One of the Strangest WWE Royal Rumble PPVs Ever? (1996)

[@guillermosierracuellar9812]

Nacho man and Huckster: we are too old to change our move set Vince in 2002: let’s give Hogan another world title run

[@JM1993951]

Money, not hypocrisy. Macho Man and Hogan being in WCW was generating money for someone other than Vince. Putting the belt on Hogan for a feel-good nostalgia run in 2002 generated money for Vince.

[@MazeDaGr8]

To be fair, those crowd reactions Hogan was getting in 2002 were too big to ignore

[@kenterminateddq5311]

@@JM1993951 You mean like when Oldberg won the Universal titles from Kevin Owens and Bray Wyatt? :(

[@TheGreatDevlin]

@@MazeDaGr8 The fact that we never got to hear a similar pop for Macho Man. 😭🙄

[@booksboyspodcast]

@@JM1993951 so, hypocrisy 🙄

[@kennyrotten929]

I remember being 8 years old watching the first 10-15 minutes for free until the PPV scraggly screen kicked in. Lol. I had to listen to the whole show after that. The good ol days.

[@mattm7798]

Hmmm, wonder how you got the first 10 minutes. Back then, cable was an analogue signal which is how black boxes unscrambled them

[@kennyrotten929]

@@mattm7798 My PPV event channel was on 49, just had to call and order. The black box was gone by that time. ( at least where I live)

[@christiella8233]

Lol you unlocked a memory for me

[@KylesWorldChamp91]

I was 4 ready to be 5 in May

[@beavis8167]

Ya I remember doing that to man lol

[@jamesbounds]

This is the first rumble to start having entrance themes for everyone that enters the rumble match. I'm glad they've kept doing that since.

[@foxfireinferno197]

Kind of nice from a kayfabe front, too ... lets the guys in the ring know who's coming.

[@jamesbounds]

@@foxfireinferno197 That's true

[@TheFlock83]

Always great the music for the surprise entrants

[@jamesbounds]

@@TheFlock83 That it is

[@jaybrune82]

First one with the main event after the Rumble also.

[@at3479]

The crowd pop when Jake "The Snake" Roberts came out which also included each entry having their theme played when their number was next which REALLY made the Rumble more better

[@toptenguy1]

I was still relatively young back then, and I was surprised he got a face pop. NEVER EVER TRUST JAKE! ;)

[@BeeBumper]

More better

[@DMForever1]

Razor Ramon had an underrated choke slam

[@Choom89]

😂

[@mariomm9080]

👼

[@TheGreatDevlin]

I love when friendship trumps heel-face alignments. Shawn-Diesel is WWF's version of Luger-Sting I guess.

[@kenterminateddq5311]

Or for modern comparison, Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn.

[@toptenguy1]

Very true, and during the exact same time period!

[@mcgannahanskyjellyfetti6854]

Ironically, Shawn Michaels and Diesel were called Dudes With Attude YEARS AFTER Sting and Lex Luger were called that...

[@vita1ogy.]

@@kenterminateddq5311 Or Britt Baker and Tony Schiavone

[@robertpeacock894]

I wish more than anything they never had a Sting Luger. I loved the Luger is an awful human, but Sting makes him better angle.

[@middleschoolgravy]

The thing I notice when revisiting those billionaire Ted skits is how much of it is Vince projecting onto Ted. Everything they mock and criticize Ted for, Vince is also guilty of. Then. Now. Forever.

[@autobotstarscream765]

"If anyone's gonna destroy what I created, I'm gonna do it!" -The Honest Vince Show

[@darknightbegins85]

Vince has and always will be the greatest villain in wrestling

[@FreneticZetetic]

"Damn it, pal!"

[@MichaelPuterbaugh]

WWF: Huckster and Nacho man are too old! Also WWF: Here's Hoss Funk, let's all wish him a happy 55th birthday

[@outlawrip-offartist4161]

People forget how personal the billionaire Ted skits got.

