The 411 Wrestling Top 5 1.18.12: Week 157 – The Worst Royal Rumble Matches
Posted by Larry Csonka on 01.18.2012
From Triple H vs. Scott Steiner in 2003 and Ron Simmons vs. Ahmed Johnson in 1997 to the 1999 Rumble match, Yokozuna vs. The Undertaker in 1994 and more, the 411 Wrestling Staff discusses their top 5 worst matches from the Royal Rumble event!
Hello everyone and welcome to 411 Wrestling's Top 5 List. What we are going to is take a topic each week and all the writers here on 411 wrestling will have the ability to give us their Top 5 on said topic, plus up to three honorable mentions. Most of our topics will be based on recent events in the Wrestling World, looking at those events that make us think of times past.
So, on to this week's topic…
TOP 5 WORST ROYAL RUMBLE MATCHES
TJ Hawke HM - Dawn Marie vs. Torrie Wilson from 2003: Two of the worse wrestling Divas had a match. It was bad. HM - Ron Simmons vs. Ahmed Johnson from 1997: This a random match, but I will always remember watching it and being bored out of my mind HM - Rumble Match from 1996: This was one of those rumbles where so many people were left after the last man entered, that the match felt much more like a battle royal. And battle royals are terrible.
5. Kurt Angle vs. Mark Henry from 2006 - Mark Henry found some magic in 2011, but he is responsible for what is probably Kurt Angle's worst WWE PPV match after 1999. On top of that, it was booked as the main event when John Cena and Edge were in a hot angle and Rey Mysterio was about to win the Royal Rumble in honor of Eddie Guerrero. Bad match and bad booking is enough to get a spot here from me.
4. Bobby Lashley vs. Test from 2007 - Neither of these men were as bad on ECW as most people probably remember them, but the idea that these two were supposed to represent ECW on PPV was a terrible idea. They had a terrible match, and they were clogging up the C Show's main event scene that should have been occupied by upstarts like CM Punk, Elijah Burke, etc.
3. Undertaker vs. Yokozuna from 1994 - Casket matches are just the worst. I can't stand them. I'm sure someone is capable of doing it well (HBK/Taker was pretty good in spite of the casket), but most of them suck. This is one of the casket matches that sucked. Not to mention all the urn goofiness at the end, and this match leaves a sour taste in my mouth.
2. Rumble Match from 1999 - Besides Austin, the final four were D'Lo Brown, Bossman & Vince McMahon. Need I say more? Ok, fine it was one of the more boring rumbles and Vince McMahon won it. McMahon booked himself to win the Rumble, and then switched it later and Austin got the Wrestlemania title shot anyway. I hate the idea of the winner of the Rumble match not getting the Mania title shot. It's the one gimmick that WWE has had for a long time, and any damage against done against the gimmick is a terrible idea.
1. Triple H vs. Scott Steiner from 2003 - This was probably one of the worst World Title matches in the WWE during the 2000's and it completely killed Steiner as a potential main eventer. Whatever magic Hunter had before the first quad tear was completely gone by this point, because I can't believe how bad this match was. This match is so bad that it's actually worth checking out.
Wes Kirk HM - Vince McMahon vs. Ric Flair, RR 2002: Flair was definitely not ready to return and this showed it. HM - Michelle McCool vs. Mickie James, RR 2010: This should have been the end of the feud, but it wasn't! HM - Brock Lesnar vs. Hardcore Holly, RR 2004: Proof positive Holly should never have gotten a title shot, EVER.
5. Yokozuna vs. Undertaker, RR 1994 - This was the infamous match in which the Undertaker ended up losing to the over six-hundred pound Yokozuna thanks to the assistance of ten guys helping to dump him in a casket to close the lid and win the match. Of course, what also happened was that Undertaker mysteriously appeared on the TitanTron and spoke about how his spirit dwells within the souls of all mankind and then the casket seemed to release smoke and Undertaker vowed he wouldn't rest in peace as it was revealed he was not in the casket. Just nothing we couldn't have seen on RAW as an acceptable TV match.
4. Dawn Marie vs. Torrie Wilson, RR 2003 - This was the so-called "stepmother vs. stepdaughter" match as Dawn had married Torrie's father Al and supposedly killed him due to her insatiable sex drive. This horrid atrocity of a storyline was only saved a bit from Torrie and Dawn's kiss one single time, but this match made everybody remember why they hated it. Neither girl was known for her wrestling skills and it showed, this was just like one of the RAW Diva matches these days except they gave it too much time and it was on PPV.
3. Bobby Lashley vs. Test, RR 2007 - ECW was always a pile of disgusting garbage whether it was promoted by ol' Paul "Check In The Mail" Heyman or as a C-show for the WWE. After a disastrous PPV the month before that set the lowest buyrate in WWE history, ECW decided the best way to overcome the bad press was to put these two guys in the ring for a singles match at the Royal Rumble. Needless to say, things were absolutely awful and this match ended up confirming that ECW was headed for a final death soon, which it did a bit over three years later.
2. John Cena vs. JBL, Royal Rumble 2009 - This was basically absolute shit and the only reason it was saved at all was the fact Shawn Michaels was involved in a storyline with JBL as far as losing all his money in the 2008 financial crisis and requiring JBL's help to get back on his feet. The match itself was boring and absolutely horrid except for the part where HBK Superkicked JBL and Cena, leaving JBL on top of Cena but of course, Cena kicked out. Cena would hit the AA for the predictable pinfall and HBK would go on to a much better feud later with Chris Jericho.
1. Triple H vs. Scott Steiner, RR 2003 - A lot of people like to go after Scott Steiner as being the main culprit for why this match sucked so badly, but the truth of the matter is the blame goes equally on both men. Steiner had been sitting out since WCW was purchased and came back as a face to fight against HHH and hopefully finally dethrone him. The fans turned against Steiner, Hunter ended up needing the sledgehammer shot to get a disqualification, and all of us watching that night just hoped the Royal Rumble match itself made up for the abortion we just witnessed. It didn't.
SCOTT RUTHEFORD HM - Intercontinental Title: Razor Ramon vs. Golddust – ‘96: What do you get when you have Dustin Rhodes fondling himself and Scott Hall? HM - Bam Bam Bigelow vs. The Big Bossman – ‘93: Two fat wrestlers, past their prime and in no mood to work. FEEL THE BOREDOM! HM - Cruiserweight Championship: Rey Mysterio vs. Jamie Noble - 2004 : Take one of the greatest wrestlers of the past 15 years, give him an insanely good opponent and then give them 3 minutes...WTF?
5. Royal Rumble Match – ‘99 - Believe it or not I have no problem with Vince McMahon winning this because he won by total fluke of circumstance and it lead to his match at the next PPV with Steve Austin. What I hate was that the whole Vince/Austin storyline completely dominated the whole match rendering the rest of it essentially useless. We spent large amounts of time away from the rumble itself as most of the action with Austin was done backstage which must have been thrilling for the guys in the ring because they crowd would have been watching the video screens rather than them. Taking place during 1999 and being booked by Russo meant you have a billion storylines to help to a Rumble story but they went largely untouched. They prevailing wisdom is that the Royal Rumble match itself is really hard to fuck up. In 1999 they managed to do the near impossible.
