We have now moved over to Netflix with just over three hours of action to cover below. It’s disappointing that the more obscure stuff like WCW or ECW hasn’t made it yet, or a lot of the backstage offerings like Table for 3 or Ride Along, which were quite fun.

 Royal Rumble 1991 took place on 19 January 1991 from the Miami Arena in Miami, Florida

 Current Champions

  • WWF Champion: The Ultimate Warrior
  • Intercontinental Champion: Mr. Perfect
  • Tag Team Champions: Hart Foundation (Bret Hart and Jim Neidhart)

Previously at Survivor Series, Hulk Hogan and the Ultimate Warrior were the ‘sole’ survivors in the Match of Survival continuing their position as the top two babyfaces, while the likes of Randy Savage made strong cases for a WWF Championship opportunity.

No Vince McMahon voiceover to begin the 1991 edition of the Royal Rumble, instead Howard Finkel introduces the national anthem. This came at a time when the US were amid Desert Shield/Storm and patriotism was at its height. That theme is weaved into the show in a major way as ‘Iraqi Sympathiser’ Sgt. Slaughter gets a title shot.

My bad, there is a Vince McMahon voiceover. He runs through some of the big names in the Rumble match including last year’s winner Hulk Hogan, Bret Hart, Legion of Doom, the Undertaker, Mr. Perfect, Earthquake, ‘Macho King’ Randy Savage and British Bulldog.

Orient Express w/Mr. Fuji vs. The Rockers

Gorilla Monsoon and Rowdy Roddy Piper are on commentary. This should be a good match because both these teams can go, a rematch from WrestleMania VI but now Kato (a masked Paul Diamond) has replaced Sato. Diamond is a former tag team partner of Michaels. Lots of high energy early doors with the Rockers hitting a double suicide dive through the ropes onto their adversaries. Orient Express are athletic enough to keep up with the Rockers, they compliment them really well and they’re giving enough to take tag team manoeuvres to keep their opponents looking strong. A good example is Shawn goes up for the 10-punch, Kato comes in so Jannetty tees off on him leading to the referee restraining Marty, then Michaels hits a moonsault press onto Kato. Double atomic drop attempt by the Orient Express and the Rockers hit a double dropkick. Twin planchas. Control ebbs back-and-forth with Michaels busting out the 360-corner sell. Double clothesline by the Orient Express on Michaels, then moments later they try the same move and he ducks so they strike each other. Jannetty gets the hot tag. Powerslam and a nearfall. Crowd are eating up the Rockers. Backslide attempt by Jannetty sees Tanaka get a shot in. Double superkick on Kato. Michaels goes upstairs for the assisted splash, only for Tanaka to knock him down to the floor. Kato with a slam and a slingshot into a chop on Jannetty. Another slingshot on Marty by Kato results in a sunset flip on Tanaka and the Rockers get three. A superb opener and what should be the blueprint for any WWF pay-per-view. Energy, athleticism and the popular team won after just shy of 20 minutes. It really helps that Piper is a huge fan of them, he puts them over a treat. [****]

Sean Mooney is with ‘Macho King’ Randy Savage, he considers himself the number one contender for the WWF Championship, but Slaughter has the shot tonight. Slaughter has given Savage assurances he will defend the title against Savage and now Sensational Sherri comes out of the entrance with Gene Okerlund. Sherri wants to get the same assurance from Warrior, she calls him out. Ultimate Warrior appears wearing a very fetching jacket adorned with the United States flag. He’s wearing red, white and blue tights. Having received no response from Warrior, she tries seducing him and even gets on her knees at one point. He starts shaking and says no, then beats his chest. Savage tosses furniture in his locker room. Savage runs out to join a screaming Sherri.

You know, it would have been perfect for the stipulation of the winner of the Rumble getting a title shot at WrestleMania to begin here. Force Savage into the Rumble needing to win it.