[@thepassingstatic6268]

Vince was clearly in his feelings with these videos

[@richardtheconquerer]

Stuff like that is the reason Macho never came back I think. A lot more so than rumors about him and Stephanie that conveniently only surfaced years and years later. He and Vince were close, and he was hurt to see Vince making fun of him like this.

[@autobotstarscream765]

@@richardtheconquerer Whereas Ted and Hogan thought they were so funny that they referenced them in a new storyline that culminated in the nWo! 😂

[@stingrey1571]

the billionaire ted skits started off as comedic parodies. then as time went on. it evolved or devolved into very personal and petty attacks. it got so bad the USA network told the wwf to stop it immediately.

[@robertmyles9124]

If I remember correctly USA stopped allowing them to avoid a slander/libel lawsuit when Vince started to insinuate in them that Ted was making WCW wrestlers use steroids.

[@stingrey1571]

@@robertmyles9124 at first it began with making fun of the ages of hogan, savage and okerlund. as it progressed, there were references to hogan sleeping with miss elizabeth, jane fonda, and the merger with time warner. NONE of which had anything to do with wrestling. he got too personal and went way out of bounds.

[@blackway643]

@@stingrey1571 Yes Vince played dirty. What do you expect tho? He was in a competition for his livelihood

[@PlzTouchMEHard]

@@blackway643 a livelihood he stole away from others by taking other companies talent when his dad promised he never would

[@blackway643]

@@PlzTouchMEHard taking other companies talents? Did he hold a gun to their heads and force them to sign? The truth is he a much better promoter and businessman than all those old timers.

[@G33kCulture]

This is my childhood right here. I still have this on VHS...with the express written consent of WWF of course. I've watched this show at least 100 times. Great choice, brother!

[@SpaceGhost92]

Me too man. 5 year old me loved Shawn and Razor. Taker still scared me though lol

[@kens4230]

I have rr 1993 on vhs, I remember every Friday going to the video store and renting a wcw or wwf video. Good times 😌

[@thekidfromiowa]

Got into wrestling in 1998 and this was among the first tapes I had which was actually borrowed from my brother's friend. There was no Network or KZbin in 1998 so you couldn't just watch older content on a whim. That required a rare trip to the local video store and browsing their sun faded selection and whatever older tapes you could find at Suncoast or Sam Goody. It's not the best Rumble but it's one that I'm so familiar with from umpteen views so there's sentimental value. That's why I nominated it.

[@austinwilliams7919]

@@thekidfromiowa you nominated this for the review?

[@G33kCulture]

@@thekidfromiowa We used to go to Act 1 Video. Im going to find that tape and a VCR, my kids and wife are out of town and I can do what I want! Side note: Hope you all are safe and doing well.

[@nathanwagner9895]

Ahmed Johnson channeling his inner lex luger with all the screaming when doing every move hahaha

[@outlawrip-offartist4161]

Somewhere in Ireland 0SW are smiling.

[@miracleeskimobattleship2874]

@@outlawrip-offartist4161 While listening to the highest quality of generic biddle.

[@mathewbarrie]

@@bastih.5264 Ireland is an island.

[@pepito2847]

To date Jerry Lawler’s best performance in the Royal Rumble was his first one in 1993

[@kenterminateddq5311]

Lawler's best and shadiest performance was in 1996 (this one). Some may argue that his 97 performance was his well-known where he was eliminated in seconds by Bret Hart. Can't argue with that one.

[@heisensaul5538]

@@kenterminateddq5311 If Im not mistaking he got up from the commentary desk to get in the Rumble, was eliminated by the Hitman, and then sat back down to call the match again lol

[@LordKellicos]

@@kenterminateddq5311 I saw that one in person. I was 9 and I still remember the crowd laughing and going nuts over that. As an adult, Lawler is one of my favorites, but I couldn't stand him as a kid. He played the heel part well I guess!

