Sage Cortez
This…is a really weird show, in terms of the format. You have a Royal Rumble where there is no incentive for the wrestler to win. No title shot, no title on the line, just bragging rights that are never used. There is one title match, for the rarely used Women’s Championship. There is also a six man tag, and a contest for the title of King of the WWF between Harley Race and King Haku. How they use the rest of the time, and it would seem that there’s a lot of time, seems to be allotted for a pose down between Rick Rude and the Ultimate Warrior. That’s just great! This show was very well placed on a Sunday afternoon, on the weekend between NFL Conference Championship Games and the Super Bowl. Of course, it being a Rumble and all, I’m still looking forward to watching it. Even the worst are worth checking out, I think it’s the greatest match concept ever. To Houston we go!
– January 15th, 1989, from the Summit in Houston, Texas
WHAT THE HELL they edited the standard introduction video for WWF PPV’s. That is just unacceptable, WWE Network. Vince McMahon lists all of the names in the Royal Rumble, which is something we’ll get to later. Gorilla Monsoon and Jesse Ventura are our commentators tonight, and this building looks to be packed full.
The Fabulous Rougeau Brothers & Dino Bravo (w/Jimmy Hart & Frenchy Martin) vs. The Hart Foundation & Jim Duggan in a 2 out of 3 falls match
Pre-Match Thoughts: This is a great idea for a match, with guys they wanted to heat up the crowd. Bravo and Duggan weren’t great shakes in the ring, but they could garner a lot of heat and fan reaction. I thought Martin was buried in cobwebs by this point. Hacksaw appears to have gained some weight since Survivor Series. Perhaps he was subtly adding it and I just didn’t notice.
Fall #1: According to Gorilla, this match has international rules. I don’t know what that’s supposed to mean. Neidhart and Bravo start things off, and they do the Neidhart and Bravo as immovable objects shtick. Neidhart takes Bravo out with a clothesline, misses an elbow drop, and so does Dino. Duggan tags in, and Raymond does too. Duggan gives him a bodyslam, and drops a knee. Bret tags in for the first time, tries a small package, and it gets 2. A sunset flip also gets 2, and so does a cross body. Jacques tags in, gets nailed with a clothesline, and Raymond rushes in. They do a great spot where Anvil and Duggan use their shoulders as battering rams against all their opponents, and that clears the ring. Jacques tries to attack Bret from behind, and Raymond pulls the rope down as Bret is running them. Great tumble over the top by the Hitman. Bret gets shoved back in for a waiting Bravo, who gives him a side suplex. Raymond tags in, the Rougeaus hit Bret with La Bombe de Rougeau, and that gets a pinfall at 4:22.
Fall #2: As the loser, Bret must begin the next fall. Raymond gives him a gutwrench suplex for 2, and Jacques tags in for a flying back elbow. After the count of 2, Bret gets launches into one of the turnbuckles. Bravo gives him an inverted atomic drop for 2, and tags out once again. Raymond drops Bret stomach-first on Jacques knee for a 2 count, and Bravo comes back in. He puts Bret in a bear hug, as the crowd chants USA for the Canadian wrestler. That’s hilarious. Bret fights out, but can’t reach his corner after being cut off by Jacques. Bret tries a sunset flip, it gets 2. Jacques goes to a chinlock, which Neidhart rushes in to break up. Raymond continues the work, then Bravo tags in. They badly botch a clothesline where Bravo taps Bret atop his head, and Jacques tags in for a Boston crab. Bret tries to pull Jacques to his corner, but Raymond distracts the referee to prevent the tag. He comes in, nails Bret from behind, and uses an abdominal stretch. So much cheating going on here. Jacques tags in and puts it on as well, and Raymond does his savate kick. After dropping an elbow, he gets a 2 count. He tries a bodyslam, but Bret falls on top for 2. Jacques tags in once again, and Bret reverses a monkey flip into an inverted atomic drop. Bret finally makes a tag out, and the crowd goes crazy for Hacksaw. He nails all three guys with right hands, and gives Raymond a bodyslam. He sends Neidhart in with a slingshot splash, and Neidhart decides to take Bravo out too. Bret also comes in with a slingshot splash, and takes a terrible fall on his head. Pretty sure that was supposed to be the ending, but there was never a tag. So, Duggan hits Raymond with an elbow drop to even up the match after 11:46.
