User Reviews

Royal Rumble 1995 Thoughts

Royal Rumble 1995 was the 9th annual Royal Rumble PPV event produced by the WWF. It took place on January 22, 1995 at the USF Sun Dome in Tampa, Florida. Attendence was at 10,000 with a buyrate from home at 225,000. It's the start of year 1995 in which everyone knows is the most infamous year of the WWE/F by financial Numbers and roster power.

It was also the year where the WWF began running monthly PPV events because they were in direct competition with WCW. Due to the shortage on roster and lack of interest from fans, lots of money was lost.

Match card had 5 matches with of course the great Royal Rumble main eventing. However the Rumble rules were changed of an entrant of every 90 seconds to 60 seconds which made this the shortest Rumble in WWF history with the match ending in 44 minutes. Also had a WWF championship match between Bret Hart and Diesel. A lot of this card was mostly building up for feuds of WrestleMania, most notably (Lawrence Taylor vs. Bam Bam Bigelow).

The Good - The WWF title match was really lit. Bret Hart and Diesel sold each others movesets good and the crowd was into it from start to finish. The ending of it being a draw due to numerous interferences was kind of a disappointment but you could understand Vince needing to do it to protect both stars. I liked the tag team title match too. It was interesting of it being a little bit of a David vs. Goliath bout by size. The aftermath of the match was done really well to set up the upcoming WrestleMania feud.

The Meh - Opening IC match was okay but not much to remember. The Royal Rumble, let's be honest, stinked for star power. All those Terrible gimmicks in it was seen from plain sight. However the match was surprisingly decent. I don't think 60 second thing worked because there wasn't much for stars to do as the entered the ring with an entrant not far behind. However Shawm Michaels famous 1 foot touch the floor sporwas a highlight. To this day, it's one of the best moments in Royal Rumble history.

The Bad - The only thing I absolutely did not care for of this show was Undertaker vs. IRS. Was pretty bland and the interference was getting annoying. Bundy coming out face to face with Taker unfortunately didn't feel like a big moment as it was suppose to be. King Kong Bundy at this point was done.

Overrall - I had low expections of this show looking at the year it took place. It was surprisingly okay. Even the Rumble depsite poor star power was still fun to watch all the way to the end. Also having 1 Awesome match too was a nice thing to add with it.

Score - 6 out of 10: Decent

0 = Terrible : 1 = Bad : 2 = Decent : 3 = Good : 4 = Awesome : 5 = One of the Best of all Time :

1. Double J vs. Razor Ramon: WWF Intercontinental Championship - 2.5/5

2. Undertaker vs. Irwin R. Schyster - 1/5

3. Bret Hart vs. Diesel: WWF Championship - 4/5

4. Bob Holly & 1-2-3 Kid vs. Bam Bam Bigelow & Tatanka: WWF Tag Team Championship - 3/5

5. 30-Man Royal Rumble - 2.5/5

Best Match - Bret Hart vs. Diesel

Worst Match - Undertaker vs. Irwin R. Schyster

Most Memorable Moment - Michaels 1 feet touch spot.

Top 5 Performers

1. Shawn Michaels - Outstanding Performance

2. British Bulldog - Outstanding Performance

3. Bret Hart - Great Performance (as usual)

4. Diesel - Great Performance (Can't even say was carried)

5. Lex Luger - Good Performance.

*SPOILERS*

The Rumble from the previous years had great under cards, with the exception of 90. 89 wasn't so great either, because there was on great match and two other lackluster ones. But this was the first time we had a lackluster battle royal.

The under card was superb. Razor Ramon and Jeff Jarrett had a fine match. Did anyone notice that he was in 5 Royal Rumbles, but never once fought in the battle royal? The Undertaker-IRS match was fun because of Vince McMahon's commentary. Every time the Undertaker rises miraculously, he makes this weird noise. Vince McMahon's commentary has always been so bad it's good. Bret Hart and Diesel did quite well.

The tag team tournament final stole the show. It was a lengthy, exciting match, with plenty of heat. A few notes: I'm sure the Kid and Bob Holly's combined weight of 344 lbs. was a typo. Either that or they were trying to add to the momentum they were trying to build about Kid and Holly being underdogs. When I saw the match on pay-per-view, I knew Kid and Holly would win just because of McMahon and Lawler constantly pointing out that they didn't stand a chance against Bigelow and Tatanka.