[@kenterminateddq5311]

@@LordKellicos I like heel Lawler than "PUPPIES!" Jerry Lawler.

[@LordKellicos]

@@kenterminateddq5311 haha I do too.

[@ReyKaiju]

Rumble '96 in Fresno!! My cousin and I attended this show, Lawler hiding under the ring always makes me laugh.

[@pinocchiosrevenge746]

There alot of great moments in Fresno, in the 90's.

[@ReyKaiju]

@@pinocchiosrevenge746 this is true! I vividly remember a WCW house show in '97/'98 with a rabid crowd where Buff Bagwell swore on the mic during a promo and a fan got destroyed by security for dousing Syxx with a beer 😂😂😂

[@Rikstar88]

Steve Austin mentioned this before but this is the rumble where he got eliminated by accident. He slipped on the skirt as he landed and wasn’t able to get his footing on the apron. Apparently he was meant to be one of the final 4

[@greatone10]

It makes sense, when you consider that Kama is clearly the odd man out in terms of relevance in the final four, but they were both managed by DiBiase, so he was the logical person to substitute at that point.

[@billywhitewolf]

If you look at the elimination that's obviously not the case. There's no attempt at trying to stay in nor is he in a position for it he just tumbles out. He either got the rumble wrong or he's lying.

[@speedy932key4]

@@billywhitewolf you have to take into consideration how many superstars had been eliminated by that point. The ropes would have been so slippery Austin couldn't have able to hold on them even if he tried. Not to mention, why would Steve Austin lie about something like this?

[@billywhitewolf]

@@speedy932key4 Well, even if Austin wanted to grip something to keep him in, the way Fatu eliminated him made sure he was gone. He had no chance.

[@speedy932key4]

@@billywhitewolf you have a point there. Now I want to know if commentary made a mention of Austin being eliminated. Because I remember in 2011 when Alex Riley got eliminated, and commentary ignored it for like 10 minutes.

[@nathanwagner9895]

Begging for wcw uncensored 1998 review. Loaded card, and the least talked about match in history; bret hart vs curt henning in their 3rd and final PPV match ever...

[@stevecopper1667]

Don't forget what suspiciously might be the first triple threat match

[@stevecopper1667]

98 with a loaded year look at spring stampede 98 Great American bash it just keeps getting better and better 98 was one of the best years for wrestling

[@Austin-gj7zj]

@@stevecopper1667 WWF had a triple threat with Goldust, Owen Hart, and HHH for the IC belt on Raw in 97.

[@stevecopper1667]

@@Austin-gj7zj Good catch that's still pretty close to March 98 It just seems weird to me that a triple threat match would have happened that late you know what I mean

[@danielsnow1940]

96-01 were firing on all cylinders.

[@dougjackson3890]

I understand WCW overdid it with Jarrett in the end days of the company and him booking himself to the top of TNA, but I love Jeff Jarrett’s in ring work and facial expressions. He was always a great chicken-shit heel.

[@thepassingstatic6268]

Oh yeah. Hated him as a kid. But now I get why. A great man of body expressions

[@SomeDumbKid1]

I like Jarrett but I don't think he's ever been a main event level talent. He's a great choice to hold up the upper midcard though.

[@chrisbutler1668]

And never drew a dime.

[@universe-ie2mk]

@@chrisbutler1668 thats the point. double j was mid card at best. but not mid card like eddie and jericho they were held back.

[@thepassingstatic6268]

@@chrisbutler1668 leave Mike Grahams decrepit ass outta this

[@christraven]

"...damp squib of a finish..." God damn, Zane. How do you manage to describe my love life so accurately?

[@michaelrussell3890]

This event is a perfect example of how good Hennig was on commentary

[@seanjahns3238]

I see what you did there

[@heisensaul5538]

Hennig was very underrated as a commentator. Although it wasnt what he wanted to do.

