Reviewing the Golden Era Rumbles: 1989

Hey everyone and welcome to TNR Presents. So last time, we took a look at the 88 Rumble Match and there were a lot of problems with it, but thanks to the strong ratings it received, the Royal Rumble event was promoted from TV Special to full-fledged 3 hour Pay-Per-View, allowing the show to find it's place into one of the company's Big 4 PPV's. But did the move give us a better Rumble Match? Let's find out.

The 1989 Royal Rumble event took place on January 15th, 1989 and was held at The Summit in Houston, Texas. The event sold out The Summit with an attendance of 19,000 and the number of PPV buys was around 600,000. 

Commentary is Gorilla Monsoon & Jesse Ventura. Sadly, this was the only time this legendary pairing called a Rumble together. 

Now let's start with a famous Royal Rumble moment.

Entrant #1: Ax

Entrant #2: Smash

That's right. Demolition, the WWF Tag Team Champions, are #1 & 2 and what I love is that they wail on each other for the entire 2 minutes. Had they done this with any other tag team, they would've had to had them do extra planning in the ring while waiting for #3, but not these two. They love violence, so it does make sense that go at each other. This is a pretty solid, entertaining mini-match between the two partners. Now-a-days, if they did this, they would be talks about the team breaking up. Just goes to remind you how different the two eras are.

Entrant #3: Andre the Giant

During the Demolition mini-match, commentary kept saying they didn't like #3's chances if Demolition was still in it. Well, what if that entrant was the biggest man in the match? Yeah, that makes things interesting, doesn't it? Actually, commentary may have been right as Demolition takes down Andre only a couple of seconds after he entered the ring. From there, they maintain a solid advantage over him for a while before Andre gets some traction going. Still, the Tag Champs looked strong going up against one of the main event monster heel in Andre. Again, to show how different this era is compared to ours, no tag-team in today's era would be booked that strongly like that. 

Entrant #4: Mr. Perfect

Perfect comes in and goes after Andre and sells his punches like they're from the Grim Reaper holding a C4. It's classic! Perfect attacks both Demolition and Andre, which isn't that smart of a strategy, especially from a heel that is supposed to be smart. Andre, finally getting a one-on-one tosses Smash out.

Elimination #1: Smash(by Andre the Giant)

Perfect and Ax work over Andre for a bit until Ax attacks Perfect and sends him into the buckle face first; A spot that would make Ron Simmons say 'Damn!'. Andre headbutts Perfect and again, he sells it like getting hit with a grenade.

Entrant #5: Ronnie Garvin

OK, raise your hand if you forgot this guy had a stint with the F? Yeah, I did too. Garvin enters and assists on the Andre beat down. They tie him in the ropes, but André flings them all off. Andre sits on Ax in the corner, squashing the poor guy like a bug and fends off Perfect and Garvin. Andre begins to dominate all three guys as the countdown starts.

Entrant #6: Greg Valentine

Valentine jogs in goes for Andre. It's a smart dynamic when the face/heel interaction is blown with everyone going after Andre. It doesn't last too long, but it was good while it lasted. Now Ax, Perfect, Garvin and Valentine all beat on Andre, but once again, he fights out of it and tosses Garvin.

Elimination #2: Ronnie Garvin(by Andre the Giant(2))

They begin to pair off once again as Perfect does a 180 from an Ax clothesline. Overselling at it's finest. 

Entrant #7: Jake Roberts

Jake enters to a huge ovation and goes after Andre as the two were in a big feud over Andre's fear of snakes as Jake's snake Damien gave Andre a heart attack on an episode of Saturday Night's Main Event. Andre focuses all his attention on Jake and chokes his, ignoring everyone else and not flinching when someone takes a shot at him. Andre beats on Jake in the corner while the others beat on each other.  


Entrant #8: Ron Bass

The recently shaved headed Bass thanks to Brutus Beefcake, with Gorilla calling him Baldy, enters and not long after that, Jake is eliminated.

Elimination #3: Jake Roberts(by Andre the Giant(3))

Well, that was an underwhelming stay. Seems odd that Jake's goes out this early... at the moment. Andre turns his attention to Valentine, who took some cheap shots at Andre while he was choking Jake. Perfect tries to assist, but gets swatted away like a fly. Bass and Ax go at it while André piles up Valentine and Perfect in the corner and squashes them.

