Your favorite Royal Rumble to Wrestlemania booking?

[Boxer 0]

So, ever since 1993, when the Rumble began changing the format of having the winner of the contest meet the champion at Wrestlemania, which year have you liked the booking the best?

 

It's been tweaked a bit due to the brand extension and lately this formula has really stunk.

 

With that said, which years did you like the booking the best and which ones did you hate the most?

 

My favorites:

 

1994: Simply because they did not know what they wanted to do with either Luger or Bret. The double finish and the proceding double title match made Wrestlemania X an interesting card.

 

2001: Austin's win and the build up after No Way Out was great. One of the best ever.

 

2007: I liked the way the Batista-Undertaker build-up was great.

 

Booking I hated:

 

1995: NEVER, EVER should a heel win again. I mean really, what was the point, although it wasn't the main event, I really don't think Shawn should've won in 1995.

 

1997: Because everything was such a mess, the Austin win lead to nowhere, in terms of the title match. But it did lead to the Bret-Austin match. I guess it can be said that was the whole point, but it sort of pushed the title away from the spotlight which I didn't like.

 

1999: Garbage. This booking with Austin and McMahon and that whole Rumble fiasco. Utter crap. Thank god they corrected the Austin-Rock buildup in 2001.

 

2002: BRUTAL again. Jericho looks like a bitch, HHH dominates, nothing more needs to be said.

 

2008: I hated the fact that Rumble win meant nothing in terms of Wrestlemania. That Cena-Orton booking just pissed me off.

 

So what are your favorite and least favorite years for booking?

[EVIL~! alkeiper 0]

The Raw after 1998 saw Rumble winner Steve Austin mix up with Mike Tyson. I'd think that almost has to be the best choice.

[King Cucaracha 0]

The worst has to be 2007. Mysterio wins from #2 for some reason, then just loses the title shot to Orton at NWO. Add in all the Eddiesploitation along the way and the fact the 3-way match itself got maybe 7 minutes.

[haws bah gawd 0]

RR2001 - Wrestlemania X-SEVEN - Austin coming back from his neck injury. He and Rock went on to Wrestlemania to put on what is still my favorite match of all time, despite of the overbooked finish. "My Way" made this match and PPV as well. Probably the only positive thing Limp Bizkit ever contributed to society.

 

RR2005 - Wrestlemania 21 is another favorite. I couldn't wait for them to finally pull the trigger on the Batista face turn, and have him kick his ass at Wrestlemania.

[PILLS! PILLS! PILLS! 0]

I liked 1995. Classic WWF with the heel making a good case for himself as Diesel was granted his WWF Championship shot, while Michaels had to earn it by literally outlasting thirty other men in the Royal Rumble (I know the match was short and not that impressive, but that's another story for another time). Introducing Sid as his new bodyguard, which would turn out to be the fatal flaw, was an interesting twist.

 

1996 was also good. The focus on athletic training and scoping each other's matches out were very basic but effective. Bret may complain about the video packages, but I still liked them.

 

2001 was really good, as they kept both men very busy going into No Way Out. Didn't care much for Debra as The Rock's manager, but, yeah, I would have to say that the "My Way" song did add a lot to the build. When you go back and look there is a good amount of foreshadowing where Austin's turn is concerned. Even up to the last minute before the match started.

 

The Batista-HHH build in 2005 was great, even going back earlier than the Royal Rumble.

[Boner Kawanger 0]

Austin/Rock at X7 was such a good match that it's made people forget that most of the buildup was the stupid Debra angle which made no sense. The only good parts (not counting "My Way") of it were the two trading finishers and the Austin "I need this more than you can ever imagine" promo that was some of the best foreshadowing they ever did.

 

1998 takes the cake. Sure it involved a non-wrestler (Tyson) but look at how big a star Steve Austin already was and look at how big a star he was after shoving Tyson.

[haws bah gawd 0]

Also, the segment just before Rock vs Austin started was great. You see Austin just staring into a mirror and you can tell "the gears are turning", and you even see a little desperation in his eyes. I dare WWE to try something this great again, as far as the desperation and "I need this more than you will ever know", aspect goes.

[Darth Vader 0]

The thing I couldn't understand about the 1994 Royal Rumble was the coin toss they had a few weeks later. The winner gets the first title shot? Why wouldn't you want the 2nd title shot? Wouldn't that be more of an advantage?

[CanadianGuitarist 0]

I'll say least favourite is '08, just on the grounds that he didn't get his shot at Wrestlemania in a manner of speaking. That's the whole idea.

 

'05 was pretty good. It was obvious Dave would turn, but it was done interestingly. I think my favourite is '94 though, just on being a Bret mark.

