The Power Of The WWE Royal Rumble

Well, hello. Sorry for the absence over the past coupla weeks – I’m sure you all noticed and were heartbroken. HEARTBROKEN, I say… but real life kerfuffle got on top of me and something had to give.

With that aside… it was Rumble week. I love the Rumble. Not just the match, but the whole show. It’s probably my favourite show, even ahead of WrestleMania. It just FEELS like a big deal. And, like many things, you always remember your favourite one. For me, that would be 1994’s effort.

The undercard wasn’t much to write home about. Serving more to advance the feuds to WrestleMania (as the Rumble usually did in those days) Tatanka and Bam Bam Bigelow had a decent enough. If slightly forgettable match to open the show; they would be tag team partners by the summer.

Next up was a tag team match – The Quebecers defending their titles against Bret and Owen Hart. I loved the matches between any combination of these four men, with the added “bonus” of Johnny Polo’s presence at ringside, this was a great match, but it’s what it led to that is memorable for me. They used this as the basis of the fantastic Bret and Owen Hart feud, with Owen turning on Bret for not tagging him.

Something as simple as that, and it spiralled into an amazing, memorable feud with tons of classic matches – it shows that simple booking is sometimes the best, a fact that might be remembered today.

After that, Razor Ramon defended his Intercontinental Title against Irwin R. Schyster, The match was decent – but the angle that spawned from it became almost legendary. Shawn Michaels had been suspended and returned, with a fake Intercontinental belt in tow, and got involved in the match. Initially it looked like Michaels had cost Ramon his belt, but the decision was reversed, and Ramon successfully defended.

The fact that Michaels had a fake belt meant there was an instant angle between the two men. With two belts in action, that would lead to the groundbreaking ladder match at WrestleMania X – and it all started here, at the Rumble. Simple, logical booking leading to a big time match that still goes down as one of the best ever. Can’t ask for more than that.

And from the sublime, to the ridiculous… Yokozuna beat Undertaker in a casket match. He didn’t just beat him, he destroyed him to the point that he exploded, and his soul floated out of the casket to the rafters. No, really. Did I say simple booking? That went out of the window with the Undertaker’s early incarnations. Taker was sheer, OTT, cartoon style, and for whatever reason – it worked.

This would spawn into some of the most bizarre booking in wrestling history… including several sightings of the Undertaker, Leslie Nielsen filming some vignettes trying to track him down, and incredibly, a fake Undertaker. How do you settle this? You have an Undertaker vs. Undertaker match at Summerslam to blow the angle off, that’s how. And it was as bad as it sounds.

Again, all of this came out of the Rumble… and to this day, I can remember pretty much word for word the Undertaker’s “Speech” as his soul left this world:

How can you not love that??? It’s sheer brilliance! As a side note, it’s widely accepted that the shadowy figure ‘rising to the clouds’ was Marty Jannetty… the closest he ever got being on top of the WWE. Ha!

As always, the highlight of the show is the Royal Rumble itself. This one, was no exception. You had drama, the creating of a new star, ongoing feuds rekindled, double winners… great stuff. We had the announcement before the match by President Jack Tunney – who was fantastic! – that the gap between wrestlers would be 90 seconds, due to time constraints… there was the underlying issues between Lex Luger and Mr Fuji that meant there were two Japanese mercenaries in the Rumble, with instructions to do nothing more than eliminate Luger; we had Shawn Michaels go face to face and toe to toe with ex tag partner Marty Jannetty; Owen and Bret square up; Rick and Scott Steiner do likewise; and in the end, we had Lex Luger and Bret Hart eliminated at the same time to close out the match – and the first ever joint winners.

This was all part of Vince’s experiment to try and create Lex-a-mania and see if Luger could carry the title. The fans in the arena were heavily on Hart’s side, but the Lex Express experiment continued. It was alleged that Lex told fans in a bar that he was going to become champion at WrestleMania, which prompted Vince to pull the plug finally and the title eventually went to Bret. Whatever the reason, Lex just never clicked, no matter how hard he was pushed.

