[Tommy Platinum]

I thought I would make one of these. I usually don't do whole PPVs so this way I can review anything I happen to watch, although a Royal Rumble 2001 review will be done soon.

The thing that reminded me to make this thread was the Batista vs Triple H Hell in a Cell, which I finally got around to seeing (thanks to Steve).

So...

Batista vs Triple H - Hell in a Cell for the World Heavyweight Title - Vengeance 2005

I expected this match to be pretty boring, probably because I wasn't watching wrestling at the time, and haven't seen much of Tista around this period, and am therefore judging him by what he is like today, and partly because I have seen their Wrestlemania match, and while a level above Cena vs JBL, it was pretty dull and slow. In the Cell, their styles worked a lot better. The pace was still slow and methodical for the most part, but it worked. First of all I must say that it wasn't a ''HIAC worthy'' feud, but I have to hand it to WWE, it was a great way to get Batista over, defeating Triple H for a third time, this time in his own element. The match was pretty damn brutal and really achieved what the Cell aims for. It did seem like the ultimate score-settler, and it was great to see the face (Batista) just as ruthless and sadistic as Triple H in this sort of environment. Weapons like the chain and especially the barbed wire chair were great to see, as they are not often used in WWE. The barbed wire chair was a great way to add to the brutality without it being the same old shit. A noteworthy spot was when Batista went to hit Triple H with the chain and got DDT'd on the chair, busting him open. I thought it was a good way for Tista to bleed. There were quite a lot of cool spots, and Batista looked very strong. Obviously Triple H's signature weapon, the sledgehammer, played a big part in the match too. I particularly loved the finish. Batista went to give Trips the Batista Bomb, and I noticed Triple H pick up the sledgehammer. I was expecting the WM 17 spot with Trips hitting Tista while he was in the air, but Tista hit it anyway before Trips could hit him with it. It was pretty cool and original.

I only have a couple of minor criticisms. I found it slightly ridiculous when Triple H came off the second rope and Tista held up the sledgehammer, causing Triple H to spit blood in the air. Also, I think they went over the top with the Batista unstoppableness slightly, with him kicking out of things like a sledgehammer to the face, and a pedigree after 30mins of gruelling Hell in a Cell. Overall, I thought it was a very good match. A lot more brutal and entertaining than I thought it would be, and probably one of the best ever HIAC matches.
Rating: ****1/2

[Mrs Teddy]

My friend and I actually ordered this PPV, it didn't turn out to be that great.. but the HIAC was decent. I was hoping to see them battle outside the Cell but those shenanigans had stopped happening by then. I remember being annoyed by the sledgehammer teasing at the end but it makes sense looking back at it. It felt like the match went alot shorter than it did cause both my mate and I looked at eachother in the end like 'is that it?' We weren't exactly stoked.. I should probably rewatch it.

[King Steventon]

As my tastes have changed I have come to like the Cell's where they stay in the Cell more than the ones where they get out. The whole point of the HIAC is that it's meant to be two guys just beating the fuck out of each other, and that's what HHH/Batista delivered. I didn't see what was wrong with the kickouts, if you're going to have some kickouts and overkill, you might as well have them in the big fued ender.

Trips/Batista was easily the best booked fued of 2005 by a large margin and the HIAC was really great in my opinion.

[KenTheKiller]

After you and Steve putting it over so much I DLed it and am hoping to check it out later. Good review of the match and I hope it's as good as you claim.

[horrorfan_1986]

Originally Posted by Lord Steventon
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Trips/Batista was easily the best booked fued of 2005 by a large margin and the HIAC was really great in my opinion.

Had Eddie/Batista finished their feud/storyline, I would of probably given them the nod as best booked feud.

[King Steventon]

I dunno, it's close. That was the perfect way to turn him face after the Rey fued, but I think all the teasing and how personaly Trips/Batista was, I'd say it was better. Eddie/Rey was also fantastic until the started with all the stuff with Dominic.


Surprised neither of you two (Tom and Ken) had seen that match before, it was only easily the most stacked, and the best PPV of 2005.

