1989 Royal Rumble Review

Tonight im reviewing Coliseum Home Videos release of the 1989 Royal Rumble. This year and every year after the WWF has used the 30 man stipulation.


Match 1

Six Man Tag 2 out of 3 falls

Hacksaw Jim Duggan and The Hart Foundation Vs Dino Bravo and The Fabulous Rougeau Brothers.

Gorilla and Ventura are on commentary this night and Monsoon starts by getting on Ventura's case by saying Dino only set the bench press record with his help. Over a year ago and they still carried on about the controversy.

Basically a feeling out process. Everyone getting a chance in the ring to warm up. Jacques and Bret in there and Bret traps both Rougeaus in the corner. Anvil comes in and gives them some shoulder thrusts in the corner. Heels regroup outside. Raymond pulls down the ropes and Bret spills outside. He throws Bret back in so Dino can give him the side suplex. Then the Rougeus put him away with the Bombe de Rougeau and the pin at 4:30. Bret has to start the next fall and Raymond puts on a camel clutch. Dino comes in and beats on Bret next. Jacques in and he puts on a boston crab, Bret is really getting punished. Bret starts crawling towards his corner while in the crab and makes a tag while Raymond distracts the ref. Ref chases Anvil out. Neidhart argues while Bret gets dragged into the heels corner. Raymond with the abdominal stretch. Jacques sneaks in and puts his own stretch on while the ref is too stupid to know which is which Rougeau. Jacques tries a monkey flip but Bret blocks it and hits a vicious atomic drop that leaves Jacques humping air. Hacksaw with the hot tag. Duggan slams Raymond and slingshots Anvil in who splashes Raymond, Duggan pins Raymond at 10:15 by my count. Heels gang up on Hacksaw. Bravo's stupid so he tries running Hacks head into the corner. Hacksaws shakes it off no problem. Rougeaus double team Hacksaw and Duggan is trying to get out of the corner while the Harts tangle with the ref. Bravo slams Hacksaw and drops an elbow, gets a two count. Inverted atomic drop by Bravo sends Duggan into his corner and Bret deals on Bravo. Bret with his trademark pendulum backbreaker. Raymond cheapshots Bret and things break down. Hacksaw smacks Bravo with the 2X4 in the confussion and Bret pins Bravo at 14:54. Alright opener I guess. Im going with 2 1/2 stars.


Highlights from the Rumble Drawing. Dibiasie draws his number and he isn't too happy, then he starts talking to Slick about the Twin Towers numbers. Bushwhackers draw next and swap numbers. *beep* Tonk draws and is pissed. Bad News is pleased about his number. Ax and Smash draw and both agree they are gonna have a long night. Jake Roberts draws his number and says he hopes Andre is still there, a high number maybe?



Tonights Raw segment.

Super Posedown

Intercontinental Champion The Ultimate Warrior Vs Ravishing Rick Rude


typical. Rude poses everybody boos, Warrior poses everybody cheers. Rinse and repeat 4 or 5 times and Rude gets fed up and clobbers Warrior with a workout bar after 10 minutes. Warrior wakes up and goes nuttier than usual by beating up 4 or 5 officals in the ring and tears out of the ring looking for Rude. This would add fuel to their feud leading into Mania 5. Not a wrestling match so I can't rate it really. Just eating up ppv time but if I must ill throw it a 1/2 star for story advancement.


Match #2

Womens Title Match

Rockin Robin Vs Judy Martin

Sensational Sherri the former champ sits in for commentating and she is determined to get her belt back which she dropped to Robin in Paris France back in 88. Mediocre womens match. Martin starts with the offense and then Robin takes over. Martin sends Robin into the ropes and gets a kick from Robin, Robin with a small package for two. Martin sends Robin into the corner and she fakes Martin out with a flying body press and the pin in 2:44. Wikipedia quotes the match at 16:24. Either they clipped the hell out of this thing or Wiki is screwed up. Im going with the later because I have never seen a womens match go longer than 12 or 13 minutes. Im going 1 star and thats generous I think.


Mean Gene talks with Slick backstage about the previous incident with Dibiasie.


PPV clip and now Mean Gene has teleported to the other side of the building to interview Rick Rude who is anxious to get out of the building, almost getting a hand in the door for his trouble.


Kings Crown Match between King Haku and Harley Race is gone from this video. I heard it was pretty boring but hell it could of seriously helped an already anemic undercard.


