Since the Survivor Series & November To Remember threads in November were a success I figured I'd create one for the Rumble. I think Pete did this a few years back on the old PW but that's gone now. So let's take the month of January to remember our favorite Royal Rumble shows. I'm going cover every single show from 1988-2000something throughout the month of January.

Oh god, this seems like the perfect excuse/reason for me to build a spreadsheet database chronicling every Royal Rumble participant's stats. I probably won't be able to start in earnest until this weekend, but I love this kind of shit. Can't wait for the numbers to bear out some unexpected (or maybe totally expected?) achievementsacobs being the greatest Royal Rumble competitor of all time.

*Gonna shoot for two of these per day. And for fun I'm going to do them all by memory. No looking stuff up.

1988

This show aired on cable television, not pay per view, to counteract NWA's Bunkhouse Stampede PPV in a dick move. There's a very good chance the entire Rumble concept was conceived on a whim during a 5 minute "How can we screw the NWA this time?" conversation between Vince & Patterson. The Royal Rumble concept would of course go on to become one of WWF's most endearing.

I saw this live with my dad, and possibly my brother, at our neighbor Mr. Charlie's house. It had less hype than Wrestlemania or Survivor Series, but maybe a tiny bit more than your run of the mill SNME. 

What I remember most about this show was the great Dino Bravo breaking the world bench press record. He set out to lift 715 pounds and managed to do 712 (I'll admit Jesse did provide 3 pounds worth of help), thereby still breaking the record. Sadly Dino's amazing feat of strength would remain unofficial due to the prevailing anti-heel bias of the day. But fear not, Dino! For this moment made you one of my wrestling heroes! And that is what really matters in the end. RIP, champ.

The Rumble itself wasn't really A Thing yet. Not like it would become. So midcard for life Hacksaw Jim Duggan won a small 20 man Rumble, last eliminating the One Man Gang. I watched this again within the past few years and vaguely remember Bret Hart being a long laster/standout performer.

I actually wasn't a huge fan of the Rumble concept at first. It seemed stupid to me that a match would revolve so much around a luck of the draw. To be honest, I always had that problem with the Rumble, though it would become less pronounced as the years went on.

Pretty sure this show also had the Hogan/Andre contract signing for their historic "twin referees" match a few weeks later.

Rebooking it through modern (and by "modern," I mean from 1992 on) sensibilities Savage or Dibiase would be the logical winners. Especially if Hogan & Andre really were tied up with a contract signing. The rebooker in me would give it to the Macho Man as we continue to build to his title reign.

Winner- Duggan last eliminating One Man Gang
Should Have Won- Savage last eliminating Dibiase

1989

This show had more hype than the previous year. I saw it on tape a day or two after it took place. Once again courtesy of the great Mr. Charlie.

Pretty sure this show started out with all the participants getting some interview time. Always loved that about these early Rumbles.

Undercard had the 5/6th awesome match of the turncoat Hart Foundation & stupid Hacksaw Jim Duggan vs. the Baker Approved squad of Qlub Quebec- Fabulous Rougeau Brothers & Dino Bravo w/ Jimmy Hart. I'd stop writing and watch this match asap were it not for "The Ruiner of All Things" Hacksaw Jim Duggan.

Undercard also had "The Ultimate Posedown" between Ultimate Warrior & Ravishing Rick Rude because WWF was a corrupt establishment that almost always favored the good guys. Totally should have been called The Ravishing Posedown. Anyway, Warrior won because of typical fan bias. But Rude won in the end by attacking Warrior with exercise equipment and later taking his IC Title. Take that, you Honkytonk Man-beating scoundrel!

Unlike the previous year, this Rumble had a ton of memorable moments. We start things off with the iconic Ax vs. Smash battle which really established the "every man for himself" tone they were shooting for. Later on we'd get the odd duo of Savage & Arn working together in what may have been an amazing bit of foreshadowing as Savage was soon to turn heel. This Rumble also had Dibiase memorably purchasing #30 from a wrestler who was never named. That has to be up there with the mastermind behind GTV in terms of Great Wrestling Mysteries. I forget who the longevity push recipient was. Martel was next year, right? Might have been Valentine. If not, it totally should have been. "The Hammer" was tailor made for the Rumble longevity push since Gorilla had been spouting that classic "It takes him 15 minutes just to get warmed up!" line for years. 

And now we get to the most memorable moment of all....

HOGAN IS ELIMINATED!  :jumpjacks: :woot: OMG! YES! YES! THANK YOU TWIN TOWERS!  :bow: :love:  THERE IS A GOD!

Truly anything can happen in the WWF!

And after all that greatness.....

Big John Studd wins.  :ugh:  Umm....yeah. OK, so Studd/Andre had been a big feud a few years earlier. They were going for a renewal of that feud, only with the roles reversed this time around. It never really caught on. Studd would be reduced to refereeing Andre/Jake at 'Mania and would leave the company not long after that. I didn't hate this QUITE as much as you might think. I had missed Studd's first run, but knew of him as a 'star,' and had his action figure. Plus he was a bit of a local celebrity who appeared in some commercials around these parts, including one for an amusement part. Six Flags, maybe? So he still held some intrigue for me. Naturally I would have preferred Dibiase eliminating Studd rather than the other way around, but, like Mabel winning KOTR, it was more of a 'wait and see' thing than an immediate 'WORST THING EVAR' reaction. For what it's worth, Studd broke out some cool-for-the-time suplexes in this match, including the first Butterfly I ever remember seeing.

But who really cares if the wrong guy won because THE TWIN TOWERS ELIMINATED HOGAN~! YES! YES! YES!

This would probably be a Top 5 Rumble for me even if the wrong guy won.

Winner- Studd last eliminating Dibiase
Should Have Won- Hogan, actually  :lol:  Last eliminating Savage or Dibiase. There are multiple scenarios you could go with here that would all further the Hogan/Savage split and build to Wrestlemania V.  

Oh God... Of course Baker's rebooking ideas get my mind racing and my erection raging!

I love the idea of Savage winning the first Rumble by last eliminating DiBiase to set them up as even bigger deals headed into 'Mania IV.

Then I love the idea of there being a callback to the previous year in the second Rumble with Savage and DiBiase being in the Final Four. I specifically envision something like Savage entering early, like in a single digit position, and gradually showing heel signs as he does whatever it takes to hang in there and go the distance. I love the idea of the Million Dollar Man buying the #30 spot, and maybe add to that him "hiring" the Twin Towers during the match to do his dirty work by taking out the Mega Powers.