Fall #3: Duggan and Raymond are supposed to start the next fall, which continues with Duggan telling Joey Marella to “get off my ass.” Good for him. He gives Raymond 5 punches in the corner, tells Jacques something vulgar, and clotheslines Raymond. Hacksaw winds up trapped in the heel corner, so Bravo tags in. Bravo chokes him up against the ropes, and Jacques then does something that can only be described as humping Duggan’s head. Duggan no-sells some turnbuckle shots, and Jacques tags in with a dropkick. That worked much better. Bravo and Raymond choke Duggan with the top rope, and Bravo tags in to give him a bodyslam. He elbow drops Duggan for 2, and follows with an inverted atomic drop. That move landed Duggan in his corner, so Bret has to tag in. He gives Raymond an inverted atomic drop when he rushes in, and a backbreaker to Bravo. Bret heads up to the second rope, and Raymond pushes him down. Anvil runs in and starts beating him up for that, as Bret has his cradle blocked. Hacksaw clocks Bravo from behind with the 2×4, and that picks up the win for Hacksaw and the Hart Foundation at 15:42!
My Thoughts: The crowd loved to see the babyfaces cheating, so I have to give some credit for that finish. This was supposed to be a flag match, but flags were never raised after it. The match was acceptable and Bret Hart worked very hard in it. He did a great job as the face-in-peril and the crowd accepted him in that role. Good idea and concept for the opener that went off pretty well. **1/2. It would have been better if the finish to the second fall had worked correctly. Bret looked like he got his bell rung during that one.
To the back we go, with comments from those who will be participating in the Royal Rumble! Ted DiBiase draws his number and…he’s IRATE! He talks to Slick, and decides to try to make a business deal. That’s cheating! Honky Tonk Man gets his number, and it’s terrible. The Bushwhackers get theirs, and…they’re idiots. They swap their supposedly good numbers. Bad News Brown gets his, and it’s great! Jake Roberts draws his, and all he cares about is that Andre’s still in the Rumble. The Rockers are there, and their numbers are, well…you can’t even tell. Interesting segment.
Judy Martin vs. Rockin’ Robin for the WWF Women’s Championship
Pre-Match Thoughts: The placement of this match is quite interesting. I figured it would be right before the Royal Rumble. It’s going to be very difficult to get people interested in this one. For some reason Sensational Sherri is in the ring. She wants to face the champion. Sounds fantastic.
Match Review: Martin attacks from behind, and Robin gets tossed into the corner. She blocks a charge, and gives Martin a dropkick. Sherri is in the announce booth now, calling these women terrible in every way imaginable. Martin blocks a charge, and catches Robin on a cross body for a bodyslam. Robin tries a sunset flip, gets punched, and comes back with a leg trip. Robin puts Martin in a Boston crab, and Martin reverses into a pinning combination. Robin also reverses, both of those got 2. Martin takes Robin down with a small package for 2, and Robin comes back with a knee for 2. This match is so weird. Robin misses a dropkick, as the commentary team tries to carry this thing. Martin has a suplex blocked, Robin has a cradle blocked, and Martin follows with a clothesline. That got 2, and I was hoping for it to be the end. Martin bodyslams Robin for 2, and Robin comes back with a DDT for 2. Robin misses an elbow drop, and Martin misses one too. Robin has a bodyslam blocked, and Martin gives her one of her own for 2. I have so many problems with this match, even though it isn’t terrible. A Martin backslide gets 2, and Sherri continues to shit up the commentary booth. Robin goes for a small package, it gets 2. Robin lands a cross body from the second rope, and it gets 3 at 6:24. About time.
