Posted in: Doctor's Orders
Doctor's Orders: Mr. Royal Rumble
By Dr. CMV1
Jan 25, 2011 - 7:29:39 AM

Believe it or not, folks, I have been working on this project for almost a year now. It’s time to announce Mr. Royal Rumble, which means there is only one more month left and this project will be complete. The Rumble is one of my favorite PPV events, so this column was second only to my original Misters Wrestlemania piece in terms of my anticipation to write it. It was also one of the most difficult months in determining a victor, for there are fewer matches of the standard variety that give a reviewer a chance to more easily rate an individual performance. Additionally, there were so many wrestlers that I felt deserved some recognition that I added an “honorable mention” category to the usual three tiers. Before we get started, let’s take a brief moment to note that Shawn Michaels is still in the overall lead with three Mr. PPV awards (for Wrestlemania, June, and September). Triple H (July and December) pulled even with Bret Hart (Summerslam and Survivor Series) for second place with two awards apiece. Edge (Mr. Post-Wrestlemania), Chris Jericho (May), and Undertaker (October) each have been given the award once. And…here…we…go…

(CMV1 note - refer to "The Matches That Define The Royal Rumble" for information on the matches mentioned below: http://www.lordsofpain.net/columns/doctorsorders/Doctor_s_Orders_The_Matches_That_Define_The_Royal_Rumble.html)

Honorable Mention

Kane (14 matches: 4 excellent, 5 great, 4 really good, 1 good) – All fourteen of his Rumble appearances have been in the Rumble match itself. He’s always a dominant presence, even holding the record for the most eliminations in one Rumble match. His resume at the Rumble is much like the resume for his career…he’s always going to deserve honorable mention for his contributions, but not much else

Hulk Hogan (4 matches: 1 excellent, 2 great, 1 really good) – As the dominant wrestler of an era, it is fitting that Hogan won 2 Royal Rumble matches. He was a main attraction in each of the four he participated in. Truth be told, this was the kind of match where Hogan was at his best. He didn’t have to do too much besides follow along with the big crowd reaction.

Goldust (11 matches: 4 great, 4 really good, 2 average, 1 bad) – It was his match with Razor in 1996 that had me thinking about him when I first started putting this list together. As it would turn out, Goldie was around for a lot of Rumbles and while he was never a superstar, his contributions deserve recognition.


Third Tier

Ric Flair (8 matches: 3 excellent, 1 great, 2 good, 1 average) – Let’s be honest, here. Flair is one of the top 15 performers in Rumble history because of his performance in the 1992 Rumble match. It was one of the top two talent displays in the history of the Rumble gimmick. Everything else he did was fine, but nothing ever came close to his one-night show of brilliance in ’92. During his second stint in the WWE, he did have some notable appearances in the Rumble to pad his resume.

Stone Cold Steve Austin (6 matches: 2 great, 4 really good) – Keeping with the honesty, it was really Austin’s impressive record of having won 3 Rumble matches that got him a spot in the top 15. I initially found it hard to believe that Austin never had a singles match at the Rumble. Considering how often he was the focal point of the WWE title picture during his heyday, I expected at least one non-Rumble match. Alas, that wasn’t the case. ’97, ’98, ’99, ’01, and ’02 – the Rumble was owned by Stone Cold. Even in defeat, he was always a must-see because he was such a threat to win.

Bret Hart (10 matches: 2 great, 4 really good, 2 good, 2 average) – The overall leader board for the Mr. PPV series just got a little less interesting with the Hitman failing to make the top tier and challenge for the Mr. Rumble title. He, Trips, and HBK all had a shot going into January. All is not lost; there is still one month left, but Hart just narrowed his chances of catching up to Michaels. Still, we can’t take away from what Hart was able to do. His spot in tier three is more a testament to the competition than a demeaning statement of Hart’s abilities.

Randy Orton (7 matches: 2 excellent, 2 great, 2 really good, 1 average) – As usual with the Viper, you get the feeling that he could one day move up a list of this nature. Yet, for right now, he is no better than a third tier wrestler. His Rumble performances in 2004 and when he won in 2009 were probably his best work in January. He’s also had some good singles matches, although each is better remembered for their failure to reach the four-star level than their ability to reach the 3.5 star mark.

Jeff Hardy (8 matches: 1 excellent, 4 great, 3 really good) – Jeff had a very good run in the month of January, including one of the best pre-PPV match build ups I’ve ever seen in the WWE in 2008. He had a good mixture of singles matches, tag matches, and Rumble matches – few of his peers can say that. I’ve said in previous months, but I’ll reiterate it here: Jeff Hardy, if not so much of a dumbass, could’ve been a big star for a long time and gone onto have a career for the record books.


Second Tier

Edge (11 matches: 2 excellent, 2 great, 3 really good, 3 good, 1 average) – I don’t understand why this guy takes so much flack from people. I haven’t done one of these columns yet where the Rated R Superstar isn’t right atop the list for best of the best. He’s had a lengthy career and worked his way up, as evidenced by his inclusions in the best of list being from just about every division the WWE has got. He’s not going to make a late push to catch up with HBK for the overall lead, but Edge is really good and it’s time people stopped questioning that.