The Powers manage to work together to eliminate the Towers, but DiBiase capitalizes on the distraction to eliminate Savage immediately thereafter to avenge the previous year's loss. Hogan quickly avenges Savage's elimination by tossing DiBiase to win the match. Savage is pissed though that Hogan didn't have his back and prevent him from being eliminated. Further fuel to the implosion/explosion fire. And now even more reason/buildup for the Powers/Towers tag match at SNME in February.

The only problem now is... Does Hogan win the next three Rumbles back to back to back? Maybe give the 1990 Rumble to Warrior to help set up his 'Mania VI collision with Hogan? Then Hogan wins the '91 Rumble still to set up either a 'Mania VII rematch with Warrior or a title match with Slaughter if we go that route?

Fuck, I love rebooking what-ifs.

I feel I say this in every Rumble thread and I don't care - I'll say it again.

In kayfabe, the Rumble is the stupidest way to determine the challenger for the world title on the biggest stage of the year. A match where not only does luck play a massive factor (drawing #30 rather than #1; what level of guys are in there by the time you enter) but you also win it by putting people over the top ropes (nothing at all linked with how you will win the world title). It is even worse in the modern era when you consider how often and easily people get thrown over the ropes in standard matches. I know the argument would be that you are on your guard more for that in a Rumble match, but I'd say Battle Royals worked better when they were a big attraction match during the era when people seldom went over the ropes to the outside.

All the credit in the world to Vince and co. for getting such a concept over so well, to the point that it is lots of people's most anticipated match of the year. The countdown to the entrances, possible surprise appearances. It is an event, a spectacle, always intriguing to watch, even when the stuff happening in the ring isn't particularly compelling.

Jan 5, 2018 13:46:11 GMT 🤯 said:

 Does Hogan win the next three Rumbles back to back to back? 

All will soon be revealed....

1990

Another one I watched on tape a day or two after the fact courtesy of Mr. Charlie.

Undercard saw the Fabulous Rougeau Brothers go out with a whimper in a dumb comedy match against maybe the worst tag team of all time in the stupid Bushwhackers. Good night, sweet princes. You deserved better.

Also on the undercard was the Valentine/Garvin Submission Match my brother and I both hated back in the day due to the stupidity of both guys continually going for covers...in a submission match. It's garnered a reputation as a minor classic in the years to follow for being a rare Hogan Era WWF match with stiffness, but the constant pin attempts are still really dumb, and enough to keep it from any sort of classic status in my book.

The Rumble itself wasn't nearly as glorious as the 1989 version. Dibiase entered at #1 in a nice bit playing off him purchasing #30 the previous year. A rule had been instituted declaring nobody could purchase (or trade for?) a better number. Think Teddy was also the ironman in this one. Highlight of this Rumble was the first ever Hogan/Warrior confrontation. This was a big deal. WWF would go to that star vs. star meeting for the first time well many times in Rumbles to follow, but I don't think it ever had quite the impact as it did here. Hogan eliminated the Warrior because of course he did. The Hulkster would eventually eliminate his primary rival at the time, Mr. Perfect, to win the match.

Hogan winning the Rumble as champion was one of the most egregious Hogan moments imo. Just ridiculous. I don't even think you have to be a Hogan hater as I was to understand how absurd this was. It goes against decades of wrestling logic to have the reigning champion win a match against 29 potential challengers. Have somebody, anybody eliminate the champ to set up a big match down the road. Or perhaps better still, have the champ defend his title outside of the Rumble match.

Winner- Hulk Hogan last eliminating Mr. Perfect
Should Have Won- Ultimate Warrior last eliminating....Earthquake sounds good. Warrior was going to be the next big challenger. This would have given him the boost (that he frankly didn't even need). I get why WWF & Hogan might not have wanted Warrior to eliminate Hogan AND win the WM 6 match. But there's a solution for that, too. Have Hogan successfully defend the title against Perfect. Yeah, we're robbed of the iconic Hogan/Warrior Rumble showdown, but I'd still rather have it this way than Hogan, the champ, winning the Rumble. 

1991

I saw this Rumble, or at least parts of it, more than any other Rumble, and possibly more than all the other Rumbles combined. We no longer lived a few houses down from Mr. Charlie but we still got the tape from him a few days later. We must have only had it for a few weeks, maybe a month or two tops, but it felt like years. Any time I'd get the slightest bit bored in early 1991 I'd pop in this tape to watch The Mountie's match and Slaughter beating Warrior.

Undercard

Rockers beat the Orient Express in a classic tag team encounter. Maybe the best in WWF history up to this point. And likely still one of the best in company history. All four men were on top of their game with athletic moves, cool double teams, and great timing. So of course I couldn't have cared less   Likely watched it once and skipped it on all those early 1991 Royal Rumble binges because I had an intense dislike for the Rockers and couldn't have cared less about the Orient Express.

The Mountie debuted by beating Koko B. Ware. I was already a Mountie fan based on his Rougeau Brothers run and epic vignettes. Now it turns out he has amazing/soothing music, a shock stick, and Jimmy Hart in his corner. It was love at first sight. One of my most watched matches back in the day.

Sgt. Slaughter pulled off the greatest upset of my wrestling fan life up to that point by doing the impossible when he beat the Ultimate Warrior. Oh. My. God. Markout city. I didn't give a hoot about Sgt. Slaughter coming in. I thought this would be an easy Warrior defense to pad his resume. I didn't foresee Warrior ever losing the belt until he met Hogan again....and who knew when that might occur? But after the stiffest scepter shot ever courtesy of the Macho King and an elbow drop the impossible dream had become a reality. Sgt. Slaughter had become the NEEEWWWW WWF Champion! I quite literally marked out. I'm talking running around the house cheering, and possibly even "Yessing." Rubbing it into my brother's face, and anybody else who might have been there. It was like Christmas, a birthday, and the Broncos winning the Super Bowl (as if THAT'll ever happen....) all rolled into one. The only other thing that compared was Andre beating Hogan for the belt back in '88. In fact, they were my two all time favorite matches until I smartened up a little (just a little, mind you!) in late 1995. Sgt. Slaughter was now My Guy. And ALL HAIL THE MACHO KING!

The Rumble itself was destined to be an anti-climax after the greatness I had just witnessed. Model got the longevity push and Hogan won, of course, last eliminating his longtime rival, Earthquake. Highlight for me was the Undertaker's run. Taker being eliminated by both members of LOD was the right call. Only the greatest kayfabe team of all time could believably eliminate The Deadman.

