wrestling / Columns
The 411 Wrestling Top 5 01.26.11: Week 111 – Royal Rumble Moments
Hello everyone and welcome to 411 Wrestling’s Top 5 List. What we are going to is take a topic each week and all the writers here on 411 wrestling will have the ability to give us their Top 5 on said topic, plus up to three honorable mentions. Most of our topics will be based on recent events in the Wrestling World, looking at those events that make us think of times past.
So, on to this week’s topic…
I MISS THESE
So what did our group of writers select? Let’s find out…
Michael Ornelas
Note: I’m young (twenty-two) and have been watching wrestling since Wrestlemania X-Seven, so most of my votes will be from Rumbles 2002-2010. Hopefully not all, but we’ll see what I come up with. I will also only be including moments from the Rumble matches themselves in the top five.
Shawn Michaels returns to the WWE; enters first in the 2003 Royal Rumble match: Since at the time, Shawn Michaels was the only man to have entered the Rumble first and win. When he returned in 2003, they did the same thing, but he was quickly eliminated as Christian posed as Jericho (entrant number 2) so he could jump HBK from behind and toss him.
Shawn Michaels and Undertaker open the 2008 Rumble: After the previous year came down to both of the, they opened the 2008 Rumble as a reprise. I know I marked out.
Umaga vs. John Cena – Last Man Standing: I was there in San Antonio live when this happened in 2007, so maybe I’m biased. This match officially made everyone look at Umaga as an in-ring performer and is probably one of Cena’s best five matches ever.
5. Stone Cold dominates 1997 – Austin was the fifth entrant in the 1997 edition of the Royal Rumble match and managed to eliminate TEN competitors before winning the whole thing. At one point, he was eliminated by Bret Hart, but the ref didn’t see him on the floor, so he snuck back into the match. To my knowledge, it was the first instance of some screwy Rumble booking (unless you count ONE of HBK’s feet touching the ground), but it fit his character so well to sneak back in and eliminate Hart of all people as the last person on his way to victory. I wasn’t watching wrestling when this happened, but I’ve seen it since, and Austin is one of my favorites of all time.
4. The Return of HHH – I definitely burned out on watching this guy during his 2002-2004 top of the card run, but the start of 2002 saw him return from his first quadriceps injury and win the whole Royal Rumble. The crowd was hot for it and so was I (I was 13). The final two were he and Kurt Angle and Trips pulled the top rope, sending the running Kurt over the top for victory. Nowadays, a HHH victory is the last thing I want to see (even though I’m okay with him now, I just like fresh up-and-comers to breakthrough via the Rumble), but back then, it was a great moment.
3. Royal Rumble 2010 – This is probably start to finish my favorite Rumble, but not the best Rumble. From CM Punk coming out third, quickly eliminating Bourne & Ziggler, and cutting heel promos in between entrants is one of the best moments ever. I honestly hope if they make a Punk DVD set, that it’ll include his ten minutes in this Rumble. After surviving The Great Khali, Beth Phoenix came out and gave us perhaps one of the most memorable eliminations when she dragged the Punjabi Playboy out of the ring with a lip lock. Once Triple H came out and eliminated Punk, the match’s story shifted into “a bunch of guys come to the ring to give the match some bulk” until Shawn Michaels hit the ring. From that point, it was all about D-X cleaning house. When it was down to just Michaels and Triple H, John Cena came out and we had a repeat of the Survivor Series ’09 main event, with Shawn superkicking Triple H’s head to the rafters and sent him to the floor. That moment again shifted the match’s angle to HBK’s desperation to win the match so he could face Taker at Wrestlemania. He made it to the final four, but Batista was able to cost him the match, which ultimately went to the returning Edge. I know, I’m a big Shawn Michaels mark, but his ability to sell a story makes most Rumbles in which he partakes memorable.
2. Royal Rumble 1992 – In terms of match quality, you’re not going to find a better Rumble than this. This right here is the best Royal Rumble. This time it wasn’t for the number one contendership, but for the WWF championship itself. The man to watch in this match was Ric Flair as he entered third and made the match his own. He ended up going on to win the whole thing after spending just under an hour in the match, but his supporting cast was awesome: The British Bulldog, Ted DiBiase, Shawn Michaels, Kerry Von Erich, Greg Valentine, Boss Man, Piper, Jake Roberts, Snuka, The Undertaker, Savage, and Hulk Hogan, just to name a few. This was the most star-studded Rumbles and one of the more exciting Rumbles. Ric Flair proved on this night once and again that he was “the man”.