[@davidreed7849]

17:43 from the look on Shawn's face that's a pretty HIGH five he gave to Diesel

[@gabepollock1641]

Really minor correction on the Headhunters: Their second appearance in the WWF wasn't until eighteen months after this. They showed up to get tossed by Vader and Yokozuna in this Rumble, and had a one off in June of 1997 as "The Arabian Butchers" under the direction of Jim Cornette.

[@bigjohnsbreakfastlog5819]

Only for Owen Hart and British Bulldog to immediately sandbag them. Bulldog legit deadlifted one of them into a suplex after the whole spiel was how you couldn't get them off the ground.

[@UnexpectedDanger]

A dismal failure with corney's name attached to it? Lol say it isn't so

[@dr.snakes]

I've got this FMW compilation with them in an eight man tag match. During the match, one of them sets this guy up on a table then proceeds to do the ABSOLUTE WORST top rope moonsault I've ever seen in my life. Completely overshoots it and misses the guy by at least a foot. It is hilarious!

[@gabepollock1641]

@@UnexpectedDanger For what it's worth, Cornette spoke about the Headhunters on his podcast, and he said that he considered them the prototype for "indie darlings". The way he tells it, someone backstage thought he could give the Headhunters credibility because he'd previously managed Vader & Yokozuna, and because he had a storyline connection to Owen & Bulldog by way of Camp Cornette (which dissolved in very early 1997).

[@monstermatt3453]

@@UnexpectedDanger your most recent comment is pathetically gushing about how much you love AEW. Anything you say about Cornette is clearly coloured by bias

[@EthanCobb824]

The Diana Hart line caught me off guard and I could not stop laughing lol

[@heisensaul5538]

Diana Hart is someone who is not used to being on tv and it has shown every time she's on.

[@antonmarshall2]

@@heisensaul5538 It would be interesting to know whether anyone ever tried to teach her how to work the camera or the crowd. She was admittedly surprisingly terrible at that... for a Hart.

[@heisensaul5538]

@@antonmarshall2 I'm sure Bruce Prichard or Jim Ross perhaps would have an answer to that if were actually asked that question. If I had to guess was given some general directions but probably nothing more than that.

[@mrkipling2201]

Opening with Sunny in the bath erased the shitshow that the WWF was in 1995 straight away!!

[@TheGreatDevlin]

Watching Diesel morph into Kevin Nash is notable. He's becoming the IDGAF WCW Nash. Still not "I'm Just Here For Fun and Money" TNA Dr. Nash.

[@slanderman3296]

The mans got range

[@Nostalgicguy2242]

@@slanderman3296 I mean he's 6'11", he's got a much wider range than Michael Phelps..

[@actionjackson4982]

Dr. Nash was awesome. I also grew up with the IDGAF Nash. It all came full circle with that gimmick 🤣🤣

[@tonecapi6997]

@@actionjackson4982 I missed that gimmick lol TNA anything was too late for me

[@dtcarpediem]

My fondest memories during this time was the fact we couldn’t afford to buy PPV’s so I spent a good amount of time trying to visualize everything that was going on through the scramble channel lol. That’s why I appreciate good commentary in wrestling, because guys like JR and others were great at painting an awesome picture for someone that couldn’t physically see the matches 🙌🏾. At times I’d just close my eyes and pictured the matches in my head. Ahh good times good times 😂.

[@plcthelegacy4131]

Fun fact, that you probably already know, The Ringmaster was supposed to been in the final 4 but accidentally slipped off the ropes when Fatu eliminated him. So he was out of the match early.

[@rickyrosay33977]

No wonder it looked weird seeing Kama in the final 4

[@speedwaynutt]

WWF Magazine advertised a WWF Women's Championship match for this event, featuring Alundra Blayze vs. Aja Kong. The match was scratched from the card due to Blayze joining wcw and we all know what happened next with that championship ending up in the trash.