[Flip]

Vengeance 05 was indeed the best ppv of 2005. Show had everything. You had your fun IC title match, your brutal World Championship, and a match between two of the best of all time. Cena/Christian/Jericho was also really good.

I haven't seen this match since 2005, but I loved this match so much when I saw it. WM21 opened my eyes to Batista, but this was the icing on the cake.

[KenTheKiller]

I saw it Steve, I just don't remember it really =/.

[Tommy Platinum]

Royal Rumble 2001 Review



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The opening video package was great and really hit home how dramatic things were with one World Title, a title which actually meant something.

WWF Tag Team Championship
Edge and Christian (Champions) vs the Dudley Boyz

Great choice to open the show with these two incredibly over teams facing off. Weird this, the tag titles getting shown on a PPV with only 3 other matches besides the Rumble itself. Again, back when titles actually meant something. JR says that the Dudleys are still recovering from concussions, and we are shown what happened in the build up to this match, with E&C attacking the Dudleys with chairs on RAW then attacking them on Smackdown. The Dudleys start fast but E&C go to the outside to regroup. The Dudleys of course follow them up the aisleway as they walk off, bringing them back to the ring. Few early pin attempts and quick tags, with the Dudleys getting the better of it in the early going. Bubba uses his power to dominate Christian, but Christian counters and hits a huricanrana. Side slam by Bubba earns another near fall and Dvon is tagged in. Edge is taggd in, and whips Dvon into the ropes so Christian can take a cheap shot allowing Edge to take control. E&C attempt to isolate Dvon. Random comment: King was so much better as a heel, I actually wanted to hear him back then. He’s funny in this match making fun of the Dudleys lack of intelligence. E&C continue to dominate the match until Edge goes for a piledriver on Dvon, while Christian goes to the top, and Bubba reverses it throwing Edge into Christian. The ref misses a legit Dudleys tag, and hes distracted as Bubba complains, allowing E&C to go for the conchairto. Dvon ducks and hits a double clothesline before tagging in Bubba, who dominates. Slams on both men, ‘’WASSUUPPP’’ on Edge, Bubba calls for the tables, and Edge goes to hit Bubba with the title belt, but he avoids disaster and nearly pins Edge with a rollup. E&C avoid the 3D when Edge spears Bubba for a near fall, then E&C go for the Dudleys own ‘’wassup’’ move, but get countered, The 3D wins it for those damn Dudleys. Very fun opener with lots of action.
Winners and new WWF Tag Team Champions: The Dudley Boyz
10 mins, 3 ¼ stars

They show Vince backstage explaining how Austin will get his shot at the Rumble, but Triple H will still get his WWF title match with Angle (he was made #1 contender for no reason). I loved the McMahon ‘’in the interest of fairness’’ gimmick.
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Triple H and Steph are shown backstage, with Trips trying to stop Steph going out there for his title match due to her feud with Trish. Steph seems to convince him it’d be a good idea. They meet Drew Carrey and he wants to meet Vince about doing PPVs, and Steph says she wants to introduce him to Trish Stratus. The whole Trish/Vince thing was pretty ridiculous but it led to the epic McMahon family drama at Mania so no complaints here.

Another backstage segment… the APA were fucking epic. That is all.

