Let's Talk About...Battle Royals

[King Kamala 0]

There are two kinds of wrestling fans, people who like battle royals and the group of wrestling fans led by that ogre Scott Keith who don't. I've always fell into the former group. I love them. It doesn't matter if it's ten 150 pound indy guys duking it out or those old World War III matches. I can't get enough of them. I don't think any of them are technically great and most are actually pretty mediocre work rate wise but I'm always wildly entertained. I can't explain it. Maybe- it's because you always know what you're getting- a bunch of dudes wailing on each other until one man's left standing. Unlike the Royal Rumble, with battle royals, my expectations are generally low so they're easily met.

 

Here are some of my favorites;

 

 

20 Man WWF Intercontinental title battle royal with retro commercials (RAW 10-4-93)

 

Part Two

 

I don't know what I love more; All of the cheesy wrestlers from when I started watching wrestling around this time or the commercials! Mr. Nanny! Royal Rumble on Super NES! Rudy!. And hey- I thought MVP was a response to the '94 MLB strike. Weird to see him around before.

 

20 Man NFL Vs WWF Battle Royal (WrestleMania 2)

 

40 Man Battle Royal (From WWF Rampage Coliseum Video Exclusive)

 

Mildly amusing to hear Lord Alfred berate all of the jobbers.

 

Battlebowl '93 Battle Royal

 

Part Two

[strummer 0]

I think if you grew up on the WWF you tend to like battle royals. The company has done them pretty consistently for the past 40 + years. I know other territories had them on their shows but I always saw them as a WWF "staple"

 

That given I have always enjoyed them. Especially the ones they did during the 80s boom era which featured tons of star power. It was a rare time where you saw WWF top guys (well Hogan) actually lose (even if it didn't mean anything in the long run).

 

I loved that you could rent some old Coliseum video and see some random battle royal featuring the stars of the day. They're never good workrate wise but are always visually appealing

[MillenniumMan831 0]

Yeah, that pretty much summarizes my opinion of battle royals.

 

For me they're like pizza, even if they're bad, they're still pretty good. And if I saw a battle royal listed on a CV box at Mom's Mega Video, it was an automatic rental . . . well, they all were but that got 1st dibs.

 

I'm a big mark for the WM2 battle royal. I thought the football players were used very well and it was neat to see the Hart Foundation face off w/ Andre at the end.

 

I remember in 1992, there was an indy show (GLWA) at the park down my street. The main event was a 10-man battle royal when some Russian guy won it when he eliminated former WWF jobber Ron Cumberledge . . . who was also in at least one of the 40-man battle royals.

 

And needless to say when I'm playing FPR, I'm all about the 8-man battle royals using random select. Fun shit.

[King Kamala 0]

I really wanted to post the battle royal from an episode of Shotgun from September '98 featuring a newly turned face The Rock and a bunch of jobbers. One of my all-time favorites and I couldn't find it on YouTube or Dailymotion. I guess no one else watched Shotgun besides myself. Harumph! It used to be on YouTube with weird insider commentary by Kevin Kelly and Jim Cornette that was taken from a satellite feed.

[MillenniumMan831 0]

I remember that. KK was busting Cornette's chops for referring to the 25 guys as a quarter hundred. And ragging on Papi Chulo sliding into a 3/4 full ring.

[Dobbs 3K 0]

One my favorites was on an old episode of Superstars from around '91 where they did a TAG TEAM battle royale...one of those deals where if one man was eliminated, his partner also had to leave. I really marked for that...LOD, Demolition, Nasty Boys, I think the Rockers...all the top teams were in it.

[Dobbs 3K 0]

I really wanted to post the battle royal from an episode of Shotgun from September '98 featuring a newly turned face The Rock and a bunch of jobbers. One of my all-time favorites and I couldn't find it on YouTube or Dailymotion. I guess no one else watched Shotgun besides myself. Harumph! It used to be on YouTube with weird insider commentary by Kevin Kelly and Jim Cornette that was taken from a satellite feed.

 

I vaguely remember that one. It seemed like it was obvious Rock would win, though.

[Aero 0]

I really wanted to post the battle royal from an episode of Shotgun from September '98 featuring a newly turned face The Rock and a bunch of jobbers. One of my all-time favorites and I couldn't find it on YouTube or Dailymotion. I guess no one else watched Shotgun besides myself. Harumph! It used to be on YouTube with weird insider commentary by Kevin Kelly and Jim Cornette that was taken from a satellite feed.

 

I vaguely remember that one. It seemed like it was obvious Rock would win, though.

 

I remember it being in the YouTube thread. Awesome stuff. Marc Mero was in there keeping away from all the action. When he finally got involved, he received a massive cheers.

 

My favorite Cornette line: (very serious tone) "WAIT A MINUTE! Funaki just eliminated Togo..."

 

I usually love almost any battle royal, but there are some really bad ones out there. Of course, the Shotgun battle royal above, but I do remember the WM 22 preshow battle royal being extremely bad, to the point where the commentators (Cole & Tazz, I think?) ended up turning on the match. And of course... Viscera wins.

 

[King Kamala 0]

Yeah, that Shotgun battle royal isn't that great but the commentary totally made it. Wish I could find it.