4. WWE Women's Title: Ivory (w/Steven Richards) vs. Chyna – 2001 - The match itself is meh and was a total squash but the angle that came from this earns my disgust. Not so much the angle even but how the WWF instructed everyone to act. Having Chyna go down was fine but then having everyone go the sombre route and pretend like she was near death in the same tone as when Own Hart died at Over The Edge in 1999…it leaves a bad taste in my mouth. The stupidest thing about this whole mess is that it was all to build heat for and Ivory/Chyna match at WM17 but Chyna hurt herself so no heat to put on Ivory for this. All she did was pin a hurt opponent and then leave. If she had taken a chair and whacked Chyna in the back 10 times with it to earn a DQ defeat and further hurt her opponent…that would have been good.
3. WWF Tag Team Titles: New Age Outlaws vs. the Legion of Doom – ‘98 - L.O.D's run of credibility ended with a thud this night. Already going down a very slippery slop, this match brutally showed that time hadn't just blown them by but had left them eating its dust. The magic was gone. This match is fascinating to watch as you known that Hawk & Animal have likely be told to put the NOA over hard but the no-sell instinct of these two when they are made to do something they don't like is never far away. The champs went over but were never made to look any good. Everything changed after this as LOD were repackaged with Sunny and Droz not long after and were gone from the WWF by years end after Hawk and his demons turned them into locker room punch lines.
2. Fuerza Guerrera, Heavy Metal & Jerry Estrada vs. Perro Aguayo, El Canek & Hector Garza – ‘97 - So Vince wants to run a ‘Dome show and sell that bad boy out at a time when the WWF couldn't draw flies to crap and their future was less than assured. So he puts Shawn Michaels in the main event and brings in some Lucha dudes to appeal to the Mexican fans. Okay except that most of the Lucha's in this match are older than time itself. I have no idea if they ever draw a single fan to the arena but they managed to put on one of the all time horrible Royal Rumble undercard matches. Slow, boring and don't bother asking these guys to bump because they will not. At all. To be fair Garxa and Heavy Metal tried but ultimately the lack of ability from the other four made this the drizzling shits.
1. WWF Title Casket Match: Yokozuna vs. The Undertaker – ‘94 - Anyone that thinks there was any one worse match than this at a Royal Rumble has got to be kidding themselves. People talk today about Super Cena and how terrible it is, let me present to you Super ‘Taker! It took the interference of NINE WRESTLERS…count it NINE WRESTLERS to get UT so badly incapacitated so they could load him into a casket. Then we get into the goofiness of his soul rising from the casket and his promo from INSIDE the casket itself. OH. MY. GOD. Anyone that calls today's booking shitty needs to go back and have a look at this jewel in the crown of rubbish.
Robert S. Leighty Jr HM - ECW Title: Bobby Lashley (c) vs. Test: Bad match with a horrible ending but WWE never really cared about ECW Title so in grand scheme of things not as historically atrocious as my top 5.
HM - WWF Woman's Title: Ivory (c) vs. Chyna: Mainly for the stupid angle finish of Chyna apparently getting paralyzed from doing a hand spring elbow that even Snooki pulled off with relative ease.
HM - Fuerza Guerrera, Heavy Metal, Jerry Estrada vs. Perro Aguayo, El Canek, and Hector Garza: WWF was in such a bad place at start of 97 that they had to pad the Rumble with stars from AAA and in this case tried to capitalize off WCW's cruiserweight success and what we got was the opposite of WCW's division: namely, fucking boring.
5. WWE Title: Sheamus (c) vs. Randy Orton - Sheamus was pushed to the WWE Title a PPV earlier, and then booked against a still heel Orton at the Rumble. The problem was that Sheamus wasn't ready for this spot and he sure wasn't on Orton's level. That left us the fans to suffer through a heatless match that bored most people to tears and did nothing at all for the new champion.
4. The 1999 Royal Rumble - The worst Rumble in history as the winner and runner-up entered at #1 and #2 and then spent the majority of the match doing nothing. I understand that this Rumble was all about the story telling, but still doesn't mean the actual match didn't suck. With Vince and Austin being the main draw and neither really being involved everything in between the start and end was boring and just padding for a bad match.
3. World Title: Kurt Angle (c) vs. Mark Henry - This makes the list because they opted to close the PPV with this match instead of the Rumble (which I never like) and only reason was so Undertaker could return and destroy the ring with his mystic powers. Now I do think the current kick ass Mark Henry could do much better in this position against Angle, but he just wasn't ready back then.
2. Casket Match: WWF Title: Yokozuna (c) vs. The Undertaker - The match itself was all kinds of awful but it's the stuff after the match that left people wondering what drugs those in power in the WWF at the time were using. It took a small army for Yoko to get Taker in the casket then we get a live feed from inside the casket as Taker offers his last words before ascending to the heavens. Just brutal but in kind of a funny way even if it wasn't intended that way.
1. World Title: HHH (c) vs. Scott Steiner - Steiner came into the WWF with a great buzz and off a dominant heel run in WCW that kicked all kinds of ass even if the promotion was dying. Sadly he didn't show up in the WWE in the best shape cardio wise and he turned in this dog of a match with HHH. The crowd shit all over this as Steiner was sucking gas and could do nothing but throw suplexes. The man couldn't even do his push-up properly without sucking the oxygen out of the lungs of those in the first 3 rows. The bullshit ending also didn't help things and what you had was a horrible match that was the perfect juxtaposition to the fantastic WWE Title match between Angle and Benoit.
YOUR TURN KNOW IT ALLS List your Top Five for this week's topic on the comment section using the following format:
1994 Royal Rumble was by far the worst in my opinion. Luger, Hart, and Savage were the only 3 who had any chance and everyone else looked ridiculously lazy and boring. Guys like Crush and Diesel just stood around the whole match throwing like 3 punches a minute.
Posted By: SHADE (Guest) on January 17, 2012 at 11:09 PM
Hunter ended up needing the sledgehammer shot to get a disqualification, and all of us watching that night just hoped the Royal Rumble match itself made up for the abortion we just witnessed. It didn't." Wes Kirk
I'd argue that the WWE Title match that followed MORE than made up for this trainwreck. It was so bad, I didn't think Even Benoit and Angle could save the show....that's what I get for doubting Benoit and Angle.
Posted By: Guest#8486 (Guest) on January 17, 2012 at 11:13 PM
HHH v Steiner isn't that bad. It's full of botches but in no way is it the worst match in RR history.
Posted By: Ryan Haseldine (Guest) on January 17, 2012 at 11:14 PM
Oh man, I loved that Taker/Yoko casket match when I was a kid, hahaha.