Entrant #9: Shawn Michaels

Michaels, making his Rumble debut, goes after Bass. In a surprising moment, Perfect eliminates Ax.

Elimination #4: Ax(by Mr. Perfect)

Perfect tries to get a 2nd elimination by tossing Michaels over the top rope, but he doesn't hit the floor and skins the cat to get back in and he takes a shot at Perfect. The two go at it for a while, reminding me that these two would have a extremely disappointing match 4 years later at Summerslam 1993. Oh, what should've been a classic. Anyway. Michaels nearly eliminates Perfect, but he's able to swing off the ropes to get back in as everyone brawls.  

Entrant #10: Bushwhacker Butch

Butch comes in with Jake Roberts right behind him and releases Damien into the ring, freaking out Andre, who eliminates himself!

Elimination #5: Andre the Giant(by Himself(4))

Jesse calls BS on that and he's 100% right. Admittedly, this would set up their Wrestlemania V match, but still: Jake was eliminated fair & square and cost Andre the Rumble because he's a sore loser. Our babyface, ladies and gentlemen. The saddest part is this won't be the last time something like this happens in this match. Anyway, with Andre gone, the other Rumble-brawl by the ropes. Perfect and Bass try to double-team Michaels, but they screw it up and Bass eats a Perfect clothesline.

Entrant #11: The Honky Tonk Man

Easily one of the most over heels of the era, Honky comes out to a chorus of boos. Now they're six men in the ring and everyone pairs off. Not much else happens during this bit other than another near-elimination from Michaels. This does make me wonder if there is a official count for most near-eliminations. I guarantee you that Shawn would be high up on that list if one does exist.

Entrant #12: Tito Santana

Santana goes after Perfect, planting the seeds of their future IC Title feud later. Santana then goes after Valentine, cause they still have beef from 1985. Michaels takes a really high back drop from Bass and then a double-suplex from Bass & Perfect. 

Entrant #13: Bad News Brown

Brown is the lone wolf of the match and commentary gives him the 'This guy is made for this match' line, which as we've established last time, means he has no chance of winning. In an unbelievable moment, Honky gets eliminated.

Elimination #6: The Honky Tonk Man(by Bushwhacker Butch & Tito Santana)

I seriously don't know what's more surprising: that Honky's gone already or that he was eliminated by a Bushwhacker! I swear, if this was today's era, the IWC would be tweeting that he was getting buried or some shit like that. Santana and Valentine continue to brawl as Michaels eats a headbutt from Brown. Michaels gives a double forearm from the top to Brown and Bass, but nearly gets eliminated again as the buzzer goes off.

Entrant #14: Marty Jannetty 

Jannetty comes down and although it takes a while for he and Michaels to find each other, they eventually do and begin double-teaming Bass. A double dropkick sends Bass out.

Elimination #7: Ron Bass(by Shawn Michaels & Marty Jannetty)

The Rockers dominate the rest of the field as Santana nails his Flying Forearm on Valentine that nearly sends him out. 

Entrant #15: Randy Savage

The undisputed WWF Champion(this was at a time when  the WWF Champion could enter the Rumble Match) comes in and makes the biggest impact of anyone since Andre. He goes after Brown as Brown for disparaging Elizabeth. Valentine tries to interfere, but Savage is smoking and taking on all comers.  

Entrant #16: Arn Anderson

Anderson enters just as Savages eliminates Valentine.

Elimination #8: Greg Valentine(by Randy Savage)

Anderson and Michaels slug it out and then, in a surprising bit, Anderson and Savage team up to eliminate Michaels.

Elimination #9: Shawn Michaels(by Randy Savage(2) & Arn Anderson)

So, Savage can work with the heels? Hmm.... Anyway, Savage works over Brown and Jannetty crotches Anderson on the top rope as the countdown starts. 

Entrant #17: Tully Blanchard

A tag-team gets consecutive numbers? Didn't we already do this? Perfect and Tully battle as Bad News is wrapped up with Savage. Tully tries an atomic drop on Jannetty, but gets clotheslined. Anderson joins Tully and they whip Jannetty into the Double A Spinebuster and Tully drops elbows onto him for good measure. After some struggles, The Brain Busters eventually eliminate Jannetty as the buzzer goes.