Winner- Hogan last eliminating Earthquake
Should Have Won- Hogan last eliminating Earthquake. WWF got his one right.

Rebooking perfection!

Speaking of perfection, the 1992 Royal Rumble is one of very few PPVs that really doesn't need/can't be rebooked to be any better... Unless you're one of the few (i.e., only me) who wants to give Mountie's spot/IC title reign to The Model instead. And maybe don't have Savage eliminate himself.

Jan 5, 2018 16:17:10 GMT 🤯 said:

Unless you're one of the few (i.e., only me) who wants to give Mountie's spot/IC title reign to The Model instead.

The problem there is that Martel did not appear on TV between May 11th and Dec 28th in 1991. The Bret/Mountie feud was planned long before Martel returned to the ring on Dec 4th, with the shockstick angle that was aired on Nov 2nd being filmed on Sept 30th.

Of course, in a purely fantasy rebooking, there is no issue with going with Martel. But in a more realistic one, it would have made little sense to chuck the short title reign to him when Bret was feuding with The Mountie anyway and The Mountie was more over currently with the audience due to being around, unlike The Model. Plus Martel was starting to become more focused on real estate over wrestling, so he was likely never going to be pushed strongly from this point.

Cool thread, Rumbles are one of my favorite things about wrestling. I think I went through and rewatched all the old ones last year. The 1994 Royal Rumble show itself is one of my favorite wrestling PPV's ever.

Jan 6, 2018 7:34:05 GMT Strobe said:

Jan 5, 2018 16:17:10 GMT 🤯 said:

Unless you're one of the few (i.e., only me) who wants to give Mountie's spot/IC title reign to The Model instead.

The problem there is that Martel did not appear on TV between May 11th and Dec 28th in 1991. The Bret/Mountie feud was planned long before Martel returned to the ring on Dec 4th, with the shockstick angle that was aired on Nov 2nd being filmed on Sept 30th.

Of course, in a purely fantasy rebooking, there is no issue with going with Martel. But in a more realistic one, it would have made little sense to chuck the short title reign to him when Bret was feuding with The Mountie anyway and The Mountie was more over currently with the audience due to being around, unlike The Model. Plus Martel was starting to become more focused on real estate over wrestling, so he was likely never going to be pushed strongly from this point.

I recall you mentioning this in the past on old PW, and so my "fix" was to go more pure fantasy booking... Or at least insofar as continuing to book Martel as a semi legit midcard contender is fantasy. :lol:

Usually I try to limit my pure fantasies with a bit of reality. If Martel wasn't booked during that period because Creative had nothing for him, that's easily remedied IMO. If he wasn't appearing around then because of injuries, suspension, family issues, interests outside of wrestling, then that's not so easily fixed in my pure fantasy.

So if Martel was launching a real estate empire at that time, then sure... I'll concede that maybe I couldn't have had him around as much as I'd like to, to slot him into a hot shot transitional IC title reign.

For a thrown together match, the 88 Rumble was a solid showcase.

The match begins with Bret Hart and Tito Santana. It had only been a few months since Chico managed to beat the Hart Foundation alongside Martel for the WWF Tag Team titles, so these two knew each other quite well. Santana holds his own until 'The Natural' Butch Reed hits the ring and forms an alliance with the excellence of execution. Reed had his own history with Santana, dating back to '86 where Reed was the muscle for Slick. Just when things seemingly couldn't get worse for Santana, the second half of the Hart Foundation, Jim 'The Anvil' Neidhart hits the ring and continues to beat down on Santana. They take turns torturing Santana, and right as it looks like they're about to make the first ever elimination in the Royal Rumble, Jake Roberts spoils the party.

Roberts had initially been a big heel in the WWF, famously knocking Steamboat unconscious after a vicious DDT on the cement floor. In recent times, Roberts had turned over a new leaf after challenging the Honky Tonk Man for the Intercontinental Championship. He rushes to Santana's aid and makes Royal Rumble history, catch Reed by surprise and flipping him over the top rope.

One of the favourites, King Harley Race comes out next. Harley was one of Hogan's main adversaries at the time, so a win here for the inaugural King of the Ring wouldn't have been out of the question. He's followed by one half of the Killer Bees, Jim Brunzell. The Bees were nearing the end of their run together, but were fan favourites and had history with the Hart Foundation. He was followed by Sam Houston, one of the new faces of the WWF who had been making himself in the undercard against heels like Danny Davis, who happened to come out next. Dangerous Danny Davis had made a name for himself only a year prior when he helped the Hart Foundation win the WWF Tag Team Championships as a crooked referee and joined Jimmy Hart's stable. Speaking of the Hart Foundation, they eventually got the better of Tito Santana, eliminating him part-way through the contest.

Another new face, Boris Zhukov entered which made life difficult for Roberts, Brunzell and Houston respectively. Zhukov recently joined the company, teaming alongside WWF lifer Nikolai Volkoff as one half of the Bolsheviks. In truth, Boris was a journeyman wrestler who was brought into replace Sheiky baby after the infamous '87 car ride.

Seemingly we got two for the price of one with the next entrant after Nikolai Volkoff forgot his place in the Rumble. The actual entrant was Don Muraco, who was known by a different persona, The Rock. Muraco had been a big name in the early 80s and was experiencing something of a resurgence in recent times. Originally Muraco's spot was intended for former WWWF Champion Superstar Billy Graham, but his comeback bid was cut short. It was written off after The One Man Gang and Butch Reed attacked him, The Rock rushed to his aid and the two formed a combination. It didn't take long for The Rock to make his presence felt, eliminating Harley Race with a big clothesline over the top rope.

Unfortunately for Volkoff, by the time he hit the ring, both Brunzell and Roberts had eliminated Zhukov. Volkoff could do nothing but hopelessly watch from ring-side. He would eventually avenge his partner, eliminating Brunzell later on in the contest. Then Hacksaw Jim Duggan entered the ring. After a not-so-nice confrontation with Harley Race, Duggan hit the ring much to the fan's delight. Duggan had become one of the brightest stars of the WWF in 87, coming out to thunderous reactions whenever he would hit ring-side. He appeared destined to become a major star in the company, only for it to come undone following the Sheiky Baby '87 incident. Duggan continued to be a strong fan favourite, but had been pushed more as an undercard attraction than as a major star.

