That Time Drew Carey Was in the WWE Royal Rumble (2001)

Once again, I'm taking a closer look at one of the GREATEST Royal Rumbles of all-time! Let's turn back the clock back and review the 2001 Royal Rumble, with STEVE AUSTIN, THE ROCK, KANE, THE UNDERTAKER and much more!
Shout-out to Joel Ma & Ian Dawson for originally nominating this show way back in the day!
00:00 Intro
04:05 WWF Tag Team Championship: Edge & Christian vs. The Dudley Boyz
06:29 Enter ... DREW CAREY!
07:11 The APA compare Rumble numbers
07:23 Ladder Match for the Intercontinental Championship: Chris Benoit vs. Chris Jericho
10:27 Drew Carey is entered into the Royal Rumble match
10:47 Billy Gunn warns Chyna to stay out of the ring
11:10 WWF Women's Championship: Ivory vs. Chyna
14:19 More backstage hijinks
15:04 The fans weigh in on the title match
15:12 WWF Championship: Kurt Angle vs. Triple H
18:15 The Rock speaks on the Rumble match
18:33 The Royal Rumble Match
25:24 Final Thoughts
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[@georgeh4171]

I remember as a UK viewer that my friends and I had no idea who Drew Carey was! So we just all assumed he must be Jim Carrey’s less funny brother 😂

[@letsgets77]

That's funny and sad. Cleveland rocks guy.

[@celticbat3792]

LMAO that's great!

[@dixienormus6941]

I just googled him and still have no idea who he is

[@jonnyOysters]

Guess you never had the American version of "who's line is it anyway"? Drew Carrey wasn't great on that as the host. But still one of my favourite shows of all time.

[@OtakuD50]

@@jonnyOysters He was also the star of the Drew Carey Show at the same time, which also had Ryan Stiles on in it and was where Craig Ferguson really broke out (he played Drew's boss).

[@ervinghenderson4780]

That look of fear on Scotty's face when he realizes the Brothers Of Destruction are waiting for him.

[@lalilulelo.n.stitch]

Then compare it to Stone Cold's face immediately after.

[@jesselee4279]

That was probably the best honkey tonk man impression I've ever heard lmao

[@Phyrre56]

My favorite thing about this Rumble is that it has distinct phases. It's not just one long match. It starts with the Hardys and the Drew Carey nonsense, then it transitions into the Hardcore Battle Royal for a while, then the Honky Tonk Man nostalgia/joke bit, then Kane & Rock dominating for a while, then the ring fills up with bigger guys, then its Brothers of Destruction (and shows how strong they are together, getting rid of all the heavyweights) and finally the finish sequence once Austin gets in there. That's 6 or 7 different phases of the match that tell great stories.

[@RatelHBadger]

That's how it should be. Each new entrant should add to or bring a new dynamic to the story being told in the ring. If it's "just another guy" to get bumped about and thrown out, what's the point. There's so many angles the match could take, hardcore, teammates and betrayals, nostalgia moments, monsters going on rampages, plucky underdogs scrapping against the odds.

[@paulgibbon5991]

I swear, Scotty's "...seriously?" expression is my most enduring memory of seeing this Rumble.

[@explodingburritosexperienc9111]

Kane as the cho-cho-chosen one had me deeeaaaad

[@TAGibby]

20:50 That Honky Tonk Man impression make me snort laugh. 🤣

[@tylerpascua6818]

The 2001 road to Wrestlemania… This show, No Way Out and X7 absolutely legendary.

[@genoray3071]

Christian doing the “what’s up??” looks like Will Ferrell doing Harry Caray.

[@GirlMargaret]

That Honky Tonk Man impression got me wheezing!! 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

[@mugabi9502]

Stone Cold Steve Austin was a 2 time Royal Rumble. Is 1997 Stone Cold Steve Austin throw a rope all the time. 1998 and 2001.