1. 454 Seconds – In 2007, the Royal Rumble match came down to two men: Shawn Michaels and the Undertaker. After Edge and Randy Orton were both eliminated by Shawn Michaels, we witnessed probably the most suspenseful ending to a Rumble match. There were many near-eliminations and the wrestling itself was fantastic. It felt like a high profile singles match at the end of a Rumble as opposed to the simple “punch-kick-punch-kick-elimination attempt” offense that you normally see in this match every year. This felt truly special, and again, I was in San Antonio with my friend Trevor live for the event, so it serves that I’m biased towards it. Naturally, I was rooting for HBK, but he ended up in the championship match anyways, and Taker got that feather in his cap that had eluded him in the form of a Rumble victory. It’s also worth mentioning that he was the first person to win from the number 30 spot (interesting that it took 20 Rumbles for that to happen!). Great in-ring work, great performers, great suspense, and so on. One memory that I certainly won’t forget. And as a gift for all of you, I’ve linked the last 12 minutes of the match for you. Enjoy!
Ryan Byers
5. Bob Backlund’s 1993 Rumble Match Performance – A lot of people forget about this one because it didn’t lead anywhere, but, in 1993, a 43 year old Bob Backlund stayed in the Royal Rumble match for 61:10 before being eliminated by Yokozuna, the ultimate winner. At the time, Backlund’s run was the longest that any competitor had ever remained in the ring during the Rumble match, and his record would stand until 2004 when Chris Benoit edged him out by twenty seconds. Though it’s not quite as impressive as wrestling an hour long singles match, Backlund’s staying power in the Rumble is a testament to the top physical shape that the former WWWF Champion has always kept himself in.
4. Maven Eliminates the Undertaker – This was THE moment everybody was talking about coming out of the 2002 Royal Rumble, and it’s perhaps the best-remembered moment of that entire year in WWE after the Hulk Hogan/Rock confrontations and Shawn Michaels’ return to the ring to go after Triple H. Though they Undertaker had never won a Royal Rumble at this point and had never really been considered a strong favorite aside from the sense in which all main event level talent is considered a favorite, there was something so inconceivable about this thick-eye browed rookie from the company’s reality television show eliminating him that it truly captured people’s imaginations. Granted, Maven’s career wound up going absolutely nowhere aside from a couple of Hardcore Title runs and a steady paycheck from the Home Shopping Network, but, for one night only, he was the biggest story in all of professional wrestling.
3. Rock Kills Mankind; Foley Family Flips Out – Even if there were no extracurricular activities, the “I Quit” match between these wrestlers would have been very memorable. The work itself was entertaining, and it was a great example of a stipulation actually playing in to a storyline, as Foley was portrayed as the man who would not submit no matter the circumstances. However, what really put this bout over the top is the fact that it gave us the climatic scene of Beyond the Mat, which, until 2008, may have been the greatest wrestling movie of all time. Even when I’ve forgotten most of the things that happened on WWF programming during the “Attitude Era,” I will still have the haunting image of Mick Foley’s family screaming as he was brutalized burned in to my head.
2. Triple H vs. Cactus Jack – In recent years, WWE has booked the Rumble on the theory that you don’t need a strong title match because the Rumble itself will draw fans. As a result, we’ve gotten embarrassing bouts like Kurt Angle versus Mark Henry, Brock Lesnar versus Bob Holly, and Batista versus Ken Kennedy. However, in 2000, the company was still booking top-level feuds for the January pay per view. This resulted in perhaps the greatest singles match backed by the greatest angle in Royal Rumble history, with Mick Foley and Triple H going head to head. It was this match more than any other, which solidified the H’s as a top star and established his reputation as a man who could work in just about any style.