Intercontinental Title Ladder Match
Chris Benoit (Champion) vs Chris Jericho

Sorry if I seem to compare everything to today, but this is my favourite period in WWE history, and once again, the recap of this feud shows just how terribly the IC title is used now in comparison to back then, and just how much titles used to mean something. Do WWE really not see how it is beneficial to make titles look like they are worth winning? This feud was great. Very competitive but also very personal, with sneak attacks and everything else. They had a great 2/3 falls match back at Summerslam, and had been feuding over the title for the best part of a year. This was the decider. The contrast between Jericho’s comedy and Benoit’s robotic intensity made for some great moments (I’d fight Chris Benoit, when the scores are tied, and I’d fight Chris Benoit, as a blushing bride
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), but Jericho was as intense as anybody when he had to be. Jericho gets the better of the match early on with some knockdowns and knife edge chops. Benoit goes for the crossface early but Jericho counters looking for the walls. Benoit counters that and gains control. Jericho gets thrown injured-shoulder first into the ringpost. I always think ladder matches are so much better when the first few minutes contain a good amount of actual wrestling. Jericho goes for his springboard dropkick but Benoit pulls down the ropes and Jericho flies over the rop rope to the floor. Benoit makes the first attempt to bring a ladder into play, and throws Jericho into the ringpost as he tries to cut him off. He then gets thrown into the ring steps, aggrevating Jericho’s injured shoulder some more. Benoit looks to climb the ladder and grab the title belt but Jericho recovers to stop him. Jericho uses the ladder as a weapon for the first time, hitting Benoit with it before setting it up in the corner. Benoit reverses the whip attempt and sends Jericho face first into the ladder, and out to the floor. Benoit goes for the suicide dive, which results in the spot of the match as Jericho recovers to nail him with a steel chair in mid air. Jericho sets Benoit up on the barricade and attempts to sandwich him between the barricade and the ladder, but Benoit moves out of the way and runs through Jericho with the ladder. We’re right into the action now, and its incredibly fun to watch. Benoit uses the chair and throws Jericho inside. The ladder is back in the ring now, and is once again set up in that same corner. Jericho goes face first into the ladder javelin style. Jericho sets Benoit up on the ladder in the corner so his leg is between two rungs, then tips the ladder back so both men crash to the mat. Benoit dropkicks the ladder into Jericho’s face then hits a big suplex. Jericho used the ropes to propel the ladder upwards right into Benoit’s jaw. Ouch. This match is just full of innovative and entertaining ladder spots without it being too over the top. Jericho attempts to climb the ladder but Benoit backdrops him out of the ring to the floor. Jericho somehow manages to get up and cut Benoit off with the heart of a lion. (Jericho is one of the best ever at portraying the gutsy, determined face who won’t give up). Jericho goes for the Walls of Jericho on the ladder, and I believe this was the first time we ever saw it, so it was pretty cool. He pushes Benoit down but as he goes to grab the title, Benoit kicks the ladder over. Jericho once again runs through Benoit with the ladder and begins to climb. Benoit is going to stop him, so Jericho dives at Benoit but gets caught in mid air and locked in the crossface~!
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. It was obvious at this stage that both these guys were going to be future World Champions, the only surprise was that they both switched alignments before winning them. Benoit realises he can’t win by submission, and eventually releases Jericho, who somehow manages to fight back and regain control yet again. He sets the ladder up in the corner and tries to superplex Benoit from it, but Benoit pushes Jericho down then goes for the diving headbutt from the very top of the ladder, but Jericho moves. It takes a lot of guts to land completely flat on your stomach from that height. Jericho goes to climb and once again gets pushed off the ladder, this time landing face first on the turnbuckle. Benoit looks like he’s going to win but Jericho comes in with a steel chair and hits him in the back. Benoit pushes Jericho away but as he comes back off the ropes, he pushes the ladder over and sends Benoit tumbling over the ropes to get the title. My only minor criticism of the match is that rather than staying down, Benoit was getting up a bit too early and had to keep falling back down until Jericho got the belt lol. Anyway, this was a great match and really demonstrated what both men can do, even the technical Benoit, clearly out of his element, proved that he could do a great job in a variety of situations. This was a great end to a great feud over a (once) great title. My pick for the best ladder match ever. Jericho vs HBK from last year might be second, but it isn’t as good as this.
Winner and new Intercontinental Champion: Chris Jericho.
19 mins 4 ½ stars

Backstage Drew Carrey is talking to Trish, and Vince comes in. Carrey asks about promoting his show, and Vince suggests he participates in the Royal Rumble.
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Trish says she would be impressed. She was bad at acting at times lol.

Lol Billy Gunn’s push. He’s backstage talking to Chyna, pleading with her not to wrestle. Her match is up next. Jericho is interviewed by Michael Cole and puts over the title and also Benoit, but says that he proved Benoit wrong.