[@SapinskiMath]

I never noticed this up until now, but looking at Trish back in the beginning, the way her face looks, her hairstyle, how she pouts her lips. The image has suddenly all come together and now I can't unsee it. She's Evil Topanga.

[@bigjohnsbreakfastlog5819]

The audience was apathetic to Drew's appearance in 2001 and were really mad at his induction in 2011. Drew Carey never came off as a wrestling fan to the diehards despite having Triple H appear in an episode of the Drew Carey Show (one of those shows that is completely lost to licensing hell but you have to explain to folks that it was big back in the day), and not taking a bump didn't help matters. Nowadays we got Bad Bunny and Logan Paul taking it the time to learn the intricacies so they don't get rejected, which is for the better.

[@CoopiiemanInc]

Remember staying up late to watch this live on channel 5 (uk) then all talking about it at school next day. Glad I grew up in this era.

[@chrislombard1070]

Was it not channel 4? Feels 1000 years ago!

[@LuisHGarcia]

That intro alone was worth the redo of this review.

[@claymathewselevator8121]

I loved the intro

[@AceOfHerts]

This was my very first PPV at 12 years old and I can remember being incredibly pissed off that Kane didn't win

[@Bananahammock681]

This rumble isn't the only thing holding up well over the years! So is the channel!

[@heyyoitsmebrian]

i already cannot wait for him to review this rumble a 3rd time

[@hhtptai]

Let's just take a moment to appreciate Kane's performance in this match. One of the all time best to wreak havoc in a Rumble.

[@Thechezbailey]

Kane is underrated as a hard-core legend when you look at his resume.

[@dukeyxxyz]

Kane was always my favorite wrestler as a kid and this rumble is my favorite mostly for his performance in it.

[@robertanderson2898]

Even in his very 1st Rumble Match in '99 he eliminated I think, 4 or 5 guys, and in less than a minute, before eliminating himself. This was truly legendary though, and alot say he should have been the winner instead of Austin, but we'd never have gotten the 'Mania X-7 classic between Rock and Austin.

[@danc3488]

Seriously. No joke, dude. He was awesome in the Rumbles. How long did he last in this one?

[@kevinlove9551]

Drew Carey in the 2001 Rumble and Bobby Heenan saying “it’s not fair to Flair” in 1992 are my favorite Rumble moments ☝🏻

[@albonthegoat]

You need to leave Cleveland and play for the Mavs. Surely, you'd be better than Dwight Powell.

[@jaysonraphaelmurdock8812]

At least you would get more playing time.

[@heyyoitsmebrian]

drew carey should have been #1 and lasted at least 40 minutes with a handful of eliminations

[@chrisbreezy3048]

I'm glad to see this show has been revisited (not re-uploaded) since the '01 Rumble Match is probably my all-time favorite. As always, a big thank you to Brian and those working behind the scenes at Wregret HQ for all of your hard work to bring us all the best content!

[@steveharvey2102]

Hell yeah! I seconded that notion in a seperate post. Great time to be a fan! You had 2 of the greatest manias out of 3 years. The 3rd one being, Rock Vs. Hogan. I was lucky enough to see got to see one of the 3 manias live! Guess which one? Being from Montreal, I got the shit mania, in between the 2 All-Time greats. The Wrestlemania I like to call the "One match mania" ;) I remember, after Hogan Vs Rock, watching the Women's title match, I LOVED Trish! Who didn't? As that match ended we got up to leave! That's how obvious the Main Event was to all fans! There was also a huge blizzard starting and we had to drive 5 hours, back to Montreal!! Crazy! So who won the Main event??? ;)

[@clliip]

seconded, i've used this to zone out and relax more times then i care to count and love that you're redoing it. Appreciate all you do guys

[@ih7729]

KZbin channel makes a video. Let’s not all have a suck off at once, cupcakes.

[@clarencesimmons8580]

It's been for 5 years since review blocked that channel i was watching since the pandemic started.

[@clarencesimmons8580]

Brian, It wasn't January 24, 2001 it was January 21, 2001, I was right about that!

