The Best Of The Rest 1.16.08: Volume 28 - Royal Rumble Retrospective
Posted by Alex Mattis on 01.16.2008
Before we look at this year's event, we look at The Royal Rumble's legacy. Comin' at you Rapid Fire, it's The Best Of The Rest!
Welcome back one and all the "The Best Of The Rest!" We're just inside two weeks until the Royal Rumble. This week, with a lack of things in the wrestling world to discuss, before we preview the event let's take a look at the legacy of the Royal Rumbles, with all the matches and moments that stick out.
The Matches
Through the years, the Royal Rumble event has been sprinkled with great matches, and always seems to have an important title match. The earliest one I remember was the Ultimate Warrior Vs. Sgt. Slaughter bout that changed the course for WrestleMania VII. From there the Rumble seemed to slide along without having any one on one matches that stuck out. During Bret Hart's era as champ he had some solid matches with Scott Hall, Kevin Nash, and The UnderTaker. There was the Sid Vs. HBK match from '97 in San Antonio, not the greatest match but a memorable one. Mick Foley would steal the show two years in a row as he would have a brutal "I Quit" match with The Rock in '99 and a violent, violent New York Street Fight with Trip's in 2000. Trip's went on to have a great bout with Kurt Angle the next year. It was the first time they had had a heel Vs. heel title match in a while, and it was at a time when it really worked. I mean obviously, it still sticks out to this day. Also in 2001 the Chris' had a hell of a ladder match. Benny and Jeri pulled out all the stops and only added to the great event. Jericho would go on to have another important match in his career at the Rumble in '02 when he defended his undisputed title against The Rock in a solid match. Chris Benoit would go on to have another important match in his career at the Rumble in '03, when he and Kurt Angle put on an absolute CLINIC. On of, if not the best singles matches in the event's history and a top match of 2003. Moving all the way up to just last year, when again a match on the undercard matched the main event in excitement. John Cena Vs. Umaga in their "Last Man Standing" match was a throw-back to Cactus Jack and Triple H. It was a great match that did wonders for both, and I wouldn't be surprised to see the same thing happen this year with Randy Orton Vs. Jeff Hardy.
The Rumble's
Ah the centerpiece of this annual event. The Royal Rumble. One of the best concepts in pro wrestling history, and one the best things the E ever did was not change the format of the match. I mean it's true they raised the amount of wrestlers to 30, but hey that wasn't a bad move. There has never been a dull Rumble, there is always excitement and you always get the chance to see your favorites in the E. Like me with Paul London back in '05, I mean I know he was only in the match for like 2 minutes and was decapitated by Snitsky but I still got to see him. There are always cool face off's that you haven't seen up until that point, like Vader and Yokozuna facing off in the middle of the '96 Rumble. There are always some cool comebacks like Big Show in 2001 and RVD in 2006. You can always count on 5-10 guys teaming up on the huge man in the match, Ala Big Show, Andre, Viscera, Kurrgan, Kane. And you almost always get an awesome moment or two: Stone Cold and The Rock facing off in '01, the Raw and Smackdown guys drawing the line in '05, and HBK and Taker putting it all on the line last year. To me event catch phrases don't usually ring true, but to say that the Rumble is one of the most exciting hours of wrestling the E puts on each year rings pretty clear. I'm very interested to see what they are going to give us this year.