[@bigjohnsbreakfastlog5819]

Yup. Madusa doing bum all in WCW.

[@calamaty9963]

I also recall the fan mail page of the WWF Magazine one time addressed Vader as “Verdure” to avoid getting sued or whatever. Yeah I was looking forward to that women’s title match.

[@stingrey1571]

interesting fact, razor ramon has NEVER competed in the actual royal rumble match.

[@ImagineABear]

Razor Ramon did appear in a Royal Rumble, but not portrayed by Scott Hall. 😜

[@stingrey1571]

@@ImagineABear true, scott hall has never been in the rumble.

[@kaw203]

I know undertaker had the injury, but I'm probably also in the minority. I loved that phantom of the opera mask, it made him look proper pissed

[@guillermosierracuellar9812]

So apparently Steve Austin was supposed to be part of the final 4 competitors but he couldn’t save himself from the elimination so we can say that Fatu Made a difference get it

[@speedwaynutt]

Stone Cold confirmed this on his podcast. He had a spot planned with Shawn Michaels.

[@guillermosierracuellar9812]

Zane you should review all the billionaire Ted skits

[@TheTribalgame]

Wrestling bios did. It was pretty good

[@NY4Life]

This was my first Royal Rumble ever. I had become a pro wrestling fan at this point in my life

[@oldskoolhero84]

Everyone understandably fondly remembers the attitude era and monday night wars. But damn the new generation era was my youth, as dated as it seems now it was so important and engaging to me in its day. I adore these reviews, you really do these so well. Thanks for all of your work and fandom

[@jonathanryan2915]

I'm kinda the same way. I really got into wrestling after WrestleMania 11 (the one with Lawrence Taylor). So I got a good strong taste of the WWF at the tail end of the new generation. But watching it morph into the attitude era made it worth watching in the end. Especially when I discovered WCW and ECW. Good times

[@RyoUrawa777]

not gonna lie Goldust feeling up Razor in the match always makes me laugh also I love how Vince on commentary says Yokozuna eliminates Yokozuna lol

[@FracturedDogma]

The current school joke about taker was great 😂

[@toptenguy1]

The Bret/Taker match might have been slow and a bit boring, but I was SO INTRIGUED by it. A guy with "superhuman" cardio vs a guy with "superhuman pain tolerance". Something has to give!

[@lewisaino]

War of Attrittion

[@meirnissim5927]

This is the 1st Royal Rumble match when everyone came out to their entrance music

[@justinharasyn1574]

I'm pretty much bedridden with a broken heel thanks to a drunk driver. Wanted to give you a shout out man, I watch your videos every night. Love the content and love the fact that there's so many other wrestling fans out there. The WCW classic ppv's are my favorite

[@WrestlingWithWregret]

So sorry to hear that happened, get well soon!

[@manystitches8241]

RIP Chico, The Bad Guy, Razor Ramon, Scott Hall

[@CaitiffFTW]

8:55 That is NOT "gay panic". That is a reasonable response to being sexually harassed, sexually assaulted, and stalked.

[@PlasticFoods__]

The way Mabel jumps out the ring when Jake releases the snake 🐍 😂😂😂😂😂

[@ambrose5114]

so many memories. I'm from France and this was the very first WWF PPV I was able to watch because a friend was able to record it for me. He had miscalculated, the result was that the recording was too short and it stopped when Diesel got back in the ring after being eliminated by Shawn... Besides, I was already a big fan of Triple H at that time, and he had stayed almost an hour in the Rumble. Thanks W3 for this review :)

[@pakman15]

One of my favorite PPV’s of all time. My grandfather taped this for me in 1996 and I watch that tape almost until it popped

[@andrewabbey2094]

Had this on Colosseum Video as a kid and must have watched it a hundred times. Thanks Brian!

[@wwesvk9958]

J-E-F-F J-A-R-R-E-T-T HA HAAA AINT HE GREAT.