[PILLS! PILLS! PILLS! 0]

Also, the segment just before Rock vs Austin started was great. You see Austin just staring into a mirror and you can tell "the gears are turning", and you even see a little desperation in his eyes. I dare WWE to try something this great again, as far as the desperation and "I need this more than you will ever know", aspect goes.

 

The fact that it was a mirror image shot was even better.

 

The thing I couldn't understand about the 1994 Royal Rumble was the coin toss they had a few weeks later. The winner gets the first title shot? Why wouldn't you want the 2nd title shot? Wouldn't that be more of an advantage?

 

Just another WWF/E fallacy. It sounds odd for them to say that the loser of the coin toss has the advantage. Much like how they say that drawing #1 in the Royal Rumble is worse than any other number. Wouldn't #2 be worse? I mean, if you're the first guy in the ring at least you can take a few seconds to breathe and then jump the second guy the moment he tries to step through the ropes.

[cabbageboy 0]

The best was certainly 1998. They had Austin getting over like crazy, HBK was acting like a total douche and drawing insane heel heat, and add in the Tyson angle as well. This buildup was what led to the WWF seizing the advantage away from WCW in the ratings.

 

I can't say any of the builds from 2003 on are the best since there are too many titles now and too much stuff to try and build.

 

Although this goes before the 1993 date, I'd say 1992 was pretty good. The Final 4 in the Rumble ended up being the two main event matches for WM and featured good angles for both.

[alfdogg 0]

The thing I couldn't understand about the 1994 Royal Rumble was the coin toss they had a few weeks later. The winner gets the first title shot? Why wouldn't you want the 2nd title shot? Wouldn't that be more of an advantage?

Well, the loser of the toss still had to wrestle another match before getting their title shot, which in Bret's case was Owen. Luger's first opponent had he lost would have been Crush, which made it obvious that he was winning the toss, since it was obvious that Bret was going to face Owen and Crush was going to face Randy Savage.

[Ed Wood Caulfield 0]

Also, the segment just before Rock vs Austin started was great. You see Austin just staring into a mirror and you can tell "the gears are turning", and you even see a little desperation in his eyes. I dare WWE to try something this great again, as far as the desperation and "I need this more than you will ever know", aspect goes.

 

Yeah, it's almost like Austin is already regretting agreeing to team up with Vince McMahon. It's like he's thinking, "How can I team up with that sumbitch!?" But then he swallows his pride and heads to the match because he feels like he has to go through with it anyway since he NEEDS to be WWF Champion.

 

Or perhaps I'm looking WAY too much into that one shot.

 

And KC-Rey Mysterio won the 2006 Royal Rumble Match. Undertaker won the 2007 Royal Rumble Match. I don't really remember much of the buildup to the Undertaker/Batista match at WrestleMania 23: All Grown Up outside of the No Way Out 2007 tag team match against John Cena and Shawn Michaels. Speaking of which, I definitely remember more of the buildup to the Cena/HBK match what with them winning the World Tag Team Championship, and Rated RKO telling Cena not to trust HBK and trying to prove it by showing a video package of HBK turning on various people, and Cena and HBK each shilling their DVDs in that funny segment. Both matches ended up being really good though.

Edited September 25, 2008 by Ed Wood Caulfield

[Promoter 0]

Yeah, 1998 takes it. Austin being the "target of the wwf" and winning the Rumble then getting into an altercation with Tyson the next night is the turning point in getting the wwf back in the meda. Then you had HBK straight off the heat with the Montreal Screwjob and Vince just teasing the hints about not wanting Austin as the champion for PR reasons. It was fantasy/reality worked shoot era at its finest.

 

The 1999 Rumble imo was clever booking. The Rumble stunk yeah, but what could have been the alternative to getting Austin back into the title match at Mania without a foregone conclusion. Remember Austin was the two time defending Rumble champion. It's kind of a stretch for him winning something like the Rumble 3 YEARS STRAIGHT. The loophole progressed the Austin vs. Mcmahon and Corporate Champ Rock angle imo. Vince nobody saw coming and it's not like he won it legit or anything.

 

Last year was one of the worst imo and this year wasn't far behind either.

[... 0]

Let's not overlook 1997. Yes, it was complicated and eventually scrapped by Michaels' bullshit and Austin's knee injury. But Bret presumably winning the Rumble only to be tossed by Austin after no one saw him hit the ground could be argued as the point which Bret Hart began his descent into madness, which in turn created the star of Steve Austin during the only match that mattered at WM 13.

[CanadianGuitarist 0]

Let's not overlook 1997. Yes, it was complicated and eventually scrapped by Michaels' bullshit and Austin's knee injury. But Bret presumably winning the Rumble only to be tossed by Austin after no one saw him hit the ground could be argued as the point which Bret Hart began his descent into madness, which in turn created the star of Steve Austin during the only match that mattered at WM 13.

 

QFT.