Enigma 0 Report post Posted January 1, 2009 WWF Intercontinental Championship Jeff Jarrett vs. Razor Ramon(©) I.R.S. vs. The Undertaker WWF Championship Bret Hart vs. Diesel(©) WWF Tag Team Championship Tournament Final Tatanka & Bam Bam Bigelow vs. Bob Holly & The 1-2-3 Kid 1995 Royal Rumble, featuring: Adam Bomb Aldo Montoya Bart Gunn Billy Gunn Bob Backlund The British Bulldog Butch Crush Dick Murdoch Doink the Clown Dr. Tom Pritchard Duke Droese Eli Blu Fatu Henry Godwinn Jacob Blu Jimmy Del Ray King Kong Bundy Kwang Lex Luger Luke Mabel Mantaur Mo Owen Hart Rick Martel Shawn Michaels Sione Steven Dunn Timothy Well Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
MillenniumMan831 0 Report post Posted January 1, 2009 Admit it, everyone who read the names of the guys in the rumble read it w/ Vince's chaotic voice in mind. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Darth Pipes 0 Report post Posted January 1, 2009 Might be easily the least talented Royal Rumble roster of all-time. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
King Kamala 0 Report post Posted January 1, 2009 Pretty crappy Rumble. I still say it tops '99 for Worst Rumble ever...'99 is so bad that it's almost entertaining, '95 is the fastest Rumble ever yet it still somehow is boring. As for the card overall, almost every match is in the **-*** range and nothing is really terrible (with the exception of the godawful Taker-IRS match) but at the same time, no match sticks out. This is the definition of a meh card. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Smues Report post Posted January 1, 2009 I'm not sure I'll even load this up. I don't recall enjoying this show at all, and I didn't like the quick intervals at all. But no one in hell is it worse that 1999. That's in the top 10, if not top 5 worst WWF PPVs ever. Thanks Russo. IIRC the Bret/Deisel match was good, so maybe I'll watch it for that. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
DrVenkman PhD 0 Report post Posted January 1, 2009 I loved this show when I was 13 and rented it on more than one occasion. I remembered really enjoying the undercard and finding all 3 title matches to be good and even thinking the Rumble was fun with it's faster pace (but I was glad it never happened again). I re-watched it for the first time in forever last year (though I think I watched the Rumble match on WWE.com's Legacy / 24/7 / Jukebox not to long before) with the Rumble Anthology and wow, the Rumble match was actually quite dull. That said, I'm a sucker for Rumble matches even when they are dull and I still thought Jarrett / Razor was good, as was Hart / Diesel (very overbooked though, and not close to Survivor Series 95 good) though the tag title match wasn't as good as I remembered as a kid, but still enjoyable. Overall, I think this is a good show that suffers the "Bad Rumble Effect" to the worst degree. The 1992 and 2004 Royal Rumble's benefit greatly from the "Good Rumble Effect" and get called good shows despite having lackluster undercard matches. New Foundation vs. Orient Express is a good tag match and Piper winning the IC title is a fun moment, but the last two tag matches are bad and if I did star ratings, Bushwackers vs. Bevelry Brothers would be in the negative range. The 2004 show had 3 really short matches followed by a BOB HOLLY WWE title match, and Shawn/HHH was probably one of the worst in their series until the June Hell in a Cell match (it probably didn't help that it came off the best match in their series). Both of those shows were totally saved by an awesome Rumble. In 1995, you have a good IC title match, a good world title match, a good tag title match, the set-up to the LT Mania match - so far so good in having a good show, with Taker / IRS being a dull match but not offensively bad. Then you get a 30 minute Rumble full of "stars" that never really amounts to anything good outside of the Shawn / Bulldog in-match storyline - if the Rumble match is bad, then that must mean the show is bad. I just think it's a bit unfair in this instance, especially since in the "Good Rumble Effect" scenarios, you had a 1 hour (or longer) match carrying a 2 hour, 40 minute show. This was a 30 minute match, which if I look it up might actually be shorter than the world title match. Now 1993, THAT's a boring Royal Rumble show. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
garfieldsnose 0 Report post Posted January 1, 2009 I disagree. HBK/HHH from RR 2004 was good. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
King Kamala 0 Report post Posted January 1, 2009 Hey now, I like Royal Rumble '93 but I attribute it mostly to it being one of the first few tapes I rented when I got into wrestling. Still it's by no means a bad show. The under card is rock solid, I'd put Steiners-Beverly Brothers, HBK-Marty Jannetty (even though it was kind of a disappointment even as a mark), and Bret-Razor at *** or higher. Bam Bam-Bossman is a glorified squash that's just kind of there. And The Rumble is probably in the bottom half of Rumbles but like Venkman, I even kind of like the crappy Rumbles (I wouldn't rank '95 or '99 below **). In fact, '93 is really comparable to '95. Solid but not really memorable undercard and a mediocre Rumble. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Aero 0 Report post Posted January 1, 2009 I think it was talked about last year, but the first portion of the 93 Rumble match is actually pretty decent. It just goes downhill once Giant Gonzales enters. They probably should have had Perfect stick around for the duration of the match though. Once he was gone, along with Taker a few minutes later, they really only had Savage or Yokozuna as viable winners. As for 1995, it's easily the worst collection of people in the Rumble match ever. What's even more frustrating is that both Owen and Backlund are two guys who could have played serious threats in the match, but both are quickly gone following Bret's interference. The undercard for the show (minus one match) is good, but the Rumble itself is ass. I'll take the 1999 Rumble match over 1995's any day. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Smues Report post Posted January 1, 2009 Pam Anderson's hair = teh awful. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