The Legacy
With WrestleMania leading the way, and SummerSlam being the 2nd biggest event that the E has, the Rumble comes in at a close 3rd and for sure isn't one of the events you want to pass up. It wasn't until about '91 or '92 that the Rumble became one of the E's bigger events. Slaughter's defeat of Warrior and Ric Flair winning the title in the '92 Rumble showed fans that the E was serious about this event and that WrestleMania ever end would be shaped by what happened at the Rumble. Backtracking a tad, was the '92 Rumble possibly the best? I mean it was an all star cast: Flair, Hogan, Taker, HBK, Piper, Savage, Davey Boy Smith, Kerry Von Erich, and many others and the match itself was spectacular with Hogan FINNNNNNNALLLLY losing to someone in the end. Glorious. The E made some serious drama in '94 when there was two winners, or was the no winner.... I don't remember, with the controversy surrounding Bret Hart and Lex Luger which led to two title matches at 'Mania that year. The genius idea of having HBK and Davey Boy start AND finish the Rumble in '95 was a top moment in the events history. HBK won it again the following year turning Kevin Nash heel in the process ultimately leading to Nash's exit from the company. With this victory, however, Shawn he went on to win the title at WrestleMaina XII. The drama only got bigger the next year when Stone Cold won the Rumble... but he didn't really win the Rumble... ah who cares? It was an awesome heel moment for Austin. He went on to officially win the Rumble the next year, in effect kick starting the greatest era in the history of professional wrestling. The tides would turn for the worse in the years to come as Vince actually put himself over in one of the biggest matches of the year, it was disgusting. In 2000 The Rock won an exciting, but unfortunately predictable Rumble. He went on the win... NOTHING at WrestleMania XVI. God Bless Triple H. Moving on. We head to 2001 which brings us to my personal all time favorite Rumble match. The 2001 Royal Rumble. I don't see how anyone could argue that this one isn't the best or second best Rumble in history. Much like the '92 Rumble this one has a loaded cast: Stone Cold, Kane, The Undertaker, The Rock, The Big Show, the list went on and on. The match also had alot of fun in it, with Drew Carey being in the match, and when the match turned in to a hardcore with everything but the kitchen sink. Most importantly this match had such an exciting finish and set the stage for one of the greatest events in the companies history. WrestleMania XVII. The follow two years, '02 & '03, were mediocre at best and incredibly easy to predict. Triple H winning in '02 and going on to win the belt. Who knew right? And Brock Lesnar doing the same the following year. HBK's record of being the only man to start #1 and win a Rumble would be matched in 2004 as Chris Benoit won a very exciting Royal Rumble match. It's unfortunate this one may not be remembered as well. '05's Rumble suffered from the predictable problem also, I don't know anyone would didn't think Batista was going to rage his way to 'Mania. The match itself was fun one, with the whole "West-Side Story" theme adding to it. The highlight of the 2005 Royal Rumble event to me was this:
"Tomko, gimmie a beat." - Christian
"No." - Tomko
Ahhh golden.
Now something that wasn't predictable was the 2006 Royal Rumble. Following Eddie's death, rest his soul, no one knew what they were going to do with the title picture. Now, was it a good thing that Rey won? I don't know. Would he have won the Rumble and gone on to win the title if Eddie hadn't passed? Not a chance. But the Rumble match itself was still very exciting. I really enjoyed RVD's return and him chasing Carlito around the ring. The 2007 Royal Rumble really set the bar high for this years event. With the undercard being solid and the match itself stellar. Taker and HBK are still receive praise for the work as the last two in the match. It was such an electric atmosphere, I know cause I was there live, and certainly it's going to be a tough act to follow. The Royal Rumble has carved its place in wrestling history and has give us many great matches and moments along the way. As bad of shape I think E is in, they always seem to deliver with the Rumble so get ready and be sure to check it out. I will discussing this year's Rumble event right here next week.
The Stoppage:
This Saturday is UFC 80: Rapid Fire, an event that is going to be very important in shaping the lightweight and heavyweight division for 2008. The main event will see BJ Penn face Joe "Daddy" Stevenson for the lightweight championship of the world, with the belt being currently vacant due to Sherk's suspension. To me, this is a closer fight than most seem to believe and should surely be one that delivers. And co-headlining the event is a rematch between Gonzaga and Werdum, Gonzaga is looking to get back on the winning trail and avenge his loss from early in his career. Also on the card is rising welterweight Marcus Davis, and a fight between two middleweights looking to get back to their winning ways. Let's break down the card...
