“If you would understand anything, observe its beginning and its development.†– Aristotle
The Opening Chapter
This is my favorite time of the wrestling year. Royal Rumble season. Ever since I watched Royal Rumble ’90 on VHS I was hooked by this unique concept. I’m a mark for multi-man contests or tournaments so this was a match made for me. To me the Royal Rumble is one of those things where no matter how bad it is, it is still good.
And ever since 1996 when the era of monthly pay per views became commonplace, the Royal Rumble event has been the unofficial first stop on the “road to WrestleMania.†It’s the start of the playoffs leading up to the big game. It’s the opening scene of a long-term story. And the majority of the time, it delivers in spades.
I could go on and one about why the Royal Rumble is so great or why it is an important piece of the North American pro wrestling landscape, but over the next three weeks I think you will all begin to understand. That’s right, January is Royal Rumble month here at Historically Speaking. This week and next week will be facts, figures, thoughts, memories and ideas about the event, followed by a break in the format the week leading up to the Rumble, where I will “analyze†each of the thirty participants in this year’s big event.
The Intangibles
The Royal Rumble match to an untrained eye looks to be a complicated mess of action with little flow, pacing or structure. Whereas the match is probably on of WWE’s most tightly choreographed and organized matches of the year. The brainchild of Pat Patterson has really spawned a life of its own and has become known for its own tendencies and expectancies.
For example…
The “Diesel†Push
This concept was named after Diesel’s performance in the 1994 Royal Rumble match where he entered the ring and eliminated the four men in the ring and then got rid of the next three competitors that followed thereafter. It really made Diesel look like a superstar and gave him his first push in the WWF. Before this Diesel was just a silent bodyguard between Shawn Michaels who mainly kept out of the ring or was used sparingly in the lower card. This Rumble moment made fans (including a young yours truly) stand up and take notice of the big man. Less than a year later he had won all three major WWF Championships and was the company’s flagship.
In 1997 this type of push was used again to help Steve Austin get over. He cleaned out the ring and then awaited the next three entrants, tossing them out one-by-one, anxiously looking at his “watch†in between each new man. Austin was the only one who received this Rumble spot and still went on to win the match. Since then it has been used as a way to put over an entrant who is billed as a threat or is getting a strong push, but would not be the eventual winner.
It happened again with Rikishi in 2000 (complete with dance break) and Kane in 2001 (complete with hardcore interlude). In 2002 it was done with Undertaker, which led not only to Undertaker staying over but also instrumental in getting the rookie Maven over as well. It happened again this past year with The Great Khali, who cleared out the entire ring of competitors en route to getting eliminated quickly.
Men like Rikishi, Kane and Khali weren’t meant to win the Rumble match as they weren’t big enough draws to main event WrestleMania, but the “Diesel push†allowed for these large men to keep themselves over and put themselves in line for a big match later on.
As an early prediction look for Umaga to go on a Diesel-like run in this year’s match.
The Gang Elimination
On the flipside of one man running the table of the competition is one man being ousted by the competition in unison. For a super heavyweight being ousted by the entire ring’s roster, it can be almost as beneficial as getting a “Diesel push.†In 1990 Earthquake eliminated two men quickly and then within two minutes the remaining six or seven men left in the ring dumped him. Despite being in the ring for such a short time he looked like a threat. He got rid of two men by himself, and by forcing the rest of the entrants to work together it showed that he was viewed as a big threat and needed to be dealt with quickly. Even though he didn’t win he came out of the match with some credibility as a dangerous opponent.
In 1993 Yokozuna took the “big man elimination†to a new level when he outright won the event after failed gang elimination attempts, and showed that size does matter in an event like this.
In 2000, it was used to eliminate Rikishi, who in the same match got both the “Diesel push†and the big man elimination. Mabel/Viscera/Big Daddy V has competed in numerous Royal Rumble matches and was responsible for gang eliminations in 1994 and again in 2007.
If Big Daddy V or Mark Henry enter this year’s Rumble expect a gang spot to at least be attempted.
Super Human Elimination
On the flip-side of the gang elimination, almost a “part B†to the rule, is the super human elimination in which one or two men are responsible for eliminating the event’s token big man or big men.
There are a few examples of this rule. For example, Demolition eliminated Andre the Giant in 1990, and Hulk Hogan did it to Earthquake in 1991. Lex Luger got rid of both Mabel and Mantaur in 1995, Chris Benoit eliminated Big Show in 2004 and John Cena got out Viscera in 2005. It makes the man who did the elimination look like a true big-time superstar, able to eliminate a larger-than-life threat individually. The big men who were eliminated were booked like threats previously in the match so there wasn’t much damage done their character by the single elimination.