WWF Women’s Title
Ivory (Champion) vs Chyna

I actually forgot about the whole Right to Censor thing lol. Pretty funny, and they got heat so it was a pretty good gimmick, although annoying. They show footage of the piledriver by Val which injured Chyna’s neck, and she is coming back to try to get the title after a long time on the sidelines. I was never into either of these to be honest, but I guess it was a pretty decent angle. RTC’s entrance music is torture to the ears lol. Chyna unsurprisingly dominates early on, using her strength and power advantage to throw Ivory around like a ragdoll. Why was someone who competed for the IC title and in a Rumble match allowed to go back to the Womens Division? Doesn’t seem fair lol. Ivory gets knocked to the outside and tries to escape from the ‘’9th wonder of the world’’. Chyna military presses Ivory back to ringside. Steven Richards comes in and gets owned. The finish comes when Chyna goes for her handspring elbow move and injures her neck, falling limp to the canvas. Ivory gets the win and Chyna is seriously hurt. It actually looked pretty unconvincing the way she fell, but I remember thinking it might be real at the time lol. The EMTs check on her for a long time afterwards, as does the King. She went on to win at Mania of course.
Winner and still Womens Champion: Chyna
3 mins, ½ star.

WWF World Title
Kurt Angle (Champion) w/ Trish Stratus vs Triple H w/Stephanie McMahon Helmsley

The story to this was that Triple H had been made the #1 contender for seemingly no reason (I wonder why lol) after returning to cost Austin the WWF title on RAW a few weeks before. He was facing a guy who had pursued his wife the previous summer, leading to a bitter feud, so they had some history. Heel vs heel was an interesting choice for the World title match. It is something you don’t see often, and I am pretty sure they only did it because the Royal Rumble was the main event. Aside from the feud match itself, you had the whole McMahon family drama with Vince seeing Trish and Steph hating her….which actually took away from the match. It would have been better without the two women at ringside, but it was all build to Father vs Son at Mania, which was damn entertaining. Anyway, both these guys were pretty damn great at this stage in their respective careers. They make their way to the ring with their respective divas, and the match gets underway. Match starts with a little technical wrestling and Angle comes out on top. Triple H gets knocked out to the floor. The crowd chant ‘’Angle sucks’’. I always found that entertaining. Angle as a dorky heel was fantastic, I think everyone agress with that. Angle continues to dominate, outwrestling the Game then hitting a series of vertical suplexes. Triple H kicks out at 2 and seeks respite on the outside. Angle foolishly follows him out and gets whipped into a couple of barricades. Back in the ring, Angle fights back but falls victim to a drop toe hold, as Triple H goes to work on Angle’s legs. I miss the Triple H who actually used some technical moves and worked on body parts. Another reason it sucks that he is a face. Angle’s enziguiri turns the match in his favor momentarily, but that’s not enough to keep The Cerebral Assassin down. Angle whips Trips into the corner and he does his signature bump when he hooks his arm round the rope and flies over. He goes to wrap Angle’s leg around the post but gets pulled into it face first, leading to some brawling on the outide, and Triple H’s face making contact with the steel steps. Match is a good balance of wrestling and brawling thus far, with Angle getting most of the offence. Stephanie distracts the referee for a moment, allowing Triple H to smack Angle’s leg with a steel chair against the ring post. He then continues his game plan of going after Kurt’s legs, using some chopblocks to take the Champ down, and dropping the elbow on Kurt’s leg. A version of the Indian Deathlock on Angle. Angle fights back but his offensive flurry is stopped by Triple H’s facebuster, and Angle kicks out at 2. Trips goes right back to the leg. Figure Four right in the middle of the ring. This is where the silliness starts, as Steph takes exception to Trish’s attempted involvement when Trips illegally grabs the rope for leverage. The resulting catfight brings out the Vince, who struggles to break it up, then tries to carry Trish to the back out of harm’s way. Not a fan of this stuff taking priority over a World Title match in the ring. We have not seen whats going on in the ring for a good couple of minutes, but JR informs us the action has stopped lol. Trips stares at the entranceway, then goes for the Figure Four again, but almost gets caught as Angle takes advantage of the distraction to roll him up, only for Trips to kick out and go right back to work on the leg. Slugfest until Angle hits a DDT for 2. Inverted atomic drop followed by a belly to back suplex with a pin for 2. JR puts over the fact that the distraction is what allowed Angle to take control. He goes for the moonsault but Triple H gives him a razor’s edge off the top, which gets a 2 count. Trips is clearly getting frustrated and tries pinning Angle a couple more times (has a match EVER ended that way?
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) Trips goes for the Pedigree but Angle counters and eventually hits an impressive moonsault for 2. Ref bump on the outside as Trips goes for Angle and misses. The match breaks down into a brawl and Angle goes face first into the ringpost. Triple H uncharacteristically goes to the top but Angle hits his arm drag off the top. What the fuck was Triple H gonna do off the top?
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Angle has the match won but Hebner is down (really? An arm drag off the top would have beaten the Game?) Trips whips Angle into the steps and he sandwiches Hebner, just to make sure he’s out of it lol. Triple H brings in the WWF title but falls victim to a belly to belly suplex. Interesting how Triple H is the one bringing out ALL the heel moves so far. Angle goes to use the belt himself but Trips hits the PEDIGREE~!! Oh yeah, the ref is still down. Trips checks on Hebner and suddenly there is this huge pop. Who could this be? It’s the rattlesnake!!! Austin beats the hell out of Triple H, hits him with the title belt between the eyes, and after semi-reviving Hebner, flips him off and gives him the Stunner. Triple H is busted open, Angle crawls over his lifeless body for the 3 count. Austin gets revenge and Angle’s joke reign continues.
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This wouldn’t be the last time we saw Trips this night. Match was very good, but the Trish/Steph stuff took away from it slightly as for a while it didn’t seem like the main focus
Winner and still WWF Champion: Kurt Angle.
24 mins, 4 stars