[@violentbryan21]

To answer what Brian said about Hogan and Mean Gene coming back to the WWF/E after Vince taking shots at Turner, Hogan and Savage is simple “Money talks and Bullsh*t walks”

[@citizenstrife]

19:08 There's Diana again, looking at the Goldust/Razor build...or maybe future times like Katie Vick and Claire Lynch.

[@HammerBolt]

"UnderTaker hitting the current school!" You fuckin kill Zane. I'm laughing way to hard at that stupid line!

[@TheLandofObscusion]

A quick correction for Brian about Razor Ramon. Hall actually did have one last PPV match before going to WCW, where he lost to Vader at Good Friends, Better Enemies (the IYH after Mania XII) in what was essentially a extended squash match. I'm not surprised that people tend to forget about this, as it had next to no build (I didn't even know about it until Wrestling Bios covered it quickly as part of Reliving the War), and Hall didn't do anything memorable, like Nash ripping off Mad Dog Vachon's prosthetic leg during the match against Michaels.

[@wwetnabamafan194]

Tatanka...Buffalo. Nice Superstars album reference.

[@ThatTransMuffinOfficial]

Vader WITH HIS LEOTARD BACKWARDS THE ENTIRE TIME. Legend.

[@1alsturgeon]

Ahmeds screams are the same exact screams you hear the WWE Unauthorised DVD 😂

[@themedianman9712]

The spot 30 vs spot 1 concept should be used for all spots. As a kid, the Rumble was cool for its novelty. As a savvy adult, you quickly realize how stupid it is to base the biggest prize on a luck of the draw contest. Earning your spot would lead to new, easily tellable stories (since it's only for a specific spot in a match, opens the door for screw job upsets that don't hurt the top card guys) and would make winning the Rumble feel a bit more earned. Also, it is a month of free, easily written programming, that doesn't burn out the bookers/writers.

[@jjmwwe]

The Michael Barton line always gets me

[@Nickwatchesfootball]

that glitter line me me laugh pretty heartily after the birthday version of the mailbag and super glittery card

[@Kscriv]

So, the Raw Bowl was more of a pun on College Football since it was on Jan. 1, a traditional college football Bowl day, hence the cheerleaders and referring to the WWF Title as the "National Title" during one of the event center recaps.

[@At0micPunk90]

"How did they ever come back working for Vince McMahon after the way this company summarily buried the fuck out of them?" Money, Brian, money.

[@SpaceGhost92]

HBK was pretty damn over in 96 at the start of his baby face run. The concussion angle on raw with Owen really got over big

[@MrAce-lm8es]

Razor had Title Matches in all 4 of his Royal Rumble Appearances. 1993 - 1996. Bret Hitman Hart, IRS, Jeff Jarrett, and Goldust.

[@craighurley3068]

Only appearance in a royal rumble match was 1997 the 'fake razor ramon' lasting 3 seconds 😂

[@diezel308]

So glad to see this Rumble on the channel. For as obscure and ultimately unremarkable as this event was, it holds a special spot in my mind and heart as it was the first PPV I watched as a kid when I first got deep into wrestling.

[@vega0vegasv1]

I had like 50 wwf vhs tapes as a kid and would watch them all the time. This was always one of my favourites and it's good to get someomes opinion and watch back some highlights

[@PaleHorseShabuShabu]

4:49 "Billy goes to check on her, spends all day down there" There's a lot of guys who have spent all day down there on Sunny.

[@dhall888]

Hell yeah! Undertaker doing the patient current school move

[@riotd.r.8363]

*Sees Ahmed Johnson* insert Simpsons greasy meme

[@num1shinfan]

I give this review a B- Pros: mentioning chemistry, pointing out good storytelling, "current school", overall Fair rating Cons: Harping on political correctness, not calling out Federation for lack of star power in Rumble Can't wait for the next review. I watch them religiously good job 👍

[@aarondowd8197]

Here's hoping the 97 Rumble review happens soon. The first Rumble I ever saw.