Next up was The Outlaw Ron Bass. Bass was a veteran by this point, but had only recently entered the WWF where he predominately worked against guys like JYD and Houston. He was followed by B. Brian Blair, the second half of The Killer Bees and he set his sights on Volkoff. He was followed by Hillbilly Jim, a WWF mainstay by this point who was something of a utility guy. If somebody wanted a fight, Hillbilly Jim wasn't afraid to put on his overalls and get to work. He entered and proved to be the dominant Jim, flinging the Anvil over the top rope.

Next was Dino Bravo. Bravo was originally known as something of a technical wrestler who was especially good in the tag team scene. In-between stints, Bravo practically lived in the gym and completely changed his approach to wrestling, becoming the world's strongest man. Earlier in the show they held a publicity stunt where Bravo attempted a world record bench press, which he completed thanks to The Body Ventura. He was in the middle of a big push and was one of the bigger stars in the company at that time. Of course whenever I think of Bravo, I only think of his gruesome demise.

#18 was none other than the Ultimate Warrior. The Warrior had only recently joined the WWF from WCCW and was beginning to make a name for himself as one of the most exciting talents on the roster. Meanwhile in the match, Bret Hart was finally eliminated by none other than The Rock after a blistering 25 minutes, setting a standard Rick Martel, Ted DiBiase, Ric Flair, Shawn Michaels, Rey Mysterio and Vince McMahon would surpass.

Then One Man Gang came out at #19 and made his presence felt. One Man Gang was one of the biggest heels in the company at this point, ending Graham's comeback bid and just making an absolute nuisance of himself. Straight away he managed to eliminate both Blair and Roberts in quick succession.

Finally #20 was JYD. The Junkyard Dog had been a fan favourite for several years, but by '88 his run was coming to an end as younger talents began to emerge. By this point the ring was made up of Hillbilly Jim, Nikolai Volkoff, Don 'The Rock' Muraco, Hacksaw Jim Duggan, JYD, One Man Gang, Dangerous Danny Davis, Ron Bass, The Ultimate Warrior and Dino Bravo.

Duggan scored one for America, eliminating Volkoff early on. One Man Gang continued his domination, eliminating fan favourite Hillbilly Jim. Duggan was in the thick of it again, hitting his three point stance tackle on Davis, forcing him to go over the top. Then One Man Gang formed an alliance with Bravo to take out the Warrior. Bass caught JYD by surprise and eliminated him to rekindle their feud, only for Muraco to eliminate him afterwards.

Final Four came down to Muraco, One Man Gang, Bravo and Duggan. Muraco had one of the worst RR eliminations of all-time, saving himself on the apron, only to let go of the ropes and drop in one of the more awkward eliminations in Rumble history. Then Duggan managed to out-smart the One Man Gang not once but twice. First time Bravo had Duggan's arms pinned back, setting up a clothesline, only for Duggan to duck out of the way, causing Bravo to go over the top. One Man Gang then tried another clothesline over the top, only for Duggan to duck, and One Man Gang's own momentum caused him to go over the top.

What I enjoyed about this Rumble is that it played the concept fairly straight. There was little hijinx through out the match and there was several ways the match could have gone. A lot of Rumbles these days suffer because you know full well who is going to win and sometimes the choice is so painfully obvious you almost write it off as a red herring (eg. Batista '14, Reigns '15). Here since nobody was clear about the stakes Reed, Roberts, One Man Gang, Warrior, Bravo, Muraco, Race all stood a fair chance and a lot of the younger talent like Bret and Houston received a nice rub for their involvement. I do think they made the right choice giving it to Duggan, because a concept like the Rumble deserves a babyface winning the Rumble. That's a trend that would continue until '92, which made sense given it was for the title. '93 was the first time they played it straight and since then we've seen Michaels (95), Austin (97), Vince (99), Orton (09), Del Rio (11) and HHH ('16) win it as heels. Of those times, Austin and Vince didn't challenge for the title at Mania, in 2016 it was for the title and Michaels, Orton and Del Rio were unsuccessful in their bids at Wrestlemania. In fact of all the heels who won at the Rumble, they all eventually ended up losing come Mania. Despite having every reason to in a few of those instances, the WWE has never changed.

Although I don't know what it is, there is a great gimmick match to be made that steals the surprise of Royal Rumble entrants, eliminates the lameness of battle royal eliminations, and has multiple wrestlers doing something else. It's hard to figure pinfalls in a crowded ring, and doing it gauntlet style where you don't know who is coming out next and it's just continuous one-on-one matches seems lame too. There has to be something good that keeps the best part of the Rumble while eliminating the worst part.

I remembered the Twin Towers elimination of Hogan as the Brainbusters doing it for like a decade. Memory is fuckng weird.

When I was a younger lad I loved the Royal Rumble match...now, it sucks. Present day and in the past. It really does. Sure there have been a few good ones. 1992 was great, 1994 was an underrated one, and 2001 was really good. By in large though most of them are just long and your sick of it halfway in.

Jan 7, 2018 6:03:16 GMT Kilgore said:

Although I don't know what it is, there is a great gimmick match to be made that steals the surprise of Royal Rumble entrants, eliminates the lameness of battle royal eliminations, and has multiple wrestlers doing something else. It's hard to figure pinfalls in a crowded ring, and doing it gauntlet style where you don't know who is coming out next and it's just continuous one-on-one matches seems lame too. There has to be something good that keeps the best part of the Rumble while eliminating the worst part.

I remembered the Twin Towers elimination of Hogan as the Brainbusters doing it for like a decade. Memory is fuckng weird.

I've got it.  Reverse battle royal but unlike in TNA, you start with 30 men on the floor and the first 29 in the ring move onto the next round and the loser left out is eliminated.  Then everybody jumps out of the ring and we start the process over until one man remains.  :lol:   Ok maybe not.  Maybe you do 6 men in the ring at once and another man can only come in when one or however many are eliminated. over the top rope eliminations count as well as pinfalls and subs.  Also new rule, you can't eliminate yourself.  That means  if two guys are fighting outside on the floor after rolling under the bottom rope, if lets say Kofi Kingston then decides to dive over the top rope onto them then he isn't eliminated. Can't be eliminated off of an offensive move.

Jan 7, 2018 6:03:16 GMT Kilgore said:

Although I don't know what it is, there is a great gimmick match to be made that steals the surprise of Royal Rumble entrants, eliminates the lameness of battle royal eliminations, and has multiple wrestlers doing something else. It's hard to figure pinfalls in a crowded ring, and doing it gauntlet style where you don't know who is coming out next and it's just continuous one-on-one matches seems lame too. There has to be something good that keeps the best part of the Rumble while eliminating the worst part.