1. 1992 Royal Rumble Match Finish – There’s a lot of historical significance here. First of all, it was the culmination of Ric Flair winning one of the greatest (if not the greatest) Royal Rumble matches in history after an EPIC solo performance and also gaining his first WWF Championship in the process. However, that’s not the only important point to keep in mind when watching the end to the ’92 Rumble. Due to some heavy editing that goes all the way back to the original Coliseum release of the show, you won’t notice it if you view any version of the match which has been released on home video or other medium by the WWF. However, if you manage to catch a version of the program which was taped off of the original pay per view feed, you will hear a MASSIVE negative reaction to Hulk Hogan when he screws over Sid Vicious and costs him the match and a corresponding positive reaction for Sid seconds earlier when he scored the elimination on Hulk. This was the beginning of the first real sustained Hulk Hogan backlash amongst the group of fans that had historically supported him, and, though he tried to fight it for quite some time, it was only four years later that he had to admit defeat and turn heel in order to revitalize his career.
Marc Elusive
Santino breaks Warlord’s shortness record; Rumble 2009: That solves the shortness record controversy.
Hogan and Warrior face to face; Rumble 1990: Back in 1990 it was HUGE when these two faced off for the first time.
Rey Mysterio’s near elimination; Rumble 2009: The one where he landed on Miz’s back then jumped on Morrison’s back and reentered.
5. John Cena’s surprise return; Rumble 2008 – This was very well done and it was a miracle the WWE managed to not let this one slip before his #30 was called. What with cell phones, internet, internet on cell phones, Twitter, etc… it has become exceedingly difficult for the WWE (or TNA for that matter) to keep ANYTHING a secret; and that it remained a secret and all of us longtime fans were not able to see it coming was pretty impressive.
4. Chris Jericho vs. Chris Benoit, IC ladder match; Rumble 2001 – “This is the damndest match I’ve ever seen” –Jim Ross, hard to argue. There were some sick innovative spots; the effort both men put into provided us with an excellent match. Despite all of the usual stuff involving any Benoit mention, this match between these two was one of the best matches ever had at a Rumble PPV. The chairshot topé is still one of the most brutal spots I’ve ever seen.
3. Ric Flair draws #3 and wins WWF title; Rumble 1992 – This was the best Rumble ever with all of the years of angles and storylines (involving Ric Flair) past and present woven through it. Bobby Heenan and Gorilla Monsoon were at their commentary best and Flair lasted a little over an hour in the ring. It was also the first time anyone won the Rumble drawing a single digit.
2. Shawn Michaels, one foot; Rumble 1995 – When Shawn and the British Bulldog started off the 1995 Rumble they nicely interwove themselves throughout all 28 of the other eliminations to find themselves in the end. Shawn used the “only one foot touched” rule to sneak out a victory. Felt bad for the Bulldog though as it was rather cheap that they played his music and did not even let him know it was not really over.
1. Demolition draws #1 and #2; Rumble 1989 – I always thought this as the DEFINING Rumble moment on the first (PPV version) event and the first moment when Rick Derringer’s Demolition blared and then it blared again and we saw the tag team champions go at it for two minutes it really gave you an idea of what was in store for the future and what they could do with a match like this.
Chad Nevett
5. The Final Four of the 2002 Royal Rumble – I love the end of the 2002 Royal Rumble with it coming down the returning Triple H, his rival Kurt Angle, Steve Austin, and Mr. Perfect. There are just so many things in that combination to mark out over and the way it played out was great. Austin gets eliminated and then delivers a stunner to everyone. Mr. Perfect is the next to go and it comes down to the rivals, Angle in his first Royal Rumble match and Triple H back from injury. The WWE went with the feel good finish of Trips winning and it was a good call.
4. Chris Jericho/Chris Benoit Ladder Match for the Intercontinental Championship – This is one of the best ladder matches I’ve ever seen. Both men went all out and crafted a tense, exciting match where either one could have won. There were some sick spots like Jericho putting the Walls of Jericho on Benoit atop the ladder or that brutal chairshot when Benoit dove to the outside. It was a match that was crafted around the stipulation and only worked as a ladder match.
3. The 2009 Royal Rumble – I saw this live, so it gets a spot. The whole PPV. It helps that it was a pretty good show with Jack Swagger defending the ECW Championship against Matt Hardy, Shawn Michaels delivering Superkicks to both JBL and John Cena, Beth Phoenix making Melina kick herself in the head over and over again, Matt Hardy turning on Jeff (oh wait, that was pretty bad), and a Royal Rumble match where Randy Orton won thanks to working with Cody Rhodes and Ted DiBiase. I’ve since watched it on DVD once or twice and really enjoy it. A solid card from beginning to end and the Rumble itself had a nice story being told.