[@christraven]

"It's ten years of regret; we're doing things a little differently this time." Sounds like the transition between my first and second marriages. Hope it goes better for you than it did for me, Zane. 😆

[@CoralCopperHead]

Don't worry, eventually you'll figure out that marriage isn't worth a thing beyond tax benefits.

[@marcohavokkhaos]

I'm 34, been in a relationship for 7 years, still not married. That's why I wait, I don't want to end up like Ross Geller lol

[@RE-sc9bz]

Marriage is a scam until they get rid of no fault divorce.

[@leaderofnoone9087]

The thumbnails should have said. The time that WWE Hall of Fame Drew Carey debuted in WWE.

[@bigjohnsbreakfastlog5819]

Also, this show was the final PPV appearance of Tiger Ali Singh. He made one final TV appearance on RAW the next night and that was the end of his run. It's quite interesting the guy lasted nearly 5 years despite sporadic appearances and general negative reaction.

[@gabepollock1641]

I get the feeling the WWF thought he could be a new Canadian superstar, since Tiger Jeet Singh was a Canadian mainstay from the 1960s and 1970s. Problem was that Ali did not have his dad’s gimmick, charisma, or enough proficiency for picking up the business anywhere near the speed of his fellow multi-generational stars.

[@princesstamika]

It's interesting that the original Tiger Jeet Singh lasted as long as he did in 2 different countries despite never doing wrestling moves.

[@gabepollock1641]

@@princesstamika Singh was successful where he worked because he was a madman brawler type who could have bloody affairs that made the babyface look tough and didn’t happen 24/7 in a territory.

[@kenterminateddq5311]

Zane should do more Revisited Versions of the Classic PPV Reviews that were taken down. I wonder if us Patreon members will know about the Revisited Reviews early as well.

[@IWillScoop]

This was the first PPV I watched as a kid and I loved it so much. Everything seemed so much grander than what I was used to seeing on TV. It's the reason the Rumble became my favorite match type.

[@phantomdriver2010]

Is that? THE MAN CALLED HAKUUUUUU

[@JMSK248]

There goes Brian mispronouncing Steve Mufuggin' Blackman's proper name again.

[@mathiusjones7265]

I remember this being on Channel 4 here in the UK back in the day and there was an add break right as the Big Show returned. Poor guy.

[@phantomsidious2934]

Yeah I remember that moment to

[@stonecold6521]

That's weird. I'm from UK too and I taped this PPV. Don't remember any adverts at all during the RR match itself.

[@medes5597]

@@stonecold6521 I remember adverts. I also videoed it and remember the big show moment.

[@kylekarnes4652]

The best Rumble ever. I loved this era Kane so much.

[@PunksInVegas]

Great to see the APA repping those iconic "Always Pounding Ass" shirts backstage

[@lifeonearth4223]

That N64 No Mercy reference to Perry Saturn was god-tier! 💯

[@nickofthelivingdead88]

The sheer fear on Scotty 2 Hotty's face is etched into my memory to this day.

[@speedwaynutt]

The Ladder Match Between Benoit and Jericho is a must watch but it's sorta awkward to recommend due to the Benoit situation but damn that's one of the best Ladder matches.

[@CooroSnowFox]

This is a time where you can appreciate Benoit... but it's a sliding scale from soon after since he has a broken neck soon after the rumble. and you can say it's just getting worse from that?

[@ryanmeakin7203]

You can always speak about him purely from a wresting point of view

[@phantomsidious2934]

It was 2001, many years before all the tragedy happened and all the events that lead up to it, its OK to watch his matches prior to 2005/6 I'd say

[@CooroSnowFox]

@Phantom Sidious I have to say the wrestling ability merges at a point when you see that he was Hard, physically and on himself...

[@phantomsidious2934]

Easily my favorite Royal rumble of all time! The crowd, the stars and so much going on, holds up extremely well.