Posted By: THE WINNAR (Guest) on January 17, 2012 at 11:16 PM
Okay,this is my 1st comment for a long time,even tho I still visit 411 all the time,and I have to agree with 99% of the 411 wrestling section commenters,and say FIRE Wes Kirk NOW!!!!! He is a fucking troll! I for some reason havent said anything until now about him,even tho he has been a pain in the ass with everything I have read from the guy. Here is some of the stuff that pissed me off this time 1)Flair vs McMahon was actually pretty good. 2)HBK didnt go on to feud with Jericho after the JBL/Cena match,that was in 2008 AKA the year before,and he actually went on to feud with Taker. and the Troll part..... 3)"ECW has always been garbage" Okay I havent seen alot of ECW,and what I have seen has been from WWE DVDs,but ECW wasnt "always" garbage. Notice my comment-username:DisgruntledTNAFan,I have been loyal to TNA since 2003,but that doesnt mean TNA is the end-all/be-all of wrestling. For every Joe/Styles/Daniels/Angle there is a Hogan or a Flair. For every Good Decison(Building Roode & Storm Up) there is a HORRIBLE one(Jeff Hardy/Victory Road and then Not Firing Him AND Bringing Him Back). I dont have a problem with you LOVING TNA,but the whole TNA is the NFL to WWE's XFL-type mentality in almost every article you write is getting ridiculous. ECW had GREAT moments like TNA has,and HORRIBLE moments like TNA has.
Yeah that rant might not make since to anybody else,but at least I know what I'm trying to say.
Posted By: DisgruntledTNAFan (Guest) on January 18, 2012 at 12:15 AM
HM-Evolution vs Dudleys Table match a 4 Min match
5.Dawn Marie vs Torrie Wilson-Why was this on PPV should of been on Smackdown
4.Undertaker vs Yokozuna-Way to Bury a champion and half the roster 12 guys to beat 1 guy
3.Mark Henry vs Kurt Angle-Bad enough this match was happening it was also the last match on the show
2.Bob Holly vs Brock Lesner-Boring and Lame
1.Scott Steiner vs Triple H-Worst Rumble PPV match ever period
Posted By: Spike (Guest) on January 18, 2012 at 12:29 AM
5. New Age Outlaws vs. APA, Royal Rumble 2000. Looking back on it now, this match didn't look good on paper but I wanted to see a good match. Awful stuff.
4. Torrie Wilson vs. Dawn Marie, Royal Rumble 2003. The less said about this match, the better. Death angles are so tasteless, really.
3. Ivory vs. Chyna, Royal Rumble 2001. Another match that sucked as a match, but the angle made it terrible. I think every review I've read of this show gets ticked about JR and King using their soft voices a la Owen Hart's fall, and that's tasteless as well.
2. Royal Rumble Match 1999. Stupid match. I think by default the worst Royal Rumble match has to make the top 5 worst matches list, considering it's the show's name.
1. HHH vs. Scott Steiner, Royal Rumble 2003. Mentioned earlier why this match was so bad. Steiner didn't have it anymore.
Posted By: Jonbear (Guest) on January 18, 2012 at 12:30 AM
I was at the 2003 Rumble and HHH vs Steiner was brutal. The match itself would have been enough to have an unhappy crowd, but having watched Benoit vs Angle have a 5 Star match and then this disaster as the main event was enough to make fans leave before the match was even over.
Posted By: TheVining (Guest) on January 18, 2012 at 12:43 AM
5. Bobby Lashley vs. Test (2007)
4. Boogie Man vs. JBL (2006)
3. Mickie James vs. Ashley (2006)
2. 2006 Royal Rumble Match
1. Kurt Angle vs. Mark Henry (2006)
Posted By: Guest#6492 (Guest) on January 18, 2012 at 12:46 AM
Oh man, I loved that Taker/Yoko casket match when I was a kid, hahaha.
Posted By: THE WINNAR (Guest) on January 17, 2012 at 11:16 PM
Same here. I'm wondering if the writers here are just kids themselves doing their research via YouTube...
Posted By: StringerBell (Guest) on January 18, 2012 at 12:55 AM
I remember Shawn going after taker after the JBL match....
Posted By: what??? (Guest) on January 18, 2012 at 12:56 AM
DisgruntledTNAFan
WWE probably gave you your opinion of ECW because it was mostly garbage.
ECW was just a bunch of guys that couldn't wrestle outside a few luchas and guys brought in from japan so they had to make up for it with hardcore matches, nonsense book I g all while botching 75% of their moves.
EcW was horrific especially the last 2 years
Posted By: Guest#6266 (Guest) on January 18, 2012 at 01:29 AM
Maybe its just cause I was such and still am a SCSA fan, but I don't remember the 99 Rumble being that bad. I loved the Austin/McMahon stuff. Course I haven't watched it since...well it happened so maybe I remember it wrong.
Posted By: Guest#8369 (Guest) on January 18, 2012 at 01:47 AM
I can't believe all the UT/Yoko mentions. That was an awesome angle in 1994 and not a bad match at all. Just cause Internet folklore says that match sucked doesn't mean you have to agree.
Posted By: nicelist (Guest) on January 18, 2012 at 01:50 AM
I was at the 2003 Rumble and HHH vs Steiner was brutal. The match itself would have been enough to have an unhappy crowd, but having watched Benoit vs Angle have a 5 Star match and then this disaster as the main event was enough to make fans leave before the match was even over.
Posted By: TheVining (Guest) on January 18, 2012 at 12:43 AM
Um...Steiner/HHH was *before* Benoit vs. Angle.
Posted By: Jonbear (Guest) on January 18, 2012 at 01:59 AM
The 99 Royal Rumble is one of the most purchased WWE PPVs of all time.
Russo = ratings!
Posted By: 3 Colours Beige (Guest) on January 18, 2012 at 02:05 AM
Okay,this is my 1st comment for a long time,even tho I still visit 411 all the time,and I have to agree with 99% of the 411 wrestling section commenters,and say FIRE Wes Kirk NOW!!!!! He is a fucking troll! I for some reason havent said anything until now about him,even tho he has been a pain in the ass with everything I have read from the guy. Here is some of the stuff that pissed me off this time 1)Flair vs McMahon was actually pretty good. 2)HBK didnt go on to feud with Jericho after the JBL/Cena match,that was in 2008 AKA the year before,and he actually went on to feud with Taker. and the Troll part..... 3)"ECW has always been garbage" Okay I havent seen alot of ECW,and what I have seen has been from WWE DVDs,but ECW wasnt "always" garbage. Notice my comment-username:DisgruntledTNAFan,I have been loyal to TNA since 2003,but that doesnt mean TNA is the end-all/be-all of wrestling. For every Joe/Styles/Daniels/Angle there is a Hogan or a Flair. For every Good Decison(Building Roode & Storm Up) there is a HORRIBLE one(Jeff Hardy/Victory Road and then Not Firing Him AND Bringing Him Back). I dont have a problem with you LOVING TNA,but the whole TNA is the NFL to WWE's XFL-type mentality in almost every article you write is getting ridiculous. ECW had GREAT moments like TNA has,and HORRIBLE moments like TNA has.
Yeah that rant might not make since to anybody else,but at least I know what I'm trying to say.
Posted By: DisgruntledTNAFan (Guest) on January 18, 2012 at 12:15 AM
Good comment, but sadly there is no hope. The troll will still be around because Cook and Larry like to fuck with the people who read this site, fucking horrible. WK says stuff to get a reaction(and hits for his column). Hopefully Larry figures out he would be better off getting rid of him soon. Good comment.