King Kamala 0 Report post Posted January 1, 2009 I vaguely recall a 20 man battle royal shortly after this event on Superstars that Davey Boy Smith won. Anyways- what stuck out in my mind is everyone going after Shawn Michaels at the beginning of the match and Michaels jumping over the top, not wanting to get pummeled. Really wish I could find it on YouTube or DailyMotion! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Bigelow34 0 Report post Posted January 1, 2009 The 93 Rumble had a really hot crowd too, which helped it. But I agree with Aero, Perfect should have been in there towards the end to help add a little drama to the finish. They could have put him the Backlund record breaker role and had Lawler toss him late to really add heat to him and the angle. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
PILLS! PILLS! PILLS! 0 Report post Posted January 2, 2009 I love the 1993 Rumble mostly for the Bob Backlund story. I really got into it while I was watching live, in spite of my limited Knowledge of him at the time. The match is also packed with a bunch of vets that I really like, with DiBiase, Santana, Martel, Savage, Flair, Hennig, Lawler and others (plus up and comers like Yoko, Taker, Owen, etc) that make the match enjoyable. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Chui 0 Report post Posted January 2, 2009 I don't have WWE 24/7, but I did watch this show recently. Fast Rumble match aside, Bret vs. Diesel was really good, and I've never said that about a Kevin Nash match. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Smues Report post Posted January 2, 2009 I want to see Survivor Series 95, as I hear the Bret Deisel match there was even better. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
MillenniumMan831 0 Report post Posted January 2, 2009 I vaguely recall a 20 man battle royal shortly after this event on Superstars that Davey Boy Smith won. Anyways- what stuck out in my mind is everyone going after Shawn Michaels at the beginning of the match and Michaels jumping over the top, not wanting to get pummeled. Really wish I could find it on YouTube or DailyMotion! Another notable moment was Jerry Lawler hopping around on one foot after getting dumped over the top rope until Bret Hart interfered and eventually stepped on his foot. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
PILLS! PILLS! PILLS! 0 Report post Posted January 2, 2009 I want to see Survivor Series 95, as I hear the Bret Deisel match there was even better. This match ranks third in their PPV series, with the Survivor Series match being their best encounter and the King of the Ring match being a close second. I didn't like the cage match as much, as it was obviously no more than a lame duck affair going into it, but it was still okay. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
King Kamala 0 Report post Posted January 2, 2009 I haven't seen it in five or so years but I recall thinking that this Bret/Diesel match would have been a hell of a lot better if they shaved 5-10 minutes off of it. It's not a bad match by any stretch of the imagination but you really shouldn't put Kevin Nash in a near half hour long match. It also didn't help that this match left the fans kind of confused because Bret and Diesel were both faces and I don't remember them setting up any tension between the two, let alone a feud. I remember the crowd for this show being really lousy. Granted '95 WWF didn't give fans much to cheer for but I don't remember them going wild for anything save maybe for the false Rumble finish that our compatriot, cabbageboy loves so much. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Enigma 0 Report post Posted January 2, 2009 It also didn't help that this match left the fans kind of confused because Bret and Diesel were both faces and I don't remember them setting up any tension between the two, let alone a feud. I think the explanation for this match was that Bret's rematch clause was still valid even though Bob Backlund had lost the title. So Bret used it when he got kayfabe healthy at the Rumble. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
DerangedHermit 0 Report post Posted January 2, 2009 Watching the Jarrett/Razor match made me realize how underrated Jesse James//Roadie/Road Dogg/BG James is as a jackass heel Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Report post Posted January 2, 2009 I want to see Survivor Series 95, as I hear the Bret Deisel match there was even better. Insanely good. They showed Survivor Series 1995 (great show) in 2007, so they might not show it for a while. So...I'll link! Part 1 Part 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