 

Aforementioned WrestleMania 22 battle royal

 

Part Two

 

And one of my all time favorites, there's nothing I don't love about this match. Tells a good story too unlike most battle royals. Can't believe I didn't post it in the first post.

 

WrestleMania IV battle royal

[CanadianGuitarist 0]

One my favorites was on an old episode of Superstars from around '91 where they did a TAG TEAM battle royale...one of those deals where if one man was eliminated, his partner also had to leave. I really marked for that...LOD, Demolition, Nasty Boys, I think the Rockers...all the top teams were in it.

 

There's a Raw from June 98, with a TT Royal Rumble. I've hyped it a bunch in the last few months, and it's probably my favourite Raw ever.

[MillenniumMan831 0]

I'm a huge mark for the last minute of that match w/ Funk chairshotting Kane followed by Funk straddling the middle rope after Mankind's chair shot. That crowd was insanely hot for the finish.

[TheOriginalOrangeGoblin 0]

I love battle royals, always have. There's one from 1992 which I always watched on repeat with Tatanka winning after surviving being in the final 4 with IRS and the Beverly's. That battle royal, I used to always think, started the Bret/Shawn feud since they eliminated each other.

[Dobbs 3K 0]

Anyone remember that one from like '91 or early '92 where the Berzerker stalked around the outside for like half the match, pulling guys out? He won that one. I think it was another 40 man contest with quite a few jobbers.

 

I laughed watching that other one where Mooney and Hayes had to tip-toe around calling them jobbers. "Less experienced" or "less established" superstars, etc.

[PILLS! PILLS! PILLS! 0]

Anyone remember that one from like '91 or early '92 where the Berzerker stalked around the outside for like half the match, pulling guys out? He won that one. I think it was another 40 man contest with quite a few jobbers.

 

I laughed watching that other one where Mooney and Hayes had to tip-toe around calling them jobbers. "Less experienced" or "less established" superstars, etc.

 

I like to call 'em prelim bums.

[CanadianGuitarist 0]

I'm a huge mark for the last minute of that match w/ Funk chairshotting Kane followed by Funk straddling the middle rope after Mankind's chair shot. That crowd was insanely hot for the finish.

Hells yeah. The crowd was fuckin insane when Austin climbed the cage to beat up Kane. Good times.

[Broward83 0]

I like battle royals, but I hate how someone who's already been eliminated can eliminate someone else. I mean, he's already been eliminated..what he does after shouldn't count.

[CanadianChris 0]

I like them, especially when they're just meant to be fun filler. The Gimmick Battle Royal at WM X-7, with Mean Gene and Heenan on commentary, was loads of fun.

 

One of the matches I remember most as a kid was the SNME battle royal right before WM III, with Hogan and Andre in it -- it's amazing how big a deal this was at the time.

[alfdogg 0]

Anyone remember that one from like '91 or early '92 where the Berzerker stalked around the outside for like half the match, pulling guys out? He won that one. I think it was another 40 man contest with quite a few jobbers.

 

I laughed watching that other one where Mooney and Hayes had to tip-toe around calling them jobbers. "Less experienced" or "less established" superstars, etc.

"Quite a move there by...that one, uh, individual...in the white tights..."

 

I have a couple of the 40-man ones on tape, one of which featured jobber Tom Stone as one of the last five guys. I remember seeing the Berzerker one on YouTube, not sure if it's still there or not.

[majormayhem1 0]

I like them.

 

[Scroby 0]

I enjoy Battle Royals but I really only enjoy them if it isn't to obvious on whose going to win the Battle Royal, but between the Royal Rumble and the Battle Royal, I enjoy the Royal Rumble more.

[Youth N Asia 0]

loved them as a kid, stopped caring as I got older, they were too predictable

[ChrisMWaters 0]

Retrospectively, one of my favorite battle royals was one that was on Superstars shortly after Royal Rumble 95...for two reasons.

 

1)Shawn Michaels was in the match, but immediately throws himself out at the start to avoid getting hit by Bulldog and everyone else in the ring, since he already had his WrestleMania title shot.

 

2)Lawler stays outside of the ring, standing on one foot to not get eliminated. Then Bret Hart comes down, stomps on Lawler's foot, forcing him to be eliminated.

 

...

 

Though I hope I'm not mixing two battle royals there.

[Dobbs 3K 0]

Also, this is not quite the same, and call me crazy, but I actually enjoyed a couple of those two ring battle royals that WCW used to do, where the winners from the two rings would face each other.

[Lt. Al Giardello 0]

I remember this one battle royal from the summer or fall of 1997, where The Patroit won it... It was before The Patroit fought Bret Hart for the title at IYH: Ground Zero.

[Hunter's Torn Quad 0]

And needless to say when I'm playing FPR, I'm all about the 8-man battle royals using random select. Fun shit.

Those are fun, especially when you stand on the apron and let everyone else beat themselves up while you sneak in for a cheapshot every few minutes.

 

I'm not a fan of battle royals, because they're so cluttered that you can't pay attention to anything and they're almost never any good because so many people in the ring means they're a festival of punch-kick action.

[Lil' Bitch 0]

I love battle royals myself.

 

One of my favorites IIRC was a televised 20 man battle royal in 1989 that Bret Hart won.