The Rockers facing each other the best of the early matches. Narcissist weird arrival lex Luger impressing only Bobby Heenan with all his mirrors. Monsoon & the brain always a great double act for the last time at the royal rumble. For me does not matter what titles are on the line the main event is the rumble. No spoilers but Ric Flair record time was not just impressive because of the time spent. It was that he was involved in everything . In later years once wrestlers know or thinks camera will be on the next participant entrance there all on the deck Buying time. Well here could have been the beginning of that. A wrestler chases the flair record buying time. Instead of being impressed by this performance just made you think how amazing flair was. There was some good stories and appearances in this one and a number of times moves funnily just didn't come off showing the big changes in the roster and how little of the superstars has worked together. Still a very fun event and when everyone not just on the deck letting two superstars work, I love the rumble not knowing who to look at or missing some things is surely the fun of the Royal Rumble.
12 Reviews
Better than the year before, sort of
wwfhistoryguy29 May 2004
Warning: Spoilers
*SPOILERS*
The Royal Rumble seems to follow an inverse proportion: the better the Rumble, the worse the undercard. The exception is 1991, which had a great undercard and the best battle royal yet. Nowadays, the undercard is always fantastic, while the battle royal is just short of pathetic.
In 1993, the undercard was fine, while the battle royal started off well and just ended horribly. The Steiners had about as good a match as was possible with the Beverly Brothers. The Big Bossman and Bam Bam Bigelow, the two best superheavyweight performers ever, did quite well.
The two title matches were outstanding. Few remember that Razor Ramon was actually favored to beat Bret Hart. This match showed us that Bret was not a fluke champion and solidified him as one of the better champions. Shawn Michaels and Marty Jannetty put on a great match. Remember, later that year they would wrestle in 1993's Match of the Year. The aftermath of this match is a treat, as Sensational Sherri gets really emotional and Gene Okerlund uses language that is still WWE taboo.
The battle royal was mixed. Curt Hennig was impressive, eliminating three legends (Ric Flair, Jerry Lawler and Skinner). The Undertaker also accounted for himself well. Bob Backlund performed none of the heroics of Ric Flair from the year before and probably should not have broken iron man record. Backlund's record will never be broken. Once Yokozuna showed up, it was downhill. The match had a really boring ending, and they probably could have done better. Still, it was a good surprise having him win. So see it if you can.
The Royal Rumble seems to follow an inverse proportion: the better the Rumble, the worse the undercard. The exception is 1991, which had a great undercard and the best battle royal yet. Nowadays, the undercard is always fantastic, while the battle royal is just short of pathetic.
In 1993, the undercard was fine, while the battle royal started off well and just ended horribly. The Steiners had about as good a match as was possible with the Beverly Brothers. The Big Bossman and Bam Bam Bigelow, the two best superheavyweight performers ever, did quite well.
The two title matches were outstanding. Few remember that Razor Ramon was actually favored to beat Bret Hart. This match showed us that Bret was not a fluke champion and solidified him as one of the better champions. Shawn Michaels and Marty Jannetty put on a great match. Remember, later that year they would wrestle in 1993's Match of the Year. The aftermath of this match is a treat, as Sensational Sherri gets really emotional and Gene Okerlund uses language that is still WWE taboo.
The battle royal was mixed. Curt Hennig was impressive, eliminating three legends (Ric Flair, Jerry Lawler and Skinner). The Undertaker also accounted for himself well. Bob Backlund performed none of the heroics of Ric Flair from the year before and probably should not have broken iron man record. Backlund's record will never be broken. Once Yokozuna showed up, it was downhill. The match had a really boring ending, and they probably could have done better. Still, it was a good surprise having him win. So see it if you can.
An average rumble prevents it from reaching memorable status
callanvass8 June 2016
Warning: Spoilers
Live from Sacramento, CA
Attendance: 16,000
Your hosts are Gorilla Monsoon & Bobby Heenan
The Steiner Brothers Vs The Beverly Brothers
The Steiner's win after Scott hits a frankensteiner. This was an above average opener. I felt this was a good debut match for The Steiner's to really strut their stuff. You can't ask for much more than you got here.
**3/4
Intercontinental Championship
Shawn Michaels (C) Vs Marty Jannetty
Sensational Sherri is gonna be in a neutral corner. Shawn wins with a superkick after Sherri accidentally nails Janetty with her shoe. These two stole the show with this match! Jannetty starts off like a house of fire like any intense feud should. Shawn and Marty also gave us some excellent psychology before the match turned into one near-fall after another. It's an excellent match. Thankfully, all the Sherri drama didn't detract from the match
****
Shawn Michaels confronts Sherri backstage and tees off on her. Marty runs in and brawls with Shawn.
The Big Bossman Vs Bam Bam Bigelow
Bigelow wins with a diving headbutt from the top. These guys were doomed to fail after the clinic Shawn Michaels and Marty Jannetty put on, but it still wasn't a very good match. It moved at a pretty slow pace and lacked excitement. Both of these guys are good wrestlers for their size. They just didn't click here.
*1/2
WWF Championship
Bret Hart (C) Vs Razor Ramon
Bret wins with the Sharpshooter. This is an underrated match. Bret proved he was the best wrestler in the world at the time, and Razor held his own as well. This is one of those matches that doesn't get talked about enough as far as great Rumble matches go.