My Thoughts: My biggest problem with this match was the middle of it, where both wrestlers constantly missed moves. It made them both look bad from my perspective. The crowd didn’t react to anything, which made matters worse. It was a bad style and there was a better way to have worked the match, in my opinion. Sadly, this was just filler, and was clearly perceived as such by the WWF. They buried women’s wrestling for a few years after this. *.
WrestleMania V is coming! As are some interviews from the back! We have Sean Mooney with the Twin Towers and Slick. Mooney brings up Slick’s encounter with DiBiase, and Mooney intends to show the Twin Towers what happened. The Towers don’t seem to care much, but Slick cuts a good promo on their behalf anyway. Now it’s time for…
THE SUPER POSEDOWN
The crowd actually pops huge for this nonsense, and I don’t know why. The people will choose the winner of a posing challenge between Rick Rude and the Ultimate Warrior. I’m trying really hard to concentrate and not bust out laughing right now. Rude cuts a short promo on Warrior, and Warrior runs out to the ring without his Intercontinental Championship. Did he forget? I don’t understand the logic of that. Heenan appears to have a problem with Warrior’s behavior. Rude states that the first pose will be a double bicep pose. Okay. What is up with Vince McMahon coming up with scenarios in which his most muscled wrestlers pose and show off their body? Actually, don’t answer that. I don’t even want to know the answer. Rude and Warrior both do their posing, and the crowd pops big for Warrior. Next up, it’s best abs. I just CANNOT take any of this seriously. Heenan does a great job of rubbing oil all over Rude’s body, and I’ve gotta say…these guys are real professionals trying to get this garbage over. The effort level is hilarious. Warrior does his posing while screaming, and now I can’t stop laughing. Rude has this bar that’s supposed to make him look all swole up, by the way. Rude wants 5 minutes, which gives Heenan a chance to try to save this thing by garnering some heat. Rude’s third pose is going to be THE MOST MUSCULAR POSE. My God, THE MOST MUSCULAR WHAT A POSE. Warrior does his version, and is obviously as roided up as it gets. His screaming hilarious too, I mean…this thing is unbelievable considering both guys died from heart complications ostensibly caused by years of steroid use. I feel a bit guilty for laughing about how silly this has been. In modern wrestling, I think it would be impossible for the “Ravishing” character to be booed. The fourth pose will be a medley of poses, during which Rude does a hip swivel. The laughing has started again. Warrior goes for his fourth pose, and Heenan squirts him in the eye with oil. Rude thenattacks Warrior from behind! About time this thing livened up. I can say whatever I like about how this segment went, but the end result is that a lot of heat got put on Rude for it, and this feud got a great jumpstart. The great new road agent NICK BOCKWINKEL is in the ring, and he takes a bump off a chop from Warrior. HAHA. Warrior clears the ring of all the agents, and runs full speed to the back. Glad that’s over, but like I said…the end result turned out to be fantastic.
We get to hear more comments about the Rumble, with Mr. Fuji speaking on behalf of his Powers of Pain. Elizabeth speaks on behalf of the Mega Powers, and says she will cheer for both guys to win. Jimmy Hart talks on behalf of all his clients, although I believe there are only two in this match.
King Haku vs. Harley Race
Pre-Match Thoughts: Bobby Heenan is at ringside cheering for both guys. Obviously, he will manage the winner. The winner will be given the rights to the “King” name. At least Harley got some cheers for his entrance, there had to be plenty of fans in the building who had seen him perform before entering the WWF.