Elimination #10: Marty Jannetty(by Tully Blanchard)

Entrant #18: Hulk Hogan

Hogan at #18 is surprising because, with the exception of Savage, the ring is filled with mid-carders and tag-wrestlers. Regardless, Hogan comes in and cleans house. He makes quick work of Perfect.

Elimination #11: Mr. Perfect(by Hulk Hogan)

While Hogan goes to work on Brown, Savage and Anderson once again team up to eliminate someone; this time it's Santana

Elimination #12: Tito Santana(by Randy Savage(3) & Arn Anderson(2))

The tables get turned as Brown works to get Hogan out and gets help from Tully and soon after, Anderson. Savage doesn't come to help as he tries and fails to toss Butch. Hogan manages to get out of it and the buzzer sounds.

Entrant #19: Bushwhacker Luke

Oh lord no... Well, thankfully, we don't have to deal with both Bushwhackers for very long as Brown tosses Butch

Elimination #13: Bushwhacker Butch(by Bad News Brown)

Thank god for that before this Rumble got into Shitsville territory. One is fine, but both, get me the fuck outta here. Hogan and Savage double-team Brown to get him out, but Anderson makes the save as they pair off. Hogan presses Tully and clotheslines him off the top rope as we get to my favorite part of this Rumble. Hulk Hogan and Bushwhacker Luke spend a good minute or so fighting each other and I can't convey to you guys how much this cracks me up. If there's some house show from back then that has this matchup, I want to see it because it's the most ridiculously absurd matchup one could possibly think of. Hell, I'd probably get more entertainment from that than the WWE's current product.  

Entrant #20: Koko B. Ware

Koko comes in and gets a little bit of offense going. Hogan and Anderson do the Flair in the corner spot. Hogan then starts raking peoples eyes and does so to eliminate Koko.

Elimination #14: Koko B. Ware(by Hulk Hogan(2))

I could point out that Hogan is clearly cheating by raking eyes, but... well, just you wait. Hogan gets triple-teamed by Butch and the Brain Busters, but fights out of it pretty quickly and eliminates Luke.

Elimination #15: Bushwhacker Luke(by Hulk Hogan(3))

The Brain Busters work on Hogan as Brown has Savage a little tied up. 

Entrant #21: The Warlord

As Warlord comes down, Hogan catches both Brain Busters with clotheslines and eliminate both of them!

Elimination #16: Arn Anderson(by Hulk Hogan(4))

Elimination #17: Tully Blanchard(by Hulk Hogan(5))

Then comes another famous moment from this match. Warlord strikes a quick pose on the apron before entering, when he's greeted by a Hulk Hogan clothesline and eliminated!

Elimination #18: The Warlord(by Hulk Hogan(6))

And then, the first moment in the 'Hogan is an asshole in Royal Rumble matches' moments happens as Hogan dumps Brown AND Savage!

Elimination #19: Bad News Brown(by Hulk Hogan(7))

Elimination #20: Randy Savage(by Hulk Hogan(8))

I would like to point out that he did that while Savage's back was turned. Hogan basically took the cowards route and took his partner out because he knew he would be a threat to win if he didn't. Savage jumps back in and gets into Hogan's face; pissed off and rightfully so. Elizabeth comes down to get the two to calm down and in the end, it's Savage who extends his hand to Hogan. 

OK, question: Why was Savage the one that turned heel on Hogan to set-up Mania V? Seriously, Hogan's actions in this match are that of a heel, so why didn't he turn and not Savage? Oh wait, I know why: It's cause kids love him and he sells merch and kids won't buy the merch if Hogan was heel, which means that we can have Hogan do heel antics in the match because why the hell not? And don't give me the 'Savage was jealous of Hogan because of Elizabeth' BS. 

Anyway, the two shake hands, tease of the Mega-Powers exploding is finished and it's time for a new entrant.

Entrant #22: The Big Boss Man

Hogan and Boss Man were in the midst of a feud, which is mighty convenient that Boss Man comes out now. The two square off and while Hogan has the initial advantage over Boss Man, he's also been in for almost 10 minutes compared to a fresh Boss Man, so it's not surprising that Boss Man takes over. Boss Man body slams Hogan and spits on him, but misses a running splash as the buzzer sounds.  