I remembered the Twin Towers elimination of Hogan as the Brainbusters doing it for like a decade. Memory is fuckng weird.

Have you seen an Aztec Warfare match yet? I really loved the first 2, the second one might be one of my favorite matches of all time. One of the more gonzo ridiculous ideas I had in fan fiction was the "30 Man Anarchy Rulz Match", it was Royal Rumble style match but instead of over the top rope eliminations you had to put somebody through a table to eliminate them, I had 29 tables set up(16 circling the ring- 4 of them lined up on each side parallel with the apron. One propped up in each corner inside the ring bringing the total to 20, I can't remember where I had the other 10, probably stacked up unopened in the entrance isle or something). It was a lot of fun to write and went over pretty well, I think it could work if booked a certain way, you have the element of the falls count anywhere deal to spread the action out, guys can be eliminated by being put through a table anywhere in the arena. If it failed it would at least be the type of train wreck that nobody could look away from. Which was pretty much what it was in fan fic at the time. Good times. 

Jan 6, 2018 7:34:05 GMT Strobe said:

Jan 5, 2018 16:17:10 GMT 🤯 said:

Unless you're one of the few (i.e., only me) who wants to give Mountie's spot/IC title reign to The Model instead.

The problem there is that Martel did not appear on TV between May 11th and Dec 28th in 1991. 

Now I'm glad Shootist talked me out of including Martel on my 90s WWF Wrestler ballot. I knew The Model gone for a long time before resurfacing in the fall of '93 for the IC battle royal/Razor match but didn't remember him missing this much time so early on.

Nice review of the '88 Rumble by Big Pete. I had forgotten Warrior was in that match. One of Warrior's first WWF tv matches (the first one I remember, in fact) had him as filler in a random ten man battle royal where he was unceremoniously eliminated. Warrior being treated like an afterthought in these two matches makes me wonder if perhaps Vince didn't know what he had in the Warrior right away.

1992

The most famous Rumble of them all is one I actually didn't see until about four years after the fact due to my PPV supplier(s) drying up between Wrestlemania VII and Summerslam 95 with the exception of Summerslam '93 & Survivor Series '93. I wasn't as hyped for this show as you might think having long accepted, and with good reason, "LOL Hogan Winz" being the result of everything WWF Championship-related. And this time he even got the bonus of an automatic late draw! Nobody else had a shot in my mind. Hogan winning was a foregone conclusion.

My friend Vogel either watched the show somewhere, or "saw" it at home on Scramblevision. I forget the details. But I knew he had access to results. He was also the only other wrestling fan I knew at the time. So I half-heartedly asked him the next day "Who won the Rumble?" fully expecting him to blurt out "Hulk Hogan!" with a big grin, as he was a babyface fan, and diehard Hulkamaniac. He didn't answer my first query. I still didn't get TOO excited, as he was a born troll who was forever messing with me. This went on for a little while. I'd ask. He'd evade. Finally he whispered "ricflair" with a forlorn face like his dog (Shep) had just died. I still couldn't quite believe it. I mean this was a guy who once convinced me Undertaker had mended his ways to become a white-clad good guy called "Heaven Above."

So I had to wait until Superstars to find out the glorious news. Ric Flair had done the impossible! And it went just the way Vogel had explained to my doubting self! Ric bah gawd Flair entered at #3 and went through 29 other men, including The Almighty Hulkster, to become the NEEEEWWWW WWF Champion! I was elated. I had found a new favorite wrestler (Flair was still behind Taker & Mountie before the Rumble). I had found a new hero. Before the '92 Rumble I didn't have an all time favorite wrestler. I had never really thought about it. Nor was I really into the whole WWF vs. NWA/WCW thing, or even the Great Flair vs. Hogan Debate, yet. But Flair winning the Rumble (over Hogan!), coupled with his glorious 1989 run, made him probably my all time favorite wrestler way back in 1992.

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This time two years ago I rewatched all the Rumble matches from 88 through 98 (stopping at 1999 for obvious reasons) but the 1992 Rumble was the only complete show I watched from start to finish.

New Foundation vs. Orient Express was no Rockers/OX but it was still a perfectly fine tag opener. Kicking off the Rumble with a hot tag match had already become a tradition by this point, and would be one which continued for many more years.

Stupid Piper beating my man Da Mountie just days after Canada's Greatest Export shocked the world by defeating Bret for the IC Title was something I hated at the time, and hated when I finally watched it on tape all those years later, but it's actually a pretty cool moment, even if the match isn't much. Crowd was hot, Piper seemed genuinely thrilled to win his first WWF title, and it was a cool "Thank You" to a guy who made WWF millions of dollars back during their big 80s heyday.

I have an extremely low tolerance for Bushwhacker antics, so 'Whackers vs. Beverly Brothers felt endless, and was, of course, terrible.

As for the Rumble itself, it's obviously my favorite, and likely always will be. Arguably the single greatest moment of Ric Flair's career. To walk into Hogan's house and actually win the WWF Title OVER Hogan (albeit in a roundabout way) was something I never could have predicted at the time, and would have had even less hope of it happening had I been smartened up a little. But let's talk about the match itself....

I like how Flair had to go through all these old rivals from his NWA days. Flair was the first ironman to actually win the Rumble. That trope would been done to death in the years to follow, but this was the first, and therefore the best/biggest/most memorable. Piper vs. Flair was a fun moment that would be replicated by Austin & Bret (and probably others) in later years. Bobby Heenan on commentary equaled Flair by putting on the performance of his career. Just classic stuff.

As for the non-Flair stuff, I always thought it was weird that Big Star Dibiase was treated like a jobber- being eliminated by Bulldog before the next man (Flair) could even enter the ring. Haku hit a wicked piledriver on (I think) Bulldog. We got a nice teaser in Savage/Jake. Savage eliminating himself because he's a nutter who hates Jake would have worked. But NO! All of a sudden it doesn't count?!? What kind of b.s. is this? Probably the biggest flaw in this match. Michaels got big heat coming off his recent turn on Jannetty. Probably should have been more of a factor. Also don't remember 'Taker cleaning house the way he probably should have. This Rumble would have been even better had Taker got a nice little 94 Diesel/01 Kane push. So even the GOAT Rumble is not perfect.