For me though, the highlight of the 1994 Rumble was The Diesel moment. Diesel had been kicking around as the bodyguard of Shawn Michaels, and not really making much impact beyond that. The Rumble would change that, as he would come in, and remove seven people in a row on his own. The whole arena erupted in a “Diesel! Diesel!” chant, and there were loud boos when he was eliminated. At that moment, Vince’s eyes were probably filled with dollar signs.

If it weren’t for that Royal Rumble, then Kevin Nash may never have been such a force in wrestling over the years. Nash has ended up being woven into so many key moments and angles in wrestling history as we know it, yet without those brief moments in one match, none of it may ever have happened.

And when history repeated itself and the “Diesel! Diesel!” chants returned at this year’s Royal Rumble? I think we can assume that we haven’t seen the last of Kevin Nash in the WWE for the time being. That is the power of the Rumble, and that is why I remember 1994 more than any other.

Until next week – have fun, go mad.

Cookie	Description
_pxvid	This cookie is used for detection of the browser and distinguishing whether it is a real user or malicious bot.
cookielawinfo-checkbox-advertisement	The cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Advertisement".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-analytics	This cookies is set by GDPR Cookie Consent WordPress Plugin. The cookie is used to remember the user consent for the cookies under the category "Analytics".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-necessary	This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-non-necessary	This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Non Necessary".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-performance	This cookie is used to keep track of which cookies the user have approved for this site.
cookielawinfo-checkbox-preferences	This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Preferences".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-uncategorized	The cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Uncategorized".
CraftSessionId	This cookie name is associated with the Craft web content management system, where is functions as an anonymous session identifier.
csrftoken	This cookie is associated with Django web development platform for python. Used to help protect the website against Cross-Site Request Forgery attacks
DSID	To note specific user identity. Contains hashed/encrypted unique ID.
JSESSIONID	Used by sites written in JSP. General purpose platform session cookies that are used to maintain users' state across page requests.
PHPSESSID	This cookie is native to PHP applications. The cookie is used to store and identify a users' unique session ID for the purpose of managing user session on the website. The cookie is a session cookies and is deleted when all the browser windows are closed.
viewed_cookie_policy	The cookie is set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin and is used to store whether or not user has consented to the use of cookies. It does not store any personal data.

Cookie	Description
b30msc
btc
CMST
cref
d
gpl
i
icts
ig_did
mdata
na_rn
na_sc_e
na_sr
na_srp
session_depth
visitor-id

Cookie	Description
__gads	This cookie is set by Google and stored under the name dounleclick.com. This cookie is used to track how many times users see a particular advert which helps in measuring the success of the campaign and calculate the revenue generated by the campaign. These cookies can only be read from the domain that it is set on so it will not track any data while browsing through another sites.
__stid	The cookie is set by ShareThis. The cookie is used for site analytics to determine the pages visited, the amount of time spent, etc.
_ga	This cookie is installed by Google Analytics. The cookie is used to calculate visitor, session, camapign data and keep track of site usage for the site's analytics report. The cookies store information anonymously and assigns a randoly generated number to identify unique visitors.
_gat_gtag_UA_60765351_1	Google uses this cookie to distinguish users.
_gid	This cookie is installed by Google Analytics. The cookie is used to store information of how visitors use a website and helps in creating an analytics report of how the wbsite is doing. The data collected including the number visitors, the source where they have come from, and the pages viisted in an anonymous form.
ad-id	Provided by amazon-adsystem.com for tracking user actions on other websites to provide targeted content
demdex	This cookie is set under the domain demdex.net and is used by Adobe Audience Manager to help identify a unique visitor across domains.
DigiTrust.v1.identity	Registers data on visitors’ website-behaviour. This is used for internal analysis and website optimization.
dmvk	This cookie is set by DailyMotion who display videos, it registers statistical data of visitors' behaviour on the website.
gid	This cookie is installed by Google Analytics. The cookie is used to store information of how visitors use a website and helps in creating an analytics report of how the wbsite is doing. The data collected including the number visitors, the source where they have come from, and the pages viisted in an anonymous form.
GPS	This cookie is set by Youtube and registers a unique ID for tracking users based on their geographical location
is_unique	This cookie is set by StatCounter to determine how people are using the website
is_visitor_unique	This cookie is set by StatCounter to determine how people are using the website
sc_is_visitor_unique	This cookie is set by StatCounter to determine how people are using the website
v1st	This is set by DailyMotion to display videos.