A super heavyweight in this year’s Rumble, (I’m thinking Umaga) is sure to be ousted a “super human,†probably Triple H or Bobby Lashley.
The Super Power Stand-off
This type of stand-off is usually reserved for the match’s two top babyfaces to lock horns alone in the ring. It is an easy way to whip the crowd into a frenzy, and plant the seeds for an eventual big-money match. It started in 1989 with Hulk Hogan and The Macho Man, but really became iconic in 1990 with the stand-off between Hogan and Ultimate Warrior. It perfectly set the wheels in motion for their big WrestleMania VI main event. It happened again in 2002 with always red-hot Steve Austin and the returning Triple H. In more recent years it has happened at the end of the match to determine the winner, most notably in 2005 with John Cena and Batista and again last year with Shawn Michaels and Undertaker.
While I don’t necessarily see it happening again this year, with talent like Undertaker, Batista and Triple H in there it is a real possibility that face-to-face showdown could occur.
The Iron Man
In a match that is, at the very least, going to be at least 30 minutes there needs some sort of talented professional to keep it all together. Thus every year since 1990, one or two men are selected to be the “iron man†or “pace-setter†for the Rumble match. They are a guy or guys who are talented enough to keep the match held together coherently and make it entertaining even during lull points. They start off real early in the match and last at three-quarters of the way through the match. It’s a way to get a physically smaller athlete over in the context of the Rumble match. It plays up that while they may not have the size and strength to dominate the match, they have the stamina and endurance to outlast the competition. Men like Ric Flair, Shawn Michaels, Steve Austin, Chris Benoit and Rey Mysterio have used the “iron man†spot to put themselves over in a Rumble victory while others like Ted DiBiase, Rick Martel, Bob Backlund, The Rock, Randy Orton and Triple H have used the spot to not only look good in defeat but keep the flow of the event going.
Look for a conniving heel to be a pace setter this year, perhaps someone like Shelton Benjamin or John Morrison.
The “Bushwacker Lukeâ€
The “Bushwacker Luke†is the unofficial name for quickest elimination in the Rumble, despite the fact that Warlord’s time in 1989 is actually the shortest official time in the ring. Bushwacker Luke’s elimination from 1991 has just grown into Rumble legend and is often what is referenced when talking about short battle royal tenures. Whereas some of these other rules don’t happen every year in order to keep them fresh, a quick elimination or eliminations is virtually guaranteed yearly. From Rumbles filled with them, like 1995, 1997 and 2004, to an event like 1998 where Rumble entrant times were long there has always been one token in-and-out. It’s a quick payday for the man or men being ousted but it is a huge boost in the eyes of the fans to the man who does the eliminations. Plus it can also provide for an amusing comedy spot.
With only a few entrants known for this year’s show so far, it’s already easy to peg someone like Jimmy Yang or Shannon Moore as an easy one-and-done elimination.
Unlucky #30
The mottos for the Royal Rumble include “every man for themselves†or the “luck of the draw.†However despite the man (or woman I guess) who draws #30 has the mathematically best chance of winning the match it has never happened until this past year, when Undertaker won in 2007 from the #30 position. I’m sure this was done in order to keep up the unpredictability factor of the event. If the logistical #30 won all the time, the predictability would be shot. Now that the feat has been done, don’t look for it to be done again for a few years again.
I’m sure the #30 position will be hyped up again this year, and maybe even put on the line in a specialty match like it has in the years past but I don’t look for its recipient to be successful. In the past a braggadocios heel like Ted DiBiase, Curt Hennig, X-Pac or Booker T has used the final spot to brag about their position and their easy road to victory.
Somebody like The Miz or Mr. Kennedy would be a perfect number thirty guy this year.
The Surprise Entrants
In order to keep the Rumble interesting over the course of the hour, it is often necessary to include random or surprise entrants into the match. They provide for an element of surprise and excitement. It’s hard to keep the crowd’s attention for sixty minutes and so it’s imperative to keep changing up the flow of the match in order to keep it fresh. The idea of the surprise entrant started in 1991, when the “mystery entrant†was revealed the night of the show to be Brian Knobs of The Nasty Boys. Since then, the surprise or mystery entrant has been used to re-introduce an old face (like with Big Show and Haku in 2001) or bring in an entrant for a one-night shot (like Bob Backlund in 2000).
This year I don’t look for an out-and-out mystery man, but rather the return of old face, announced either before the show or not until his number his called. This would be the prime way to reintroduce Bobby Lashley or bring in someone like Steve Blackman, Jim Neidhart or Bart Gunn for a nice crowd pop.