KingPK 0 Report post Posted January 3, 2009 (edited) They gave absolutely no time to develop anything in the Rumble match and guys were flying in every 35-45 seconds by my watch, so it just ends up being a blur of mid-card guys that nobody bought as a shot to win. They might as well have had an HBK/Bulldog #1 contender's match. The undercard was strong for a Royal Rumble. It was damn good for a 1995 WWF show. Edited January 3, 2009 by KingPK Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Promoter 0 Report post Posted January 4, 2009 I love the 1993 Rumble mostly for the Bob Backlund story. I really got into it while I was watching live, in spite of my limited Knowledge of him at the time. The match is also packed with a bunch of vets that I really like, with DiBiase, Santana, Martel, Savage, Flair, Hennig, Lawler and others (plus up and comers like Yoko, Taker, Owen, etc) that make the match enjoyable. I always took Backlund's story as Vince making sure a wcw/nwa guy and former champion didn't hold the rumble record. Backlund being the former champion and his past credentials in athletics made him an easy candidate to break the legendary NWA Champion Ric Flair record in Vince's mind imo. As for 95, I remember the Diesel/Bret match being very good actually. I haven't seen it for a long time though. The Rumble itself had a nice finish, but was terrible overall. I think it's worse than 99 actually. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
PILLS! PILLS! PILLS! 0 Report post Posted January 4, 2009 I always took Backlund's story as Vince making sure a wcw/nwa guy and former champion didn't hold the rumble record. Backlund being the former champion and his past credentials in athletics made him an easy candidate to break the legendary NWA Champion Ric Flair record in Vince's mind imo. Perhaps, but it still made the match much more enjoyable than it would have been, what with the lack of marquee names (especially when compared to the year before). And, even then, it is packed with moments. There was a spot where El Matador, of all people, looked as though he was going to dump Backlund over the top rope, and the crowd in the Arco Arena was losing their shit over this. The resilient Backlund managed to escape and roll under the ropes, as the crowd breathed a sigh of relief. Good stuff. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
KingPK 0 Report post Posted January 4, 2009 I always took Backlund's story as Vince making sure a wcw/nwa guy and former champion didn't hold the rumble record. Backlund being the former champion and his past credentials in athletics made him an easy candidate to break the legendary NWA Champion Ric Flair record in Vince's mind imo. If he didn't want a WCW guy holding the record, then why didn't Flair come in later, say between 5 and 10? Heenan still has a heart attack on commentary and Flair still has to last a long time to win, so the story holds up. For that matter, the next two guys to hold the record are ex-WCW guys that were there in the time that WCW was really taking it to the WWF (Benoit and Mysterio) so I don't think Vince wanting one of "his" guys holding it is the case at all. With Backlund, I think they just wanted a "Older star comes back and perseveres through grit and determination" kind of story. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Gary Floyd 0 Report post Posted January 4, 2009 I.R.S. vs. The Undertaker I still don't remember what the Taker vs. Million Dollar Corporation feud was about. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
KingPK 0 Report post Posted January 4, 2009 I think it was a residual feud from the Underfaker angle. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Promoter 0 Report post Posted January 4, 2009 Oh for sure it made the match entertaining and kayfabe wise historically having Backlund break the record made sense. However, the announcers could have played it up a bit more since the year before when Flair did it they made a bigger deal(although the title being on the line made it bigger regardless). Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
bob_barron 0 Report post Posted January 4, 2009 I always took Backlund's story as Vince making sure a wcw/nwa guy and former champion didn't hold the rumble record. Backlund being the former champion and his past credentials in athletics made him an easy candidate to break the legendary NWA Champion Ric Flair record in Vince's mind imo. If he didn't want a WCW guy holding the record, then why didn't Flair come in later, say between 5 and 10? Heenan still has a heart attack on commentary and Flair still has to last a long time to win, so the story holds up. For that matter, the next two guys to hold the record are ex-WCW guys that were there in the time that WCW was really taking it to the WWF (Benoit and Mysterio) so I don't think Vince wanting one of "his" guys holding it is the case at all. With Backlund, I think they just wanted a "Older star comes back and perseveres through grit and determination" kind of story. I think it was since Flair was leaving, they didn't want him to hold the record. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Jericholic82 0 Report post Posted January 5, 2009 I.R.S. vs. The Undertaker I still don't remember what the Taker vs. Million Dollar Corporation feud was about. Well Dibiase was still mad at Taker for beating his imposter. At Survivor Series 94 IRS interefered in the Taker/Yokozuna match , then spent weeks insulting dead tax cheats or some nonsense. At the Rumble King Kong Bundy stole the Urn, leading to the WM 11 match vs Taker, where Kama ran off with the urn and had it melted into a chain. Once Taker beat him, at Sumnerslam 95, the feud was over. So to summarize , a whole bunch of nonsense BS was the cause of the feud. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