Match Review: Race dumps Haku off his platform, and that starts things. He puts Race in the ring, and gives him a knee. I think Race is going to have his working boots on, he has something to prove. Race gives Haku a suplex, it gets 2. Gorilla vehemently denied that Race was one of his favorites. Race knocks Haku out of the ring, and gets rammed into the post. That didn’t turn out well for him. Haku clobbers Race with a chop, and back into the ring they go. Race gives him an inverted atomic drop, and drops the elbow. After another, Race covers for 2. Haku rams his shoulder into the previously injured gut of Race, and throws him over the top. Race was barely able to take his trademark corner bump, sadly. Haku brings him back in the hard way, and continues to beat him down. Race and Haku fail to hurt each other with headbutts, and Race creams him with a clothesline instead. Race follows with a piledriver, it gets 2. Race and Haku knock each other down with a shoulderblock, Harley hitting the floor as a result. Haku suplexes him back in for 2. He misses an elbow drop afterward, and Race capitalizes with a suplex for 2. He dumps Haku to the outside, and decides to go for a piledriver. Haku reverses it into a backdrop, and I’ve gotta say, these guys are trying their absolute hardest to please the crowd. Haku drives Race into the apron a few times, and Race goes for the piledriver again…this time it lands! Race gives Haku a neckbreaker inside the ring, and it gets 2. Race lands another clothesline, and a knee drop for 2. Haku comes back with some shoulder charges in the corner, and a bodyslam. He heads up top, and comes down with a flying headbutt that misses. Big spot right there. Harley heads up to the second rope with his own flying headbutt, and he misses too. Race misses a clothesline, gets nailed with a thrust kick, and does the clean job for Haku at 9:03.
My Thoughts: I thought this was a really good match. Sure it wasn’t the same Harley Race that had wrestled in the past, but by no stretch did he embarrass himself. These two wrestled a hard, entertaining 9 minute match. I was reasonably impressed and enjoyed it quite a bit. ***, worth watching. This is one of the best singles matches of Haku’s WWF career, I’d say. Sadly, it seemed like a lot of fans were treating this like an intermission before the Rumble.
More interviews from the back! First up is THE BARBER. He cuts a strange promo, in front of a green screen. This show needed an interview set. Greg Valentine talks for a bit too, he doesn’t say much. I don’t know why we’re supposed to boo him, based on what he said. Fuji talks about the Powers of Pain again, which is totally unnecessary. Big John Studd stumbles through his promo, and he is now a babyface during his return. That’s exactly what we needed, a Big John Studd return. Mr. Perfect gives the best comments of any of these guys, and then we have the Macho Man! So, he takes the cake quickly. After that, we get an interview with Mean Gene, who is with Ted DiBiase. DiBiase says that everything is on the up and up, but nobody believes him. Now, Bobby Heenan is with Sean Mooney, as he interviews the Brain Busters and Andre the Giant. That’s a crazy amount of wrestling talent. And then you have Sean Mooney. Sorry, Mooney. Okerlund is with Hulk Hogan, as I’m now being led to believe that this part of the show was the intermission. Hogan is the first one of the Mega Powers to suggest he’s going to kick the others ass and that he’s the real champion. HOW DID THIS GUY WIND UP AS THE BABYFACE?
THE ROYAL RUMBLE
Pre-Match Thoughts: The obvious thought before this match was that Hogan or Savage would win. That’s just common sense, right? At the second time of trying, I am hoping for some interesting eliminations. Like last time, I will only put times down for certain eliminations. Personally, I think Savage should have been booked to win this thing. He didn’t have a clean singles victory on NBC or PPV since the Saturday Night’s Main Event right after his title win. The Fink lists off the rules, and here we go!
Match Review: #1 is somebody from Demolition…it is Ax! #2 is Smash! Now, I hate to be negative right off the bat, but this is not the way to establish a newly turned team as babyfaces. Great way to get over the “every man for himself” concept though. Smash hits the ring immediately, and they brawl. Smash misses a charge to the corner, and gets clotheslined by his partner. This is so sad. Smash gives Ax a bodyslam, and a clothesline of his own. The narrative on commentary is that DiBiase bought a better number. Smash takes a tumble over the top rope, but he isn’t out yet! #3 is in, and it is Andre the Giant! Great booking! No managers are allowed at ringside, so Heenan had to turn around. Demolition drops Andre with a double clothesline, which makes the crowd happy. Andre gets up, and I guess he’s going to start beating the crap out of the two of them now. #4 is Mr. Perfect, who takes his time getting down to the ring. When he makes it in there, he takes a few shots at Andre. That was not smart. Andre tosses Smash over the top at 4:57, leaving three guys in there. Poor Smash. Ax throws Perfect into the buckle, and he does his impersonation of the running Bret bump. A headbutt sends him upside down, and we have #5, RON GARVIN. He walks in, chops Andre and ties him up in the ropes. They try to eliminate Andre, but of course they can’t. Perfect and Garvin trade chops, and Greg Valentine is #6. Valentine joins the alliance to eliminate Andre, who gives Garvin a hip toss to send Garvin out at 9:03. Perfect and Ax pair off, and Valentine pairs off with Andre for a while, as we wait for another entrant.