Entrant #23: Akeem

Here comes Boss Man's partner and Hogan is screwed. Gorilla and Jesse speculate about whether DiBiase is to blame for this. Gorilla also says that "There's no way you could get these two together; I guarantee it!" even though this is the 3rd tag-team to get consecutive numbers. Hogan fights off the Twin Towers for a bit, but again, he's going up against two fresh entrants, so the Towers take control quickly. Hogan tries to come back by knocking both of their heads and delivers a back suplex to Boss Man, but it hurts him too, leaving him prime-picking for Akeem. Double avalanche in the corner and then the Twin Towers ELIMINATE Hogan!

Elimination #21: Hulk Hogan(by The Big Boss Man & Akeem)

That's right, The Twin Towers eliminated Hogan cleanly. So Hogan, throwing a temper tantrum, pulls Boss Man underneath the ropes and starts whaling on him. Akeen goes to help is partner as the buzzer goes.

Entrant #24: Brutus Beefcake

One of Hogan's allies who goes to help the sore loser, but is eventually forced into the ring by Akeem. The Twin Towers work over Beefcake while Hogan argues with officials as they try to keep him from getting back in. The Towers continue to work on Beefcake when Hogan low-bridges Bossman out over the top.

Elimination #22: The Big Boss Man(by Hulk Hogan(9))

OK, SOMEONE EXPLAIN TO ME HOW HOGAN DIDN'T TURN HEEL ON SAVAGE WITH ANTICS LIKE THIS?!

Jesse calls it rightfully so. "Going in there and flagrantly cheating, not leaving when you're eliminated, causing someone else to get eliminated." How did Hogan not get kayfabed suspended after this event? Oh wait, I know: it's cause this is 80s Hogan who could do whatever he wanted. Our top babyface, ladies and gentlemen!

Entrant #25: The Red Rooster

Rooster comes in and tries to take out Akeem to no avail. And this is where we get to where this Rumble really drags. All the top babyfaces are out and with the exception of DiBiase, all the top names are out as well, leaving only mid-carders and tag-wrestlers to finish the match. I don't know why they did this, but it really shows as the fans aren't into it as they were before. 

Entrant #26: The Barbarian

Barbarian comes in with Akeem trapped in the ropes as Beefcake and Rooster try to get him out. At first, Barbarian helps them, but then attacks all of them. Commentary calls him an idiot for that. Everyone hangs on the ropes for a while. Akeem nails Air Africa in the center of the ring on Rooster.

Entrant #27: Big John Studd

Studd is supposed to be a babyface here, which is really weird, but it feels like he's more neutral as he tosses Rooster aside(Just how did Rooster get up so quickly after that splash?) as he wants Akeem all to himself. Everyone Rumble-brawls by the ropes. Beefcake chokes Barbarian out on the ropes. I know some of you are probably tired of this gag, but, our babyface, ladies and gentlemen.

Entrant #28: Hercules

Hercules comes in and goes after Barbarian. Not much else happens during this bit other than more Rumble-brawling by the ropes. It's getting boring, but were almost at the end.

Entrant #29: Rick Martel

Martel, who probably spent a year's salary to get #29, tries to go after Akeem, but Studd ain’t having none of that shit, so he goes after Rooster. Everyone else trades off trying to eliminate each other. 

Entrant #30: Ted DiBiase

DiBiase, who in a memorable moment, bought the #30 spot from manager Slick before the Rumble. He goes after Hercules, continuing the slave storyline that turned Hercules babyface. Virgil hands around ringside. It's important to note that managers aren't allowed at ringside for this Rumble, but since Virgil is a bodyguard, he's allowed to stay. In a weird looking spot, DiBiase tosses Rooster from one side of the ring to the other and eliminates him.

Elimination #23: The Red Rooster(by Ted DiBiase)

If you were hoping the ending of this match would start to pick up, sorry to disappoint you, but it really doesn't, so I'm sum this up quickly. 

Beefcake gets a sleeper on Hercules when DiBiase sneaks up and eliminates both of them, with an assist from Barbarian.