The Royal Rumble Match.

They show a few of the favourites backstage. I wish they still had a match to determine number 30. Rikishi will be the last man we see tonight. Rock cuts a typically good promo. Lol @ Kane/Taker jokes. I felt the Kane/Taker ‘’are they together?’’ thing was quite a good angle going into this match. Onto the match: Jeff Hardy is the unlucky guy who drew #1, and #2 is Bull Buchanan of Right To Censor (which means we have to hear that entrance ‘’music’’ again >_>). Bull uses his power advantage to dominate Hardy until the next entrant comes in….and that entrant is…Matt Hardy. The Hardyz double team Bull and quickly eliminate him. The Hardys wrestle for a while, it is every man for himself after all, but when Farooq enters, they try to double team him. Despite this, he gains the advantage using his power, then the Hardys turn the tables and botch their double team move in the corner lol. Twist of Fate and Swanton Bomb, and Farooq gets eliminated. Matt tries to eliminate Jeff while hes distracted…its on now! The Hardy’s exhange rights as the timer ticks down. Here comes #5….DREW CARREY !! Drew stands outside and watches the Hardys wrestle (including another botch as Matt doesn’t sell Jeff’s dropkick). Eventually the Hardys eliminate each other as they both tumble down from the turnbuckle to the floor. The next entrant is KANE! Drew Carrey is left all alone with the big red machine (who has the best music ever when you’re not expecting him to come out. Huge explosion ftw). Kane takes his time but finally gets in the ring. Comedy moment as Drew tries to shake Kane’s hand then offers him money, but Kane goes for the chokeslam regardless. That is, until Raven enters at #7 to attack him from behind with a kendo stick. Drew takes advantage of the distraction by eliminating himself and walking out a happy man. Raven’s advantage doesn’t last long as Kane starts to power him around, but Raven rolls to the outside after a sidewalk slam and gets some ‘’toys’’. Fire extinguisher used on Kane. King: ‘’I bet Kane wishes he’d had one of those a few times in his life.
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’’ Al Snow comes out of nowhere and attacks Raven (Raven had put Snow out of action). The refs stop him entering, but when the timer ticks down, Al Snow is confirmed as #8 and repeatedly smashes both men in the head with a trash can. It’s a hardcore Royal Rumble! Bowling ball to the testicles of Raven (I love that move lol) and Kane attacks Snow to regain control. Raven and Snow try to double team him with trashcans, and hit a double drop toe hold into the trash can. I always thought a trash can was a terrible wrestling weapon. It looks so thin it might as well be tin foil. Perry Saturn in at #9 with Terri by his side wearing something typically revealing. Saturn was pretty amusing as a comedy character. Kane is being repeatedly triple teamed by all 3 men, as they attempt to mount him (this sounds gay…), eventually taking him off his feet with the help of weapons. Finally Snow attacks Raven to break up this alliance, and #10 is The Lethal Weapon Steve Blackman, entering at just the right time with weapons all over the place. Yes, he’s got those sticks with him, and uses them to good effect. I am surprised they have not used the idea of weapons in the Rumble match more often. Blackman and Saturn work on Kane while the other two guys brawl.