#7 is Jake Roberts, who enters to an enormous pop. He goes after Andre, and gets choked immediately. Andre’s stepping on Roberts got a big reaction from the crowd. #8 is Ron Bass, as the crowd has finally picked up on the counting down during the Rumble timer. Andre throws Roberts over the top at 12:30, he got completely dominated. Andre’s spots have gotten the most reaction from the crowd, otherwise this hasn’t been so good. Shawn Michaels is #9, and business should pick up with this injection of athleticism. Mr. Perfect backdrops Ax over the top at 14:39, and shortly after he tries to throw Michaels out. Michaels skins the cat back in, and lands some big shots. He dropkicks Perfect over the type, but Perfect twists his way back into the ring! Two great spots in a row. Valentine and Bass have done a big pile of nothing since entering the match. There are too many heels in there right now, it’s 4 on 1. #10 is Butch of the Bushwhackers! His gimmick is not even over yet, and he gets overshadowed by Jake Roberts, who runs out there with Damien! He takes him out of the bag, and Andre runs away and flies over the top at 16:42. That was hilarious, and the crowd popped big for it. Babyface cheating always goes over well.
#11 turns out to be the Honky Tonk Man, who gets a really negative reaction. The crowd loved Perfect’s idea to dump HTM out, which surprised me. I wasn’t sure he’d still get that kind of heat in a heel vs. heel situation. Perfect and Michaels get thrown into each other, and Perfect comes back by trying to throw Honky out again. #12 is Tito Santana, who hits the ring at full speed and goes for Mr. Perfect. Such hate! Santana gives Perfect a backdrop and clothesline, and Butch tries hard to get rid of HTM. One thing I’ve noticed about Monsoon in this match is that he’s always looking forward to the next entry. Bass gives Michaels a huge backdrop, and follows with he and Perfect giving Michaels a double suplex. #13 is finally here, and it is Bad News Brown! Some long gaps between eliminations here, and right as I say that, Santana and Butch dispatch Honky at 22:45. Butch and Michaels decided to team up on Bad News, but they didn’t do a whole lot to him. Michaels eventually leaps off the top to hit Bass and Brown with a blow to the back, and the Hammer gives Michaels an atomic drop to tease an elimination. Marty Jannetty is #14, and that gives Michaels a partner. The Rockers hit Bass with a double elbow, and follow with a double dropkick to send him out! Santana tags Valentine with his FLYING FOREARM, and #15 makes his way out. It is THE MACHO MAN! He rushes Bad News Brown immediately, and nails him with furious offense. The crowd went crazy for his run to the ring and all of that. Despite being in the middle of a turn angle, the crowd didn’t seem to care much about it or react to him any lesser than before. The only problem is that him entering so early makes it seem like he’s just one of the guys, which is not what a champion should be. Bad News misses a charge at him, and it’s time for #16, who is Arn Anderson! During Arn’s entrance, Savage backdrops Valentine over the top at 28:23.