Posted By: Still Guest#8287 (Guest) on January 18, 2012 at 02:25 AM
RR 99 was awesome
Posted By: Guest#2760 (Guest) on January 18, 2012 at 02:28 AM
I would love in the build for the eventual Cena vs Taker WM match, Taker mentions it took 9 men to put him away... only for him to no sell the finish.
Posted By: Guest#0194 (Guest) on January 18, 2012 at 02:45 AM
I'd have to say 99 was the worst Rumble match ever, largely because there was just too many storylines taking place, which resulted in the ring getting cleared at least three times, leading to a lot of dead time in the Rumble. BTW, I presume Russo had a great deal to do with the booking of this match, which should have rung some major bells for those who thought he would actually be able to save WCW in late 99 and again in 2000.
And while I couldn't necessarily say it ranks among the worst of all time, I remember Sid/JBL at Rumble 97 being particularly disappointing given the awesome match they had at Survivor Series only a few months prior.
Posted By: Michael L (Guest) on January 18, 2012 at 03:04 AM
I've heard a lot of bad things about the Triple H/Steiner match without having seen it. Having just watched it I can come to the following conclusions.
Firstly the match is slow paced and probably went 5 minutes too long. There was no need for all the brawling in and around the ring at the beginning. It started the match off in a bad way and never recovered.
Secondly, I don't know why Steiner takes so much crap here. Yes he throws a lot of suplexes during the match but isn't he supposed to be the face here? Triple H as heel is supposed to dominate the pacing of the match and have the majority of the offense. That way when Steiner makes the big comeback he can throw the suplexes much like how Benoit or Angle used to do.
Triple H looks much more like the wrestler in poor condition. Like I have already pointed out, he should have been controlling this match but he didn't. Either he was in poor cardio vascular condition or he was just sand-bagging Steiner.
The booking of the match doesn't help either. I get the idea that Triple H is trying to get himself disqualified because he doesn't think he can beat Steiner, but wouldn't that have worked better if he'd had all of the offense in the match and couldn't get the pin? The guy doesn't even hit a pedigree for god's sake!
Posted By: Guest#8854 (Guest) on January 18, 2012 at 04:45 AM
Sorry but i think 1999 was pretty good and interesting while 1998 completely sucked
Posted By: MainEventMafia (Guest) on January 18, 2012 at 04:45 AM
Okay,this is my 1st comment for a long time,even tho I still visit 411 all the time,and I have to agree with 99% of the 411 wrestling section commenters,and say FIRE Wes Kirk NOW!!!!! He is a fucking troll! I for some reason havent said anything until now about him,even tho he has been a pain in the ass with everything I have read from the guy. Here is some of the stuff that pissed me off this time 1)Flair vs McMahon was actually pretty good. 2)HBK didnt go on to feud with Jericho after the JBL/Cena match,that was in 2008 AKA the year before,and he actually went on to feud with Taker. and the Troll part..... 3)"ECW has always been garbage" Okay I havent seen alot of ECW,and what I have seen has been from WWE DVDs,but ECW wasnt "always" garbage. Notice my comment-username:DisgruntledTNAFan,I have been loyal to TNA since 2003,but that doesnt mean TNA is the end-all/be-all of wrestling. For every Joe/Styles/Daniels/Angle there is a Hogan or a Flair. For every Good Decison(Building Roode & Storm Up) there is a HORRIBLE one(Jeff Hardy/Victory Road and then Not Firing Him AND Bringing Him Back). I dont have a problem with you LOVING TNA,but the whole TNA is the NFL to WWE's XFL-type mentality in almost every article you write is getting ridiculous. ECW had GREAT moments like TNA has,and HORRIBLE moments like TNA has.
Yeah that rant might not make since to anybody else,but at least I know what I'm trying to say.
Posted By: DisgruntledTNAFan (Guest) on January 18, 2012 at 12:15 AM
This, every word of this.
Posted By: Guest#0343 (Guest) on January 18, 2012 at 05:08 AM
true that Bob Holly was never main event material, but I've definitely seen worse matches than Holly vs. Brock. Damn near anything with John Cena in it, for instance. That guy has been doing an STF for how many years now? And he still can't do it right?
Posted By: Yep (Guest) on January 18, 2012 at 05:10 AM
Oh man, I loved that Taker/Yoko casket match when I was a kid, hahaha.
Posted By: THE WINNAR (Guest) on January 17, 2012 at 11:16 PM
Same here. I'm wondering if the writers here are just kids themselves doing their research via YouTube...
Posted By: StringerBell (Guest) on January 18, 2012 at 12:55 AM
I think the same. Loved this match as a kid
Posted By: CM Punk'd (Guest) on January 18, 2012 at 05:48 AM
eddie guerrero vs chavo guerrero 2004? why didn't anyone of you mention that boring match? atleast an honorable mention. i get it. it includes "the LATE oh so great" eddie so nobody wants to bash it.
Posted By: Guest#9332 (Guest) on January 18, 2012 at 05:55 AM
Hunter ended up needing the sledgehammer shot to get a disqualification, and all of us watching that night just hoped the Royal Rumble match itself made up for the abortion we just witnessed. It didn't." Wes Kirk
Have you heard of the awesome Angle vs Benoit match that same night? Or are you employed by WWE? Idiot
Posted By: Guest#5138 (Guest) on January 18, 2012 at 05:57 AM
Robert S. Leighty Jr
"WWE Title: Sheamus (c) vs. Randy Orton - Sheamus was pushed to the WWE Title a PPV earlier, and then booked against a still heel Orton at the Rumble. The problem was that Sheamus wasn't ready for this spot and he sure wasn't on Orton's level. That left us the fans to suffer through a heatless match that bored most people to tears and did nothing at all for the new champion."
I completely forgot about this shitty match until I read it and my God what a terrible wrestler Sheamus was. Or should I say still is. Easily the worst WWE champon of all times.
And the reason why HHH vs Steiner was brutal because Scott was having some sort of foot injury at the time. If he was healthy, the match would still suck though.
Posted By: Jesse (Guest) on January 18, 2012 at 06:09 AM
You spelt 'cheque' wrong Wes, you toolbag.
Posted By: Guest#4348 (Guest) on January 18, 2012 at 06:26 AM
I was at the 2003 Rumble and HHH vs Steiner was brutal. The match itself would have been enough to have an unhappy crowd, but having watched Benoit vs Angle have a 5 Star match and then this disaster as the main event was enough to make fans leave before the match was even over.
Posted By: TheVining (Guest) on January 18, 2012 at 12:43 AM
Angle/Benoit went after this you fucking lier.
Posted By: SSgt Monoxide (Guest) on January 18, 2012 at 06:32 AM
Strong list as ever.
I would have had the 1995 rumble match personally. It was far too rushed and then 1min breaks didnt work.
Re: Kurt Angle vs. Mark Henry from 2006
This was booked last so the Undertaker could make his "dramatic" return at the end
Posted By: Your Teacher (Guest) on January 18, 2012 at 07:02 AM
Oh man, I loved that Taker/Yoko casket match when I was a kid, hahaha.
Posted By: THE WINNAR (Guest) on January 17, 2012 at 11:16 PM
Same here. I'm wondering if the writers here are just kids themselves doing their research via YouTube...