Elimination #24: Brutus Beefcake(by The Barbarian & Ted DiBiase(2))

Elimination #25: Hercules(by The Barbarian(2) & Ted DiBiase(3))

Shoulderblock by Barbarian on Martel and then a running powerslam. Barbarian goes up and drops a top-rope diving head-butt on Martel. Barbarian, thinking Martel is dead, sets him up to eliminate him, but Martel ducks and a dropkick sends Barbarian out

Elimination #26: The Barbarian(by Rick Martel)

And so our Final 4 for this Rumble are Akeem, Big John Studd, Rick Martel & Ted DiBiase. Akeem misses an avalanche on Martel as Martel comes back with a couple of dropkicks, but gets caught in a crossbody and eliminated.

Elimination #27: Rick Martel(by Akeem(2))

DiBiase directs traffic(with money, of course) as he and Akeem work over Studd. Avalanche by Akeem; Dibiase calls for another, but Studd pulls Dibiase in between. One forearm by Studd and Akeem is gone!

Elimination #28: Akeem(by Big John Studd)

And we're down to two! DiBiase tries to buy off Studd, but Studd says no. Studd beats on DiBiase for a good couple of minutes and just as Jesse reminds us that DiBiase can come back and win, he gets eliminated.

Elimination #29: Ted DiBiase(by Big John Studd(2))

Winner:

Big John Studd

Stats:

Royal Rumble Ironman: Mr Perfect(27:58)(Record

Shortest Time: The Warlord(0:02)(Record)

Most Eliminations: Hulk Hogan(9)(Record)

Final Thoughts:

This Rumble could very easily have a contender for the top-10 best Rumble matches of all time because the majority of it was very exciting. Once Hogan gets eliminated, things went downhill fast with antics that are out of character for a babyface, but also the home-stretch which felt just as long to get through as the Rumble itself. I also didn't understand why Hogan was eliminated when he was. Don't get me wrong; I'm not saying I wanted Hogan to win, but they could've booked him in this match better. Have a Final 4 of Hogan, Studd, DiBiase & Akeem where DiBiase & Akeem control for a bit, but the same thing that happens to DiBiase & Akeem where Studd eliminates Akeem and Hogan & Studd work over DiBiase for a while before eliminating him and go at each other and just when you think Hogan is about to win, Studd surprises Hogan and eliminates him. A finish like that would've certainly kept the fans interested. I have no problem with Studd winning here, though him winning never lead to anything. Admittedly, the Golden Era Rumbles didn't have much to winning other than bragging right and perhaps a big cash bonus, but still, had it booked like I had suggested previously, it could've set up a potential Hogan/Studd feud and that would've been interesting. There are plenty of good things about this Rumble, including the feel that it was every man for himself that was missing in the 88 Rumble, but in the end, this match is a case of what could have been. Certainly not a bad Rumble match, but not a great one like it could've been. 

Final Verdict:
6.5 out of 10

As always, I want to hear your opinions. What do you think of the 1989 Royal Rumble Match? Let me know in the comments below or hit me up on Twitter: @ThenWoReviewer and be sure to follow to get new content as soon as it comes out. Thanks for reading and until next time:

Reviewing the Golden Era Rumbles: 1988

Hello everyone and welcome back to TNR Presents as I'm now calling it. As you probably noticed, it's been a long time since I put some new content on my blog, and with the new year approaching, I figured that it was long time to start writing some new reviews. Now as you can see from the title, I'll be reviewing all the Rumble matches from 1988-2017 and ending with my review of 2018 royal rumble matches(along with a full review for that show). In other words, I'm essentially doing what my good friend James at WeAreProWrestling did last year cause why the hell not? However, I'll be going more in-depth with my reviews as I talk about the entire match as well as give my final thoughts and final rating. Couple more things here: I won't be talking about the pilot Royal Rumble match the WWF did for a house show in 1987 as it has never been acknowledge by said company. Also, I won't be talking about any other TV Rumbles(ex: The Corporate Rumble from 1999 or the Smackdown Royal Rumble from 2004) Perhaps I'll look at those some other time. Now that that's out of the way, let's get started.

The 1st Royal Rumble event took place on January 24th, 1988 at the Copps Coliseum in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. This event was also the 1st and only time that the WWFwould air the Royal Rumble event on free TV as a TV special for the USA Network. The special would become the highest watched wrestling program on cable TV at the time.

Our commentators are Vince McMahon & Jesse Ventura. Basically the TV commentators since I don't think Vince ever did commentary on PPV till the 90s. If I'm wrong, let me know.