***3/4
Bobby Heenan unveils "The Narcissist" Lex Luger. It's worth watching simply for Bobby Heenan's performance. He's magnificent here.
Royal Rumble Match
Yokozuna wins after eliminating Randy Savage. This is an average Royal Rumble for the most part. It does have some standout moments. Mr. Perfect eliminating Ric Flair garnered a big pop from the crowd. Bob Backlund lasted all the way until the end and got a standing ovation for his efforts. The crowed booed when he got eliminated. Giant Gonzalez debuted and eliminated The Undertaker. (That was more dubious than standout) One thing that made me shake my head was how Yokozuna won the rumble. Savage hits the flying elbow from the top and goes to pin him. Yokozuna simply powers him off over the top rope and to the floor. It made Savage look really stupid.
**1/4
Aside from the Royal Rumble match itself, this was a really good card. Shawn Michaels vs Marty Jannetty and Bret Hart vs Razor Ramon are both fantastic matches. If the Rumble match wasn't so forgettable, this could have been a classic PPV.
6.5/10
Attendance: 16,000
Your hosts are Gorilla Monsoon & Bobby Heenan
The Steiner Brothers Vs The Beverly Brothers
The Steiner's win after Scott hits a frankensteiner. This was an above average opener. I felt this was a good debut match for The Steiner's to really strut their stuff. You can't ask for much more than you got here.
**3/4
Intercontinental Championship
Shawn Michaels (C) Vs Marty Jannetty
Sensational Sherri is gonna be in a neutral corner. Shawn wins with a superkick after Sherri accidentally nails Janetty with her shoe. These two stole the show with this match! Jannetty starts off like a house of fire like any intense feud should. Shawn and Marty also gave us some excellent psychology before the match turned into one near-fall after another. It's an excellent match. Thankfully, all the Sherri drama didn't detract from the match
****
Shawn Michaels confronts Sherri backstage and tees off on her. Marty runs in and brawls with Shawn.
The Big Bossman Vs Bam Bam Bigelow
Bigelow wins with a diving headbutt from the top. These guys were doomed to fail after the clinic Shawn Michaels and Marty Jannetty put on, but it still wasn't a very good match. It moved at a pretty slow pace and lacked excitement. Both of these guys are good wrestlers for their size. They just didn't click here.
*1/2
WWF Championship
Bret Hart (C) Vs Razor Ramon
Bret wins with the Sharpshooter. This is an underrated match. Bret proved he was the best wrestler in the world at the time, and Razor held his own as well. This is one of those matches that doesn't get talked about enough as far as great Rumble matches go.
***3/4
Bobby Heenan unveils "The Narcissist" Lex Luger. It's worth watching simply for Bobby Heenan's performance. He's magnificent here.
Royal Rumble Match
Yokozuna wins after eliminating Randy Savage. This is an average Royal Rumble for the most part. It does have some standout moments. Mr. Perfect eliminating Ric Flair garnered a big pop from the crowd. Bob Backlund lasted all the way until the end and got a standing ovation for his efforts. The crowed booed when he got eliminated. Giant Gonzalez debuted and eliminated The Undertaker. (That was more dubious than standout) One thing that made me shake my head was how Yokozuna won the rumble. Savage hits the flying elbow from the top and goes to pin him. Yokozuna simply powers him off over the top rope and to the floor. It made Savage look really stupid.
**1/4
Aside from the Royal Rumble match itself, this was a really good card. Shawn Michaels vs Marty Jannetty and Bret Hart vs Razor Ramon are both fantastic matches. If the Rumble match wasn't so forgettable, this could have been a classic PPV.
6.5/10
This one is pretty good...
andy4u2call11 June 2003
Warning: Spoilers
*possible spoilers*
This was a very good and solid pay-per-view event. I really like it. Around this time (1993) we're starting to move out of the golden years of the Royal Rumble (Hogan's departure from the WWF being one of the key factors, obviously), but that doesn't mean it's not exciting anymore. It definitely is.
The opener of the night is the Steiners (in their pay-per-view debut) vs. the Beverly Brothers, it's a decent match, lots of agility and great techniques by both teams, and the crowd really got into it.
There's also the Big Boss Man against the "Beast from the East," Bam Bam Bigelow, in a battle of the big boys. Bossman gets some good offense in throughout the match, but Bam Bam prevails in the end with a flying headbutt off the top. Not a really good match, but it was ok.
One of the best regular matches on the night, Shawn Michaels vs. Marty Jannetty, his former tag-team partner, really got things going. Some spectacular and high flying moves make this really something to watch. Jannetty controls the first few minutes, then Michaels manages to bang up Marty's shoulder a bit, but could not pin him. Jannetty at one point comes tantalizingly close to pinning Michaels, but in the end, it is Shawn who stands victorious. Great match.
There's also a segment in which we get our first look at "the Narcissist" Lex Luger in the WWF, who is unveiled by Bobby "the Brain" Heenan. Heenan is so excited and anxious to show him off to everyone, silly stuff.
Then the main event, Razor Ramon against Bret "Hitman" Hart. Another great match, for the Intercontinental Championship. Typical good guy/bad guy match. Bret gets control fairly early (after the taunts and toothpick flinging), then Razor really owns him from the middle on up towards the end, where Bret clamps on his infamous Sharpshooter finishing move and makes Ramon submit. Second best match of the night.