[@TheCheat420]

Wow I think redoing a review is a great idea!

[@braylonclark539]

That 5 second intro was incredible.

[@Giantsfanlewis]

I think I feel your opinion for the China issue, is that the WWE will do something due to a real moment, but then play off that emotion later on by trying to replicate it. It's kind of like how people realize that the "X" sign means something's wrong from the refs, so then the WWE use that to try to play off emotion. Its a tough spot.

[@joewojtecki9991]

Through Hellfire and Slapnuts, that's gotta be K-a-n-e, Kane.

[@neonlitez11]

This review was much better than the original so it's dope you chose to redo it lol

[@steveharvey2102]

13:10 Brian's right about Ivory and her quality selling! Lest we forget, she was the top Wrestler in G.L.O.W during the 80's. And, as we know, they were all about the technical wrestling, at the house David McClaine built ;) But, "If I could be Lance Storm for a minute." ;) Ivory, or (Tina) was by far the best wrestler, G.L.O.W. or any of the other women's feds of the 80's had! Also, Chyna sold well in this too. I remember watching this live at the local bar and remember feeling bad for Chyna, although on a separate note, she did bury the Women's title almost as much as Medussa's garbage can did, J.K. :) Cheers from Canada and Thanks to Brian for redoing this review! You are the best!

[@TheKnightOfTheRoundTable]

I lost it when Jeff Jarretts theme played after Kane hit the honky Tonk man with guitar

[@KMmouse20]

The redo! Can't blame you for chucking the towel in trying to play the YuuTuub games.

[@BrandanTheBroker]

Revisited should be a whole new series, but looking forward to this review!

[@DannieDecentVlogs]

Loved that call back to wwf no mercy for N64 when you told Perry Saturn he should just do his A and B move , awesome video I enjoyed it

[@MackGeddon]

One of the best PPV shows of the time when WWF could do no wrong. Whenever I see the finish of that Rumble match, immediately Limp Bizkit's My Way starts playing in my head.

[@aserna13]

My dad and I were two of those 17,000+ in attendance that night. He wasn't a pro wrestling fan but he made the trip to New Orleans with me so I could enjoy this pay-per-view. Thank you Brian Zane for your re-reviewing this show. It really brought back a lot of good memories! 😎👍

[@lesyoung9151]

Kane smashing Honkey with the guitar always gets me lol

[@claymathewselevator8121]

Kane’s hall of fame induction speech for Drew Carey was hilarious

[@trebion]

I like this idea of revisiting some of the old shows especially those that were blocked obviously, but even in general with where the level of content from this channel is now I would enjoy seeing a re-review of some of the older shows covered.

[@ScarysReviews]

You should do a top 8 Celebrity Hall of famers, or celebs who had a spot in the ring, Cindy Laupa, Mr T, ARNOLD SCHWARZENEGGER, Shaq, Johnny Knoxville, Steve o, Chris Pontious, Drew. Maybe a look back when WCW went to Australia for tapings of Thunder and Nitro.

[@pumpkinking5397]

As a longtime viewer of this channel, I'm absolutely down for the idea of revisiting old pay-per-views. It's cool to revisit old reviews once in awhile, and see how opinions change.

[@harshckuk]

Guys, let's make sure it surpasses the views of the original upload. This review is even better than the original

[@czmisfitsfan]

I watched this in a packed Hooters and people were going nuts during the ladder match.

[@radalexander7160]

There has never been anyone better suited to play a character in a catatonic state than Linder McMahon. Her lifeless stare is Oscar worthy

[@fattiger6957]

That Jericho/Benoit ladder match is my favourite match of all time. I just love what how they used the ladder in so many interesting and brutal ways. Just the Jericho/Benoit feud is one of my favourite rivalries. Those guys just clicked together perfectly in the ring and always produced amazing matches.

[@harrybehemoth2751]

You should start making music videos again. They were what got me watching this channel in the first place.

[@jordanfligor]

I absolutely love this rumble! More classic reviews the better!