Entrant #1: Bret Hart

Entrant #2: Tito Santana

It doesn't surprise me that these two are our 1st two entrants as it's a good way to continue the Hart Foundation/Strike Force feud. Bret takes control at the start, but Santana starts to fire back. Bret takes back control soon after as Vince and Jesse discuss the thought of who #3 could be. Vince also mentions Santana's partner Rick Martel coming down, except he's not in the match. Of course, why he's not in the match and why they bring it up are both good questions, and before you ask, no(to the best of my knowledge) Martel wasn't injured, so you're guess is as good as mine. Bret works to get Santana over the top rope as the countdown starts.

Entrant #3: Butch Reed

Santana fights off Bret and hits the Flying Forearm on Bret as Reed enters, who precedes to beat on Santana. Reed tries to eliminate Santana, but fails and gets his noggin rocked into Bret's for his trouble. Santana starts to mount a comeback, but focuses his attention on Reed and leaves himself open to an attack from Bret as we get the 2-1 double-teaming that you'd probably expect we would. And then...

Entrant #4: Jim Neidhart

To say Tito Santana is 10 stages past fucked at this point would be an understatement. Santana avoids a high knee from Reed that nearly eliminates Bret and tries to fight back, but is eventually taken down and triple-teamed. This includes a spot involving the Hart's backbreaker/elbow smash move and Reed helping Neidhart out and it just looks weird to me. The triple-teaming continues as the 3 try to eliminate Santana when the countdown starts.

Entrant #5: Jake Roberts

Roberts comes out to a big ovation as he quickly dumps Reed to the floor.

Elimination #1: Butch Reed(by Jake Roberts)

Roberts fights off both Hart and Neidhart as the faces take control. Jake sets up Bret for the DDT and it's amazing to remember a time when that move was so over. Of course, Neidhart saves his partner as the heels take back control with Bret giving Santana a piledriver as the countdown starts.

Entrant #6: Harley Race

Race starts dropping elbows on a downed Roberts with assistance from Neidhart. Both men try to eliminate Roberts while at the same time, Santana tries to eliminate Bret, forcing Neidhart to save his partner once again. Roberts knocks Bret down, but falls to a Harley Race falling head-butt as #7 comes out.

Entrant #7: Jim Brunzell

A member of the often overlooked Killer Bees tag-team, Brunzell goes in and immediately goes after the Harts and is actually able to fight them both off well as Roberts is working Race and Santana is taking a breather. He nearly gets Bret out and gets all the faces trying to get him out, but once again, Neidhart saves him. The Faces and Heels start pummeling each other as the countdown starts again.

Entrant #8: Sam Houston

OK, not gonna lie: I actually had to look up who Sam Houston was cause I had forgotten him. Anyway, Houston fight off a tiring Hart Foundation as he enters as we see more face vs heel matchup, which is something I'll talk about in my final thoughts. Mostly pummeling here until The Harts toss Santana.

Elimination #2: Tito Santana(By Bret Hart & Jim Neidhart)

Jesse immediately says "That evens it up." which is also something I'll talk about in my final thoughts. 

Entrant #9: Danny Davis

Easily one of the more over heels at the time(and possibly the biggest heel in this match), Davis comes out to chorus of boos, he squares off with Houston cause they're both jobbers and mostly cause they were feuding at the time. Roberts has Race in this weeble-wobble spot which is kind of interesting, but not much else happens other than your usual Rumble chaos.

Entrant #10: Boris Zhukov

Zhukov joins the fray and goes to work on Houston(anybody starting to notice a pattern?) An interesting moment happens when Race, for a brief moment works on Zhukov, breaking the whole face vs heels thing... before they go right back to it. Almost as if it didn't happen. 

Entrant #11: Don Muraco

Muraco comes out with Nikolai Volkoff right behind him. When they both get to the ring, the refs hold Volkoff back, which allows Muraco to take a cheap shot on Volkoff and enter the ring so that Volkoff can't get to him. Our babyface, ladies and gentlemen. Volkoff continues to argue with the refs as his tag partner Zhukov gets tossed.