Now the rumble match. Winner gets a title shot at Wrestlemania IX. Guess who has the #1 spot this year? Yep, Wooooo! Ric Flair. Everyone knows what happened in '92 but this year, Flair was expected to jump to WCW, and on Monday Night Raw, the day after the rumble, he and Mr. Perfect squared off in a "loser leaves the wwf" match. He lost. Flair didn't last as long in this one as he did in '92, but he was in for a good 18 minutes, when Mr. Perfect eliminated him. The man who drew #2, Bob Backlund, started with Flair, and hung on in the match for an incredible 61 minutes. He was the 28th overall man eliminated (by the 27th entrant, Yokozuna).
About halfway into the match, Giant Gonzalez strolls down to ringside, and steps over the ropes and confronts the Undertaker, who had just cleared the entire ring. This guy was billed 8 feet tall but was actually 7'8". He chops the Dead Man over the top rope, and continues to beat on him outside the ring. This set up their match at Wrestlemania IX, which was a dud. The rumble match slows down dramatically here. The first half was excellent.
When Yokozuna entered the match, he simply dominated. No one wanted anything with him, except for Earthquake. They collided, but Yoko tossed him out. And it was clear who was the winner was going to be. At one point, everyone in the ring all ganged up on Yoko, trying to eliminate him, but he fought them all off. Near the end it was Yokozuna, Bob Backlund, who was still there, Rick Martel, and Randy Savage. Backlund knocked Martel over the ropes, the crowd is going insane for him now, he already has the longevity record. But he made a mistake and charged at Yokozuna and was thrown out right at 61 minutes. WOW. So it's down to the sumo wrestler and Savage, they fight for a long time, Savage gets the crowd riled up, I mean REALLY riled up. But Yokozuna got the last laugh, as he tossed Savage out from lying on his back, AFTER being hit by a Flying Elbow Drop. This was the 2nd longest rumble ever at 66+ minutes, and it was excellent from the start, but it died down the 2nd half.
This was a very good and solid pay-per-view event. I really like it. Around this time (1993) we're starting to move out of the golden years of the Royal Rumble (Hogan's departure from the WWF being one of the key factors, obviously), but that doesn't mean it's not exciting anymore. It definitely is.
The opener of the night is the Steiners (in their pay-per-view debut) vs. the Beverly Brothers, it's a decent match, lots of agility and great techniques by both teams, and the crowd really got into it.
There's also the Big Boss Man against the "Beast from the East," Bam Bam Bigelow, in a battle of the big boys. Bossman gets some good offense in throughout the match, but Bam Bam prevails in the end with a flying headbutt off the top. Not a really good match, but it was ok.
One of the best regular matches on the night, Shawn Michaels vs. Marty Jannetty, his former tag-team partner, really got things going. Some spectacular and high flying moves make this really something to watch. Jannetty controls the first few minutes, then Michaels manages to bang up Marty's shoulder a bit, but could not pin him. Jannetty at one point comes tantalizingly close to pinning Michaels, but in the end, it is Shawn who stands victorious. Great match.
There's also a segment in which we get our first look at "the Narcissist" Lex Luger in the WWF, who is unveiled by Bobby "the Brain" Heenan. Heenan is so excited and anxious to show him off to everyone, silly stuff.
Then the main event, Razor Ramon against Bret "Hitman" Hart. Another great match, for the Intercontinental Championship. Typical good guy/bad guy match. Bret gets control fairly early (after the taunts and toothpick flinging), then Razor really owns him from the middle on up towards the end, where Bret clamps on his infamous Sharpshooter finishing move and makes Ramon submit. Second best match of the night.
Now the rumble match. Winner gets a title shot at Wrestlemania IX. Guess who has the #1 spot this year? Yep, Wooooo! Ric Flair. Everyone knows what happened in '92 but this year, Flair was expected to jump to WCW, and on Monday Night Raw, the day after the rumble, he and Mr. Perfect squared off in a "loser leaves the wwf" match. He lost. Flair didn't last as long in this one as he did in '92, but he was in for a good 18 minutes, when Mr. Perfect eliminated him. The man who drew #2, Bob Backlund, started with Flair, and hung on in the match for an incredible 61 minutes. He was the 28th overall man eliminated (by the 27th entrant, Yokozuna).
About halfway into the match, Giant Gonzalez strolls down to ringside, and steps over the ropes and confronts the Undertaker, who had just cleared the entire ring. This guy was billed 8 feet tall but was actually 7'8". He chops the Dead Man over the top rope, and continues to beat on him outside the ring. This set up their match at Wrestlemania IX, which was a dud. The rumble match slows down dramatically here. The first half was excellent.
When Yokozuna entered the match, he simply dominated. No one wanted anything with him, except for Earthquake. They collided, but Yoko tossed him out. And it was clear who was the winner was going to be. At one point, everyone in the ring all ganged up on Yoko, trying to eliminate him, but he fought them all off. Near the end it was Yokozuna, Bob Backlund, who was still there, Rick Martel, and Randy Savage. Backlund knocked Martel over the ropes, the crowd is going insane for him now, he already has the longevity record. But he made a mistake and charged at Yokozuna and was thrown out right at 61 minutes. WOW. So it's down to the sumo wrestler and Savage, they fight for a long time, Savage gets the crowd riled up, I mean REALLY riled up. But Yokozuna got the last laugh, as he tossed Savage out from lying on his back, AFTER being hit by a Flying Elbow Drop. This was the 2nd longest rumble ever at 66+ minutes, and it was excellent from the start, but it died down the 2nd half.
