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23) Rumble 2006 – The worst Rumble PPV of all-time came just a few years ago. The Rumble match was very good and kudos to Rey Mysterio, Triple H, and Randy Orton for their performances. However, the two undercard matches (especially JBL vs. Boogeyman) were atrocious. The main-events? Edge vs. Cena was as average as can be – more like a TV main-event – and Angle vs. Henry is one of the worst PPV main-events in WWE history. 22) Rumble 1989 – One of the weakest cards in Rumble history was nearly saved by a really strong Rumble match. To look back on it and see Studd get the win in a match that also involved Hulk Hogan…it’s kind of interesting. Hogan did a really nice job in the match and put over the importance of winning it with his reaction to being ousted. The rest of the card, though, was still really bland. 21) Rumble 1988 – The first ever Rumble event was actually not a PPV, but it was pretty darn good so it became one of the next year. The opener was a dream match, of sorts, for me. Steamboat is a Hall of Famer and Rude was one of my all-time favorites. The women’s tag match was pretty good, too. Of course, there was the first Rumble match, which featured only 20 superstars and was the weakest of its gimmick type…but that’s OK. 20) Rumble 1995 – Other than the original, the Rumble match itself was probably the worst in history. There were very few big name stars involved in the match, which was a mistake. Nobodies and people that never were ended up overshadowing HBK’s first-to-winner performance because of how forgettable they were. British Bulldog did well to help HBK carry the match, but my goodness. Bret Hart did get a very good match out of Diesel in the title match, which is commendable. 19) Rumble 1992 – If ever there was a one match show, this was it. Thanks to a brilliant performance by Ric Flair and several other notable appearances in the Rumble match, we were treated to one of wrestling’s all-time best matches. Too bad nothing else on the card that year was any good. Because of that, a card featuring one of the best matches ever is relegated to a spot very low on this list. 18) Rumble 2010 – The Rumble match was one of the shortest ever, featuring many quick eliminations. It was good, but it didn’t make up for what turned out to be a lackluster, paint by the numbers undercard (with the exception of Taker vs. Mysterio – those two worked their butts off for the ten-minutes they were given for their match). Nothing was above the 3-star or slightly better mark. 17) Rumble 1997 – When Bret Hart flipped out and started breaking cameras after Stone Cold screwed him and cost him the Rumble match victory, we had finally seen the Hitman evolve as a character. He didn’t just sit back and watch wrestling move past him, he changed with the times and had a heck of a run in ’97 because of it. The rest of the card was OK – a lot of OK matches that were worth watching at the time and concluded some storylines. 16) Rumble 1990 – I loved the ’90 Rumble featuring the Ultimate Warrior vs. Hogan showdown. This was an, overall, really great Rumble match with not a boring part to it and several standout performances. The other match that I really like from this card was the “I Quit” match between Ronnie Garvin and Greg Valentine. The Hammer deserves more credit for his abilities… 15) Rumble 1998 – The Rumble and the main-event casket match were really good, largely making up for the less than stellar undercard. It was, therefore, a very top heavy PPV. The top two matches were great and the rest wasn’t. Still, with only five matches, the averages end up being pretty good and make this worth a watch. 14) Rumble 1994 – The Rumble itself was quite good that year, with Luger and the Hitman hitting the ground at the same time. It was a really cool finish back then. Earlier, Bret had been involved in an early part of the feud of the year between he and Owen. Their tag match was OK, but the story was awesome. The casket match between Yoko and Taker was actually not bad. Yoko was allowed to keep up with Taker and not look to be so inferior to a dead man. 13) Rumble 1999 – Highlighted by the match of the night – the “I Quit” match between Rock and Mankind that had people talking for weeks and was one prominent feature of a documentary exposing wrestling – and backed up by a decent Rumble match and a good IC title bout between Billy Gunn and Ken Shamrock, Rumble ’99 was an above average PPV worth the money spent. I don’t think it has aged well, as those shenanigans with the Corporation were great for their day, but not worth reliving very often. 12) Rumble 1991 – I look back on this edition with fond memories. I was a huge Ultimate Warrior fan as a little kid. He, more so than any other superstar, captured my imagination and turned me from an NWA/WCW fan to a WWE fan. When he lost the title to the Sarge, it was a shocker. Looking back on what little memory I have, it really seemed like it’d be Savage vs. Warrior in the main-event. The Rumble was really good and gave Hogan one last shot at his original glory. The opener, featuring a tag match with the Rockers, was quite a match in its own right. 11) Rumble 2004 – The undercard had potential, but turned out to be weak. So, this event relied on a very good Last Man Standing match between HBK and HHH and an all-time classic in the Royal Rumble. I don’t think I can say enough about the 2004 Rumble. There were so many feuds furthered through it, which is my favorite utilization of the Rumble. Of course, Chris Benoit was the highlight. That’s got to be the shining moment of the Internet Wrestling Community’s existence to have seen “their” guy win the Rumble and go onto become World Champion. 