Finish with Flair/Sid/Hogan was perfect. Crowd turning on Hogan for the first time is just the cherry on top.

And then that cherry gets coated in delicious chocolate syrup with the glorious Mean Gene/Flair/Perfect/Heenan post-match interview. "Put that cigarette out!"  :rofl:

I do wonder what WWE was going for with Hogan pulling Sid out of that Rumble. WWE was very traditional with the roles back then so it seemed only logical since Sid would be turning heel that Hogan would eliminate him from the rumble and Sid would then turn on Hogan and pull him out. I always thought it was weird and don't know why they went at it like they did.

Jan 8, 2018 22:57:44 GMT vendrell said:

I do wonder what WWE was going for with Hogan pulling Sid out of that Rumble. WWE was very traditional with the roles back then so it seemed only logical since Sid would be turning heel that Hogan would eliminate him from the rumble and Sid would then turn on Hogan and pull him out. I always thought it was weird and don't know why they went at it like they did.

Sid and Hogan were supposed to be boys, so Hogan out of the blue eliminating Sid (before Flair) would have been even more heelish. I think they thought Sid breaking the alliance first would give Hogan the justification for retaliation. They never thought in a million years Sid eliminating Hogan would have popped the crowd. 

Also, Four Horseman tease with Sid saving Flair. 

Jan 8, 2018 23:44:46 GMT Kilgore said:

Jan 8, 2018 22:57:44 GMT vendrell said:

I do wonder what WWE was going for with Hogan pulling Sid out of that Rumble. WWE was very traditional with the roles back then so it seemed only logical since Sid would be turning heel that Hogan would eliminate him from the rumble and Sid would then turn on Hogan and pull him out. I always thought it was weird and don't know why they went at it like they did.

Sid and Hogan were supposed to be boys, so Hogan out of the blue eliminating Sid (before Flair) would have been even more heelish. I think they thought Sid breaking the alliance first would give Hogan the justification for retaliation. They never thought in a million years Sid eliminating Hogan would have popped the crowd. 

Also, Four Horseman tease with Sid saving Flair. 

I guess your right BUT I guess I figured they would have went with the call back to Royal Rumble 89 where Hogan "accidentally" eliminated Savage.  It just seemed like it would have been cooler to have Flair be the man to eliminate Hogan instead of Sid.  Flair winning by getting rid of Hogan (with Sids help) I think would have even had more of an impact than it already had.

The WWF was in a strange place in 1992. The steroid scandal had rocked the company and they seemed to be at a loss with what direction to go in. Hogan had been the golden goose for so long, but his popularity was beginning to wane and his ready made replacement, Warrior, had exited the company. So it was a weird time to hold a coronation ceremony for somebody like Ric Flair when ultimately he was going to drop the championship at Wrestlemania. If you were going to go to such lengths to make a guy, shouldn't they embark on a big run in the company?

There was also the confusion surrounding the Hulk Hogan vs. Ric Flair match. The popular theory is that Vince decided to vetoe the idea after the match only drew 4500 at the Omni Coliseum (capacity is 15-16K) but there was another issue at the time. Hogan was set to take time off from Wrestlemania to SummerSlam, so that would be five straight months where you wouldn't have the biggest star defending the championship on the house show run. So Vince decided to go with Sid Justice vs. Hulk Hogan at Wrestlemania, instead of holding it off until SummerSlam like it was originally planned. As it turned out, it wasn't much of a match and was more of a segment to announce the return of the Ultimate Warrior who ultimately didn't last long in the company.

So instead of Hulk Hogan vs Ric Flair, which was this ultimate dream match of the 80s, we get Savage vs Flair. The match itself was far more compelling than a Flair/Hogan match would have been, but it just didn't feel as momentous. Savage had always been inferior to Hogan as a character and it felt like we were already in the middle of a reunion tour with him.

There's sections of the fanbase that love the match because it exposed Hogan's popularity in the company at the time, but I see it as a flaw. Who in their right mind thought that Sid eliminating Hogan clean would automatically make him the biggest heel in the company? When you fail at one of your biggest goals of the match (turn Sid heel) that's a huge red flag. Again, it just shows how rattled Vince was at the time.

Despite the numerous flaws, the fact that so many fans are willing to overlook it speaks volumes about Ric Flair. At the time, WCW was convinced that Flair was washed up and were looking to phase him out for their next generation of stars, but here he was in the WWF creating history. Not only did he become the first man to win the NWA and WWF Championship, but to achieve it with one of the all-time great performances speaks volumes for Naitch. WCW could not have called him back quick enough and it saved them because Starrcade '93 would have been a disaster without him. Not only that, but without Flair, who knows if Hogan would have jumped ship and lit the wrestling industry alight?

1993

Another Rumble I didn't see for the first time until well after the fact....about three years this time around. 

While I enjoyed the show, I can't help thinking it felt less like a ROYAL RUMBLE and more like In Your House: Royal Rumble.

Steiners vs. Beverlys was another fine tag opener and a nice way to introduce Rick & Scott to a new audience.

Bam Bam vs. Bossman was a passing of the torch of sorts as the veteran husky, credible midcarder put over the returning husky, credible midcarder.

I'm surprised Shawn/Marty didn't get talked up more over the years since it's the lone ppv match in this fondly remembered feud. Remember it being a good one, as a Shawn vs. Marty match is wont to be, but it's their two Raw matches from later in the year that always get all the buzz.

Bret vs. Razor is another fine, albeit forgettable match, as it never gets brought up as one of Bret's classics, and doesn't even get a lot of play in the pantheon of good/great Razor matches/moments. I liked the Sharpshooter outta nowhere finish. Too bad I also thought it was the most midcard WWF Championship match on ppv up to this point. It's either this or Bret/Michaels from two months earlier.

Then we have The Unveiling of Narcissus~! This was honestly the thing I was most hyped for going into the show. I couldn't wait to find out who Heenan's new man was going to be.

I thought the Rumble itself was highlighted by the performances of four 80s world champs from different universes- Flair, Perfect, Lawler & this year's ironman Bob Backlund (pre-Hulkamania WWF was totally a different universe). Flair vs. Perfect was a hot feud and I had just learned about the history between Perfect & Lawler when I watched it for the first time, so I also got a kick out of their interactions.

Other highlight was the debut of the monstrous Giant Gonzalez. I admit to being a little afraid of him at first. "Why he has a foot on the Undertaker! That ain't right! The Deadman might be in real trouble this time around!" And then I saw Giant Gonzalez wrestle. The aura quickly died.