Meh. Gets a little pass
morantjavonte1 July 2022
Warning: Spoilers
Royal Rumble 1993 Thoughts
Royal Rumble 1993 was the 6th annual Royal Rumble event produced by the WWF. It took place January 24, 1993 in Sacramento, California at the ARCO Arena. Attendence was at 16,000 with a buyrate of 300,000. This is also the first Royal Rumble PPV event to take place in the New Generation Era which just launched weeks ago on Monday Night Raw.
The Royal Rumble match once more of course, headline the PPV. However for the first time ever, the winner would go on and get the opportunity to win the WWF Championship at the upcoming WrestleMania which would continue on to this day. Show also featured 2 title matches. Bret Hart defended the WWF Championship against late-great Razor Ramon in at the time, a surprisingly great match. Shawn Michaels battled his former partner, Marty Jannetty for the Intercontinental Championship which was mostly Marty Jannetty ready get payback for his partner's betrayel over a year before.
The Good - Both the tag team and the IC title match were both pretty good. The later had a bit of a cheap ending but the match overall was very good. Crowd was hot for Jannetty to beat the living crap out of Shawn. Shawn wasn't quite the established star we would see him later as but he clearly was the future. Razor Ramon vs. Bret Hart was also really good. It was said the buildup felt a bit too Lackluster but the match at the end delivered.
The Meh - The Royal Rumble wasn't that great. It hardly had any action and from a mile it was obvious that 3 people were the most likely choices of winners. I should Mention 1993 was the beginning of declining star power of the WWF. This Rumble featuring many tag teams was a sign. However they did fine making Yokozuna look like a big monster about to dominate the roster. The ending was off too for Savage going for a pinned? It made him look ridiculous a bit.
The Bad - Bam Bam Bigelow vs. Big Boss Man was boring and the two stars did not connect. It was really dead from the start and the slow pacing dragged. Also Giant Gonzalez debut was pretty cringy to see for a number of reasons.
Overall - First half of this show was actually interesting. However the Rumble was a bit of a letdown with little to no memorable moments or eliminations thus affacting this show a lot. I say this show gets a tiny boost for only having 1 bad match overrall but still an average Rumble.
Score - 6 out of 10: Decent
0 = Terrible : 1 = Bad/Lackluster : 2 = Decent : 3 = Good : 4 = Awesome : 5 = One of the Best of all Time :
1. The Beverly Brothers vs. The Steiner Brothers - 3/5
2. Shawn Michaels vs. Marty Jannetty: WWF Intercontinental Championship - 3/5
3. Bam Bam Bigelow vs. Big Boss Man - 1/5
4. Razor Ramon vs. Bret Hart: WWF Championship - 3.5/5
5. 30-Man Royal Rumble - 2/5
Best Match - Bret Hart vs. Razor Ramon
Worst Match - Bam Bam Bigelow vs. Big Boss Man
Most Memorable Moment - Nothing really
Top 5 Performers
1. Bret Hart - Good Performance
2. Razor Ramon - Good Performance
3. Marty Jannetty - Good Performance
4. Shawn Michaels - Good Performance
5. Undertaker - Pretty good Performance before Elimination.
Royal Rumble 1993 was the 6th annual Royal Rumble event produced by the WWF. It took place January 24, 1993 in Sacramento, California at the ARCO Arena. Attendence was at 16,000 with a buyrate of 300,000. This is also the first Royal Rumble PPV event to take place in the New Generation Era which just launched weeks ago on Monday Night Raw.
The Royal Rumble match once more of course, headline the PPV. However for the first time ever, the winner would go on and get the opportunity to win the WWF Championship at the upcoming WrestleMania which would continue on to this day. Show also featured 2 title matches. Bret Hart defended the WWF Championship against late-great Razor Ramon in at the time, a surprisingly great match. Shawn Michaels battled his former partner, Marty Jannetty for the Intercontinental Championship which was mostly Marty Jannetty ready get payback for his partner's betrayel over a year before.
The Good - Both the tag team and the IC title match were both pretty good. The later had a bit of a cheap ending but the match overall was very good. Crowd was hot for Jannetty to beat the living crap out of Shawn. Shawn wasn't quite the established star we would see him later as but he clearly was the future. Razor Ramon vs. Bret Hart was also really good. It was said the buildup felt a bit too Lackluster but the match at the end delivered.
The Meh - The Royal Rumble wasn't that great. It hardly had any action and from a mile it was obvious that 3 people were the most likely choices of winners. I should Mention 1993 was the beginning of declining star power of the WWF. This Rumble featuring many tag teams was a sign. However they did fine making Yokozuna look like a big monster about to dominate the roster. The ending was off too for Savage going for a pinned? It made him look ridiculous a bit.
The Bad - Bam Bam Bigelow vs. Big Boss Man was boring and the two stars did not connect. It was really dead from the start and the slow pacing dragged. Also Giant Gonzalez debut was pretty cringy to see for a number of reasons.