Posted By: StringerBell (Guest) on January 18, 2012 at 12:55 AM
Make that 3 people that liked it as a kid. Looking back now, it was pretty ridiculous, but the WWF didn't do things that over-the-top nearly as much as they do now, Gobbledy Gooker aside.
Posted By: Guy (Guest) on January 18, 2012 at 07:42 AM
I don't think HHH or WWE get enough blame for the Steiner fiasco at Rumble 03. They HAD to know that Steiner was in horrible shape at the time, and they structured the match to go that long and expose all his weaknesses. It just seemed like one of those deals designed to make HHH look like a hero for trying so hard while making Steiner look like shit.
Posted By: AJP (Guest) on January 18, 2012 at 08:04 AM
411... Please procure the talents of at least some writers who started watching wrestling prior to the Attitude Era.
Posted By: Guest#1605 (Guest) on January 18, 2012 at 08:11 AM
Oh man, I loved that Taker/Yoko casket match when I was a kid, hahaha.
Posted By: THE WINNAR (Guest) on January 17, 2012 at 11:16 PM
Same here. I'm wondering if the writers here are just kids themselves doing their research via YouTube...
Posted By: StringerBell (Guest) on January 18, 2012 at 12:55 AM
Given the write-ups for the Chyna/Ivory match in particular, I'm inclined to agree.
Neither of the writers who included this match in their lists mentioned anything of the backstory as to why Chyna went down from the handspring elbow (she was spike piledriven by RTC a few weeks earlier, and came back too early to have the match with Ivory at the Rumble), and also neglected to mention RTC was all about the cheap wins for them.
Posted By: StylesClash (Guest) on January 18, 2012 at 10:04 AM
And fo he stupidest comment of the year goes to Scott Rutherford for claiming that in 93 Bam Bam Bigelow was past his prime. Unless you just started watchingwrestling 2 weeks ago you should NOT be a writer on any site!!!
Posted By: indyworker6 (Guest) on January 18, 2012 at 10:38 AM
Hey, Rutheford? The red line means there's a spelling error and the green line means you've used improper grammar. Don't ignore them.
Posted By: Guest#4108 (Guest) on January 18, 2012 at 10:49 AM
WORST - 2006 when rey won the royal rumble.. the start of the PG era IMHO... where the underdog.. under sized, nd underweight by nearly 100-200lbs per opponent.. always found a way to magically win... fuking gay. and i hate rey and how he was babied and pushed to the top just b/c eddie died.. pathetic
Posted By: wylun (Guest) on January 18, 2012 at 11:06 AM
what aboutrumble 97?
Posted By: Mr1700 (Guest) on January 18, 2012 at 11:12 AM
The Mickie James/Ashley Massaro match was worse than any of the Diva ones mentioned on those lists.
Plus, am I the only one who thought that the Triple H/Steiner match wasn't as bad as people make out? I certainly didn't see Steiner lose steam at any point of the match. Overall it was a pretty uneventful encounter, but it doesn't deserve all the scorn it still receives. No moves were botched, Steiner did alright considering that he was past his prime and it sort told a story, albeit not a great one.
Posted By: Guest#2495 (Guest) on January 18, 2012 at 11:56 AM
"I don't think HHH or WWE get enough blame for the Steiner fiasco at Rumble 03. They HAD to know that Steiner was in horrible shape at the time, and they structured the match to go that long and expose all his weaknesses. It just seemed like one of those deals designed to make HHH look like a hero for trying so hard while making Steiner look like shit."
Amen to that.
Also, the Taker resurrection at the end of the casket match was pretty bad ass. The problem is that everyone has grown up to know better.
Posted By: Flugh (Guest) on January 18, 2012 at 11:58 AM
Steiner gets mocked for that match but HHH should be leveled with a lot more criticism for how bad it turned out. He should have been able to carry the match to something more watchable considering he was champion and Flair called him the best worker in the world around that time.
Posted By: Guest#7174 (Guest) on January 18, 2012 at 12:00 PM
Must be a bunch of old men writing for this site. The '99 Rumble match was one of my favorites. It wasn't the best wrestling-wise but it was one of the most entertaining Rumbles ever. I like when the match has a story or two running through it because it makes the match fun to watch. Vince winning may have sucked but it worked into the storylines perfectly and at least it was something different and it was still consistently entertaining. The wrestling in those matches is never great anyway. Just a bunch of guys holding each other against the ropes for an hour. Wow. What amazing athleticism to just stand there pretending like you're throwing somebody out of the ring or aimlessly walking around trying to find someone to punch.
Posted By: Alan (Guest) on January 18, 2012 at 12:04 PM
why is ahmed mentioned in the opening line when his match with faarooq (which was awesome btw) just gets one simple HM? weird...
Posted By: Jamal (Guest) on January 18, 2012 at 12:07 PM
I must have been the only person on the planet who enjoyed the Guerrera/Heavy Metal/Estrada vs Aguayo/Canek/Garza match. I dunno, it just seemed kinda cool to me at the time that WWE was trying to mix things up by bringing in AAA stars, and, having been familiar with these 6 guys (either from watching them on VHS tapes, reading about them in wrestling mags, etc), it was pretty awesome to have the 6 of them in one tag match.
Posted By: Person (Guest) on January 18, 2012 at 12:21 PM
I think the problem is that you're judging matches from a long time ago with a smarky 2012 mindset.
1994 was a more cartoony era aimed at the kids and as a kid I loved the casket match, and seeing Undertaker rising up, knowing he'd be back one day, I didn't care about wrestlers 'being made to look strong' or 'going over' or 'being booked weak' Undertaker was the good guy, the unstoppable dead man and Yokozuna was a jerk who got all of his jerk friends to help him, it made you angry as a kid, just like it was supposed to.
1999 was the attidude era, the pissed off employee hating his boss angle that had very little to do with wrestling and all to do with everyone watching wishing they could stun their boss, whether you're a 16 year old making fries or a 35 year old accountant. I doubt many people watching at that time wished one of the proper wrestlers won the rumble, or cared about the Wrestlemania stipulation. It's a lot easier to piss all over it 13 years later because you read that it was crap on the internet. You should be judging the worst matches, that you hated at that point in time, from the perspective of the intended audience.
Posted By: Context (Guest) on January 18, 2012 at 12:28 PM
Worst match of all time at the Royal Rumble has to be the 99' Rumble itself that was an absolute disgrace... yes other matches have stunk up the joint but it's very hard to make an un-entertaining rumble that actively sucks but they pulled it off in 99'. Pathetic booking, pathetic execution.
Posted By: Andrew Barbarash (Guest) on January 18, 2012 at 12:43 PM
I'm not one to nitpick the Top 5 feature, because I don't like to argue subjective points like "best this" and "worst that," but there are so many mistakes here that I can't ignore them all.
Contrary to T.J. Hawke's claim, the 1996 Royal Rumble had six people left in it after No. 30 entered. That's three fewer than were left after the entrance of No. 30 in 1992, which many people cite as the greatest Rumble of all time. The 1996 Rumble was chock full of Wrestlecrap-worthy gimmicks and didn't have any dominant ring-clearing moments, but it was never cluttered; the most people it ever had in the ring at one time was nine (or 10, if you count Jerry Lawler hiding under the ring).