Entrant #11 will soon enter the match…and its Grandmaster Sexay! I used to love Too Cool, and this guy was pretty entertaining. He tries to elininate Snow but fails. Its getting pretty chaotic with weapons and bodies all over the ring. Kane exits the ring under the bottom rope and returns with a trash can, hitting everybody in sight in a furious frenzy. He throws out EVERYBODY. Kane cleans house! #12 is the second surprise entrant of the match, and the second comedy opponent for Kane, THE HONKEY TONK MAN! We get a brief rest period as Honkey wants to talk. He uses the ‘’Greatest IC Champion of all time’’ line (obviously) and wants to sing his song for the fans. Kane doesn’t let him finish though, taking his guitar off him and smashing him over the head with it. Great moment. The fans love it.
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Honkey is gone and Kane is already racking up quite a few eliminations. Most people probably already know that he holds the record with 11. #13….IF YA SMEEEEEEEELLLLLLLL…WHAT THE ROCK… IS COOKING. Fans go wild as Rocky runs down the aisle with no fear and gets right in Kane’s face, laying the smack down. First epic showdown of the match. Kane eventually takes control of the match, using his power and strength to dominate Rock as the ‘’Rocky’’ chant starts. Rock tries to fight back but gets a big boot in the face. #14 is…The Goodfather… what a buzzkiller.
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. Goodfather doesn’t last long though, as Rock throws him out after about 10 seconds, allowing Kane to take advantage of the distraction and take control once again, hitting a big suplex then choking Rock. At least the name ‘’Goodfather’’ always makes me laugh. Rock repeatedly attempts to fight back but Kane hits big power moves. #15 is Tazz! He slides into the ring and immediately walks into Kane’s grasp, as Kane lifts him up by the neck, sits him on the turnbuckle and knows him off. Lasted about 5 seconds lol. The Rock attempts to eliminate Kane (the first time Kane has even looked in slight danger) but a thumb to the eyes relieves the pressure. For a while the crowd seem eerily silent, but a Samoan Drop by the Rock gets a pop. #16 is the second APA member, Bradshaw. Whenever I see Bradshaw from this era, I can’t believe its JBL
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He looks so different. Rock and Bradshaw double team Kane to knock him down, then Bradshaw hits the clothesline from hell on the Rock, before going to work on Kane. Spinebuster on Bradshaw by the Rock (who recovered fast) but Kane knows him down and looks dominant. #17 is Albert, from one of my least favorite tag teams. The only good thing about them was Trish. Few big men in the match now. Albert tries to get rid of Bradshaw as Kane tries to eliminate Rock but both men manage to avoid elimination. Big boot by Bradshaw of Albert and here comes Hardcore Holly at #18. Its got to that part of the match when most of the time is spent watching people try to throw other guys over the top. Albert hits his scissor kick on Kane. Rock almost eliminates Kane but he holds on, and we are nearly ready for #19. Is that R-Truth? It sure is.
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Well, K-Kwik I should say, an equally terrible name. I bet a lot of people forget that he was even in WWE before his current run. He is soon getting owned by Albert, but fights back. Kane and Bradshaw hit big moves on Holly and K-Kwik respectively, and #20 is yet another Right to Censor member, Val Venis. What a ridiculous stable that was, but you can’t deny it was a good way to get heat. Again, nothing really happens for a while, and you get the feeling that at this point in the match we are just waiting for the next big moment. Obviously Val Venis isn’t going to provide it. Pretty boring and it needs someone big to liven it up (Austin and Taker are still to come).