Newbie Yokozuna becomes a most unexpected winner, last eliminating Randy Savage. Macho Man has to have the lowest Rumble IQ. Last year he eliminates himself. This time he goes for a pin in a Rumble match. That sort of stuff drove me crazy as a youngster. And it still kinda does.

Winner- Yokozuna last eliminating Savage
Should Have Won- OK, so there are two good options here. I was not at all a fan of WWF's booking from about October 92-Wrestlemania 9. A bunch of guys left in the latter half of '92, which caused them to hotshot a bunch of stuff. I think Bret, Yoko & Razor all could have used at least 6 more months of build before being thrust into main event positions. I wasn't buying any of those guys as big deals at the time. So....

Option 1: Flair holds the title until Royal Rumble where he loses it to his rival, Mr. Perfect. This was a hot feud and I totally would have bought Perfect as a WWF Champion. He held the IC Title twice for like a combined 5 more months than Bret. More importantly, he taken REAL stars like Hogan & Warrior to the limit.

In this scenario, Bret wins the Rumble, last eliminating....say, Randy Savage. Yoko gets the Diesel/Kane push. Razor also has a good run.

Bret vs. Perfect is your 'Mania match. They can promote it (subtly) as the dawning of a new (workrate) era while also planting seeds that one of them might turn bad. They also have history (Summerslam '91 and other matches) to play with. Bret obviously wins at 'Mania.

Option 2: Bret beats Flair just like in real life. In this scenario, Randy Savage wins the Rumble. Yoko again gets the Kane/Diesel push. Even though I like Yoko, and he became a full-fledged Baker Guy by ending Hulkamania at KOTR, I wasn't buying him early on. He had only been in the company for like 3 months, had no real feuds, and now he's winning the Rumble? Wtf is going on here? I don't even care if he's 505 pounds. This is ridiculous. Bret Hart is no Hulk Hogan and this Yoko chap sure ain't Andre the Giant!

Anyway, in this scenario Bret goes on to beat Savage at 'Mania with the same basic Bret/Perfect story, only with more torch passing.

*I'll admit both of these scenarios create some problems down the line, which is why I never went through with a rebooking/fanfic project covering this era. 

My scenarios for a 1993 Rumble rebook aren't all that different. I'm pretty sure I did this one the old board not that long ago.

I have Bret vs. Flair as the title defense always. Bret feeling like a midcard champ is because they seemed to only have him defend it against midcarders (Shawn at Survivor Series and then Razor at Rumble). Flair is exercising his rematch clause at the Rumble, or some shit like that, and Bret beats Flair in a WWF classic that the majority of the audience actually see (unlike the title change from a few months prior).

From there I have two scenarios for Bret.

1. Razor Ramon gets the Yokozuna hotshot. It was weird Razor got the title shot at Rumble. He and Flair were tagging against Bret and Savage, and the Razor push was off to a nice start, which is why it's weird that they gave him that type of rub just to lose to Bret at the Rumble and then fall to the midcard. Now say this guy who is getting pushed hard wins the Rumble, you now have three extra months to push him aggressively as the next top heel continuing the nice start. Now we're talking about Razor getting pushed like that for five months, and he and Bret now seems like a much bigger deal than it actually did in January. It feels like the next two "guys" ushering in the first new generation Wrestlemania main event.

2. Savage wins the Rumble. He and Bret had been tag team partners and you run the same old two babyface program. At first they're reluctant, then as the weeks go on, the tension wears on, Randy maybe even hints a heel turn here and there, and by the time Wrestlemania comes around, you really want to see this match. Bret goes over beating Flair in January, Savage in April, and looking like he's headed for a showdown with Hogan in August. The WWF wrestler of the 90's is taking out the 80's.

I wonder how feasible it would've been to have Hulk make a surprise return/appearance as the unknown #30 entrant and win the thing.

He wouldn't have to appear on TV anymore than he did in the real life timeline.

Whether you keep the title on Bret to set up Hogan/Bret at 'Mania, or have someone like Yoko or Razor get a Slaughter-esque win and brief transitional title reign... Not sure how much it matters. The belt is going back to its true home come 'Mania.

Actually... Would it be THAT much of a stretch to keep Flair though 'Mania? Didn't he become unhappy and want out because Vince told him he was gonna be de-emphasized in his main event vision? And the title partly only went to Bret because Flair had some inner ear injury?

What if Vince, Flair, and Hogan work it out that Flair agrees to stick around until 'Mania on the condition that he'll be featured in the main event there against Hogan. So he wins the title back from Bret via dastardly means at the Rumble (getting sympathy for Bret), and Hogan wins the Rumble itself as a surprise entrant. This sets Flair and Hogan on a collision course.

I'm imagining Flair promos calling Hogan out for not appearing on TV on the road to 'Mania, being too tied up with Hollywood, and dodging Flair at 'Mania VIII last year. Get things heated enough that somehow we end up with a Loser Leaves WWF stip added to the title match showdown because the Federation is clearly only big enough for one of them.

At 'Mania, Hogan gets his show-closing main event moment by going over Flair to reclaim the gold and send the Nature Boy packing back down South. Meanwhile, Bret and Yoko are protected.

Depending on what to do with Perfect's affiliation with Flair, maybe he ends up purposefully or accidentally costing Bret the title to set up Bret/Perfect II at 'Mania IX. Maybe do a quasi-Horsemen thing with Lex being loosely associated with Flair, and getting involved in Flair's feud with Hogan leads Lex into a proxy feud with Brutus. Steel forearm to steel face squash at 'Mania could set up a Hogan/Luger program for KOTR 1993. Perhaps it's through his feud with Hogan that Luger finds his inner patriot, turns face, and starts the Lex Express.

Maybe booking to appease Hogan means he'll agree to stick around until SummerSlam. Maybe it's here that he, despite having new BFF Luger in his corner, drops the title to Yoko. Then Lex can start his quest to avenge Hogan and take the title from Yoko on behalf of America. Perhaps this carries us all the way to our next Rumble, which Lex wins on his own to then go on and defeat Yoko at 'Mania X in a replication of Hull/Andre from 'Mania III.

Jan 10, 2018 15:50:07 GMT 🤯 said:

I wonder how feasible it would've been to have Hulk make a surprise return/appearance as the unknown #30 entrant and win the thing.

He wouldn't have to appear on TV anymore than he did in the real life timeline.