[@firethunder834]

"And then he's extracted by Yankem!" *insert Rock clapping GIF*

[@aaronlauretani8921]

That Bret-Taker match was such a shocking nothing match. Bret was the most transitional champion ever to be a transitional champion from January-April, stuck in a rut as an afterthought between Diesel vs. Undertaker and Shawn's mega-push. When you compare his effort here to ones like his previous month's match with the Bulldog, I think he clearly didn't want to work his hardest in this match, and I can't really blame him.

[@FreeThinkAlways]

Personally I couldn't stand the finishes to brets world title matches, most of the time there was just some screwey finish just like when shawn was champ.. seriously can you think of many clean finishes to their title matches?

[@busterbrown2640]

Did the undertaker ever pull off the spinaroni? That would be insane if he did!

[@SpaceGhost92]

Bret acted like a real bitch about that Diesel Taker angle.

[@bastih.5264]

But Taker himself said at some point that he was very fond of his matches against Hart because they challenged his wrestling skills.

[@aaronlauretani8921]

@@bastih.5264 They had an excellent match at One Night Only in England. Their Summerslam 1997 match was also much better than this Rumble match.

[@PatrickRain0512]

04:31 I remember closed fists becoming legal in WWE when Big Show returned in 2008 with his K.O. Punch

[@Sp_Oon]

OK but the intro for these is legitimately great.

[@jmkenola]

For some reason, this is one of my favorite Rumbles, and I remembered being scared of Vader.

[@kevinlee9929]

1 of mines too. I was excited for it in part because of trash the 95 Rumble match was. Looked forward to the following year (96) which had a better 30 man lineup.

[@heisensaul5538]

It's funny Vader has that really fierce and scary reputation, but many who have worked with him and were his friends (Steve Austin, Mick Foley, Jim Cornette to name a few) all said he was a giant teddy bear. A buddy of mine met Vader at an autograph signing for WrestleMania one year and he said Vader was like the nicest guy he's ever met.

[@jmkenola]

​ @Kevin Lee 95 for years was one of my favorites, but looking back (just watched it last year) the RR match was not that good (I am being polite). I guess the novelty of having the 1st and 2nd man in the RR is the silver lining in an otherwise meh show

[@davidhunter1555]

Oh god. When the squat team appeared with Cornette I think McMahon referred to them as "interestingly constructed gentlemen" and that was that. woof

[@guillermosierracuellar9812]

It’s strange to see that the royal rumble match isn’t the main event

[@chrisbreezy3048]

Agreed. If I remember correctly, the last time that happened was back in 2013 when Cena won and Rock defeated Punk to win the WWE Title, setting up Twice in a Lifetime at WrestleMania 29.

[@bigrigjoe5130]

According to Steve Austin, he was booked to be in the Final 4 in the ring and then get eliminated near the end. To help establish him as a threat But the ropes were slipperly and when Rikishi clotheslined him he legit fell out of the ring and was eliminated. Said he felt awful afterwards, WWE gave him a chance off the bat and he screwed it up. Also explains why the cameras barely caught it

[@gustwynns7977]

The "Current School" got me rolling.

[@retrokid562]

This was a first WWF Royal Rumble/PPV I got to see as a kid. I held this PPV close to my memory.

[@Chimpa307]

The Ted Turner, hawster, nacho, scheme gene were AWESOME. I always looked forward for that entertainment.

[@KingKhanate1997]

I honestly love the Hollywood Backlot Brawl. Admittedly it’s less of a match and more of an angle but it’s just such a fun, over the top brawl sans OJ footage.

[@heisensaul5538]

The OJ stuff was even dated when WrestlemaniaXII was new. OJ had been aquitted 5 months earlier. So if Vince still finds it funny you know it's gonna get included by gawd!!!!