Arn and Michaels go to war immediately, and Arn gets taken out with a superkick. Arn and Savage decide to team up, and dump out Michaels with the quickness. I am confused as to why. Bad News and Savage continue to fight, but the crowd seems to be in need of a boost. #17 is Tully Blanchard, uniting the Brain Busters! Of course, he goes for Marty and Butch. He has to take out their tag team competition. One bit of praise thus far is that every elimination has taken place on-camera. Arn gives Marty a SPINEBUSTER, and Tully follows with elbow drops. Marty should get dumped easily, and does before #18 enters. #18 happens to be HULK HOGAN! He goes after everybody who was messing with his partner, and sends Perfect over the top at 32:37. He takes on Bad News, and goes for the elimination…only to not be able to do it. Santana gets dumped off-camera by Savage and Arn, maybe I was too quick to praise. Bad News teases an elimination of Hogan, and Savage does not save him. I see this build going very well. #19 is Luke of the Bushwhackers, and immediately after he gets out there, Bad News and Hogan throw out Butch. Luke is like…way into his new gimmick. It’s quite impressive, actually. Hogan picks Tully up with a press slam, and drops him on the top rope. That was Ultimate Warrior levels of unsafe. Bad News clotheslines Savage, and the crowd chants for Hulk. Just to make sure people know who’s who on the pecking order. Hogan gives Arn a big boot, and #20 comes out right after. It’s KOKO B. WARE. He gives Luke a dropkick, and one for Arn too. Hogan gives Tully an inverted atomic drop, and decides to slam Arn off the top rope as well. Funny how he worked that spot in. Hogan backdrops Koko over the top at 37:32, and almost immediately after he sends Luke out as well. The Brain Busters tease an elimination of Hogan, as we go on to the next guy.
#21 is the Warlord, as we find out in the middle of Hogan clotheslining both Brain Busters over the top. Warlord climbs in, and gets clotheslined straight over the top. He was just made to look like a complete moron. Hogan follows that up by sending both Bad News and Savage over the top at 38:48, and Savage is extremely pissed about it. He climbs back into the ring, and pushes Hogan! Elizabeth runs out to ringside, which makes perfect sense considering there are no opponents for Hogan in the ring at this time. Savage is in the right here, but it is every man for himself. In a later year, they would have saved this moment for the very end of the show. The Mega Powers shake hands, but this…is not over. #22 is the BIG BOSS MAN, who is loving the idea of facing Hogan all alone. The crowd loves it too. Hogan takes Boss Man down with a clothesline, and picks him up for a bodyslam too. Boss Man comes back with an avalanche in the corner, and follows that with a piledriver. Boss Man misses a splash, and here comes #23, AKEEM! I’m confused now. DiBiase was so angry about being #23? What a goof. The Twin Towers seem to be the only legitimate way to get Hogan out of the match, but with Hogan bodyslamming Akeem that isn’t completely likely. Boss Man comes back with one of his own trying to put Hogan over the top, but Hogan blocks it. He gives Boss Man a back suplex, but the Towers follow with a double avalanche. To the ropes, and the Twin Towers have eliminated Hulk Hogan at 43:57! #24 is Brutus Beefcake, who runs down and attacks Boss Man and Akeem. Haha! Finally the action winds up in the ring, and Hogan decides to pull the top rope down while Boss Man is running them, at 45:00. Dirty cheater, etc. Hogan and Boss Man brawl to the back, and the crowd is just loving this. In the WWF stuff like this did not happen that often. Hogan throws Boss Man into a table, and drops a briefcase on his head. What the fuck dude, be safer.
#25 is the Red Rooster, who should be giving some help to the Barber. Akeem gives the Rooster a bodyslam, but Beefcake hits Akeem with a double axehandle. Beefcake and Rooster hit Akeem with some charges to the corner, and try to dump the big man out. They can’t, so they endlessly stomp away until #26 comes out. That man is the Barbarian, and he decides to hit Akeem too. That was weird stuff. These referees look completely gassed on the outside of the ring, by the way. What if they have to take a piss? Akeem gives Rooster a big splash, and an elimination should follow. To some extent they’ve lost the crowd, but the heat in the building for these four guys in there is much louder than you’d expect. #27 is Big John Studd, who gets minimal reaction. He goes for Akeem, picks him up, and can’t put him out. This match has climaxed by this point and is just petering out. #28 is Hercules, who brings the POWER. That’s about all he brings. He ran in and just stood in the corner while Rooster tried to throw him out. #29 is Rick Martel! Haven’t seen him in a while. This is his TV return after his break. Martel gives Rooster a dropkick, and decides to try to throw him out too. Hercules and Beefcake work on the Barbarian, but that doesn’t amount to anything.