The Barbarian w/Bobby Heenan vs. Big Boss Man

Barbarian is already in the ring, which doesn’t usually bode well. Boss Man gets a huge reaction and I remember his entrance where he looked around at the crowd from his Hall of Fame induction video. Boss Man wants ‘The Brain’ but he has to go through Barbarian. Stalling in the early going for Barbarian with Heenan before Boss Man sends him into the ringpost. Both can move well so it’s not the as plodding as some matches in the early 90’s can be, Barbarian comes off the top rope and Boss Man catches him with a punch to the gut. Boss Man is agile and mobile too. I love that Piper has brought up Gorilla Monsoon being a similar size to these guys, he could have some great insight into how they approach the match. Boss Man gets his foot caught between the bottom and middle rope but I’m not entirely certain that was planned as there’s a noticeable pause for a moment and then Barbarian helps him escape. Strength from Barbarian as he picks up Boss Man and slams him into the post. Long bearhug spot slows down the momentum but you know that’s to recover energy for the big finish. Enziguri by Boss Man. See what I mean. Flying clothesline off the top turnbuckle by Barbarian, Boss Man gets a foot on the ropes. Boss Man Slam and Barbarian gets a fingertip on the bottom rope. Barbarian tries a big piledriver but he jumps up and the back of Boss Man’s head struck his knees. That was ugly. Boss Man rolls through a crossbody attempt to get the win. Heenan takes off running from ringside. [**1/2]

Sean Mooney is with General Adnan and Sgt. Slaughter. Prior to the match, Slaughter was given some wrestling boots supposedly from Saddam Hussein. Superb shift of camera by Slaughter, who refers to the Warrior as ‘Ultimate Puke’. We swich to ‘Mean’ Gene Okerlund with the Ultimate Warrior. He’s got a purple strap on his WWF Championship belt. As usual his promo is fairly incomprehensible but the gist is that Warrior is defending the USA against the Iraqi Sympathiser.

Sgt. Slaughter w/General Adnan vs. Ultimate Warrior – WWF Championship

Slaughter has a massive amount of heat with the live crowd. The timing of the Iraqi conflict and the WWF leaning massively into it transformed his career. Warrior comes charging to the ring and snaps the Iraqi flagpole, he then uses it as a weapon. All Ultimate Warrior to begin with as Sgt. Slaughter takes a whippin’. Adnan flees. Slaughter takes a bump over the turnbuckle and tumbles to the floor. Sensational Sherri hits the scene, she trips Warrior and he goes after her. Savage assaults Warrior in the entrance area with some kind of lighting rigging or structure as Slaughter distracts the referee. Slaughter is clever, he repeatedly stops the official’s count. Piper describes exactly what Slaughter is doing. Warrior is tossed inside by Slaughter and like a shark he can smell blood in the water. Warrior comes back with a clothesline. Bearhug by Slaughter, did he not see the previous match? Ultimate Warrior is out and builds momentum. Sherri returns with Savage’s sceptre. Warrior beings Sherri in the hard way. He tosses Sherri out on top of Savage. Slaughter chokes Warrior on the ropes and when the referee drags him away, ‘Macho King’ smashes Warrior in the head with the sceptre. Cover by Slaughter and we have a new WWF Champion. Monsoon and Piper are hoping for DQ but ‘The Fink’ makes the call that Slaughter has won. The crowd aren’t happy. Surprisingly, a decent match that hid Warrior’s deficiencies. [***]

Advert for WrestleMania VII centred around Hulk Hogan.

Koko B. Ware vs. The Mountie w/Jimmy Hart

The follow up match to the shocking WWF title change is Koko versus the Mountie, which as you can imagine gets second billing from the announcers after Slaughter’s victory. Dropkick by Koko, who did survive that Tombstone from the Undertaker at Survivor Series. Mountie uses his shockstick or cattle prod to take control. Jimmy Hart antics with Frankie at ringside. Lots of Mountie offence with a couple of opportunities for Koko to get the crowd onside like a sunset flip and a back drop out of a piledriver attempt. Neckbreaker by Koko and he spends time flapping his arms. Koko comes off the top rope with a dropkick and lands on his feet. He breaks the pinfall to go after Jimmy Hart. Mountie puts Koko away with a strange slam, almost like a Boss Man Slam combined with a chokeslam… it was ugly. No replays air. [**]

‘Macho King’ Randy Savage and Sensational Queen Sherri are proud of themselves for what they did to the Ultimate Warrior despite Sean Mooney’s mourning. There’s pounding on the locker room door and everybody scarpers. Monsoon and Hot Rod are still bent out of shape over the title change.

