You have to know that after more than 30 years of Royal Rumbles, there would be a lot of memorable moments.
Originally conceived as a giant middle finger to Jim Crockett and the NWA, the Rumble has grown into an event second only to WrestleMania. While WWE is currently obsessed with creating “WrestleMania Moments," it’s kind of unfair to leave the Rumble out of the discussion for great moments.
Really, any excuse for wrestling fans to count down from 10 will pretty much become an instant hit, but the Royal Rumble has always been something special. Unless Roman Reigns is winning it, in which case, yuck.
So here’s some of the greatest moments — not matches — from the Rumble’s first decade that have stuck in my memory over the years.
1989: Demolition explodes
Whereas the first (televised) Royal Rumble in 1988 was still working out the kinks, one thing it was definitely lacking was the “every man for himself” factor. The good guys generally teamed up with the good guys to go after the bad guys, and vice versa. So, in a stroke of genius from booker Pat Patterson at the start of the '89 Rumble — the first one on PPV — the members of Demolition drew No. 1 and No. 2 respectively … and then proceeded to immediately beat the crap out of each other.
The message was clear: This is a match where friendships and tag teams were null and void — a theme that would become a major part of the match from then on.
1990: Ultimate Warrior and Hulk Hogan collide … literally.
In early 1990, rumors were rampant about what Hulk Hogan was going to be doing at WrestleMania VI, with all kinds of crazy ideas thrown around. The most prominent idea was for Hogan to face off with “No Holds Barred” co-star Zeus in a match that would be a guaranteed trainwreck, but would make sense from a storyline standpoint.
Another crazy rumor at the time was that Mike Tyson was training to become a wrestler and would face Hogan in a champion vs. champion showdown that would be a precursor to the UFC in a way. Of course, getting knocked out by Buster Douglas ended any speculation of that one.
At the 1990 Royal Rumble, we learned what the real direction was, and it was a big one. Hulk Hogan and Ultimate Warrior teamed up midway through the Rumble to clear the ring off all the other opponents, leaving them alone together, and suddenly they engaged in a double clothesline spot that had the Orlando crowd losing their minds at the prospect of a real dream match come to life. World champion Hogan vs. Intercontinental champion Warrior was soon signed, and although Warrior was a disappointment once he got to the top, their initial confrontation will certainly live forever.
1989/90: Ted DiBiase buys his way to the top — and bottom.
One fun aspect of the match that has gone by the wayside in later years is the traditional drawing of the numbers for the match. A bingo tumbler full of plastic eggs is spun around, and guys take their number and react accordingly based on their luck.
Or, if you’re the Million Dollar Man, you just find someone with a better number — like, say, No. 30, held by one of Slick’s men in 1989 — and then pay them off to get that number instead.
Which is exactly what happened, resulting in DiBiase getting the coveted final slot. However, by the next year, karma proved to be painful for Ted, as he was unable to bribe his way out of the No. 1 slot in the 1990 Rumble.
1992: “With a tear in my eye!"
1992 was a big year for Ric Flair, as he had jumped to the WWF and challenged Hulk Hogan for the WWF title on many occasions, unsuccessfully. But the 1992 Rumble proved to be the opportunity he needed to get over the hump, when the title was vacated and put up for grabs in the Rumble match for the first time.
And hey, all Ric had to do was come in at No. 3 and last for an hour against 27 other guys, all of whom hated his guts. Just another day at the office for the "Nature Boy," who managed to survive all challengers, while Bobby Heenan suffered multiple heart attacks on commentary for the entirety of the match.
And after he tossed out Sid Justice to win, basking in the shocked cheers of the NWA fans in attendance, he cut an all-time great promo backstage, seemingly living up to the promise of greatness that fans had been waiting for since he debuted. It wasn’t to last, but for that night, Flair was the champion and the Man again. Woo!
MORE: Remembering the '92 Royal Rumble, when Ric Flair stole the show
1995: Shawn Michaels goes coast to coast
1995 was a bit of a weak Rumble in terms of star power, which is probably why it was shortened to one minute intervals instead of the tradition two minutes. However, this new 30-minute version allowed rising star Shawn Michaels to become the first person ever to enter the match at No. 1, and then go on to win.
Also notable, British Bulldog came in at No. 2 and lasted the entire match with Michaels, finally throwing the "Heartbreak Kid" out to seemingly win, only to have Shawn hang on and pull himself back in for the upset win. This kicked off Michaels' run as a major star, and he never looked back.
1997: “It takes a King…”
Thankfully, Jerry Lawler has never been afraid to laugh at himself in the WWF. That never was that more apparent than at the 1997 Royal Rumble, in which he made a memorable entrance into the match right from the commentary position.
However, it proved to be a short night for him, as he started to tell Vince McMahon that “it takes a King…” before immediately getting thrown out again seconds later, returning to the commentary position to finish his thought with “…to know a King.” A hilarious and historic fail for a legend.
1998: Steve Austin ascends to the throne
Although Austin technically won the 1997 Rumble, it was under disputed circumstances and with the help of referee distraction and other shenanigans. Plus, he didn’t actually get the main event spot at WrestleMania.
However, by 1998, Austin was clearly the biggest star in the WWF, and was treated as such with a dominating win in dramatic fashion, moving onto a WrestleMania title match by throwing out Intercontinental champion the Rock — himself no slouch in the star power department — and kicking off a rivalry at the top of the card that would last for years to come.
1998: The three faces of Foley
Besides Steve Austin becoming a huge star, one of the stories of the '98 Rumble proved to be the thin roster, which necessitated guys like the Rock working twice on the card. However, one person in particular was really overworked: Mick Foley.
Given his identity crisis through most of 1997, it made perfect sense that Foley would get three chances to win the match, entering first as Cactus Jack, then Mankind and finally Dude Love, with all three faces of Foley getting thrown out of the match. It was a memorable and clever twist in a forgettable Rumble otherwise.
1999: When the horrible match was finished.
‘Nuff said.