[@princeofstrongstyle6683]

20:30 Correction: it's Steve Muffugin' Blackman!

[@WrestlingWithWregret]

Already used that for Drew Carey, didn't want to repeat myself 😄

[@claymathewselevator8121]

@@WrestlingWithWregret 🤣

[@claymathewselevator8121]

@@WrestlingWithWregret that’s now what I’m referring to Drew Carey as 😂

[@princeofstrongstyle6683]

@@WrestlingWithWregret ah ah ah But the pronunciation was different. Still, hilarious.

[@brandedmcgowan9414]

WWE the only wrestling promotion to have both "The Price is Right" hosts on wrestling!

[@claymathewselevator8121]

Bob Barker was the best raw celebrity guest host

[@brandedmcgowan9414]

@@claymathewselevator8121 by chopping Chris Jericho in the back😁

[@heyyoitsmebrian]

you ever notice, nowadays in a regular match, if someone gets hit with a finisher, they get laid out. but if someone hits a finisher in the rumble, the person taking the move has to pop right back up and put themselves prone against the ropes. lol. the most egregious one is randy orton hitting the RKO on Roman at the very end of the 2017 rumble. gets hit with an rko, gets RIGHT up, and then leans on the ropes to be clotheslined out. lol. now that ive noticed it, i look for it all the time.

[@ADAM_COLLECTS]

Luke Gallows once described working a battle royal as this “forearm forearm forearm forearm forearm forearm pause, forearm forearm forearm forearm forearm forearm”

[@GilesArt]

Also, as a kid, I loved the Drew Carrey spot. The concept of trying to bribe classic death-to-all Kane is utterly hilarious. Image trying to give the Terminator a twenty!

[@SlashClawGaming]

I wouldn't mind seeing these as a revisit, if for nothing else, it would be interesting to hear how your views with certain matches or aspects have changed from the original. This was awesome.

[@blinkth3dog]

I was like, 19 at the time, you cannot understand how popular Drew was at the time. Great guy, i really recomend his biography book

[@kenterminateddq5311]

IMHO, I think Kane's 2001 Royal Rumble performance made the former WWF champion a household name. What do you think, Kane-A-Nites?

[@Kiernanglynn20]

Definitely the highlight for of his career

[@MechaTamago]

A W3 remix? Let's go!

[@deadman23px]

Classic reviews are the highlight of my week! Keep up the good work Brian

[@Hoesphhoestarr]

I know it can get messy but it's cool to see classic reviews updated

[@clintstewart5545]

Respect Brian Zane for putting things into context , 2001 was different than 2023 , back again watching your channel appreaciate your new approach ...

[@arkhaon]

Thank you Zane ^^ I recently was looking for your review of this Royal Rumble ^^ thank you for redoing this for us ^^

[@danc3488]

I really miss WWF New York. It's a Hard Rock Cafe now. Yeah the food wasn't great, but you couldn't beat that atmosphere. Amazing venue for it's time.

[@aramisbyrd1285]

I saw this review 2 or so years ago once and I've been looking for it ever since. Glad you got it back onto the channel!

[@mrredeyes7021]

I’ll rewatch any video you post you have earned it

[@cax1175]

Thanks for doing this Brian!

[@DrinkYourNailPolish]

Thank you Brian for all the hard work you put into making your videos to entertain us all. Your channel is one of a very few handful that I will re watch videos b/c they're that enjoyable.