Overall - First half of this show was actually interesting. However the Rumble was a bit of a letdown with little to no memorable moments or eliminations thus affacting this show a lot. I say this show gets a tiny boost for only having 1 bad match overrall but still an average Rumble.
Score - 6 out of 10: Decent
0 = Terrible : 1 = Bad/Lackluster : 2 = Decent : 3 = Good : 4 = Awesome : 5 = One of the Best of all Time :
1. The Beverly Brothers vs. The Steiner Brothers - 3/5
2. Shawn Michaels vs. Marty Jannetty: WWF Intercontinental Championship - 3/5
3. Bam Bam Bigelow vs. Big Boss Man - 1/5
4. Razor Ramon vs. Bret Hart: WWF Championship - 3.5/5
5. 30-Man Royal Rumble - 2/5
Best Match - Bret Hart vs. Razor Ramon
Worst Match - Bam Bam Bigelow vs. Big Boss Man
Most Memorable Moment - Nothing really
Top 5 Performers
1. Bret Hart - Good Performance
2. Razor Ramon - Good Performance
3. Marty Jannetty - Good Performance
4. Shawn Michaels - Good Performance
5. Undertaker - Pretty good Performance before Elimination.
Not So Royal Rumble
paulrmimdb-4935412 April 2023
Warning: Spoilers
The Royal Rumble for me is my second favorite event of the year after Wrestlemania! It's fun and exciting and you never know what's going to happen! So let's talk about the 1993 Royal Rumble!
First let me mark out for Bobby Heenan and Gorilla Monsoon. God I love these two!!! I'm a huge Heenan fan and I've always called him the best commentator ever. Gorilla is great and the dynamic between these two is just amazing. They make everything seem better then it is!
First let's talk about the tag match! It's just ok. It makes The Steiners look good and they do some exciting movements! Scott Steiner is insanely athletic and it's fun to watch them in action. The outcome wasn't a surprise and I'm not a Beverly Brother fan so I didn't care much about the match.
Marty Janetty vs HBK is amazing fun! The storyline is great, the involvement of Sherri is great and the wrestling is great! It may drag a bit long but it's an amazing good time and Gene Okerlund backstage trying to calm Sherri down after she hits the wrong man with the shoe is just hilarious.
Bam Bam Bigelow vs Big Boss Man is just a filler match that frankly I didn't care about. Bam Bam is awesome but I just wasn't invested.
Bret Hart vs Razor Ramon is in my opinion match of the night!!! Love both of these guys and the tension and near falls and near submission finishes just made me love it even more. It's a shame we didn't see more of these two battling it out in WWF but both would go on to have great feuds with HBK in the future and for now Bret Hart holds on to that WWF title in what was match of the night! Also can we laugh at how horrible the ref spot of him falling into Razor and Bret was lol. Man oh man was that a sports entertainment moment if I've ever seen one.
Also let's talk about how Bobby Heenan made one of the most average gimmicks in WWF at the time so exciting and entertaining at the Royal Rumble. Narcissus would become a flop but man did Heenan try and carry it. This is why he's one of the greats. For pushing some of these gimmicks when even he knew it wasn't going to work.
Now let's talk about the Royal Rumble. The first half is great with almost all the best superstars competing in the first half. We see Ric Flair and Mr Perfect battle it out in the rumble, Bob Backlund is back as well as Ted Dibiase and Jerry Lawler! Where this goes downhill is after Flair is eliminated and Undertaker throws everyone out of the ring. When Giant Gonzalez in an outfit so bad you would think Stevie Wonder designed it, destroys The Undertaker and eliminates him. That feud at Wrestlemania was horrible and I'm not looking forward to watching that again. Now we just have filler until Macho Man and Yokozuna get in the ring.
You can tell how limited the roster was as half the rumble entrants were jobbers that had no chance in hell at winning. My main gripe with this rumble though is how Macho Man loses. You are telling me that a former world champion, one of the best in the world at his craft who knows the rules of the match is going to try and pin Yokozuna at the end of the match. GET OUT OF HERE!!! It was a horrible finish to a mediocre rumble which would lead to possibly one of the worst Wrestlemania's in history! I like Yokozuna I just hated the ending as it made Macho Man look so stupid and also I hated the Cleopatra and Caesar gimmick so having to see them twice was a negative also.
I know it sounds like I had a lot of negatives but honestly it was an ok ppv. The filler matches were average, the title matches were awesome and the rumble had it's moments.
It certainly wasn't the worst Royal Rumble and the setup was decent but man did this years Wrestlemania stink! We will get to that later though!
First let me mark out for Bobby Heenan and Gorilla Monsoon. God I love these two!!! I'm a huge Heenan fan and I've always called him the best commentator ever. Gorilla is great and the dynamic between these two is just amazing. They make everything seem better then it is!
First let's talk about the tag match! It's just ok. It makes The Steiners look good and they do some exciting movements! Scott Steiner is insanely athletic and it's fun to watch them in action. The outcome wasn't a surprise and I'm not a Beverly Brother fan so I didn't care much about the match.
Marty Janetty vs HBK is amazing fun! The storyline is great, the involvement of Sherri is great and the wrestling is great! It may drag a bit long but it's an amazing good time and Gene Okerlund backstage trying to calm Sherri down after she hits the wrong man with the shoe is just hilarious.
