before this match but if you do, let me know. The point being, as a kid, I really thought that it looked fucking painful and even more so believable. The only thing about this match that disappointed me was the way that it ended. I mean, these guys had gone through hell and high water throughout the match but falling out of the ring beats you? Still a great match between two of the best competitors of that day. Jericho winning the match and becoming the Intercontinental Champion once more.

Ivory vs. Chyna for the Women’s Championship

This match was strange as shit. I remember watching and thinking that Chyna had really broken her neck. To this day, I have no idea if it was an angle or if she had really broken her neck at one point. Nevertheless, this match doesn’t really last very long and ends quite abruptly. One thing I would like to say is how dominant Chyna was at this point in time. I mean, why does the WWE constantly call Beth Phoenix the most dominant Diva on WWE history, Chyna would have eaten her for breakfast.

Ivory eventually picks up the win when Chyna reinjures her neck. Chyna dominates the match for the most part, even thought she gets a whack to the neck with a title belt. Not a glowing representation of the woman’s division but a good match none the less that furthered the angle between the two women and the RTC.

Triple H w/ Stephanie McMahon vs. Kurt Angle w/ Trish Stratus for the WWE Championship

This feud was the biggest that was going on at the time and had it’s fingers in so many pies at one point. By that I mean that this was not only a feud between Kurt Angle and Triple H. No, it concerned a multitude of people and in kayfabe terms there was a lot riding on the outcome. I mean. There was the initial feud between Kurt and Triple H. There was the feud between Trish and Stephanie. Trish was Kurt’s manager and was also romantically involved with Vince McMahon who was against Kurt Angle. There was also a developing feud between Triple H and Stone Cold Steve Austin as Vince tried to keep a handle on that feud too. So this match meant much more than who was going to walk away with the WWE Championship.

The match itself was not a classic by any means but it was a decent match for all intensive purposes. Kurt Angle and Triple H were two of the biggest names in the business at this point and it meant a lot. Kurt had just come through the six man Hell in a Cell match which was fucking brutal to say the least so I knew right off the bat that Triple H would not win this match. I didn’t know what they had planned though, call it the innocence of my youth. Nevertheless, I knew that Triple H would not come through this and the developing feud with Stone Cold would make sure of it in the end.

The match didn’t really have a huge amount to it but there was a couple of things that happened that are worth note. The first of them is the cat fight that broke out between Trish and Stephanie. Mmmm. That was awesome. I mean, is there a finer sight than two beautiful women fighting in not a huge amount of clothing? I don’t think so anyway. Anyway, some of the commentary during the cat fight was absolutely hilarious. King was especially on form and it just added to the match. Triple H dominated for long periods of time, using submission manoeuvres to keep Kurt Angle on the ground. The match was going well for Triple H until Stone Cold came out to the ring and made sure that Kurt Angle won the match. Austin put triple H away with a Stunner before pulling Kurt on top of him. Kurt retains.

Austin will get his though…

The Royal Rumble match 2001

Entrants and numbers:

1. Jeff Hardy
2. Bull Buchanon
3. Matt Hardy
4. Farooq
5. Drew Carey
6. Kane
7. Raven
8. Al Snow
9. Perry Saturn
10. Steve Blackman
11. Grand Master Sexay
12. The Honky Tonk Man
13. The Rock
14. The Goodfather
15. Tazz
16. Bradshaw
17. Albert
18. Hardcore Holly
19. K-Kwik
20. Val Venis
21. William Regal
22. Test
23. Big Show
24. Crash Holly
25. The Undertaker
26. Scotty 2 Hotty
27. Stone Cold Steve Austin
28. Billy Gunn
29. Haku
30. Rikishi

When you look back at the entrants, not a lot of them are left in the WWE anymore. I have highlighted the ones who are still around in some shape of from. Only seven people by my count are still there. I may have missed some people who maybe work behind the scenes or something but to my eyes, only seven of the men who entered the Royal Rumble in 2001 are still in the WWE. I suppose the conveyer belt of talent just took over at some point and newer guys have just taken over.

The Royal Rumble match was a great one and some high quality things happened that I can talk about. The first of which being Tazz coming into the ring only to be eliminated 6 seconds later: hilarious. I mean it was a shame for him to be buried like that but it was still funny. The next thing I want to talk about is Kane’s run in the match. Kane lasted almost an hour I believe and eliminated 12 people. That might not be accurate because it might be 11. Nevertheless, Kane was just absolutely dominant in the match and probably deserved to win it more than anyone else. However, it was no to be and since then Kane has never been in the main event or even been as dominant in a match. The Royal Rumble match of 2001 was the pinnacle of Kane’s career in my opinion.

The next thing I want to talk about is the attack on Austin from Triple H. Austin got battered and beaten well and he fucking deserved it. I never like Austin as a boy and Triple H is still my favourite to this day. Needless to say, this event was not to my liking as nothing I wanted to happen actually happened. It doesn’t matter a whole lot but Austin recovered from the savage beating and eliminated Kane to win the Royal Rumble in 2001.