As many people have pointed out, Triple H vs. Scott Steiner in 2003 was a lousy match, but it hardly ruined the night, even though it was following another terrible match (Torrie Wilson vs. Dawn Marie). Chris Benoit and Kurt Angle tore the house down with the very next match. If Benoit hadn't done what he did in 2007, that match would be the only thing anybody remembers about that Rumble pay-per-view.
How did Bobby Lashley vs. Test at Royal Rumble 2007 prove that WWE's version of ECW was "headed for a final death soon" if, in the same sentence, it is made clear it lasted another three years? The brand was maybe six months old at the time; its folding three years later was hardly "soon."
Shawn Michaels' very popular feud with Chris Jericho occurred in summer and fall 2008, before the plodding John Cena-JBL match at Royal Rumble 2009. Unless that's a reference to the D-X/Jeri-Show feud a year later.
Bam Bam Bigelow was in no way "past his prime" in 1993. He was a far better worker during his second WWF run than he was at any point in his first, though people tend to forget that because of how far down the ladder he fell toward the end of his run in 1995.
Very, very little of the action in the 1999 Rumble occurred backstage. It was three short segments: Stone Cold Steve Austin chasing Vince McMahon and getting jumped, Austin getting loaded into an ambulance, Austin driving the ambulance back. And a number of angles were furthered during the Rumble match itself; Ken Shamrock-Billy Gunn, Al Snow-Road Dogg, Mark Henry-Chyna, Kane vs. the Corporation, even the lackluster Dan Severn-Steve Blackman feud.
As has been noted in the comments, Chyna's kayfabe injury in 2001 was inflicted weeks earlier via a spike piledriver from Val Venis and Steven Richards. The handspring elbow at the Rumble just aggravated that "injury."
The Legion of Doom was definitely not instructed to put the New Age Outlaws over strong in 1998. The Outlaws were portrayed as cowards from the beginning.
Posted By: G. Jonah Jameson (Guest) on January 18, 2012 at 01:24 PM
Top 5
1. Miss Royal Rumble 2000 Contest- This was a complete waste of time and it scared many people.
2. Bobby Lashley vs Test-The finish to this match made no sense booking wise.
3. Royal Rumble Matches '95/'99 (Tie)-Never seen so many jobbers.
4. Super Posedown (Warrior/Rude)-They could have boked an actual match instead of this.
5. Fuerza Guerrera, Heavy Metal, Jerry Estrada vs. Perro Aguayo, El Canek, and Hector Garza-Luchadores that are boring...wait for the most part all of them are.
Honrable Mention: Mascarita Sagrada & La Parkita vs Mini Vader & Mini Mankind-Boring; Nova, Mosaic & Max Mini vs Tarantula, Battalion & El Torito-Snoring; Torrie Wilson vs Dawn Marie-I thought this ended the feud, but I guess I was wrong too; Kurt Angle vs Mark Henry-Not even Kurt could pull a three star match out of Mark Henry.
Posted By: Truff (Guest) on January 18, 2012 at 01:46 PM
Scott Steiner Vs. Triple H never ceases to amaze me in how truly awful it was. Steiner looked like total shit here. It's no wonder why people turned on him during it. I'd be pissed too if I paid to see that abomination.
Posted By: S. Johnson (Guest) on January 18, 2012 at 01:54 PM
Any match that Hulk Hogan had on a Rumble card should have made the list.
Posted By: chucky (Guest) on January 18, 2012 at 02:41 PM
In all fairness, HHH vs Stiener was bad, but it is probably viewed as worse than it was since Angle v Benoit was so damn good.
Posted By: Skiddy (Guest) on January 18, 2012 at 02:43 PM
Bambam vs boss man as one of the worst? Two of the best all time big men in a very solid match. One of the best rumble cards ever was 93. Watch the match again kid
Posted By: seriously? (Guest) on January 18, 2012 at 02:44 PM
Any match that Hulk Hogan had on a Rumble card should have made the list.
Posted By: chucky (Guest) on January 18, 2012 at 02:47 PM
TJ Hawke = Fired
Wes Kirk = most appropriate way to write this type of artical
Rutherford = Fired\
Leighty = Fired
Here's why :
To those listed as fired above (especially Hawke) it's this type of boring, repetitive, bias, ignorant, short-sited and immature top 5 list article I've ever had to waste my time on but thankfully I'll never read another one ... thanks cause I used to enjoy it. Csonka where were you to save the day bud. First of all 18 years ago WWF was still in fact cartoon land and Taker being one of if not the most far-fetched characters ever in WWF history. However to say this is one of the worst matches at a rumble ppv ever ? a bit of an overstatement. Granted the post-match shenanigans were a bit goofy but the kids love it ( I know I did at 5 when I watched this half scared half excited) but what does that have to with how well the match was worked bell to bell ? The match itself is just another prime example of how the fed tried to make Taker a miracle worker. I think it would take a Shawn Michaels or possibly two of em to make a casket match with Yokozuna a great match. Your going to tell me the showmanship and storytelling in this match weren't at least good ? Shame on you !!! At this point in time Taker was still heavy into the deadman part of his character no-selling like a mad man. Especially when he had a vengeful agenda against any superstar, he would become seemingly indestructable and invinceable. To this point the only other time we saw the Undertaker laid out like this was when an 8 ft guy put him down so how do you top that ? Yeah sure I would've preferred those ten guys to have come in laid him out to serve as " The Heat" part of the match as it were then leave. Only to have taker have a hot comeback a few min later and win the match. Hindsight is 20/20 guys, this was an easy and at the time (some how ) captivating way to write Taker out for a few months and freshen his look up a bit. These antics are typical of WWE and usually involve Taker. So please feel free to say as kirk did "Just nothing we couldn't have seen on RAW as an acceptable TV match." perfect example of how to criticize this performance because it's sooo very true. Here's a list matches that are worse than this one (some I stole from you guys others I was surprised weren't even mentioned)
1. HHH vs. Steiner '03 (obvious)
2. 1999 rumble match
3. Torrie vs. Dawn Marie '03
4. Mickey James Vs. Ashley '06
5. Undertaker Vs. Heidenreich '05
6.Brock Lesnar Vs. Hardcore Holly '04
7.Evolution Vs. The Dudley's ' 04
8.N.O.A vs. A.P.A '00
9.Max Mini, Mosaic & Nova Vs. El Torito, Tarantula & Battalion '98
and best for last ......
10. JBL vs. Boogeyman
How could this match not be the worst in Rumble history ? Fed history ?
Posted By: tayor kd 16 (Guest) on January 18, 2012 at 02:49 PM
I have to disagree with the choice of the Taker-Yoko Casket match.It was not an epic match, but as a fan, I remember of the top of my head when this match took place and when the undertaker came back. When a single match creates that memory in you, it means it has that lasting effect that most matches dont.
Posted By: Guest#7628 (Guest) on January 18, 2012 at 03:01 PM
No hate for Steamboat-Rude in 1988, 18 minutes of spunches and rest holds? Ironically, they would go on to tear it up in WCW in '92.