Bam Bam Bigelow vs Big Boss Man is just a filler match that frankly I didn't care about. Bam Bam is awesome but I just wasn't invested.
Bret Hart vs Razor Ramon is in my opinion match of the night!!! Love both of these guys and the tension and near falls and near submission finishes just made me love it even more. It's a shame we didn't see more of these two battling it out in WWF but both would go on to have great feuds with HBK in the future and for now Bret Hart holds on to that WWF title in what was match of the night! Also can we laugh at how horrible the ref spot of him falling into Razor and Bret was lol. Man oh man was that a sports entertainment moment if I've ever seen one.
Also let's talk about how Bobby Heenan made one of the most average gimmicks in WWF at the time so exciting and entertaining at the Royal Rumble. Narcissus would become a flop but man did Heenan try and carry it. This is why he's one of the greats. For pushing some of these gimmicks when even he knew it wasn't going to work.
Now let's talk about the Royal Rumble. The first half is great with almost all the best superstars competing in the first half. We see Ric Flair and Mr Perfect battle it out in the rumble, Bob Backlund is back as well as Ted Dibiase and Jerry Lawler! Where this goes downhill is after Flair is eliminated and Undertaker throws everyone out of the ring. When Giant Gonzalez in an outfit so bad you would think Stevie Wonder designed it, destroys The Undertaker and eliminates him. That feud at Wrestlemania was horrible and I'm not looking forward to watching that again. Now we just have filler until Macho Man and Yokozuna get in the ring.
You can tell how limited the roster was as half the rumble entrants were jobbers that had no chance in hell at winning. My main gripe with this rumble though is how Macho Man loses. You are telling me that a former world champion, one of the best in the world at his craft who knows the rules of the match is going to try and pin Yokozuna at the end of the match. GET OUT OF HERE!!! It was a horrible finish to a mediocre rumble which would lead to possibly one of the worst Wrestlemania's in history! I like Yokozuna I just hated the ending as it made Macho Man look so stupid and also I hated the Cleopatra and Caesar gimmick so having to see them twice was a negative also.
I know it sounds like I had a lot of negatives but honestly it was an ok ppv. The filler matches were average, the title matches were awesome and the rumble had it's moments.
It certainly wasn't the worst Royal Rumble and the setup was decent but man did this years Wrestlemania stink! We will get to that later though!
Yokozuna owns
amanwhorocks1 August 2013
Warning: Spoilers
1. Beverly Brothers Vs.Steiner Brothers - Nice match. Nice was Scotty's roll from opponent's shoulders. Steiners left old WCW boat for attractive WWF:/ 8/10
2. Intercontinetal Championship: Marty Jannetty Vs. Champ-Shawn Michaels - Now that's PPV! In this moment no idiots and ridiculous wrestlers. Michaels Vs. Jannetty was so exciting I really don't know, who will win. 8/10
3. Bam Bam Bigelow Vs. (Oh no, I said too much before) Big Stiff Man - Yes! Clotheslines and punches.. I've waited all the time to watch that lazy bastard Bossman. These two potbellies match was nothing special. BUt Bam Bam is at least able to do a slam. 6/10
4. WWF Championship: Razor Ramon Vs. Champ-Bret Hart - "Better than average" match 6.5/10
5. Royal Rumble Match: Ric Flair, Bob Backlund, Papa Shango, Ted Dibiase, Brian Knobs, Virgil, Jerry Lawler, Max Moon, Tenryu, Mr. Perfect, Skinner, Koko B.Ware, Samu, The Berzerker, The Undertaker, Terry Taylor, Gonzáles, I.R.S., Damien Demento, Tatanka, Jerry Sags, Typhoon, Fatu, Earthquake, Carlos Colón, El Matador, Rick Martel, Yokozuna, Owen Hart, Repo Man, Macho Man - Good Direction of the Rumble, that has more than 2 tops. 7/10
2. Intercontinetal Championship: Marty Jannetty Vs. Champ-Shawn Michaels - Now that's PPV! In this moment no idiots and ridiculous wrestlers. Michaels Vs. Jannetty was so exciting I really don't know, who will win. 8/10
3. Bam Bam Bigelow Vs. (Oh no, I said too much before) Big Stiff Man - Yes! Clotheslines and punches.. I've waited all the time to watch that lazy bastard Bossman. These two potbellies match was nothing special. BUt Bam Bam is at least able to do a slam. 6/10
4. WWF Championship: Razor Ramon Vs. Champ-Bret Hart - "Better than average" match 6.5/10
5. Royal Rumble Match: Ric Flair, Bob Backlund, Papa Shango, Ted Dibiase, Brian Knobs, Virgil, Jerry Lawler, Max Moon, Tenryu, Mr. Perfect, Skinner, Koko B.Ware, Samu, The Berzerker, The Undertaker, Terry Taylor, Gonzáles, I.R.S., Damien Demento, Tatanka, Jerry Sags, Typhoon, Fatu, Earthquake, Carlos Colón, El Matador, Rick Martel, Yokozuna, Owen Hart, Repo Man, Macho Man - Good Direction of the Rumble, that has more than 2 tops. 7/10
The beginning of a new era.....sort of
bh_tafe35 March 2009
Warning: Spoilers
Well Hogan's gone, the Ultimate Warrior's gone, Flair's about to leave and Savage is drifting into the background. The times certainly were changing as the 1993 Royal Rumble rolled around, and this was reflected in the WWE Championship match later that night as Bret Hart made his second title defence taking on Razor Ramon who'd only been in the WWE a short length of time.