Match #3

1989 Royal Rumble


Fink goes through the rules and the individual who drew #1 is Ax of Demolition. We get one of the top 10 Rumble moments ever when Smash draws #2. They have no bones about duking it out. Both takes turns clobbering eachother until #3 Andre The Giant casually makes his way down. Demolition double clotheslines him to knock him down and they start their synchronized punching. They try setting him up but Andre can handle it. knocks Ax away then a knee smash on Smash. Andre with a knoggin knocker on Demolition. #4 is Mr Perfect. He takes his casual walk to ringside. Perfect attacks everybody. Andre grabs ahold of Smash and tosses him easy. Ax and Perfect gang up on Andre. Ax turns on Perfect and gives him one sick face first whip into the turnbuckle. Andre with the traps pinch of doom on Ax. A headbutt knocks Perfect for a flip and #5 Rugged Ronnie Garvin is jogging on out. Now it's three on 1. Andre gets tied up in the ropes, no way to eliminate him like that. Andre sits on Ax after getting out and is getting assaulted from all sides. Chopfest with Garvin and Hennig. #6 Greg The Hammer Valentine on his way down. Immediatley after Andre. Now it's 4 on 1. Andre better start chucking guys or he's not gonna last much longer. Just as I type that Andre with a hiptoss on Garvin over the top rope and out. Andre turns on Hammer and chokes him out. Ax and Hennig fighting it out. #7 is Jake The Snake Roberts and the crowd goes NUTS!!! Jake is immediatley caught by Andre and gets in a few weak punches then Andre chokes him out for the next minute and a half even standing and sitting on him until #8 Outlaw Ron Bass comes running out should be noted that Bass is balled here, he lost a hair match to Brutus Beefcake on SNME but that actual match wouldn't air until later in the month stupid WWF pretaping. Andre tosses a half conscious Jake Roberts out and the crowd is PISSED!!! A crap showing by Jake Roberts, couldn't do much as was the case in there 89 feud. All Jake could do was scare him away with Damion and every other time Andre pretty much owned him, except for their crappy blowoff at Mania. Andre next goes after Hammer and Hennig and piles them up in the corner with some shoulder tackles. #9 is Shawn Michaels and all the girlies scream. Hennig with a shoulder lift sends Ax packing. Hennig throws Michaels over but he skins the cat. Shawn with a dropkick and Hennig flies out but scoots back in, showoffs. Hammer slaps Shawn and he sells a hard fall. Hennig with a punch and Shawn acts like he got shot. #10 Butch the Bushwhacker on his way down. Jake Roberts is back!!! and he's got Damion!!! Andre bails over the top rope to eliminate himself and Ventura is irrate. Crowd loves it. #11 the *beep* Tonk Man comes out to a collective boo from the crowd. Bass and *beep* gang up on Butch. Michaels in trouble on the ropes. Hennig trying to dump *beep* #12 Tito Santana on his way in. Right on Mr Perfect. Bass and Hennig with a double suplex on Shawn. #13 is Bad News Brown (figures) he don't care. Michaels with a jump off the top rope and he punches Bass and Bad News at the same time. #14 Marty Jannetty in and the Rockers double team Bass and get rid of him with a double dropkick. #15 is The Undisputed Champion Macho Man Randy Savage. Savage goes ballistic on Bad News. Crowd is standing and errupting. Savage fighting with his sunglasses still on, they fall to the mat and Marty courteously tosses them outside. Savage and Hennig fighting, theres a good matchup. #16 It's Arn Anderson. Brainbusters got the heat with the Rockers. Savage dumps out Valentine. Arn and Shawn punching it out. AND SAVAGE ATTACKS SHAWN??!!!! and to top it all off he and Arn double team Shawn and eliminate him with a double elbow. It's every man for himself but still a shocker when the babyface champ helps a heel eliminate his hated babyface opponent. Savage was extremely close to going heel at this point so that's probably it. #17 it's Tully Blanchard. Tully saves Arn from Butch. Tully and Hennig at it, NOW THERE'S a match to pay for! Arn Anderson kills Marty with a spine buster and the Brainbusters eventually eliminate him, Jannetty was holding on by his feet at the end. Here comes #18....it's Hulk Hogan!!! Crowd goes bats*** and Hogan saves Savage from Hennig then tosses Perfect out ovr the turnbuckle. Perfect now holds the longevity record. Santana follows. Tully and Bad News try to eliminate Hogan but Savage decides to go after the crappy Bushwhacker instead. #19 Bushwhacker Luke on his way in. Mega Powers, Bushwhackers, Brain Busters, and Bad News. Butch goes out thanks to Bad News Hogan tries a mini press slam on Tully accross the top rope. #20 Koko B Ware is in and he doesn't last too long. Hogan slams Arn off the top rope. Hogan goes nuts again and dumps out Bushwhacker Luke, then gets rid of Koko in the same fashion, there goes two no shots. #21 Warlord is on his way, and Hogan double clotheslines out both Brain Busters. Then he clotheslines out the Warlord in 2 seconds then goes over to dump Bad News and he takes Savage along with him. Savage has a hissy fit and argues with