My top 5 worst Royal Rumble matches ever:
1995
Posted By: Guest Guest (Guest) (Guest) on January 18, 2012 at 03:09 PM
5. Bobby Lashley vs Test - wrestling equivalent of stamping on baby penguins
4. Steiner vs HHH - moved as quickly as my nan after a fall.
3. Simmons vs Ahmed Johnson - moved the civil rights movement back 30 years.
2. Cena vs JBL - worse than quitting heroin.
1. Kurt Angle vs Mark Henry - how to ruin wrestling for future generations
Posted By: Sutts51 (Guest) on January 18, 2012 at 03:16 PM
You guys are nuts with this Taker/Yoko casket match. The match itself wasn't great but all the shenanigans were awesome!
Posted By: Guest#3853 (Guest) on January 18, 2012 at 03:23 PM
Sorry you all forgot last years "never before" 40 man Rumble! Two big returns, well nostalgic, out out 10 extra men. All this for the Nexus to be in, could have been 35 for crap sake!!! AND Santino in the final with an oh Goth no, don't let him win!! Seriously, if you wanted a comedy act that can also freaking wrestle let Colt Cabana get resigned to BE Colt Cabana and you got gold!! hell who wouldnt mark out for a second city saints reunion, well most of th IWC, but common, Santino needs to be a Superstars only sports entertainer!!!
Posted By: Lord Keedik (Guest) on January 18, 2012 at 03:26 PM
I think the thing with the 99 Rumble is that watching it now, yes its pretty terrible as far as a match goes. But back then when you were aware of all the storylines and Austin/McMahon was the hottest thing going, it was actually very entertaining watching Austin try and overcome the odds to win a 3rd straight time.
Posted By: Guest#9201 (Guest) on January 18, 2012 at 03:31 PM
In the last top five list, I commented about Wes Kirk's perchance to get his facts wrong when making up his, and here he goes again getting his Shawn Michaels feud timeline wrong.
Kirk has been accused by MANY readers of this site as simply being a troll, and with that in mind I've come to a startling realization. Kirk may be INTENTIONALLY getting his facts wrong as part of his supposed troll persona in an effort to incite fans like me who know their wrestling history.
I'd hate to think that Wes Kirk is so desperate to incite people that he'll fake stupidity in regards to the subjects he chooses to write about, but the only other conclusion one can reach is that Kirk is both ignorant of (fairly recent) wrestling history and too lazy to do any fact checking on his subject matter.
I mean, seriously, it took me less than ONE MINUTE to double check which time period the Shawn Michaels/Chris Jericho and Shawn Michaels/Undertaker feuds took place. ONE FREAKIN' MINUTE! Again, it's either ignorance, laziness, or completely intentional. Which one is worse?
Posted By: Al Lobama (Guest) on January 18, 2012 at 04:11 PM
Thank you for acknowledging that Steiner did not wrestle himself. HHH is the single most over rated mid to low carder around.
Posted By: bull666 (Guest) on January 18, 2012 at 04:30 PM
Actually Wes, HBK-Jericho was blown off months before HBK's storyline with JBL. For a guy who says he knows his wrestling trivia, you missed a pretty obvious one there. It just proves that you're too condescending to do research that matters on a wrestling site, dude.
Posted By: Jake St-Pierre (Guest) on January 18, 2012 at 04:42 PM
Look at the roster in January 1999 and then take out Mankind and The Rock and its easy to understand why Russo got creative. The match was going to be terrible and Austin was the obvious winner if it was booked straight up like all you people wanted you'd all bitch about it anyway because it was predictable.
The 99 Rumble had alot of storyline development and it stands out above the rest because it was different.
Posted By: Lighten Up People (Guest) on January 18, 2012 at 05:18 PM
lol. Undertaker/Yokozuna was actually the feud that made me begin to watch wrestling. I must have seen that match 50 times and I love it hell out of it. Never gets old.
Posted By: Guest#9909 (Guest) on January 18, 2012 at 05:46 PM
The 1999 Royal Rumble match was awesome. It was the apex of the Vince-Austin feud! Come on!
Posted By: Andis (Guest) on January 18, 2012 at 06:08 PM
Plus, am I the only one who thought that the Triple H/Steiner match wasn't as bad as people make out? I certainly didn't see Steiner lose steam at any point of the match. Overall it was a pretty uneventful encounter, but it doesn't deserve all the scorn it still receives. No moves were botched, Steiner did alright considering that he was past his prime and it sort told a story, albeit not a great one.
Posted By: Guest#2495 (Guest) on January 18, 2012 at 11:56 AM
I think you are the only one yes. Watch 'Steinermania' on youtube. Steiner basically falls over several times trying to do his own moves, and he does literally about 10 belly to bellies.
Posted By: Oh Lymping Hero! (Guest) on January 18, 2012 at 06:15 PM
I can't believe all the UT/Yoko mentions. That was an awesome angle in 1994 and not a bad match at all. Just cause Internet folklore says that match sucked doesn't mean you have to agree.
Posted By: nicelist (Guest) on January 18, 2012 at 01:50 AM
It's not folklore,it's well justified. Virtually every heel on the roster did a run-in,even if they had no previous ties to Yoko.Even then,Taker only went down after somebody pulled the lid off the urn,revealing... a smokebomb.We then get Marty Janetty on wires,and a pre-taped X-treme close-up promo from Taker.Yeah a lot of you liked it as kids,but if you were over the age of five it was impossible to suspend disbelief,and was an embarrassment.
Posted By: Jason (Guest) on January 18, 2012 at 07:09 PM
I have to say I'd rather watch Taker and Yoko's 1994 effort again than the Casket Match at Royal Rumble 2005 between Heidenreich and The Undertaker now that was a god strike me down awful match which seems to last a lifetime.
If I was to be kind in my description of that particular match I'd have nothing to say at all on the subject... well maybe that is a bit too harsh; Now that I think about it I'm sure it had a decent spot with Undertaker legdropping Heidenreich on the Casket or something similar.
Among the lowlights I'd have to give a special shoutout to Heidenreich acting (if you can call it acting) like he was afraid of the casket for most of the match including timidly pushing the casket about like it was going to turn around and fucking eat him. Aleast 1994's effort has the insanity at the end and the maybe true, maybe not true trivia I heard (that being that it is Marty Jannety dressed as Taker when he rises to the ceiling... poor Jannetty)
Posted By: Frederick Loren (Guest) on January 18, 2012 at 07:16 PM
It is funny to see how hindsight and tossing todays expectations onto a different world. People did not hate that Taker/Yoko match when it happened, in fact the crowd ate it up. Of course it won't fit into a high level snowflake view but does it have too? If you see a Taker anthology this match will be there why, cause i'ts (oh no I'm saying this) vintage Taker.