2. John Cena Returns at the 2008 Royal Rumble – No one saw this coming. I had just returned to watching wrestling in the fall of 2007 (one of the first Raws I watched was the punting of Cena by Orton to cover the injury) and this moment was the first big exciting one since I started watching again. It was a moment of pure surprise and shock, one of those moments of excitement that don’t come around too much.
1. Shawn Michaels Wins After Entering First – More the idea of it rather than the Rumble match itself. The idea that someone could be the first one out in the Rumble and still win was, at the time, insane. Everything about the Rumble says that the first entrant WILL lose and, yet, Michaels managed to win it — eliminating the #2 entrant, the British Bulldog in a pretty cool skinning the cat surprise.
Michael Uphoff
62:12: Rey Mysterio sets the new record for lasting the longest and wins the Royal Rumble. Simply amazing.
Beth Phoenix enters the 2010 Rumble: Only thing more memorable than her being in the Rumble was her eliminating Khali by herself.
The End of the 2007 Royal Rumble : Not a very memorable Rumble, but the last two men, Shawn and Taker made the last several minutes worth watching again and again.
5. The Rock kills Mankind – This was an insanely great match that featured two superstars beating the absolute shit out of one another. Having seen this match, I can tell you what is most memorable is the Rock hitting Foley again and again in the head with unprotected chair shot after chair shot and his family just going through emotional hell at ringside. It is one of the first Royal Rumble matches that I ever saw when I was younger, and it is something that I will never be able to forget.
4. John Cena returns at the 2008 Royal Rumble – It was amazing that they were able to keep this a secret from everyone. The only people that knew John Cena was the 30th entrant in the Rumble were Vince McMahon and John Cena. When Cena’s music hit and he walked through the curtain, EVERYONE went crazy. It was one of the many confirmations that WWE can still pull a surprise every now and again.
3. Triple H and Cactus Jack Street Fight – This is probably the most well booked non-Rumble match at the Royal Rumble of all time. This was the culmination of a blood feud and just a brutal brawl that saw Triple H have to pull everything to retain the WWF title. This also legitimately solidified Triple H as a main eventer and a great heel for a long time.
2. Shawn Michaels draws #1 and wins the entire thing – Watching the entire 1995 Royal Rumble is tedious, but for its time it was amazing to see Shawn enter #1 and Bulldog #2 and last the entire Rumble all the way to the end. The controversy with Shawn having only one of his feet touch and coming back in and eliminating Bulldog made it more memorable, but it was the first time someone had come in from the #1 spot and won the Rumble. It also elevated Shawn into the main event.
1. The 1992 Royal Rumble – Without a doubt in my mind, the most memorable moment in Royal Rumble history ever. Ric Flair was the MAN. He entered #3 in the Rumble and was the first man to win the Rumble while drawing a single number. While he won the Rumble in controversial fashion, it is still the best-booked ending to a Rumble ever. The thing that truly makes this the greatest Royal Rumble moment ever is the AMAZING job that Bobby “The Brain” Heenan did on commentary. Flair was gold in the ring, and Heenan was just as great announcing. There is no greater Royal Rumble moment, period.
Larry Csonka
5. The Three Faces of Foley (1998) – As a Foley fan, I LOVE the street fight with HHH, and it is a great rumble moment. But one that tends to get overlooked is the 1998 Rumble, where CACTUS JACK entered as number one to battle Terry Funk. He lasted a bit and was gone, but then at number 16, MANKIND entered and made sure to take care of Funk. The masked man would get tossed as well, but just in time for DUDE LOVE to make an appearance at number 28. It was silly, it was fun and was an enjoyable match, and much of that was due to Foley.
4. Bob Backlund’s 1993 Rumble Match Performance – Looking back at the bob Backlund run, there was a lot of good shit in there. This was a guy that was “too old” and worked too much of an “old school style,” but he was able to come in, work well, was in great shape and was a believable threat. The man was 43,44 at the time and was in there like it was nothing At the time a very impressive performance, and unfortunately, a forgotten one these days. I could say that for Martel’s performance in 1991 as well.