Now, on to the battle royal. The reason Michaels and the Bulldog lasted the whole match is that there was no competition. Was anyone holding his breath when Duke the Dumpster held Michaels over the top rope, or when Eli Blu ran down to face the Bulldog? This was also the reason they shortened the entries from 2 minutes to 1. Out of 30 men, only about 5 of them were A-list stars, and 2 of them got taken out prematurely by Bret Hart. Did anyone want to see Henry Godwinn and Well Dunn slug it out for a solid hour?

Ultimately, this was the first of many Rumbles with a poorly-executed battle royal and a great under card.

Well, this was the year they tried new things in the Rumble match and they didn't quite work aesthetically. After cutting down the time between entrants from two minutes to 90 seconds for the 1994 rumble, they decided to cut it down to just one minute this year. Given the lack of main eventers in the rumble match, that wasn't a bad idea.

The night started off with Pamela Anderson arriving in a limo. She would be escorting whoever won the Royal Rumble to the ring for their title match at Wrestlemania.

The in ring action began with Razor Ramon putting the Intercontinental Championship on the line against Jeff Jarrett. For a long time Jarrett had been a minor player in the WWE, wearing a ridiculous silver outfit and playing the part of a crony for Mr Fuji. He would step out Fuji's shadow tonight, putting on a super match with Ramon and winning the IC Title. Ramon had been in control of the match until he hurt his knee on the outside. The ref had counted out Ramon, but Jarrett had goaded him back into the ring. Ramon's knee gave way as he attempted the Razor's edge allowing Jarrett to get the pin. And he was happy to tell us all about it backstage.

The next match was the beginning of a year long rivalry as the Million Dollar Corporation's Irwin R Shyster took on the Undertaker in another good match. Undertaker won after a chokeslam, but was then assaulted by King Kong Bundy, another member of the Million Dollar Corp. IRS took his opportunity to steal the Undertaker's earn. A feud between the Million Dollar Corp and the Undertaker had begun.

Todd Petengill then interviewed a very focused Diesel and Bret Hart before their big WWE Title match which was next. Hart had lost the WWE title to Bob Backlund a couple of months before, but Diesel had won the title from Backlund just three days later. And so Hart got his chance to regain the title here. Hart had tremendous ring sense and great chemistry with anyone and he and Diesel put on a match of the highest quality here which unfortunately ends in a double DQ after Owen Hart and his cronies interfere in the match. Well we got to see a good match so can't complain too much. Unfortunately that took Bret Hart out of the title scene.

Todd Pettengill makes his way into Pamela Anderson's dressing room.

Next up is the tournament final to determine the new tag team champions. It's the underdog team of Bob "Sparkplug" Holly and the 1-2-3 Kid taking on the Million Dollar Corporation's Bam Bam Bigelow and Tatanka. The underdogs won, but the real story here happened as Bigelow insulted New York Giants NFL Legend Laurence Taylor on the sidelines. And I mean that's the real story, because Kid and Holly lost their tag titles less than a week later. LT was a volatile guy, I'm sure he'll take offence to that.

And the last match of the night was the Royal Rumble. The first two in the ring were Shawn Michaels and the British Bulldog, the last two in the ring were Shawn Michaels and the Britsih Bulldog. Bulldog thought he'd won when he threw Micheals over the top rope and his music started playing, but Micheals held on to the top rope and didn't allow both feet to touch the ground. He jumped a celebrating Bulldog from behind and won the match. Owen Hart, Lex Luger and Bob Backlund were the only other potential main eventers in the match. Shawn became the first man to win the Rumble from #1, and had the most eliminations. Pamela Anderson came to the ring to meet Michaels, looking rather dismayed at this gentleman she would be accompanying to the title match at Wrestlemania XI.

Good PPV really. Not a great rumble match, but building the match around Shawn and Bulldog at least made it entertaining. And a nice subtle set up for the Bigelow/ Laurence Taylor match at Wrestlemania.

(SPOILERS THROUGHOUT)

The 1995 Royal Rumble was quite good; all the matches were fairly good particularly the Rumble match itself.

Razor Ramon defended his Intercontinental Title against Double J in a reasonable match and lost the belt due to an 'injury.'

The Undertaker had a fairly exciting brawl with the mammoth King Kong Bundy.

The 1-2-3 Kid and Bob Holly beat Tatanka and Bam Bam Bigelow in the tag team title tournament final. All men put on a good show.

WWF Champion Diesel had a great match against the ever dependable Bret Hart but like a lot of matches during that time the ending was inconclusive and we never got to see who the better man was.

As always the Rumble match was the highlight. Starting with this event things changed. Instead of entering the ring every two minutes competitors entered every one minute (it would be changed again in subsequent years). The Rumble was very intense. The eventual winner of the Rumble was Shawn Michaels who provided the bulk of the entertainment throughout.