10) Rumble 2003 – In the “Matches that Define the Royal Rumble” column, you may have noticed that the highest and lowest rated matches were the title matches from 2003. Angle vs. Benoit was a classic; HHH vs. Steiner became infamous. Yet, overall, this was a well balanced and entertaining night of wrestling. Lesnar had a good match with Show in the opener, then won the Rumble in the main-event. Nothing else was memorable outside the aforementioned features of the show. Worth more than one match. 9) Rumble 1996 –This is an underrated PPV from the 90’s. The Rumble was pretty entertaining, despite not being one of the best of its kind. Yet, it was the strong singles matches that helped boost its overall appeal. Razor vs. Goldust was a really good match. Goldust was so bizarre back then and really pushed the envelope…he took it to new heights against Razor in their storyline. Also, there was a really strong title match between Bret Hart and Undertaker. 8) Rumble 1993 – It’s a shame that the Rumble didn’t take place of Mania that year; maybe we’d spared the reality that Wrestlemania IX was really bad. Marty vs. Shawn for the IC title set the tone and made everyone else raise their game. Bret Hart and Razor did just that in their WWE title match. It wasn’t great, but it showed what Razor was capable of and made Bret look strong. The Royal Rumble continued a streak of good Rumble matches…a streak that really stopped. The finish to it was silly, but the majority of the match was good. 7) Rumble 2008 – I will always look fondly on this Mania for two reason: 1) The unbelievable push of Jeff Hardy that led up this event was just awesome. That song about “standing on the roof tops and screaming your heart out” was the perfect soundtrack to Hardy’s rise to the main-event. The match between he and Orton was good, but didn’t live up to the pre-match hype. 2) John Cena making his shocking return as the 30th entrant in the Rumble and eventually winning it. In a time where it’s difficult to pull of a legitimate surprise (thanks to the ‘net), Cena had me out of my seat screaming. 6) Rumble 2000 – The new millennium brought with it a whole new quality of Rumble events. It had always been hit or miss up until that point, but the overall quality since 2000 has been top notch. The Rumble match that year wasn’t very good – one of the weaker ones, actually – but the first WWE tag team tables match and the classic Street Fight between Triple H and Cactus Jack helped make up for it. Rumble 2000 is often mentioned as the night where the Game went from a new guy in the main-event to the man who became a 13-time World Champion and all-time great. The Top 5 5) Rumble 2009 – The Rumble match itself took a different approach from recent years and piled guys into the ring. Orton and Triple H were the star performers of the match. The WWE title match between Jeff Hardy and Edge was very good. Matt turned on Jeff despite the crowd clamoring for Christian. JBL vs. Cena was pretty good, with Michaels playing his role well. Swagger vs. Matt was a damn good opener. Sometimes, a PPV doesn’t have to be great to make it to a top 5 list; it just has to be really good like this Rumble. 4) Rumble 2005 – When I used to do PPV reviews, I actually had this rated really high as an excellent even. The HBK-Edge match to open was really good, as were the two title matches (Orton vs. HHH gets too much criticism). The Rumble itself was awesome and featured one of the more memorable finishes in recent memory with Cena and Batista establishing themselves as the wave of the future arriving a little ahead of schedule. A very complete card from top to bottom, despite the Undertaker-Heidenreich fiasco 3) Rumble 2002 – While the Rumble that year was one of my favorites of all-time because of how it blended so many big stars from that era, it was the Undisputed title match between Jericho and Rock that really sets this up here so high on the list. Without that, this card would’ve just been pretty good and lumped with a lot of the mid-range Rumble PPVs, but Jericho-Rock was so good it helps set the entire event apart. Edge vs. Regal is an underrated mid-card match, as well, and the kind of match that shows why he eventually began main-eventing Wrestlemanias 2) Rumble 2007 – Topped off by two a phenomenal Last Man Standing Match between Umaga and John Cena and another one of the best endings to the Rumble in history, this was an overall very strong show. The undercard featured a strong tag team match between MNM and the Hardys and an inspired effort from Mr. Kennedy in the semi-main-event. Only Test vs. Lashley disappointed, making this one of the more well-rounded Rumble PPVs 1) Rumble 2001 – It starts getting tight up at the top, so its matches like Benoit vs. Jericho that make all the difference in the world. Their ladder match was excellent and one of the more intelligently worked bouts of that kind in history. The Angle vs. Triple H match was quite strong, as well. The Rumble match might not have been one of the best ever, but it was full top stars of that era and was, thus, engaging in its entirety and highlighted by a legendary performance by Kane and a memorable finish of Austin getting back to the Mania main-event with his victory. ------------------------------------------------------------ The Road to Wrestlemania Has Begun Want a chance to win a free copy of the Mania 27 DVD? The special column series, “The Road to Wrestlemania” (a fantasy tournament featuring CMV1’s top 64 Mania wrestlers ever) is underway. All you have to do is fill out a bracket (details are posted in the link below). We need a few more people to participate before it’s officially a 100% go. http://www.lordsofpain.net/columns/doctorsorders/Doctor_s_Orders_The_Road_to_Wrestlemania_Begins_Now.html
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