Cookie	Description
__asc	This cookie is used to collect information on consumer behavior, which is sent to Alexa Analytics.
__auc	This cookie is used to collect information on consumer behavior, which is sent to Alexa Analytics.
__qca	This cookie is associated with Quantcast and is used for collecting anonymized data to analyze log data from different websites to create reports that enables the website owners and advertisers provide ads for the appropriate audience segments.
_cc_aud	The cookie is set by crwdcntrl.net. The purpose of the cookie is to collect statistical information in an anonymous form about the visitors of the website. The data collected include number of visits, average time spent on the website, and the what pages have been loaded. These data are then used to segment audiences based on the geographical location, demographic, and user interest provide relevant content and for advertisers for targeted advertising.
_cc_cc	The cookie is set by crwdcntrl.net. The purpose of the cookie is to collect statistical information in an anonymous form about the visitors of the website. The data collected include number of visits, average time spent on the website, and the what pages have been loaded. These data are then used to segment audiences based on the geographical location, demographic, and user interest provide relevant content and for advertisers for targeted advertising.
_cc_dc	The cookie is set by crwdcntrl.net. The purpose of the cookie is to collect statistical information in an anonymous form about the visitors of the website. The data collected include number of visits, average time spent on the website, and the what pages have been loaded. These data are then used to segment audiences based on the geographical location, demographic, and user interest provide relevant content and for advertisers for targeted advertising.
_cc_id	The cookie is set by crwdcntrl.net. The purpose of the cookie is to collect statistical information in an anonymous form about the visitors of the website. The data collected include number of visits, average time spent on the website, and the what pages have been loaded. These data are then used to segment audiences based on the geographical location, demographic, and user interest provide relevant content and for advertisers for targeted advertising.
_kuid_	The cookie is set by Krux Digital under the domain krxd.net. The cookie stores a unique ID to identify a returning user for the purpose of targeted advertising.
_px2	This cookie is set by PerimeterX who provide security analyst oversight.
_pxff_tm	This cookie is set by PerimeterX who provide security analyst oversight.
_pxhd	This cookie is set by PerimeterX who provide security analyst oversight.
ab	This cookie is generally provided by agkn.com and is used for advertising purposes.
ad-privacy	Provided by amazon-adsystem.com for tracking user actions on other websites to provide targeted content to the users.
ayl_visitor	This cookie registers data on the visitor. The information is used to optimize advertisement relevance.
bafp	This cookie is from Media.net and is used to deliver targeted advertising across their network sites ensuring users see relevant advertising.
bafp_t	This cookie is from Media.net and is used to deliver targeted advertising across their network sites ensuring users see relevant advertising.
bfp_sn	This cookie is from Media.net and is used to deliver targeted advertising across their network sites ensuring users see relevant advertising.
bfp_sn_pl	This cookie is from Media.net and is used to deliver targeted advertising across their network sites ensuring users see relevant advertising.
bfp_sn_rf_8b2087b102c9e3e5ffed1c1478ed8b78	This cookie is from Media.net and is used to deliver targeted advertising across their network sites ensuring users see relevant advertising.
bfp_sn_rt_8b2087b102c9e3e5ffed1c1478ed8b78	This cookie is from Media.net and is used to deliver targeted advertising across their network sites ensuring users see relevant advertising.
bfp_sn_t_8b2087b102c9e3e5ffed1c1478ed8b78	This cookie is from Media.net and is used to deliver targeted advertising across their network sites ensuring users see relevant advertising.
bfp_sn_td_2d31c94105a0aa6d1ceaea0c86c6b656	This cookie is from Media.net and is used to deliver targeted advertising across their network sites ensuring users see relevant advertising.
bito	This cookie is generally provided by bidr.io and is used for advertising purposes.