Elimination #3: Boris Zhukov(by Jake Roberts(2) & Jim Brunzell)


Vince & Jesse are surprised considering Zhukov came in not too long ago and was eliminated by two men who have been in for quite some time. Brunzell nails his dropkick on Bret. What I find funny is that Vince & Jesse don't seem to get how stupid it is for Volkoff to try to come in early. Houston and Davis continue their battle on the ropes as the countdown appears.


Entrant #12: Nikolai Volkoff

Finally, Volkoff enters. Not too long after that, Muraco clotheslines Race over the top rope.

Elimination #4: Harley Race(by Don Muraco)

Obviously, Race isn't too happy and tries to get back in, but is held back by those pesky officials and everyone else just brawls by the ropes.

Entrant #13: Jim Duggan

HOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!

Now that I got that out of my system, let's continue. Duggan has a brief brawl with Race on the outside before going in and working over Neidhart and soon after Bret.

Entrant #14: Ron Bass

Bass comes in and quickly goes to work on Muraco. Vince gives Bass the 'This guy is made for this match.' which is code for: Midcarder who has no chance of winning... well, then again, everyone in this match is at best a mid-carder(at the time of the match) and this will not be the last time they use that phrase. Back to the Rumble, Volkoff body slams Brunzell over the top to the floor.

Elimination #5: Jim Brunzell(by Nikolai Volkoff)

Duggan finally realizes there's a Russian in the ring and goes to work on him. So after, the countdown starts.

Entrant #15: B. Brian Blair

The 2nd half of the Killer Bees, Commentary points out how unlucky he is since his partner was just eliminated a moment ago. Blair works on Davis and the Harts, with Jesse complaining about Blair going right for Bret. 

Entrant #16: Hillbilly Jim

I must admit, I forgot how tall Hillbilly Jim was. Jim, who might be the highest ranked midcarder at that point, goes in and makes quick work of Neidhart

Elimination #6: Jim Neidhart(by Hillbilly Jim)

Vince is surprised at how quickly Jim eliminated Neidhart and wonders how muck longer Bret can last. Blair is almost eliminated at the hands of Bass while everyone else brawls. 

Entrant #17: Dino Bravo

Earlier in the show, Bravo had a segment where he successfully bench pressed 715 pounds(an at the time record) with a little help from Jesse Ventura and Vince constantly brings it up. Hey, it's more interesting than watching Bravo wrestle, or brawl in this case. More interesting is Houston up on Bass's shoulders and Houston get dumped to the floor.

Elimination #7: Sam Houston(by Ron Bass)

Thankfully, Houston lands on his ass and not his head cause if he had... yeah, I'll let you picture it. More brawling as the countdown starts. Bravo and Muraco start slugging it up in a prelude to their match at Wrestlemania IV.

Entrant #18: The Ultimate Warrior

This is only a couple of months after the Warrior made his WWF debut. As he begins working on Bass, Muraco tosses Bret.

Elimination #8: Bret Hart(by Don Muraco(2))

Vince and Jesse give credit to Bret for staying in as long as he did. Although, I'm surprised they didn't let Bret go coast to coast and let him stay to the 30 min mark, especially since it's in Canada. 

Entrant #19: One Man Gang

Arguably, the closest guy of the 20 here to the main event, Gang trots in and quickly takes care of business by eliminating Blair.

Elimination #9: B. Brian Blair(by One Man Gang)

And then not long after that, Gang eliminates Roberts. 

Elimination #10: Jake Roberts(by One Man Gang(2))

You talk about making a good impression in a Rumble? Well, take notes cause that's how you do it.

Entrant #20: Junkyard Dog

The final entrant in this Rumble(remember, only 20 in this one) JYD flies to the ring as commentary picks who they think will win. Duggan gets Volkoff over his shoulders and sends him to the floor.

Elimination #11: Nikolai Volkoff(by Jim Duggan)

Jim goes after Davis, who somehow is still in there, but Davis starts raking everyone's eyes to survive. This allows the Gang to get Jim over his shoulders and eliminate him

Elimination #12: Hillbilly Jim(by One Man Gang(3))

Jesse says this match is the Gang's type of match and you just know he's screwed when something like that is said. Duggan finally gets Davis and hits the 3-Point Stance Clothesline to eliminate him

Elimination #13: Danny Davis(by Jim Duggan(2))

But what's more surprising is that Gang and Bravo casually toss Warrior out.

