WWE Vintage Collection Recap – 1/31/10

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This week we’re looking at the 1996 Royal Rumble match and we’ll just get straight into it!

The first man to walk to the ring here is Hunter Hearst Helmsley and the second entrant is Henry Godwinn, and we get into things straight away. The two men exchange punches and Hunter takes control but a clothesline sends him down to the mat and Godwinn hits a back body drop to keep Hunter down. Godwinn lifts Hunter up high and it looks like he’s going to be throwing him over the top rope, but Hunter is able to escape and starts to work on Godwinn before he tries to push him over the top rope. Godwinn gets in punches and we get the countdown to our #3 entrant who is Bob Backlund. In ring, Hunter is almost over the ropes but Backlund breaks it up as he tries to send Godwinn out over the top rope. Hunter also tries to work on Godwinn but Backlund goes straight for Hunter. From here Godwinn lifts Backlund up and almost gets him over, but Hunter breaks it up and Backlund only falls to the apron. Hunter tries to eliminate Backlund but he’s able to reverse it and try to get Hunter up and over. Godwinn comes over and breaks it up before trying again to send Backlund over the top rope as our #4 entrant is announced as Jerry “The King” Lawler.

Back in the ring, Backlund and Hunter are working on Godwinn. King comes into the ring, walks around, and then heads out of the ring to grab Godwinn’s slop bucket which he tries to throw as Hunter and Backlund hold Godwinn. A few kicks manages to break it all up and Godwinn grabs the bucket back as the other three men all roll to the outside. While they’re out there, Godwinn throws the slop and most lands on Lawler. Backlund is the first man back in, and Godwinn tries to take control over all three. Lawler is able to attack from behind as we count down to #5 who is Bob Holly. In ring, in one corner there is Hunter and Backlund trying to eliminate each other, and Holly hits a back body drop on Lawler as he enters the match and we go to an ad break.

As we come back into this, a few more people have entered, at #6 King Mabel, #7 Jake “The Snake” Roberts, and #8 Dory Funk Jr. There is chaos in the ring, and we’re shown that Lawler is actually hiding underneath the ring. And as #9 Yokozuna comes to the ring we see Godwinn almost eliminate Hunter. Yokozuna starts to work on Backlund and he is able to eliminate him straight away, the first elimination of the match. Mabel tries to get some control over the match smashing into Yokozuna and Godwinn in the corner of the ring. Mabel tries to send Yokozuna over but is unsuccessful. Holly and Hunter are working on Godwinn, and Mabel gets involved. Hunter tries to eliminate Mabel as #10 the 1-2-3 Kid joins the match. But he doesn’t really get a chance as Razor Ramon starts chasing him around, in and out of the ring. The officials are able to remove Razor from ringside and the 1-2-3 Kid is able to get in the ring. Razor tries again, getting back into the ring. He takes a punch from Mabel and leaves the ringside area with the officials. And we go to an ad break.

During this ad break we had two entrants, #11 Takao Omori, and #12 Savio Vega. The ring is basically full, and Vega hits a spinning kick on Mabel, and this leads to Yokozuna eliminating Mabel over the top rope. And a matter of seconds later Roberts is able to eliminate Omori. In the ring, the 1-2-3 Kid is working on Vega, and Funk is able to hit a suplex on Vega. Holly is working on Yokozuna on the other side of the ring, and #13 Vader comes down to the ring. Vader starts with Holly, and we see Vega manage to get Funk over the top rope and eliminated. Vader takes on Vega now and they exchange punches before Vader takes control. The countdown brings in #14 Doug Gilbert and Hunter starts in on him immediately. Holly is on the other side of the ring trying to eliminate the 1-2-3 Kid. While this is going on, Vader is able to eliminate Roberts. Holly is in the corner with Hunter, and Vader is busy working on Gilbert as we go to an ad break.

As we come back from this ad break, we’ve had #15 Swat Team #1 and #16 Swat Team #2 have both entered, and both have been eliminated. In ring, Vega has Hunter hanging over the ropes, but with Vader breaking it up, Hunter is able to stay in this. The 1-2-3 Kid and Holly are in the other corner, and Vega and Hunter start to gang up to work on Vader in the corner. #17 Owen Hart enters here. Hart starts to work on Holly, and Hunter is assisting. In the other corner, Yokozuna holds Vega while Vader punches him. Vega is sent over to the opposite turnbuckle, and Yokozuna follows to crush him, and straight after that, Vader also runs into him to crush him. Vader continues to work on Vega with a splash, and Yokozuna follows with a leg drop. While this is happening, #18 Shawn Michaels joins the match. Vader is able to eliminate Vega, and Michaels is joining in on every single fight that is going on inside the ring. Vader and Yokozuna start to exchange punches and it takes a headbutt from Yokozuna to knock him down. The two men go to the edge of the ring, and as they’re standing there, Michaels comes up from behind and eliminates both Yokozuna and Vader. Back in the ring we see Michaels pick the 1-2-3 Kid up and throw him out of the ring. In ring we still have Hunter, Holly, Hart and Michaels. #19 Hakushi joins this match, and Vader also climbs back into the ring to pummel Michaels. Vader picks Michaels up and throws him over the top rope. Hart suffers the same fate, and then Hunter and Holly too. But as Vader is already eliminated none of his eliminations count and the officials try and remove Vader as we go to a break.