The night kicked off with the Steiner Brothers defeating the Beverly Brothers in a very entertaining opener. Scott Steiner was one of the most agile workers in the world at this stage and the Beverley's were a good foil for anyone. Good back and forth action as the two teams attempted to show who were the better brothers on the roster.
Next comes a heated match for the Intercontinental Championship between Shawn Michaels and Marty Janetty. These two had been tag team partners in a pretty sweet tag team named the Rockers. But Shawn had memorably turned on Marty, throwing him through a barbershop window (shown on a montage here, but it actually occurred sometime in early 1992). Sensational Sherri stood at ringside unsure of her allegiances. In the end she does the right thing and comes into knock out Shawn, but he ducks and she cocks Janetty instead. Shawn wins a good match.
Next up came the BIg Bossman taking on Bam Bam Bigelow. Bigelow was versatile for a big man and Bossman was pretty over back in 1993. They put on a nice match here.
Brings us to the big WWE title match with Bret putting his title on the line against Razor Ramon. I don't know exactly what the story was here, but Razor had been one of Flair's cronies when Hart beat Flair for the title in late 1992. There were some good promos in the lead up and here they have a great match. It starts off even. The middle of the fight is Razor kicking Hart's backside all over the ring, only for Hart to rally and hit the sharpshooter for the win. Good match.
The 1993 Royal Rumble was an interesting match with a lot of story lines going in. THe most important one here being that the winner would become the No.1 contender for the WWE Championship at Wrestlemania IX. The fight started off with two huge stories as Flair, who would fight and lose to Mr Perfect a "Loser Leaves Town" match the following night on RAW came in at No.1 and then former WWE Champion (for five consecutive years!) Bob Backlund, making a comeback at 42, came in at No.2. Flair went early compared to last year, but Backlund went for nearly an hour and was the second last man eliminated.
Another big story going in was the Undertaker's rivalry with scrawny manager Harvey Wippleman. Undertaker had defeated Harvey's biggest client Kamala in a coffin match at Survivor Series 1992 and Wippleman vowed revenge. The Undertaker came it at No.15 and cleared the ring, only for Wippleman to unearth his latest discovery: The massive Brazilian Giant Gonzales. Gonzales destroyed the Undertaker and left him looking weak and pathetic. Anyone making Taker look like that in 1993 was a rare thing indeed.
Anyway, Yokozuna came in at 27, eliminated six people, including Bob Backlund and then went toe to toe with Randy Savage for five thrilling minutes before eliminating Savage as the Macho Man attempted a pin after hitting a flying elbow. And so the Giant Yokozuna was on the way to Wrestlemania!!!
So it appeared that we'd be getting Hart/ Yokozuna for the WWE Championship match at Wrestlemania. Could the Canadian Hart beat not only Yokozuna, but the Japanese cronies of his manager Mr Fuji, or would it take a real American to get the job done? And could the Undertaker possibly triumph over WIppleman and his newest monster?
The night kicked off with the Steiner Brothers defeating the Beverly Brothers in a very entertaining opener. Scott Steiner was one of the most agile workers in the world at this stage and the Beverley's were a good foil for anyone. Good back and forth action as the two teams attempted to show who were the better brothers on the roster.
Next comes a heated match for the Intercontinental Championship between Shawn Michaels and Marty Janetty. These two had been tag team partners in a pretty sweet tag team named the Rockers. But Shawn had memorably turned on Marty, throwing him through a barbershop window (shown on a montage here, but it actually occurred sometime in early 1992). Sensational Sherri stood at ringside unsure of her allegiances. In the end she does the right thing and comes into knock out Shawn, but he ducks and she cocks Janetty instead. Shawn wins a good match.
Next up came the BIg Bossman taking on Bam Bam Bigelow. Bigelow was versatile for a big man and Bossman was pretty over back in 1993. They put on a nice match here.
Brings us to the big WWE title match with Bret putting his title on the line against Razor Ramon. I don't know exactly what the story was here, but Razor had been one of Flair's cronies when Hart beat Flair for the title in late 1992. There were some good promos in the lead up and here they have a great match. It starts off even. The middle of the fight is Razor kicking Hart's backside all over the ring, only for Hart to rally and hit the sharpshooter for the win. Good match.
The 1993 Royal Rumble was an interesting match with a lot of story lines going in. THe most important one here being that the winner would become the No.1 contender for the WWE Championship at Wrestlemania IX. The fight started off with two huge stories as Flair, who would fight and lose to Mr Perfect a "Loser Leaves Town" match the following night on RAW came in at No.1 and then former WWE Champion (for five consecutive years!) Bob Backlund, making a comeback at 42, came in at No.2. Flair went early compared to last year, but Backlund went for nearly an hour and was the second last man eliminated.