The Perspective
Usually by this time of the year I’ve already thought out a couple of scenarios of how to book the Rumble match for entertainment purposes. But at this point it looks like all signs point to either a Triple H or Undertaker win and so it kind of takes some of the fun of fantasy booking out of it. Other men like Shawn Michaels and Batista could be legit winners but future booking doesn’t really point to their favor this year. Plus a lot of big names and “potential winners†like Chris Jericho, JBL, Rey Mysterio and Ric Flair are going to be participating in singles matches and probably not in the Rumble match itself. I’m sure as the weeks go on and more participants are officially entered my “Rumble senses†will start tingling and I’ll get the itch back.
For this week the vault is closed…
Linked to the Pulse
BLATT versus ECW
Phil Clark versus New Japan versus TNA
Recent History
This is the section where I can ramble through my thoughts on this past week in wrestling, whether it be the television shows, pay per views, or any news that came out. Kinda like Vh1’s “Best Week Ever,†but this should be less annoying…hopefully.
Some weeks I “get†Impact more than others. This past week was a bit much though. After a week of gimmick matches we get another week of all-gimmicks, this time all “gauntlets.†But all the heel in-fighting is just bad. Ms. Brooks & Robert Roode, teammates for over a year and a half, apparently hate each other. VKM are all of a sudden feuding with each other. And why do they have to fight for a tag title shot when BG James already has one? And now apparently Tomko doesn’t like his other heel teammates, including his own Tag Championship partner. “Hated enemies†Kevin Nash and Samoa Joe are now tag partners. And the AJ Styles skits were just terrible, even more so than the usual bad Impact skits.
It sounded like another Russo-riffic TNA pay per view. Whether that’s a good or bad thing is up to the viewer I suppose.
Maria is going to be in Playboy this year…whoo hoo! I really can’t wait for WrestleMania season now.
I always like the “Beat the Clock†gimmick. It gives the show an overall theme for the night. Plus Jimmy Yang and Shannon Moore won again so that’s always a plus.
RAW Roulette was hit-and-miss. The opening tag with Kennedy & Michaels was a true train wreck. WTF was that with Charlie Haas? The Divas were nice to look at but the match wasn’t necessary. The “first blood†match had some solid intensity and the main event really picked up in the second half. I’m finally starting to buy Jeff Hardy as a main event star. The pop he got after the Whisper in the Wind off the cage was phenomenal.
I am loving this out-of-nowhere Yang/Moore-Miz/Morrison feud. It looks like the stage is set for a nice blow off at the Royal Rumble.
This Day in History
I figured if we are talking history around here we should pay homage to what has happened on this very day in the years gone by. It will either make you long for the old days or be happy for what we have now.
1994 – Marty Jannetty & the 123 Kid defeated the Quebecers for the WWF Tag Team title
1994 – The Bruise Brothers defeated Far Too Wild for the USWA Tag Team title
1998 – Wolfie D defeated Terry Golden for the Music City North American Heavyweight title
1999 – ECW Guilty As Charged was held at the Millennium Theater, Kissimmee, FL
1999 – Taz defeated Shane Douglas for the ECW World Heavyweight title
1951 – Pez Whatley was born
1958 – Jerry Estrada was born
1970 – Marcus Buff Bagwell was born
1972 – Brian Christopher was born
The Assignment
It’s important to know your history to know where you have come from and where you are going. Back when Nova was in charge of the WWE developmental system he implemented mandatory history assignments for the students of the developmental territories so they would know pro wrestling’s history and they would learn just how many moves Nova created and apparently the best ways to get on-line prescriptions. I feel Nova had a great idea there and every week I will assign a book or DVD for you to check out and learn from. They are not only educational but very entertaining.
Over Christmas break I received Bobby Heenan’s second book Chair Shots and Other Obstacles. While Heenan is always entertaining to listen to and read, I was a little disappointed in this second book. It wasn’t so much of a wrestling autobiography, but rather a self-help book, in which Heenan gives his life lessons and thoughts on various topics and life in general. He uses wrestling terminology to theme his advice, like calling using chairshots as a metaphor for things bad things that happen to you in life. He also likens anyone who does wrong to you as a “heel†and those who don’t get by in the world, or aren’t successful are “jobbers.†It’s kind of a fun way to dispense advice and make it relevant to the book’s target audience, which is wrestling fans. The book is a very quick read; it clocks in at under 200 pages. I read it all in two or three sessions. The writing style of the book makes for easy, light reading, which kind of parlays The Brain’s on-screen character anyways. It’s not a tried-and-true wrestling autobiography, but for fans of Bobby Heenan it is an easy recommendation. Not all wrestling fans will enjoy this book as it’s short on wrestling road stories so just know what you’re getting into.