Rock (7 matches: 1 excellent, 2 great, 2 really good, 2 good) – Highlighted by his match with Chris Jericho in 2002, The Rock’s Rumble contributions were many. He won the Rumble in 2000, finished 2nd in 1998, and was arguably the standout performer of the 2001 version, so he had success in the Rumble match itself as well as in singles matches. It was probably his match with Mick Foley in 1999 that solidified his main-event status; thus making January a memorable month for the People’s Champ.

Mick Foley (6 matches: 3 excellent, 1 great, 2 really good) – The competition was really strong for the Rumble, in terms of placing the wrestlers into these tiers. Any other month and Foley’s contributions would’ve warranted not only a top tier position, but perhaps even a run at claiming the Mr. PPV title. In his two best performances at the Rumble, he helped put the stamp of approval on the main-event statuses of two all-time greats in Triple H and Rock. His willingness to put his body on the line to get them over cannot be understated nor underappreciated. He also had one of the more memorable Rumble match performances in 1998 when he participated using all three “Faces of Foley.”

Undertaker (17 matches: 3 excellent, 5 great, 3 really good, 4 good, 2 bad) – Much like other Big 4 PPVs, Taker’s resume is littered with a wide range of quality. In his early career, his matches were quite often very bad and the most you could usually expect from him was something in the realm of “good.” Yet, as the years have passed, Taker has become quite a worker and the quality has tremendously improved. He doesn’t have a great singles match at the Rumble, but his ’07 and ’08 Rumble match showings were excellent.

Kurt Angle (8 matches: 3 excellent, 1 great, 1 really good, 1 good, 2 bad) – Who’d have thought that the guy who owns the top overall match at arguably the second biggest wrestling PPV of all-time would end up outside the top tier? Certainly not I…but while Angle did some great work during his Rumble career, it was really just that one match where he stood out. He had a couple of good Rumble appearances, but nothing stellar that helps him overcome the stiff competition. It’s rather sad…I had sort of hoped that Angle might win one of these Mr. PPV awards. It’s not looking like he’s going to…

First Tier

Chris Benoit (6 matches: 5 excellent, 1 great) – The other half of the greatest match in Rumble history is the man who we shall not speak of. He also is tied with Ric Flair for the greatest one man performance in the history of the Royal Rumble match. Have we mentioned the ladder match with Chris Jericho, yet? As a result, Benoit is challenging for his first Mr. PPV title. It will be very difficult for anyone to top him. All six of his matches at the Royal Rumble are in the top 12 of all-time. That’s an incredible statistic.

Chris Jericho (9 matches: 4 excellent, 2 great, 1 really good, 1 good, 1 average) – The committee places a premium on singles matches, so it’s a good thing for Y2J that two of his best Rumble matches were one-on-one. I cannot say enough good things about his match with Rock in 2002 or his ladder match with Benoit in 2001. Unfortunately, when looking at him as a challenger to capture his second overall award, one has to view his lack of truly memorable Rumble match appearances.

Shawn Michaels (18 matches: 4 excellent, 4 great, 8 really good, 1 good, 1 average) – Surprise, surprise! HBK is in the top tier and challenging for another title. If he were to win this, the overall competition is essentially over. He definitely has the patented resume of a man with unbelievable skill. He’s got two Rumble match victories, a few other classic Rumble match performances, and a couple of memorable singles matches scattered about, as well. What he does lack is his usual presence in the singles format in the top 10 matches, but his consistency over the long haul has earned him Mr. PPV awards before and it may very well earn him another.

Triple H (14 matches: 2 excellent, 4 great, 6 really good, 1 average, 1 bad) – HBK’s biggest threat on the overall Mr. PPV leader board comes from the Game. Can he get two in a row to pull even with Michaels at three overall? Well, like HBK, he certainly has the qualifications. While the Game might best be known for his prowess at Wrestlemania, it’s his Royal Rumble Street Fight against Foley that many say is his finest match. Also, because of his status for so many years as a Mania main-event mainstay, he’s had some great outings in the Rumble match as a constant threat to win it; his presence in the Rumble over the last ten years has always made the match more intriguing.

John Cena (8 matches: 4 excellent, 1 great, 1 really good, 1 good, 1 average) – If ever there were a month where Cena had a chance to be crowned champion of a PPV, this would be the month. There’s something about this time of year that brings out the best in him, as evidenced by special moments like his comeback in the 2008 Rumble that one could argue is the greatest moment in the history of the Rumble match; or his Last Man Standing match against Umaga a year earlier that announced to all the haters out there that: “Yes, I damn well CAN WRESTLE.” Frankly, he may not end up becoming Mr. Royal Rumble this year, but if we were to fast forward 5 years into the future, something tells me that he’ll have taken that moniker by then.


Mr. Royal Rumble

Chris Benoit

CMV1 note – I tried to get around giving the award to Benoit, but I just found it impossible to do so. When a performer is involved in six matches at six Royal Rumbles and all six are in your own personal top 12 matches in the history of that particular event, how can you not give the award to that performer? That was the question and, while the others made a strong push and could make a strong case, there was just no getting around that unbelievable statistic. I have chosen, in recent years, to try and remember Chris Benoit for the wrestling memories. Today, at an unlikely time, I guess that’s what I’m doing…remembering everything about Benoit from prior to the summer of 2007…