Timer reaches zero….and here comes the European Champion William Regal. I can imagine Jim marking now. He hits a suplex on K-Kwik and goes to work on Bradshaw. Rock with the spinebuster on Val. Ring is really filling up now, with about 8 guys in there. Surely someone big will be out soon to clear the ring. Nobody has been eliminated for quite a long time which is a giveaway. Is this next guy someone big? Physically, yes…but only physically. At #22 it’s the worst Canadian wrestler ever, Test. >_> Test eliminates Regal (sorry Jim
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) and goes to work on his former partner Albert (I forgot they’d split by this stage). Regal’s elimination means we still have 8 guys in there fighting it out, but that is soon to become 9 as the timer counts down. WEEEEEEEE-EEE-EEELLLLLL, WELL IT’S THE BIG SHOW !!! Here comes the big guy I was anticipating, as the returning Show (a shock entrant) eliminates Test, before holding K-Kwik high above his head and throwing him all the way to the floor. Chokeslams to Bradshaw, Albert, Holly, Val. The Big Show is destroying everybody! Only Kane and Rock remain. Chokeslam to Kane! The Rock is the last guy left…Chokesl…NO! Rock kicks Show down low and lays the smack down, eliminating the 500 pounder with a clothesline. The crowd go wild. Show, the ‘’pissed off sore loser’’ doesn’t take kindly to being eliminated, and he drags Rock out of the ring (under the bottom rope) then delivers a devastating chokeslam through the announce table. The big moment was certainly worth waiting for when it finally came. A huge return and a great little interlude there. Show’s dominance and elimination was one of my favourite parts of the Rumble. Crash Holly entered just after Show was eliminated, but the camera was focused on the Show/Rock situation. Kane is in trouble as everybody teams up to try to eliminate him (after recovering from the Chokeslams) but #25 is THE UNDERTAKER!! Now it really will get interesting. Undertaker fights the guys off, and both him and Kane clear house. I guess now we will find out the answer to the question of whether Taker and Kane are together. They stare each other down, but by this time Scotty 2 Hotty is entering as #26.
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The two brothers focus their attention on Scotty, beating him down before putting him out of his misery with a double chokeslam, before eliminating him. Kane was a heel at this point, and it was unclear whether Taker was turning face or Kane turning heel, or neither. Double teaming Scotty liked that seemed pretty heelish. Kane and Taker stand tall… I’d hate to be this next guy…..3..2..1..ITS STONE COLD STEVE AUSTIN!! Now the big guns are coming thick and fast, and the match is extremely exciting. The glass produces a huge pop, but Austin doesn’t even make it to the ring, as Triple H attacks him from behind (I told you we would see him again). Meawhile, the Rock has managed to recover from Show’s chokeslam and is back in the ring fighting Kane and Taker. Triple H beats the hell out of Austin on the outside, busting him wide open on the barricade. Billy Gunn enters at #28 while this is happening. We are seeing Rock and Taker fight, as well as Kane and Billy Gunn… who is the odd one out?
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I really don’t know why Gunn was pushed so hard at this point. Huge DDT by Taker on the Rock. Time for #29, and its another surprise entrant…Haku! I remember at the time I had no idea who he was, but he certainly has an intimidating presence, and goes to work on Taker. Kane and Taker double team him. Is anybody going to stop them? JR rightly poses the question, ‘’what will happen when it comes down to just those two?’’ Billy Gunn tries to eliminate Kane as JR and King have one of their epic arguments about the Austin/HHH situation. Their personal rivalry would of course come to a head at No Way Out the following month. We know who #30 is, Rikishi (who I personally enjoyed as a serious heel during this run). He tries to pick the bones of the bloody, battered Austin on the outside, but Austin fights back, showing he has some fight left. Austin is in the ring, and eliminates Haku. Could he possibly win this thing?
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. Kane has been in the match for 50 minutes. Taker hits the world’s lowest chokeslam on Rikishi, then goes to eliminate Rocky, who hangs on. Undertaker tries to headbutt Rikishi, but hurts himself. Rikishi with a headbutt of his own, then hits the big kick to send Undertaker over the top. Shocker. Why is everybody so protected nowadays? It made it so much more interesting when top faces were eliminated cleanly. Compare that to Taker’s elimination this year. Rikishi drags Rocks body to the corner and climbs the turnbuckle to hit his banzai drop (the thing when he drops down on you with his ass) but Rock recovers and eliminates him after hitting a low blow. The action is coming thick and fast now. Austin goes for the Stunner on Billy Gunn (why is he still here?) but Gunn reverses it and hits the Fame Asser. He goes to throw Austin over the top but Austin reverses and Billy Gunn is gone! (mtfo). Austin, losing strength from the loss of blood, falls back in the corner. On the other side is the Rock, and we see an epic staredown between the two men who would go on to headline the best Wrestlemania of all time. The two go at it, with Austin gaining the upper hand initially, before Rock turns the table and lays the smack down on the Rattlesnake. Austin with the Stunner on the Rock! Kane is back up but Austin his the Lou Thesz press on the Big Red Machine, then a low blow. Rock fights back and hits the Rock Bottom on Austin. Kane thrown THROUGH the ropes as the epic confrontation between the two biggest superstars in the WWF continues. Austin almost eliminates Rock but Rock rakes the eyes. Rock picks up Austin and tries to eliminate him, but Kane comes from behind and eliminates The Rock. Austin holds on but Kane thinks he’s won. WE ARE DOWN TO TWO! Austin with the right hands on Kane, but Kane hits the Chokeslam in the middle of the ring. Kane signals that its over. Austin is a bloody mess. He picks up Austin to finish him off, but Austin kicks Kane where it hurts, and both men are down. Extremely tense finale here. I like the way they had Kane outlast Austin so him and Rock didn’t have too much interaction before Mania. Kane slides out of the ring and returns with a steel chair to finish off Austin, but Austin fights back. Kane goes for a tombstone but Austin slides off his shoulders and hits the Stunner! Austin now has the chair in hand. Kane gets to his feet and Austin blasts him in the face with the chair not once, not twice, but three times. He comes off the ropes, clotheslines Kane over the top, and ITS OVER~!! Epic finale to the Rumble, although at the time I was pretty pissed, being the biggest Kane mark ever. A blood-soaked Austin celebrates his victory with some beers (of course). Great against the odds victory for him.