Whether you keep the title on Bret to set up Hogan/Bret at 'Mania, or have someone like Yoko or Razor get a Slaughter-esque win and brief transitional title reign... Not sure how much it matters. The belt is going back to its true home come 'Mania.

Actually... Would it be THAT much of a stretch to keep Flair though 'Mania? Didn't he become unhappy and want out because Vince told him he was gonna be de-emphasized in his main event vision? And the title partly only went to Bret because Flair had some inner ear injury?

What if Vince, Flair, and Hogan work it out that Flair agrees to stick around until 'Mania on the condition that he'll be featured in the main event there against Hogan. So he wins the title back from Bret via dastardly means at the Rumble (getting sympathy for Bret), and Hogan wins the Rumble itself as a surprise entrant. This sets Flair and Hogan on a collision course.

I'm imagining Flair promos calling Hogan out for not appearing on TV on the road to 'Mania, being too tied up with Hollywood, and dodging Flair at 'Mania VIII last year. Get things heated enough that somehow we end up with a Loser Leaves WWF stip added to the title match showdown because the Federation is clearly only big enough for one of them.

At 'Mania, Hogan gets his show-closing main event moment by going over Flair to reclaim the gold and send the Nature Boy packing back down South. Meanwhile, Bret and Yoko are protected.

Depending on what to do with Perfect's affiliation with Flair, maybe he ends up purposefully or accidentally costing Bret the title to set up Bret/Perfect II at 'Mania IX. Maybe do a quasi-Horsemen thing with Lex being loosely associated with Flair, and getting involved in Flair's feud with Hogan leads Lex into a proxy feud with Brutus. Steel forearm to steel face squash at 'Mania could set up a Hogan/Luger program for KOTR 1993. Perhaps it's through his feud with Hogan that Luger finds his inner patriot, turns face, and starts the Lex Express.

Maybe booking to appease Hogan means he'll agree to stick around until SummerSlam. Maybe it's here that he, despite having new BFF Luger in his corner, drops the title to Yoko. Then Lex can start his quest to avenge Hogan and take the title from Yoko on behalf of America. Perhaps this carries us all the way to our next Rumble, which Lex wins on his own to then go on and defeat Yoko at 'Mania X in a replication of Hull/Andre from 'Mania III.

I thought about going the Hogan route but gave it a pass for two reasons....

1. Flair was gone long before Wrestlemania 9. I like to keep things as realistic as possible. Now I suppose Vince could convince Flair to stay a few months longer with a big wad of cash but why bother? Flair/Hogan didn't draw as well as expected the first time they tried it and the product is a lot colder this time around.

2. A Hogan vs. Bret babyface match at 'Mania would have done absolutely nothing for me and I can't imagine it being a big draw for the general wrestling fan public either. Plus there is no way in hell The Hulkster is putting over The Hitman. Which means Hogan goes over, proving once and for all that Bret was just killing time as a midcard filler world champ.

On Flair's inner ear injury....this has always been the story given for the title change. I just did some research. Flair wrestled the Warrior 4 days & 9 days after losing the title. Now he did miss some time- only having 3 matches during a 42 day period. But I still would have stuck with Naitch during this period rather than hotshotting the title to Bret. Or, hell, even give it back to the more established Savage while you continue to build Bret for a run down the road.

Jan 10, 2018 17:50:57 GMT Baker said:

I thought about going the Hogan route but gave it a pass for two reasons....

1. Flair was gone long before Wrestlemania 9. I like to keep things as realistic as possible. Now I suppose Vince could convince Flair to stay a few months longer with a big wad of cash but why bother? Flair/Hogan didn't draw as well as expected the first time they tried it and the product is a lot colder this time around.

2. A Hogan vs. Bret babyface match at 'Mania would have done absolutely nothing for me and I can't imagine it being a big draw for the general wrestling fan public either. Plus there is no way in hell The Hulkster is putting over The Hitman. Which means Hogan goes over, proving once and for all that Bret was just killing time as a midcard filler world champ.

On Flair's inner ear injury....this has always been the story given for the title change. I just did some research. Flair wrestled the Warrior 4 days & 9 days after losing the title. Now he did miss some time- only having 3 matches during a 42 day period. But I still would have stuck with Naitch during this period rather than hotshotting the title to Bret. Or, hell, even give it back to the more established Savage while you continue to build Bret for a run down the road.

If he knew what kind of business Hogan/Flair would end up doing for WCW the next year, I wonder if the idea would've seemed more appealing to Vince than Bret/Yoko, Bret/Hogan, or Bret/Yoko+Yoko/Hogan.

I'm with ya full bore on keeping the title on Flair, or worst case/best case dropping it to Savage. If you're gonna go all in on Bret, he needs a better crowning moment. Beating the legendary Macho Man for the title in the semi main of 'Mania IX (presumably beneath Hogan's match... whatever it would end up being) would've surely been a better crowning moment than the Saskatchewan Switch.

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For all the Bret needs a better crowning moment stuff, I feel the need to point out that it didn't matter in the least in real life, so I'm not sure that's a necessity. Shawn Michaels, on the other hand, got the most over-the-top crowning moment in 1996, and not only did that not help him, it made him into a proto-Cena with a large part of the audience. I think the Saskatchewan Switch actually contributed to Bret's no frills, just the best there is, thing. He wins it on house shows, and defends it on Superstars. The Hogan years are dead.

Jan 10, 2018 23:54:03 GMT Kilgore said:

For all the Bret needs a better crowning moment stuff, I feel the need to point out that it didn't matter in the least in real life, so I'm not sure that's a necessity. Shawn Michaels, on the other hand, got the most over-the-top crowning moment in 1996, and not only did that not help him, it made him into a proto-Cena with a large part of the audience. I think the Saskatchewan Switch actually contributed to Bret's no frills, just the best there is, thing. He wins it on house shows, and defends it on Superstars. The Hogan years are dead.

Touché. That's actually kinda a really great point.

I remember reading in one of the old Observers that WWF was considering getting Dan Severn in the 1996 Royal Rumble since they were so short on star power(Severn drew some good numbers in a few UFC PPV's in 1995, better numbers than WWF or WCW PPVs at the time). I just read on another forum something about him planning on shooting on everyone and winning the Rumble going into business for himself. That's fucking crazy to think about, I wonder if he would have been able to pull it off or if somebody would have been able to stop him some how.

And it all works into my longtime theory that you could figure out a way to have shoot Royal Rumbles and make a full on sport out of it.