[@ShifT818]

when rock and austin find each other sitting in opposite corners...*chefs kiss*

[@ADAM_COLLECTS]

love your work on the classic WWF ppv’s. Please, keep them coming

[@mitchellwest174]

Love your reviews

[@bryanspeidel7495]

The review redo, love it

[@GilesArt]

Thanks for all your hard work trying to fix the old vid, and re-recording for this re-review! This is one of my favourite rumbles which, let's face it; Kane won. I know, I know, Stone Cold took him out, but let's be real here; Kane won it harder than anyone's ever won it. --- It's because he was sick at the time, I'm not sure if you've heard of the ailment, it's called... ... *FINAL BOSS SYNDROME*

[@versebuchanan512]

I'm glad you're redoing this. I remember just the other day watching a couple of Plumpys lists over on PFK and they now run like "Number Seven- Shawn Michaels [JUMP CUT] -forever, NUMBER EIGHT"

[@ElChaseReturns]

This was a pleasant surprise! I usually re-listen to these at work to kill some time, so I thought it would be that! Great idea to simply re-review instead of editing it to all hell!

[@PrinceWatercressXadara]

The description for the Honky Tonk Man getting eliminated completely broke me as soon as the mirror image effect happened. I'm glad this got re-visited; thanks for doing this!

[@tthomaselli2]

Wrestling With Wregret- I remember watching 'WWF Royal Rumble 2001' with a friends of mine & laughing at what you pointed out around 9:24-9:28. The main reason being is because Chris Jericho is tapping out to 'The Crippler Cross-Face', the crowd starts cheering for a brief period of time & Jerry "The King" Lawler is like "The match is over, J.R.!..."/"We have a new WWF Intercontinental champion."/"Chris Jericho's tapping out to Chris Benoit!..."/etc. on color commentary & Jim Ross is like "We do not have a new WWF Intercontinental champion, this match is not over & the only way to win is to climb the ladder & retrieve the WWF Intercontinental title.". Shortly after Jim Ross said that, my friend & I both pointed at the TV & said "THANK YOU!..." because we even knew that you can only win the match that way & we were only 12 at the time this event took place. Also, how come Jerry "The King" Lawler was saying stuff like that on color commentary, anyways?...

[@64manxman]

I always figured Jerry would say something wrong on purpose, so he could be corrected thus clearing things up for any viewers who were confused

[@johnpittsii7524]

Thanks for the review Brian

[@benespinosa6725]

Lol the intro made me laugh awesome Review brian this Royal Rumble PPV especially the Royal Rumble Match was fantastic

[@CheezusChrist1776]

As a long time fan, I really appreciate the overall effort of trying to get this original back up and then just doing what was best and re-uploading the entire thing with fresh commentary. Appreciate the work Zane

[@MrJblake86]

Thanks for this classic ppv review surprise!

[@jongon0848]

Was literally looking for this review to watch before the royal rumble 2023 but this is even better!

[@archangel2015]

I love your original review but that's youtube for you, I'm glad you re-reviewed it.

[@Jacktrack7]

Thanks for your hard work Brian, I'm sure I watched the original upload a couple of times but I'm always down for a re-review.

[@RKStrikerJK5]

Good on you for doing a new video! I'm sorry you _had_ to do it in the first place, but it's still good on you.

[@comixproviderftw_02]

The most dominant Kane has ever been

[@ir6237]

The only review missing in the 2001 timeline for the WWE now is Judgement Day. No rush, Brian!

[@CoryyJ]

Great idea on revisiting this show instead of a re-upload. Was cool to see how some of your opinions have changed over time.

[@OH_MY_DOGGG]

Drew Carey had to win Kate back from Oswald

[@nickpearson890]

Well this is a nice surprise considering I was looking for your original review of this yesterday

[@MutaScale]

Jokes aside about Drew Carey in the Hall of Fame... still did more to earn that spot than Kid Rock. Just throwing that out there. XD And yes, still one of the best Rumble PPV's.

[@Josh_J9]

Love these classic ppv reviews 😋😋😋

[@robertanderson2898]

One of the best Royal Rumble matches ever, and a better than average card all the way through. Definitely a top 5 favorite of mine. Thanks!

[@ITM95]

I really enjoyed seeing this one and how your viewpoints may have changed/evolved on things… would enjoy seeing of these “re-reviews” in the future

[@dr.snakes]

Wrevisitng With Wregret

[@claymathewselevator8121]

That would be a great name for reuploaded videos