Elimination #14: The Ultimate Warrior(by Dino Bravo & One Man Gang(4))

I would've thought it was a no-brainer to give the 1st Rumble to Warrior as they continue to build him up as the next biggest superstar, next to Hogan, but no. He's eliminated and no one bats an eye at it. This wouldn't be the last time Warrior should've won a Rumble, but that's for later. Anyway, we're down to 6, but not for long and Gang rakes JYD's eyes and then Bass comes up from behind and eliminates him.

Elimination #15: Junkyard Dog(by Ron Bass(2))

However, Bass gets a taste of his medicine as Muraco comes up from behind Bass and clotheslines him out.

Elimination #16: Ron Bass(by Don Muraco(3))

And now, we're down to the Final 4: Muraco, Duggan, Bravo and Gang. The heels take control as Gang avalanches Duggan in the corner and Bravo and Gang look to double-team on Muraco. He's able to fight them off for a bit, but thanks to a distraction from Bravo's manager Frenchie Martin(yes, that was his name), Gang and Bravo take back control. They use the heel holds the face allowing the other heel to clothesline him spot that has never worked in the history of ever; except here, it might be the only time ever that it actually did work.

Elimination #17: Don Muraco(by Dino Bravo(2) & One Man Gang(5))

And now, Duggan is screwed. Not like how Santana was earlier, but he's still screwed nonetheless. Like Muraco, he's able to hold them off for a moment, but is eventually double-teamed. They repeat the clothesline spot, but this time it goes the way it always does with Gang 'accidentally on purpose' eliminating Bravo.

Elimination #18: Dino Bravo(by One Man Gang(6))

I use the phrase 'accidentally on purpose' because Gang hit Bravo, but Bravo doesn’t go over the ropes. Gang then blatantly shoves Bravo over, hence the phrase 'accidentally on purpose'. What's even funnier is that Gang immediately goes into an act of “Oh no! I did not mean to clothesline you over!”. If you look at it as a botch, it's pretty funny, but from a kayfabe standpoint, Gang is just being an asshole and fakes innocence to save face and that is just hilarious. 

Anyway, we're down to our Final 2 with Gang spending almost all of it beating down on Duggan until he low bridges a charging Gang and eliminates him!

Elimination #19: One Man Gang(by Jim Duggan(3))

WINNER: JIM DUGGAN!

Stats:

Royal Rumble Ironman: Bret Hart(25:42)(Record)

Shortest Time: Junkyard Dog(2:30)(Record)

Most: Eliminations: One Man Gang(6)(Record)

Final Thoughts:

To put it simply, without this match, we wouldn't have the other 30 years of Royal Rumble events, so you have to give it some appreciation and it does have some historical value, but beyond that, this Rumble is one of the worst Rumbles of all-time. This was truly a case of 'Throwing things at the wall and see what sticks' and to be fair, some things did stick, but a lot of others didn't. The biggest problem this Rumble has going for it is that it's trapped by the status quo of the WWF(at the time) of ALWAYS having faces vs heels. Even though they say at the begining that it's "Every man for himself", it quickly deteriorates into a typical faces vs heels match. Hell, a couple of times during the match, Jesse would say things like "It’s 3 on 3 right now!" or "That evens it up" when there are three heels and three faces in the ring, even though they hadn’t squared off as anything resembling two separate units. Other problems include the match itself having 20 participants instead of 30(especially since I'm pretty sure the WWF had a roster to support a 30 man match), the lack of a prize or reward to the winner and even the logo not being the classic Royal Rumble logo that we all know and love. Instead, they give it a regal look and I just roll my eyes thinking whoever designed that logo took the Royal Rumble name too seriously. Also, Jim Duggan being the 1st winner of the Royal Rumble match was just... meh to me. At least his will forever live in Pro Wrestling Immortality by winning. Thankfully, the WWF would fix the kinks and made this a fan-favorite match, but as for this one, if you haven't seen it, do so, but unless you like to binge-watch all the Rumble Matches like I do, there's really no reason to watch it again.

Final Rating:

3.5 out of 10

I want to hear your opinions, guys. What did you think of the 1988 Rumble Match? Let me know in the comments below or hit me up on Twitter https://twitter.com/ThenWoReviewer and while you're there, be sure to follow me cause I have more reviews on the way. Until then, I have one thing left to say...