#30 is Ted DiBiase, and as everyone knows, he bought that number! Gave Gorilla and Jesse a lot to talk about during the match, so that angle worked out very well. Virgil stays at ringside even though he shouldn’t, but that doesn’t help DiBiase in the ring. Rooster hits DiBiase with a flying forearm, and finally there’s an elimination, with Rooster doing a slow motion Flair flip over the top after a DiBiase whip at 57:44. Almost 13 minutes between eliminations. Hercules and DiBiase is a feud, but the crowd doesn’t seem to be giving it any weight. This is a lackluster field of entrants, but I’m sure they had their reasons for things turning out the way they did. DiBiase and Barbarian dump both Beefcake and Hercules at the same time, clearing the ring out some more. Barbarian picks up Martel for a powerslam, and decides to head up top. He comes down with a diving headbutt, and it lands! Barbarian misses a clothesline, and Martel dumps him over the top at 59:52!
We’re in the final four now, with Big John Studd, Rick Martel, Akeem, and Ted DiBiase as our participants. Akeem eliminates Martel at 59:58 after catching him during a cross body attempt, and we’re down to three! Akeem and DiBiase team up on Studd, and just pound away on him. Akeem hits Studd with an avalanche, and decides to try for a second one. Studd pulls DiBiase in the way, and clotheslines Akeem over the top at 1:01:09. That got a big cheer! DiBiase tries to buy a Rumble victory, but Studd won’t comply. Studd grabs a hold of his neck, and slams him hard into the corner. He catches DiBiase’s boot, and gives him a bodyslam. After a double underhook suplex, Studd gives him a sloppy gutwrench suplex. He gives DiBiase a clothesline, and dispatches him at 1:03:16 for the victory! Virgil tries to attack Studd from behind, and gets thrown around like a rag doll. Studd gives him a clothesline too, and sends him out as well. The crowd enjoyed that.
My Thoughts: Of all the “send the fans home happy” endings, this is one of the worst. Such an ending would never happen today now that so much importance has been attached to the Rumble. Honestly, if Beefcake had won the match, I think people would have cheered louder and cared more. Obviously, they wanted to place some importance on Studd given that he was going to be part of WrestleMania V, but this was ultimately meaningless. Angle wise, I thought everything here went great. The major problem with the match was that for 15 minutes nothing happened. That, more than anything else, is the reason for its *** rating. The beginning and middle were really hot, and they put a lot of great stuff in it. Savage and Hogan’s thing was just teasing closer and closer to explosion, and that’s what we got out of it. They eliminated many of the guys in ways that made sense, and some didn’t. Hogan eliminating babyfaces was particularly noteworthy in how bad I thought it was. I’m not sure that I’d recommend this as it’s an awfully long time to sit through a match without much of a payoff. I would say that the best performer here was Shawn Michaels. He didn’t quite steal the show, but he and Mr. Perfect teased some interesting eliminations.
That was not a particularly interesting show, nor was it very meaningful in the long run. It’s for the best that it’s over and I can move on to better and more important things. Booking Studd to win the Rumble wasn’t a great decision, but I can’t think of any negative effect that it actually had. The undercard was as weak as they possibly could have made it. The upcoming Main Event episode has a lot of momentum going into it, and we’ll see how that goes. Next up for me, are NWA matches from Starrcade to Chi-Town Rumble. I found a lot!
Wrestling Time: 1:34:25. I should have checked the time on the Rude/Warrior posing. That was at least 15 minutes of total crap.
Best: Royal Rumble, despite not being great, it just was.
Worst: Rude/Warrior posing. Absolutely absurd.
Card Rating: 4.5/10. This show doesn’t really hold up, as the first half contains nothing of value.