Back in, #20 Tatanka has joined the match, and Michaels is nearly eliminated by a few people all at once. Hunter is able to get Michaels over, but he was able to grab the rope and hook his arm to stay in this. While this is going on, Hart eliminates Hakushi and #21 Aldo Montoya joins the match. In ring, Hart and Tatanka are working on Montoya and somehow Michaels has ended up outside the ring. We see that Michaels is crawling under the ring, and he is dragging Lawler back out from underneath so he can throw him back into the ring. Tatanka is able to eliminate Montoya as this is going on, and Michaels hits Lawler up and out over the top rope eliminating him as #22 Diesel joins the match. First thing Diesel does is he eliminates Tatanka. And he starts in on Hart. Michaels is working on Hunter, but Diesel spots Michaels and delivers a punch. Michaels tries to fight back but is grounded by Diesel. Hart starts in on Diesel, but Diesel tries to eliminate him. It also looks like Michaels is going to get eliminated but again, it’s broken up and he survives. #23 Kama joins the match, and we go to an ad break.

During the break we’ve had #24 The Ringmaster, and #25 Barry Horowitz join the match. It looks like Hart is eliminated but he’s able to skin the cat and get back into this. Diesel is in the corner with Kama when Hunter breaks it up, and Kama is able to deliver a few punches, but as soon as Kama walks away, Diesel throws Hunter over the top rope and eliminates him. In the ring, everyone is working on everyone else as #26 Fatu joins things. Fatu comes in strong and starts on Kama. Diesel has the Ringmaster over in the corner, and Horowitz is working on Hart in the other corner. Kama is able to turn things around on Fatu and stay in the match, and Diesel continues to work on the Ringmaster. Hart sets up Michaels to lift him up in a suplex position and the two men grapple around the ropes trying to survive and do. #27 Isaac Yankem joins the match and Hart is able to eliminate Horowitz. A kick to the back of the head of Michaels from Hart basically knocks Michaels out. After this, Hart tries to eliminate Michaels, and Hart ends up on the outside. But not eliminated. In the ring, all of the remaining men are bunched up in the corner, and Ringmaster makes a break from that and knocks Michaels down with a clothesline. We go to a break.

And in this ad break #28 Marty Jannetty has joined the match, and in the ring, Diesel is working on Jannetty, Kama is working on Fatu, and Yankem is working on the Ringmaster as #29 British Bulldog joins the match. Bulldog goes straight for Michaels. It’s basically chaos in the ring, but Bulldog is able to eliminate Jannetty. Michaels and Bulldog keep up the fight, and Michaels is able to hook his body around the ropes and ring post to make sure he stays in this. And while this is happening, Yankem is able to eliminate Fatu, and the announce team mention that Ringmaster is no longer in this and they assume he’s been eliminated. As #30 Duke Droese comes in, Bulldog and Michaels roll to the outside, and Hart joins them to beat on Michaels. The officials try and remove Hart and Bulldog rolls Michaels back into the ring. In one corner, Diesel is trying to remove Yankem, and Kama and Droese are working on each other. Bulldog lifts Michaels up high, and Diesel is able to hit Bulldog from behind so he drops Michaels down. A dropkick from Michaels sends Yankem up and over the top ropes to be eliminated. Straight after this, Kama and Diesel eliminate Droese from the match.

Final four, Kama, Diesel, Bulldog and Michaels. Bulldog throws Michaels over and then turns his back, but as Michaels landed on the apron he’s still in this and he slides through Bulldogs legs and clotheslines him over the top rope, eliminating Bulldog. Kama comes up from behind and almost eliminates Michaels. On the other side of the ring, Diesel eliminates Kama, and Michaels comes up from behind and eliminates Diesel. The winner of the 96 Rumble, Shawn Michaels.

That’s all she wrote for this week, and we’ll be back next week with more Vintage action.