3. Hogan and Warrior Face Off (1990) – Back in a day where they had the big Mania matches planned months if not a year in advance, the 1990 Royal Rumble is a great example of that. The crowd wanted it, they crowd was waiting for it, and they got it. It was a simple exchange really, as you will see below, but the moment felt like something big, and well, it DID lead to something big.
2. Demolition Goes At It (1989) – The 1989 Royal Rumble holds a special place in my memory, for the simple fact that it was able to provide something that they always talked about, but didn’t see. Entering at 1 and 2, Demolition hit the ring, and without hesitation they beat the PISS out of each other. Before the Rumble sent you to WrestleMania, these guys fought like the match DID mean something special. But conversely, the moment Andre came out at #2, they said fuck that noise and went to attack the giant. This was just a fun opening to the match.
1. The 1992 Royal Rumble – Ric Flair playing the Iron Man and Ric Flair FINALLY winning the WWF Title plus the greatness of Heenan’s commentary = my favorite rumble match hands down.
Jack Bramma
5: Road Dogg tries the death clutch/hogtie strategy at the 2000 Royal Rumble: When I was younger watching the RR, this always seemed like the most obvious solution to the problem of getting thrown over the top rope: just hang on to the bottom rope for dear life. Yet Road Dogg was the first and only wrestler that I can think of that has ever tried this gem. It’s a virtually unbeatable strategy and Road Dogg sabotaged himself by forgetting about it to gloat at Al Snow only to get sneaked and dumped by fellow D-X member, Billy Gunn. Bad times.
4. Randy Orton sees a ghost as Mick Foley returns at the 2004 Royal Rumble: I love the feuds that are too bloodthirsty for the regular show to contain and absolutely HAVE to spill over into the RR. They are so maniacally character-driven that the participants usually don’t even care about an opportunity at the world title. The most classic example is Jake the Snake-Macho Man at the 92 RR but this one is my favorite. Randy Orton spitting in Foley’s face and punking him out for months on RAW was unprecedented for me. I just couldn’t imagine that tough as nails Cactus Jack would be afraid of Evolution and Randy Orton, so you could say I marked out big time. Foley returning and Orton’s facial expression remains one of my great wrestling memories from the past decade. Plus, Fit Finlay eats a manly steel stair shot.
3. Kurt Angle and Shawn Michaels erupt at the 2005 Royal Rumble: Different from the previous, this was more of a spontaneously great moment that foreshadowed the inevitable epic encounter that followed at Wrestlemania XXI. After a flawless series of suplexes on others, Angle hones in on HBK who tries the Sweet Chin Music. Angle seamlessly comes back with the Anklelock and then HBK rolls through and ousts him with the Sweet Chin Music. Angle’s insane intensity is awesome and his rage knows no bounds as he takes apart the announce table and goes back in to toss Michaels and give him the beating of a lifetime, including the Anklelock on the ring steps. I love it.
2. Shawn Michaels’s quest to win and ultimate failure at the 2010 Royal Rumble: The 2010 RR is pitch perfect at conveying HBK’s pursuit for the victory so he could face Undertaker at WM. It’s even better because they subvert the usual performance and actually have Shawn Michaels lose in the closing moments. And he doesn’t have a historically relevant elimination; he just casually gets his grip knocked loose by Batista. This whole sequence is even better because of the legendary promo package that WWE put together for the UT-HBK feud.
1. Ric Flair enters at #3 and wins the 1992 Royal Rumble and Bobby Heenan gives the greatest night of commentary ever: This is my favorite match ever and the zenith for getting one man and putting him at the top of the mountain in one night. You had arguably the most stacked RR line up ever and everyone from Piper to Savage to Jake to Bulldog to Sid and to Hogan taking their shot at the Real World’s Champion but at the end of the night it was the Nature Boy that had a tear in his eye and the WWE heavyweight strap in his hands. Bonus points for the Bobby Heenan’s and Gorilla Monsoon’s performance putting over Flair and the match simultaneously. Never has a pair been more engaging, funny, believable, adamant, sincere, and over the top in all the right ways at the same time.
Your heart is free. Have the courage to follow it…TO CSONKA’S TWITTER!
http://www.twitter.com/411wrestling
http://www.twitter.com/411moviestv
http://www.twitter.com/411music
http://www.twitter.com/411games
http://www.twitter.com/411mma