BJ Penn Vs. Joe Stevenson:
Like I already stated, I think this is closer fight than people are saying. Granted BJ is amazing at 155 and in all likeliness will win this fight, but Joe Stevenson is can. Joe is coming off a winning streak over some tough opponents and has shown good stand-up, tremendous strength, and excellent submission. While it would seem that everything Joe has BJ does better, the mental factor has to play a part. If Joe comes in focused and confident we could see a great, evenly matched fight. Now BJ is coming off of a 1-2 record since returning to the UFC, so undoubtable he is looking to make a statement and capture some gold. As far as his losses go, it could be argued that he won the GSP fight and he was clearly winning his fight with Hughes until he gassed, but a loss is a loss and BJ is looking to erase any doubts. Penn looked like a monster in his defeat of Pulver, but Stevenson has looked excellent in all of his recent victories. He violently beat down Yves Edwards, he made a bitch of Melvin Gulliard, and showed great conditioning and power against Kurt Pellegrino. It'll be interesting to see where this fight ends up, both love the ground and neither minds bangin' it out. All these elements should mix into a great fight for the fans, and don't be shocked if it goes a few rounds deep. I don't expect this to go the distance, but I don't see and early ending. This is the test of all test's for Joe, it's time for him to show what he's got. Now on the other side of the coin, if a ready, focused, hungry BJ Penn, who hasn't taken Stevenson lightly, shows up then I have to say it is his fight.
Gabriel Gonzaga Vs. Fabricio Werdum:
This is the fight that I see being one-sided. That may come as a stun to some, but I believe Gonzaga is going to steam roll through Werdum stopping him sometime in the 2nd round or perhaps even the 1st. Gonzaga needs to redeem himself after the crushing loss to Randy Couture at UFC 74, add on to that the fact the Gabe has a loss from Werdum to avenge and you're going that have a very large, powerful, quick, and most importantly a hungry man come this Saturday inside the octagon. Now, I'm not taking anything away from Fabricio. He is very talented and has the tools needed to excel in the heavyweight division, but with how hungry Gonzaga is going to be and coming off the horrendous fight with Andre, I don't see how Werdum is going to take this one. I can see Gonzaga by TKO and going on to face Cheick Kongo, assuming he defeats Herring, to determine the number one contender. But as 2007 displayed, in MMA anything can happen and Werdum is looking to throw a wrench into any and all plans Gonzaga has for the future.
Jess Liaudin Vs. Marcus Davis:
Coming off a very impressive win, in a low end 2007 fight of the year candidate, over Paul Taylor, "The Irish Hand Grenade" looks to keep his winning streak alive and run right through Jess Liaudin. I would be lying if I said I knew alot or anything about Liaudin so me giving a full break down of this fight would be unfair. BUT I do know about Marcus Davis and am picking him to win, and moving higher up into the welterweight division and possibly into the title picture. Mixing it up with the likes of Koscheck, Fitch, Karo, etc.
Jorge Rivera Vs. Kendall Grove:
Ultimate Fighter 3 & 4 participants will go head to head as Rivera and Grove both look to put their mark on the middleweight division and erase the memory of their losses. Grove has the most to prove in this one, he was looking excellent and racking up some big victories in the octagon... then came a punch to the side of the head. Kendall Grove was TKO'd by Patrick Cote in what I thought was a sizeable upset. He needs to win this fight to get back to where his was on the middleweight todum pole. In the opposing corner is UFC veteran Jorge Rivera who holds victories over some tough fighters like Edwinn Dewees and David Loiseau. Now he needs to get his knockout loss to Terry Martin out of people's heads and a victory over the young, up and coming Grove could be a good way to do it. That is going to be much easier said then done. I can't stand Kendall basically because of his association with Tito, but I'm picking him in this fight. His youth and quickness may be the deciding factor.
Elsewhere on the card...
Wilson Gouveia Vs. Jason Lambert
Antoni Hardonk Vs. Colin Robinson
Paul Kelly Vs. Paul Taylor James Lee Vs. Alessio Sakara
Per Eklund Vs. Sam Stout
That's it for me this week, everyone take care and enjoy UFC 80. I'll see you right back here next week with a full preview of the Royal Rumble and some dribble on what ROH has going on next weekend.
Remember feedback, as always, is welcome at slash_632@hotmail.com OR with the nifty comment box below.