bitoIsSecure	This cookies are generally provided by bidr.io and is used for advertising purposes.
bsc	The cookies is set by ownerIQ for the purpose of providing relevant advertisement
CMID	This cookie is linked to advertising and tracking the products users were looking at.
CMPRO	This cookie is linked to advertising and tracking the products users were looking at.
CMPS	This cookie is linked to advertising and tracking the products users were looking at.
dc_id	This cookie is used to deliver adverts more relevant to you and your interests. They are also used to limit the number of times you see an advertisement as well as help measure the effectiveness of the advertising campaign. They are usually placed by advertising networks with the website operator's permission. They remember that you have visited a website and this information is shared with other organisations such as advertisers.
did	The purpose of the cookie is to identify a visitor to serve relevant advertisement.
didts	The purpose of the cookie is to identify a visitor to serve relevant advertisement.
dpm	The cookie is set by demdex.net. This cookie assigns a unique ID to each visiting user that allows third-party advertisers target that users with relevant ads.
eud	This cookie is from Rocket Fuel and is used to deliver targeted advertising across their network sites ensuring users see relevant advertising.
euds	This cookie is from Rocket Fuel and is used to deliver targeted advertising across their network sites ensuring users see relevant advertising.
everest_g_v2	The cookie is set under eversttech.net domain. The purpose of the cookie is to map clicks to other events on the client's website.
evo5_popin_instance	Prevents an interaction from reoccurring for visitors not accepting 3rd party cookies.
id	This cookie is set by DoubleClick (which is owned by Google) to build a profile of the website visitor's interests and show relevant ads on other sites.
IDE	Used by Google DoubleClick and stores information about how the user uses the website and any other advertisement before visiting the website. This is used to present users with ads that are relevant to them according to the user profile.
io.narrative.guid.v2	This cookie is generally provided by io.narrative.io and is used for advertising purposes.
KADUSERCOOKIE	This cookie is generally provided by pubmatic.com and is used for advertising purposes.
KTPCACOOKIE	This cookie is generally provided by pubmatic.com and is used for advertising purposes.
matchliveramp	This cookie is provided by w55c.net and is used for advertising purposes.
mc	This cookie is associated with Quantserve to track anonymously how a user interact with the website.
mxpim	This cookie is generally provided by mxptint.net for advertising purposes.
na_tc	This is a Social Media sharing tracking cookie.
NID	This cookie is used to a profile based on user's interest and display personalized ads to the users.
nnls	The purpose of the cookie is to identify a visitor to serve relevant advertisement.
pxrc	The purpose of the cookie is to identify a visitor to serve relevant advertisement.
pxvid	This cookie is set by PerimeterX who provide security analyst oversight.
rlas3	The cookie is set by rlcdn.com. The cookie is used to serve relevant ads to the visitor as well as limit the time the visitor sees an and also measure the effectiveness of the campaign.

Cookie	Description
__jid	Cookies set on the website by the third-party commenting platform Disqus.
cookielawinfo-checkbox-functional
disqus_unique	These cookies are set by Disqus so that users can comment on website/platform.
G_ENABLED_IDPS	The cookie is used by Google and is used for Google Single Sign On.
mid	The cookie is set by Instagram. The cookie is used to distinguish users and to show relevant content, for better user experience and security.
na_id	This cookie is set by Addthis.com to enable sharing of links on social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter
ouid	The cookie is set by Addthis which enables the content of the website to be shared across different networking and social sharing websites.
ov	This is a generic functional cookie that provides enhanced functionality and personalisation.
ts	This cookie is generally provided by PayPal and supports payment services in the website.
vuid	These cookies are used by the Vimeo video player on websites.

The Power Of The WWE Royal Rumble

You might also like

FIND THE TOPICS YOU WANT...

Recommended for you