Hogan, Hogan is suprised that Savage would accuse him of something and he would pretty much do the same routine in 92 when Sid dumped him out. Elizabeth eventually gets Savage to make up. Won't last much longer as they have been hinting since Summerslam 88 of a breakup. #22 Big Boss Man and this is Hogans major feud at the time that started with his beatdown by Bossman on the Brother Love show Bossman takes over on Hogan and Monsoon says it's because Hogan has been out there for a half hour, Ventura knocks him down saying it's only been five minutes, actually 8 minutes to be precise, Monsoon with some blind loyalty there, ill forgive him he's always been a great commentator. #23 is Akeem??!! Ventura and Monsoon agree something is up in the drawing since both guys "drew" back to back numbers. If you want to nitpick the Brainbusters and Demolition drew back to back numbers but that spoils the Dibiasie/Towers story. Twin Towers beat down Hogan and eventually eliminate him after a double avalanche. Hogan can't handle it so he pulls out Bossman. #24 Brutus The Barber Beefcake charging out and he attacks the Towers. Hogan says he is going back in but the refs chase him away, he was offended by Savage taking it personally but can't leave himself, isn't there something about glass houses? Towers back in and they beat on Brutus Hogan pulls down the ropes and Bossman spills out getting eliminated then the battle to the back room, Hogan introduces Bossman to Mr Samsonite. #25 It's the Red Rooster Terry Taylor. Akeem slams him and continues hammering Brutus. Red and Brutus gang up on the former gang now turned born again African white boy. #26 The Barbarian in and he knocks Brutus and Red away when they almost had Akeem out (idiot) then tries to eliminate Akeem himself? (doofus) Akeem splashes the Rooster who is a smudge on the mat. #27 The Returning Big John Studd. Studd pushes Rooster away and puts his top energy in to kicking Akeems ass. Barbarian blasts Red and he looks dead on the mat again. Brutus tries helping Studd but Studd pushes him away. #28 Hercules is in and Herc goes to work on Barbarian. Crowd looks kinda bored at this points since it's all tag and midcarders left. The only guys left that have any real star power are Brutus and Dibiasie who hasn't been out yet. #29 the returning Rick Martel. Back after being beaten into paralazyse by Demolition way back in June or July of 88. Martel tries a firemans carry to eliminate Rooster but Taylor with a wedgie of doom keeps Martel from dumping him. Gee I wonder who #30 is. Oh it's The Million Dollar A$$ hole Ted Dibiasie. Dibiasie has to be the favorite here, he's got the star power AND the late draw. Dibiasie starts by eliminating Ric Flair I mean Terry Taylor who does a Ric Flair flip in the corner and down and out. The guy wrestled like Flair and dressed like Flair, same haircut and wore his knee pads in the same fashion. Even has his initials on his gear in the same spots. Even if he didn't get a s*** gimmick he looks like a Ric Flair clone in there. Brutus with a sleeper on Hercules and Dibiasie and Barbarian dump them both. Barbarian slams Martel then goes up top and plants a diving headbutt, but Martel miraculously recovers and dropkicks Barbarian out. Martel with a dopey cross body on Akeem who dumps him easily. That leaves Dibiasie and a paid off Akeem ganging Studd. Dibiasie directs Akeem until Studd pulls him in the way of Akeems splash atempt in the corner and Studd with a forearm shot knocks the walking advertisement for IKEA out. Dibiasie and Studd are the last two. Dibiasie shows him the money sign but Studd says no. Dibiasie tries a thumb to the eyes but Studd owns him for the next 2 minutes. Butterfly suplex, Gutwrench suplex and a clothesline takes everything out of Dibiasie and Studd pitches him out at around 1:03:11. Virgil attacks Studd but John beats him up and eliminates him. Im gonna give this Rumble 3 stars out of 5. Savage closes with an interview with Mean Gene saying everything is fine with the Mega Powers. Ventura ain't so gullible.


Much better Rumble than the first 20 man but it lost it's luster after Savage and Hogan left. Fans quieted down after they left.

The undercard was garbage. The six man tag was okay, the posedown shot down 10 minutes and the womens match was meh.


The rating system I typically use to rate a ppv based on a grand total of stars each match earns converted to an overal IMDB star rating works against this show because it has so few matches and most of them were mediocre. This show only gets an even 2.0 stars from me. That is almost entirely for the Rumble match itself because the show doesn't get much help from the posedown which I gave a pitty 1/2 star and the womens match which was a "womans match" and the opening tag was standard stuff. The Rumble would improve greatly by the next year. Despite the low score everyone should watch it atleast once.


Ill stick with the 2 star rating for now just because the card is so small (Haku /Race was cut) but I still love this era for nostalgia no matter how far behind in the dust these shows have been left over the years.