Yokozuna WAS able to become an effective heel after this match. How many of those
9 guys enjoyed good to great careers? Isn't this the Rumble where Diesel broke out? Sometimes over the top and memorable is better than safe and predictable
Posted By: Shads (Guest) on January 18, 2012 at 07:31 PM
"1999 was the attidude era, the pissed off employee hating his boss angle that had very little to do with wrestling and all to do with everyone watching wishing they could stun their boss, whether you're a 16 year old making fries or a 35 year old accountant. I doubt many people watching at that time wished one of the proper wrestlers won the rumble, or cared about the Wrestlemania stipulation. It's a lot easier to piss all over it 13 years later because you read that it was crap on the internet. You should be judging the worst matches, that you hated at that point in time, from the perspective of the intended audience."
Actually, I hated the Rumble 99 match at the time, and I still hate it today. It was just a badly constructed match, regardless of who went over in the end.
Posted By: Michael L (Guest) on January 18, 2012 at 07:39 PM
2002 Rumble was shit.
Posted By: Guest#5495 (Guest) on January 18, 2012 at 07:41 PM
The 1999 rumble is far from the worst rumble, let alone rumble match.
No cred for the guy that put Goldust vs. Razor from 96 on this list. That match is very good.
Suprised no one picked on Jericho vs. JBL from a few years back, because of the blown spots.
Posted By: Tim Haught (Guest) on January 18, 2012 at 07:48 PM
Top 5:
1. Royal Rumble '95- Lame finish filled with many jobbers and some how does not make any list because Shawn Michaels wins, since most people feel anything Shawn Michaels did was pure gold, well this was not.
2. Royal Rumble '95- Lame booking and yet another Rumble filled with bums.
3. Ultimate Warrior vs Sgt. Slaughter-other than Warrior losing since he wouldn't job back to Hogan and the cepter being busted over Warrior's head, the match sucked.
4. Ahmed Johnson vs Ron Simmmons-This set civil rights back at least 30 to 40 years.
5. Yokozuna vs Undetaker- Lame story telling. 10 guys to beat up 1. Way to make the "hel" roster look weak and crappy.
Posted By: Ron "New" Mexico (Guest) on January 18, 2012 at 07:54 PM
"I don't think HHH or WWE get enough blame for the Steiner fiasco at Rumble 03. They HAD to know that Steiner was in horrible shape at the time, and they structured the match to go that long and expose all his weaknesses. It just seemed like one of those deals designed to make HHH look like a hero for trying so hard while making Steiner look like shit."
You gotta wonder...as 2002 to about 2003 or '04 was that time period after the inVasion where WWE set out to destroy the remnants of WCW by signing the major names and taking the ones that were still over, and putting them in low or subservient roles, usually involving HHH defeating them.
Posted By: Guest#0784 (Guest) on January 18, 2012 at 08:50 PM
1. Triple H vs Scott Steiner (2003)
2. 1999 Rumble
3. Undertaker vs Heidenreich (2005)
4. Lashley vs Test (2007)
5. Angle vs Henry (2006)
Ok, I'm lazy and really don't feel like going through the archives and actually rating them, those matches popped into my head. Other bad matches...
Bushwhackers vs Beverly Brothers
Luchadore Match from 1997
Ahmed Johnson vs Faarooq
Ivory vs Chyna
Luna vs Sable
Dawn Marie vs Torrie Wilson
Midget match in 1998
All pretty awful.
Posted By: gwpbrian (Guest) on January 18, 2012 at 09:09 PM
Anybody else find it funny that the TNA fanboy is bashing ECW for its cheques bouncing, when TNA is sponsored by a major company and still pays its workers so poorly that they have to get food stamps?
Posted By: Ice Dagger (Guest) on January 18, 2012 at 09:52 PM
I remember Angle vs Henry as Angle basically kills himself in a spot or two during the match. The one i recall most vividly is Angle doing his ill-advised top rope front flip senton, Henry not catching Angle and not being phased by the attack, and Angle landing on his head as a result. Why?
Taker vs Yoko was entertaining as all hell during that time frame. Only if you look back on it objectively can you see it was a terrible way to bury the entire heel roster. But at the time, it was SO AWESOME (I was 8 yrs old)
Posted By: Guest#5153 (Guest) on January 18, 2012 at 10:07 PM
"I don't think HHH or WWE get enough blame for the Steiner fiasco at Rumble 03. They HAD to know that Steiner was in horrible shape at the time, and they structured the match to go that long and expose all his weaknesses. It just seemed like one of those deals designed to make HHH look like a hero for trying so hard while making Steiner look like shit."
You gotta wonder...because 2002-2004ish was that time period where WWE was seeking and destroying the remnants of WCW they didn't destroy during the Invasion. This was when they were hiring the major names and pretty much taking anyone still over after the Invasion, and misbooking them (which usually meant feeding them to HHH).
Posted By: Guest#7593 (Guest) on January 18, 2012 at 10:38 PM
Dude, seriously, Kirk is getting ridiculous and trolling for the sake of trolling. Half the wrestling awards id just groan at his whinning and the ECW comment was blatantly trolling, and yes, i fucking did exactly what he wanted, but seriously, i am sick of Kirk sucking a reaction anyway he can. I dont even read the sandwich anymore. Oh and btw, i am a diehard TNA fan and i even stoped watching after the abysmal treatment of Joe and the stupidity of Sting vs Abyss... this is someone THAT WOULD PURCHASE THE WEEKLY PPV'S! ive had ENOUGH of kirk!!
Posted By: Megadeth (Guest) on January 18, 2012 at 11:56 PM
The worst rumble match ever was 95. It was only 30 mins and full of jobbers. Then Micheals wins and acts like he has been out there for 2 hours. Anything match with fucking mantaur is the shits. Also, I watched the HHH/Scott match. HHH was dogging it. I think on purpose because Scott was ex-WCW and we all know how "the family" like to bury their competition.
Posted By: FEAR (Guest) on January 19, 2012 at 12:57 AM
Plus, am I the only one who thought that the Triple H/Steiner match wasn't as bad as people make out? I certainly didn't see Steiner lose steam at any point of the match. Overall it was a pretty uneventful encounter, but it doesn't deserve all the scorn it still receives. No moves were botched, Steiner did alright considering that he was past his prime and it sort told a story, albeit not a great one.
Posted By: Guest#2495 (Guest) on January 18, 2012 at 11:56 AM
No botched moves? Did the match bore you to sleep before Steiner delivered the Double Underhook What-The-Fuck-Was-That?
Posted By: HeartBurnKid (Guest) on January 19, 2012 at 05:36 PM
411... Please procure the talents of at least some writers who started watching wrestling prior to the Attitude Era.
Posted By: Guest#1605 (Guest)
This is a really good point. Worst Rumble matches:
5. Max Mini, Nova, & Mosaic vs. Tarantula, El Torito, & Battalion
- Because they're midgets.
4. Ronnie Garvin vs. Greg Valentine
- Because fighting with shin pads is dumb.
3. Beverly Bros. vs Bushwhackers
- Because no one ever cared.
2. Rockin' Robin vs. Judy Martin
- Because it goes on and on and on and on . . .
1. Dino Bravo lifting weights for eight hundred years.
- Because even if Dino Bravo exploded and out came rainbow unicorns having sex, he would still be the most boring person to ever appear on a wrestling show.
Also, just ignore Wes Kirk and he'll go away.
Posted By: boom! (Guest) on January 19, 2012 at 06:00 PM
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