1990 Royal Rumble Thoughts

   The early Royal Rumbles are still my favorites.  Even though there wasn't anything on the line, they were special due to the sheer star power.  Growing up in the Golden Era was fun for me and the wrestlers were just larger than life.  The 1990 edition is definitely in my top 5 Rumbles of all time. Several things happened that led towards WrestleMania during this broadcast.  I also happen to love this classic Royal Rumble logo.

Bushwhackers vs. Fabulous Rougeau Brothers

   This was a pretty fun feud, stemming back from their previous encounter at WrestleMania the year before.  The Rougeaus won that battle so it was fairly expected that the extremely popular Bushwhackers would pick up the win here.  They were able to turn the tables on the interfering Jimmy Hart.  This was the last time the Rougeaus would be seen together in the WWF.  Jacques came back a year later as The Mountie.

Brutus "The Barber" Beefcake vs. The Genius

   Beefcake wanted a piece of Mr. Perfect but he first had to go through Perfect's manager The Genius.  This was a fairly heated rivalry at the time and everyone wanted to see the Barber cut his opponent's hair.  Of course, we were treated to a poem from The Genius before the match began.  Unfortunately, the finish ended in a double disqualification due to the interference of Mr. Perfect and once again, the end messed up a decent match.  While it did lead to the continuity of the Beefcake/Perfect rivalry, it would have been better if Beefcake got the win and Perfect prevented him from cutting the Genius's hair in the nick of time.

Submission Match: Greg "The Hammer" Valentine vs. Rugged Ronnie Garvin

   I know it's difficult to compare two eras but back then, rivalries were able to be produced over time. I understand there's a PPV every few weeks and more TV time now, but there are still ways to spread feuds out without people losing interest.  One such feud was this match, which had been building up for over a year.  Valentine was known for the Figure Four Leglock and defeated many opponents with this submission maneuver.  In order to secure a win, Valentine started using a shin guard when he applied the move called the Heart Breaker.  Before going in for the kill, Valentine would pull down the Heart Breaker and go to work.  Not to be outdone, Garvin had his own move he called the Hammer Jammer.  Not to mention, Garvin had several escape routes for the Figure Four.  After some botched interference by Jimmy Hart, Garvin nailed Valentine with his own shin guard and minutes later, Valentine submitted to the Hammer Jammer.  Unfortunately, this was the biggest win in Garvin's WWE run for the former NWA World Heavyweight Champion.

Big Bossman vs. Hacksaw Jim Duggan

   Looking back, it's a little odd to watch this match.  Within less than a month of this match, the Bossman went from a ruthless heel to a beloved babyface.  Slick was happy as his Twin Towers were ready to take the WWF by storm. While Bossman was busy with Duggan, Akeem was sent in to the Rumble match to decimate 29 other individuals.  This was a hard hitting match that ended with a win for the Big Bossman, and Duggan served hard time.  Due to a falling out and break up with Akeem and helping Jake "The Snake" Roberts against the Million Dollar Man, the Big Bossman was on the right side of the law. 

Royal Rumble Match

  Ya gotta love irony!  In 1989, the "Million Dollar Man" Ted DiBiase "drew" the number 30 spot.  This year, his riches couldn't buy him out of drawing number one in the Royal Rumble match.  A livid DiBiase walked to the ring as Gorilla Monsoon basked in DiBiase's Karma at the commentary table.  Although DiBiase's luck in drawing a good number was bad, he actually had a great showing, as he lasted almost 45 minutes in the match.  Unfortunately, number four was bitter rival Jake "The Snake" Roberts and he made a b-line for DiBiase.  This feud was heated and it led to a match at WrestleMania that year.  

   More established names entered the fray such as "Macho Man" Randy Savage, Rowdy Roddy Piper, Bad News Brown, and "The American Dream" Dusty Rhodes.  When Andre the Giant entered at number 11, everyone was in trouble. Roddy Piper eliminated Bad News Brown.  An angry Brown reentered the ring and took Piper over the top rope.  They furiously fought to the back for several minutes, while no official was able to pull them apart.  It led to a WrestleMania match and one of the most controversial Piper moments of all time.  You already know what I'm referring to so I'll get to that in a different blog. The Randy Savage/Dusty Rhodes rivalry continued due to this match as well.

   Andre's Tag Team Championship partner Haku entered the match to even the odds and the Colossal Connection went toe to toe with the men they took the Titles from, Demolition.  Just like the previous year, Demolition went right after Andre and this time, they were able to eliminate the "Eighth Wonder of the World." Soon after, Earthquake entered the ring and he was a favorite to win the whole thing.  When the Ultimate Warrior joined in, all hell broke loose! He tossed people out left and right.  When Tito Santana got to the ring, he went right after former Strike Force partner Rick Martel, in a bit that went on through several Rumble matches in the coming years.  Every time they were both in the Rumble at the same time, they went at it.  We never did get closure from that feud!

   Earlier in the night, the Ultimate Warrior's Rumble promo contained quite a bit of foreshadowing that led to the moment when the Warrior stood face to face with WWF Champion Hulk Hogan.  Everyone in the arena got quiet for one of the most epic stare downs in wrestling history.  After feeling each other out, they started brawling and the crowd erupted.  It all ended moments later after a brutal double clothesline took both men off their feet and down for the count.  The Barbarian took advantage when he entered the ring and went right after Hogan.  Shortly thereafter, Warrior's rival Ravishing Rick Rude entered the match.  The Warrior saved Hogan from an attack and possible elimination at the hands of Barbarian and Rude.  However, Hogan did not return the favor as he inadvertently eliminated the Warrior during his scuffle with the others.  A furious Warrior returned to the ring to attack Barbarian and Rude, followed by running to the back filled with lightning quick hysteria.  This set the tone for The Ultimate Challenge at WrestleMania.

   At number 29 entered the mighty Hercules, as he was able to help Hogan fend off his opponents. #30 was none other than Mr. Perfect. Who else could have drawn the perfect number? During a miscommunication between Rude and the Barbarian, Hercules took advantage and eliminated the big man.  Rude then eliminated Hercules and teamed up with high school friend Mr. Perfect, as they set their sights on the Hulkster.  As a nearly eliminated Mr. Perfect was trying to get back in the ring, Hogan sent Rude towards the ropes.  In his effort to get back in, Perfect pulled down the ropes, as Rude went flying over and was eliminated. After witnessing a slight argument between the two friends, Hulk Hogan knew that Mr. Perfect was the last man in his way from winning the Rumble.  Mr. Perfect's Perfect-Plex wasn't enough, as Hogan started "Hulking Up." Moments later, Hogan tossed Perfect out of the ring to win the third Royal Rumble.  

If you have any further thoughts on this topic, let me know in comments.  Heck, let us all know on The WAR Report podcast, every Tuesday at 7PM EST, brought to you by tagmeadate.com, the first and only dating site for wrestling fans.  Go to askthewarreport@gmail.com or #askthewarreport.  For TagMeADate members, our Android and Apple apps are vastly approaching so stay tuned!
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