Aftermath
After the match a lot of things happened. Triple H and Austin feuded at No Way Out 2001 and had a hellacious best 2 out of 3 falls match that Triple H won. The Rock won the WWE Championship at the same event and it set up a huge main event for Wrestlemania X-7. The Rock and Austin wrestled at Wrestlemania X-7 in probably one of the biggest matches in the history of the WWE. The Royal Rumble setting this huge feud up.

An amazing event from start to finish.

[youtube]VZ83ZIKRpo0&feature=PlayList&p=F8ED982E75195A1E&playnext=1&playnext_from=PL&index=89[/youtube]

 

[The Doctor]

Fantastic job on this thread. I watched my first Royal Rumble this year and was enthralled. Now that I have to buy PPVs, it's the only WWE PPV I'm going to regularly buy. The Royal Rumble match is so unique, and it is always entertaining. I knew all the results of this year's Rumble, but I couldn't help but mark out all throughout the event. The Royal Rumble is always worth a purchase, even for just the Royal Rumble match alone. It will always deliver.

I wasn't around for these past Rumbles, so seeing them and your commentary on them is fascinating. Keep it up.

 

[z99zazn]

Thunderball, I totally agree that the 2001 Rumble was awesome. I hadn't checked this thread in quite some time, but I'm glad to see that you included another year's Rumble. I made a thread about the 2001 Royal Rumble about 2 months back after I watched it again. I was really impressed with the show as a whole.

The Tag Titles match was pretty good, especially by today's standards. You watch that match today, and then you watch the WWE's lineup over a week, and it really makes you say, "What the fuck happened to tag team wrestling?"

The Benoit-Jericho ladder match might be the best ladder match I've ever seen. It really helped to push both of these guys towards superstardom in the WWE. Crazy bumps and moves from both guys and like you said, great Jericho promo after the match.

I caught the promos before the Chyna and Ivory match, but didn't really watch the match. For a women's fued, the story looked sort of interesting, but just didn't really care about the match.

For some reason, I really enjoyed the Triple H and Kurt Angle match. It was just such a weird situation at the time. I loved the heel Triple H. If he still was heel, I would definitely be a huge fan. I'm not Trips basher, but I'm not a mark for him either. But when he was in the title hunt at this time, it was so much more interesting to me.

The Rumble match was awesome. Kane was amazing in the match, and they should have found a way to push him a bit more after this match, and put the belt on him. But we've sadly never gotten it. Austin vs Rock are a classic duo.

I would just like to say, in my thread I mentioned the Rock and Y2J promo, and the differences in commentary too. So you're not the only one that noticed that. Totally agree with you there man.

Thunderball, keep these coming! Like I said, you ever need help I have some experience with these, and I enjoy reading other's opinions on the Rumbles, so I'd love to see you make the 2002 Rumble as soon as you can!

 

[Dave]

Thunderball, I totally agree that the 2001 Rumble was awesome. I hadn't checked this thread in quite some time, but I'm glad to see that you included another year's Rumble. I made a thread about the 2001 Royal Rumble about 2 months back after I watched it again. I was really impressed with the show as a whole.

The Tag Titles match was pretty good, especially by today's standards. You watch that match today, and then you watch the WWE's lineup over a week, and it really makes you say, "What the fuck happened to tag team wrestling?"

The Benoit-Jericho ladder match might be the best ladder match I've ever seen. It really helped to push both of these guys towards superstardom in the WWE. Crazy bumps and moves from both guys and like you said, great Jericho promo after the match.

I caught the promos before the Chyna and Ivory match, but didn't really watch the match. For a women's fued, the story looked sort of interesting, but just didn't really care about the match.

For some reason, I really enjoyed the Triple H and Kurt Angle match. It was just such a weird situation at the time. I loved the heel Triple H. If he still was heel, I would definitely be a huge fan. I'm not Trips basher, but I'm not a mark for him either. But when he was in the title hunt at this time, it was so much more interesting to me.

The Rumble match was awesome. Kane was amazing in the match, and they should have found a way to push him a bit more after this match, and put the belt on him. But we've sadly never gotten it. Austin vs Rock are a classic duo.

I would just like to say, in my thread I mentioned the Rock and Y2J promo, and the differences in commentary too. So you're not the only one that noticed that. Totally agree with you there man.

Thunderball, keep these coming! Like I said, you ever need help I have some experience with these, and I enjoy reading other's opinions on the Rumbles, so I'd love to see you make the 2002 Rumble as soon as you can!

Yeah, everything you said in that post, I agree with.

You seem to know what you are talking about so if you like, you can review the Royal Rumble 2002 and so will I. Posting both give a couple of perspectives on the show. It is always better to get more than one opinion on something. So by all means, go for it.

As for the next review, it will be Royal Rumble 2002 if I can get my hands on it somehow. I will try and get it done at some point in the next couple of days and it will be up soon after that.