(01.22.95)

Live from Tampa, FL

Attendance: 10,000

Your hosts are Vince McMahon & Jerry Lawler

Pamela Anderson receives a bunch of gifts from the superstars. It's pretty corny.

Intercontinental Championship

Razor Ramon (C) Vs Jeff Jarrett (W/The Roadie)

Jarrett tosses Razor over the top rope, causing Razor to fall awkwardly on his knee. The Roadie chopblocks Razor from behind on the outside behind the ref's back. Jarrett wins by countout. HOWEVER, Jarrett goads Razor into restarting the match. Razor tries the Razor's Edge but his leg buckles. Jarrett gets him in an inside cradle to win the title. This is one of those matches that goes unnoticed because of the terrible overbooking. This is a pretty good match with both men on top of their game. If it wasn't for the terrible booking, it would be considered a great opener.

***1/2

The Undertaker (W/Paul Bearer) Vs I.R.S (W/Ted Dibiase)

The Undertaker wins with a chokeslam. This match isn't bad as I remembered. That's kinda a backhanded compliment, though. It's still a pretty mediocre match with nothing special about it what so ever. Nobody bought I.R.S as a threat to The Undertaker.

*1/2

WWF Championship

Diesel (C) Vs Bret Hart

Diesel has it won with a jackknife powerbomb until Shawn Michaels runs in and prevents Diesel from winning. In lieu of a DQ, the referee elects to continue the match. Bret has the match won with the Sharpshooter, but Owen Hart runs in to prevent a submission. The referee declares that the match MUST continue AGAIN. Shawn Michaels, Owen Hart, Jeff Jarrett, The Roadie, and Bob Backlund run in to Finally make this a no-contest. Diesel and Bret embrace after the match in a show of respect.

Thoughts: Bret Hart gives Diesel his best matches. This is an excellent match that's loaded with creativity and suspense. I liked how both men acted heelish in this match, especially Bret. The psychology is also excellent with Bret doing a great job of going after Diesel's leg. It's overbooked a little bit but it doesn't detract from the match too much. It's the perfect example of finesse Vs power.

****

Tag Team Championship

Bam Bam Bigelow & Tatanka (W/Ted Dibiase) Vs The 1-2-3 Kid & Bob Holly

The Kid & Holly win the titles after a heel miscommunication. This was a fun little match with a great Cinderella story. The Kid & Holly played the perfect underdogs and managed to make you care about them.

***

Lawrence Taylor starts laughing at Bam Bam Bigelow. Bigelow shoves him. This would lead to a match at Wrestlemania 11.

The Royal Rumble

1. is Shawn Michaels. 2. is The British Bulldog. Like an idiot, The Bulldog picks up Shawn for a military press slam, but he slams on the mat instead of the floor. 3. is Eli Blu. 4 is Duke "The Dumpster" Droese. 5. is Jimmy Del Ray. 6. is Sione (The Barbarian) of The Headshrinkers. Bulldog eliminates Del Ray. 7. is Tom Pritchard. 8. is Doink, and the crowd pops huge for some odd reason. 9 is Savio Veg...I mean, Kwang. 10. is Rick Martel, who has outlived his usefulness at this point. 11. is Owen Hart. Bret attacks Owen in the aisle way to get revenge. 12. is Timothy Well. Owen Hart gets eliminated off camera. Shawn Michaels eliminates Droese. The Bulldog follows that by tossing Timothy Well. Sione ends Martel's night, and Michaels gets rid of Pritchard. Kwang eliminates Doink as 13. is Bushwhacker Luke. Eli Blu and Sione eliminate each other. So many quick eliminations! Michaels quickly ends Luke's night by throwing him out. 14. is Jacob Blu. He goes out almost as quickly as he came in. 15. is King Kong Bundy. 16. is Mo from Men on a Mission. He lasts a few seconds before getting thrown out by Bundy. Mo breaks Bushwhacker Luke's quickest elimination record. 17. is Mabel. He goes after Bundy, of course. 18. is Bushwhacker Butch. Mabel eliminates Bundy. Michaels gets rid of Butch. 19. is Lex Luger. He starts off with a bang by eliminating Mabel. 20. is Mantaur. 21. is Aldo Montoya. (Justin Credible) 22. is Henry Godwin. 23. is Billy Gunn. 24. is his brother Bart Gunn. 25. is Bob Backlund. to thunderous boos. He's greeted by an attack from Bret Hart as well. 26. is Steven Dunn. Luger tosses Backlund to a big pop. 27. is Dick Murdoch. 28. is Adam Bomb. 29. is Fatu. Luger eliminates Mantaur. 30. is Crush. Crush gets rid of the Smoking Gunns simultaneously. Montoya eliminates Steven Dunn. Crush gets rid of Adam Bomb. Montoya is eliminated by Crush. He follows that up by getting rid of Fatu. Murdoch eliminates himself after the effects of an airplane spin. Luger eliminates Henry Godwin. Murdoch gets a standing ovation on his way out. The final four are Luger, Michaels, Crush, and The British Bulldog. Michaels eliminates Luger. The Bulldog clotheslines Crush out, leaving Michaels and Bulldog as the final two. The British Bulldog clotheslines Michaels out to WIN the Royal Rumble...