[@moreblack]

16:39 Austin's story about his elimination here is funny. Apparently he was supposed to get the big push by surviving Fatu's clothesline and lasting longer in the match, but the ropes were so slippery he couldn't grab onto anything and was out way earlier than planned.

[@Jabroniville]

It's crazy because Fatu just CHUCKS him with that move- I don't think anybody could have hung on at that velocity.

[@henrikschmidt3964]

A fun fact is, that Austin was supposed to be one of the last four. But he slipped on the ropes and was accidentally eliminated.

[@edward66703]

Great to see RR 05 get some love. Actully the first wrestling show i ever watched so hope you do this show justice....except for the casket match of course

[@RedSoxFanatic4Life]

For as dangerous a worker as he was, it’s amazing Ahmed Johnson didn’t injure himself and his opponent far more often than he actually did. Which was still quite a lot, but it honestly could’ve been in every match.

[@RolfWrenWalsh]

"Current School" is another great one. Though nothing will ever top "His Own Bottom", keep the amazing puns coming Brian.

[@yoshaable]

"The Current School" shouldn't have made me laugh as much as it did

[@mrsejanoz523]

Props for the reversed version of 'Tell Me A Lie' at the end!

[@CraigCairney83]

Remember staying up late and watching it live with my grandfather. Great memories.

[@Swoll826]

Vader's gear was on backwards as pointed out during an old Botchamania video

[@KyleRouchon]

Dr. Unger was my real life physician back during this time; he practiced out of Chino Ca. I did not really care for him, however his office was lined with wrestling memorabilia and autographs so I always enjoyed going in.

[@heisensaul5538]

He seems like he didnt really have much of a personality. He seemed kind of dull tbh.

[@johnnyballenatl]

And Dr. Unger is actually Kerwin Silfies (WWE’s television director since the ‘80s), who was also Wink Collins in the Tee Vee Trivia bit.

[@brianconnelly1238]

Bret and Taker had very good chemistry together

[@mvgsports]

I don't think the WWF was taking a dig at the NFL...that Raw episode aired on 1/1/96, and New Year's Day is traditionally a huge college football bowl game day, so it was more of an homage to that.

[@heisensaul5538]

Yeah the RAW Bowl aired opposite the Citrus Bowl (Tennessee-Ohio State) and it had more of a college game feel than that of a professional one.

[@steveharvey2102]

'The Current School' I love it!

[@javiers5599]

This video cheered me up enough to almost forget Bret Hart doing NFTs, almost

[@MrAce-lm8es]

17:56 - The Best Royal Rumble Video Package with Bret and the Taker. Really put together!

[@chrisbreezy3048]

15:03 Taker murdering Maven after being shockingly eliminated in the '02 Rumble Match serves as a prime example of this.

[@ImagineABear]

Maven was not eliminated but was deemed unable to compete due to the attack, and Maven was actually given a WWE Title match on Raw as a result.

[@kidwaryodproduction]

10:05 Scott Hall with Chokeslam always the most beautiful thing ever :)

[@brandonfouts4074]

these videos bring back such good memories

[@joshuatorres7766]

05? Honestly remember a few things from this rumble. The infamous botch & McMahon losing it Benoit, Holly, & Guerrero Hazing Edge vs HBK And the beginning of the build for one of the best WrestleMania matches, HBK vs Kurt Angle

[@freakfoxvevo7915]

Don't forget the last WWE Appearance of the greatest Tough Enough winner: Puder!

[@robertlowrie8446]

4:19 Fun fact, Sunny and Candido were never actually married.

[@stevecopper1667]

Spring stampede 98 is one of the best WCW pay-per-views there is summer 98 was pretty good

[@TUFprofan]

Fond memories of this Rumble as this was one of the first PPVs I was allowed to get. I watched it with my whole family and they were not happy with the Goldust stuff or Nash's finger at the end. Sufficed to say I watched most Attitude Era PPVs scrambled on the old black box until I was old enough to pay for them and watched them alone.