Another big story going in was the Undertaker's rivalry with scrawny manager Harvey Wippleman. Undertaker had defeated Harvey's biggest client Kamala in a coffin match at Survivor Series 1992 and Wippleman vowed revenge. The Undertaker came it at No.15 and cleared the ring, only for Wippleman to unearth his latest discovery: The massive Brazilian Giant Gonzales. Gonzales destroyed the Undertaker and left him looking weak and pathetic. Anyone making Taker look like that in 1993 was a rare thing indeed.
Anyway, Yokozuna came in at 27, eliminated six people, including Bob Backlund and then went toe to toe with Randy Savage for five thrilling minutes before eliminating Savage as the Macho Man attempted a pin after hitting a flying elbow. And so the Giant Yokozuna was on the way to Wrestlemania!!!
So it appeared that we'd be getting Hart/ Yokozuna for the WWE Championship match at Wrestlemania. Could the Canadian Hart beat not only Yokozuna, but the Japanese cronies of his manager Mr Fuji, or would it take a real American to get the job done? And could the Undertaker possibly triumph over WIppleman and his newest monster?
A Bunch Of Jobbers And Fat Guys
zkonedog12 March 2017
For perhaps the first time in WWF history, the 1993 edition of the Royal Rumble managed to create individual matches in the event (in this case Michaels/Janetty and Hart/Ramon) that overshadowed the Rumble itself. Unfortunately, this was only because the Rumble was so weak in and of itself.
Basically, besides a few guys (Ted DiBiase, Randy Savage, Undertaker) that were still likable (although most of those were even past their respective primes), the entire "main event" consisted of nothing but "jobbers" (wrestle-speak for placeholders in between stars) and big fat guys (always go over better than shrimps). It wasn't anything like years past, where every other guy would elicit a huge reaction (one way or another) from the crowd.
Plus, although commentator Gorilla Monsoon is always excellent, Bobby "The Brain" Heenan again will make you want to watch the whole tape on "mute", which really takes away a lot of the fun (at least it would have in the Jesse "The Body" Ventura years).
Overall, this is a very "skippable" event in your quest through the RR series. It serves its purpose to advance the story lines into Wrestlemania and even puts together a few good stand-alone matches, but the main event is utterly boring.
Basically, besides a few guys (Ted DiBiase, Randy Savage, Undertaker) that were still likable (although most of those were even past their respective primes), the entire "main event" consisted of nothing but "jobbers" (wrestle-speak for placeholders in between stars) and big fat guys (always go over better than shrimps). It wasn't anything like years past, where every other guy would elicit a huge reaction (one way or another) from the crowd.
Plus, although commentator Gorilla Monsoon is always excellent, Bobby "The Brain" Heenan again will make you want to watch the whole tape on "mute", which really takes away a lot of the fun (at least it would have in the Jesse "The Body" Ventura years).
Overall, this is a very "skippable" event in your quest through the RR series. It serves its purpose to advance the story lines into Wrestlemania and even puts together a few good stand-alone matches, but the main event is utterly boring.
Good event (spoiler)
Sugar Salvador27 April 2002
Warning: Spoilers
Highlights: Steiners and Beverlys had a decent opener, Steiners first PPV in WWF. The IC title match was great, Jannetty returned after a year and Sherri returned after 3 months but Michaels still gets the better of them both. The match : Ric Flair and Mr. Perfect's confrontation was classic especially with Bobby Heenan selling in the booth. The WWF should have used Perfect's performance to built him into a main-eventer. The crowd went nuts for him! Bob Backlund showed he can still go. Nice to see Carlos Calon on a PPV. Yokozuna and Earthquake also had a great standoff, and he was the right choice to go over. Lex Luger should not have been brought in like that. Bigelow's match with Bossman was a squash. Bret Hart and Razor Ramon was forgettable. Giant Gonzalez run in took way
Mediocre Event
Big Movie Fan17 May 2002
Warning: Spoilers
This Royal Rumble was quite mediocre. The Rumble match itself wasn't the best ever and the undercard was quite average.
The Steiners battled the Beverly Brothers in an average match. The same can be said for Big Boss Man VS Bam Bam Bigelow.
Shawn Michaels battled Marty Jannety in a reasonable match. The WWF Title match pitted Bret Hart against Razor Ramon. This was quite good.
(SPOILER AHEAD) The Rumble itself was okay. The late Yokosuna won the Rumble-in fact everybody knew he would win. Unlike previous events where you never knew who the winner was going to be, this Rumble was quite predictable. The most memorable part of this Rumble was the debut of Giant Gonzalez who was billed as being 8 foot tall. He was probably closer to 7 foot but he was real mean looking. He beat the stuffings out of the Undertaker at this event. That was the best part of the Rumble.
The Steiners battled the Beverly Brothers in an average match. The same can be said for Big Boss Man VS Bam Bam Bigelow.
Shawn Michaels battled Marty Jannety in a reasonable match. The WWF Title match pitted Bret Hart against Razor Ramon. This was quite good.
(SPOILER AHEAD) The Rumble itself was okay. The late Yokosuna won the Rumble-in fact everybody knew he would win. Unlike previous events where you never knew who the winner was going to be, this Rumble was quite predictable. The most memorable part of this Rumble was the debut of Giant Gonzalez who was billed as being 8 foot tall. He was probably closer to 7 foot but he was real mean looking. He beat the stuffings out of the Undertaker at this event. That was the best part of the Rumble.
See also
Awards | FAQ | User Ratings | External Reviews | Metacritic Reviews