WAIT! Michaels dangled his feet above the ground, and only one foot hit the floor. He comes back in while Bulldog is celebrating on the top rope, and knocks him to the floor to eliminate The Bulldog. Shawn Michaels has won the Royal Rumble.

Thoughts: Shawn winning the rumble after drawing number one was unheard of back then. It's one of the most memorable rumble performances of all time. Despite Michael's heroics, this one suffers greatly from a lack of star power. I did enjoy Shawn teasing elimination, and the ending to the Rumble was cool as well. I just wish the rumble itself was more exciting and had more star power.

**

7/10 overall.

1. Intercontinental Title Match: Jeff Jarrett Vs. Champ-Razor Ramon 6/10

2. I.R.S. Vs. The Undertaker - I think Taker needed change in 1995, this match was ordinary. And his waking up after getting stunned was overbooked at this moment. And stealing urn from Bearer? It was there already. 6/10

3. WWF Heavyweight Title Match: Bret Hart Vs. Champ-Diesel - Another ordinary Title match. Can't hear some exclusive crowd reaction. Diesel bored me. I like him better as Michael's small fries. After 2 possible DQ we get DQ already. Blah. 5.5/10

4. WWF Tag Title Match: Champs(Goes first)-Bam Bam Bigelow/Tatanka Vs. Bob Holly/1-2-3 Kid 6.5/10

5. Royal Rumble: Shawn Michaels, British Bulldog, Eli Bu, Duke Droese, Jimmy Del Ray, Sione, Tom Prichard, Doink the Clown, Kwang, Rick Martel, Owen Hart, Timothy Well, Mentally Ill Human Woodcracker, Jacob Blu, King Kong Bundy, Mo, Mabel, Another Useless Woodcracker, Lex Luger, Mantaur, Aldo Montoya, Henry Godwinn, Billy Gunn, Bart Gunn, Bob Backlund, Steven Dunn, Dick Murdoch, Adam Bomb, Fatu, Crush - Who were all those jobbers? Bushwackers again?? Dick MUrdoch? That was weakest Royal Rumble ever. Shawn really deserve that win. 7/10

In a lot of ways, the Royal Rumble match is all about luck. As good as you are, drawing an early number can always come back to haunt you. Entering the match early on ensures you at least half an hour to an hour of work before you even have a chance to capture the Rumble title. So entering the Rumble match at No. 1 is a recipe for disaster, right? Not if your name is Shawn Michaels. The Heartbreak Kid entered the Rumble match at No. 1, with the British Bulldog following at No. 2. After all 30 men had entered, there were just two superstars remaining -- HBK and the Bulldog! Bulldog then tossed Shawn over the top, and went to go celebrate his win. But the crafty Shawn held onto the rope, pulled himself back into the ring, and knocked the unknowing Bulldog out to become the first man ever to win the Rumble match after entering at No. 1! Also at the 1995 Royal Rumble, the 1-2-3 Kid and Bob Holly won the finals of a tournament, defeating Bam Bam Bigelow and Tatanka to win the vacant Tag Team Championship. After the bout, football great Lawrence Taylor -- who was a guest of WWE Champion Diesel at the Rumble event -- poked some fun at Bigelow, who then shoved L. T. to the ground! This confrontation would ultimately lead to a one-on-one match between Taylor and Bigelow at WrestleMania XI!

Jeff Jarrett pinned Razor Ramon for the Intercontinental Championship Undertaker defeated Irwin R. Schyster via pinfall WWE Champion Diesel and Bret Hart wrestled to a draw 1-2-3 Kid and Bob Holly defeated Bam Bam Bigelow and Tatanka in a tournament final for the vacant Tag Team Championship Shawn Michaels won the Royal Rumble

Overall Mark: B+

This was one of the more average WWF Rumble's that Ive seen. The WWF title match ended as a no contest due to outside intervention which ruined the main event. As for the Rumble, the result was predictable with Michaels receiving a publicized push due to his relationship with Mcmahon.