I thought this was the greatest Rumble match ever. It had one period where it got pretty boring, but from Big Show’s entry onwards, the whole thing was pretty great, and some of the early stuff was very fun too. There were a lot of surprises, a lot of memorable moments, and an epic climax. It was everything you could ask of a Rumble match.

Winner and #1 Contender for the WWF Title at Wrestlemania X-7: Stone Cold Steve Austin
62 mins, 4 ½ stars

Conclusion:

This is undoubtedly the best Royal Rumble PPV I have seen and one of my favorite PPVs ever. I am a mark for 2000-2001 as Jim knows, but I don't think anybody would dispute that this PPV was pretty damn great. As you can see from my ratings, I really loved it, from the classic ladder match between Benoit and Jericho, to the very good Angle/Triple H title match, to the epic Rumble which saw Austin named #1 contender for the WWF title at Wrestlemania. The Rock defeated Angle at No Way Out the next month to set up the match everybody wanted to see. Even the opener of this was a very fun match. The only weakness on the card was the womens title match, but its not like it took up much time. Overall one of the best PPVs they have produced. If you have never seen this, you really, really should.
9.5/10

[KenTheKiller]

I remember it being ftw.

I agree with most of what you said but looking at the Rumble.. wow. It wasn't THAT good. I'd say WWE has better overall talent now then they did then, and it's just terrible characters/booking that stops it from being as good. Too bad =/