Sgt. Slaughter and General Adnan are interviewed by Gene Okerlund. Slaughter himself may have had reservations about being an Iraqi Sympathiser on television but he’s at least a good interview. Adnan was there too, best I can say about him. Back to Monsoon and Piper, who are raging. Gorilla is wearing a lovely scarlet jacket though.

There are some kind words by fans for those serving in Desert Storm. Nice guy that he is, the Hulkster will be visiting military bases across the USA to lend his moral support. Imagine those conversations. “Hey Hulk, if the WWF is right behind us, why put the belt on the guy who’s apparently Saddam’s best mate?”

Some of the participants in the Royal Rumble Match give their thoughts including Jake ‘The Snake’ Roberts, Earthquake, Greg ‘The Hammer’ Valentine, Texas Tornado, Legion of Doom, Undertaker, ‘Hacksaw’ Jim Duggan, Rick Martel, British Bulldog, Mr. Perfect and Tugboat. The highlights being Hawk talking about the Roadwarriors being a rollercoaster and the Undertaker is still with Brother Love. Piper is suddenly loving life ahead of the Rumble, it’s the best pay-per-view he’s ever been part of. Apparently Hot Rod had dinner with Virgil. Speaking of the bodyguard, the ‘Million Dollar Man’ and Virgil are with Sean Mooney. Virgil does look pretty annoyed as DiBiase talks about his money being thicker than blood.

Dusty & Dustin Rhodes vs. Ted DiBiase & Virgil

A very young Dustin Rhodes takes part in this one, at this stage Dustin would be 21. The Rhodes’ send DiBiase and Virgil into each other, they regroup at ringside. Flying clothesline and a dropkick by Dustin sends Virgil back outside. DiBiase heads out to send Virgil back into the fray with orders. This match is a good storyline fare with Virgil again sent out with a clothesline over the top and the ‘Million Dollar Man’ is concerned that he’s being embarrassed. DiBiase takes over on Dustin before the Rhodes’ hit bionic elbows on him. Dusty now tags in and DiBiase backs off. Virgil saves DiBiase when Dusty slaps on a sleeper. On commentary, Piper is now justifying Virgil’s heel actions. Dustin looks to blow out a knee as it struck the turnbuckle and Virgil takes advantage with Dusty wanting to protect his son. We are three years away from the amazing ‘the view never changes’ promo. Virgil accidentally clotheslines DiBiase and the ‘Million Dollar Man’ puts a beating on his own bodyguard. Even having done that, DiBiase rolls up Dusty and gets the three. Ted DiBiase is furious and demands Virgil puts the Million Dollar title around his waist using a wired microphone, which is a rarity. Virgil drops the belt at DiBiase’s feet. Virgil clocks DiBiase with the belt. He spits on it and drops it on the ‘Million Dollar Man’. Surely this match should have gone on after the WWF title match? Chance for DiBiase to react in his interview, which would have been golden, get the crowd back up for Virgil’s turn and you can have Mountie versus Koko as a chance to get ready for the Rumble? Just a thought. [***]

Interview with ‘Mean’ Gene and Hulk Hogan. Unconfirmed report comes in Okerlund’s ear that Slaughter has defaced the American flag. Hogan trips over his words, he’s that mad. Another chance for Monsoon to use his ‘bent out of shape’ line.

Royal Rumble Match

We’re straight into the Rumble with Bret Hart as number 1. One half of the WWF Tag Team Champions, he’s up against Dino Bravo at 2. I seem to remember a story about Bret once getting injured in a match against Bravo, hurting his chest on the guardrail. The more you know. Much like last year with DiBiase, a solid worker can anchor from the opening spot. New entrants come in every two minutes. ‘The Hammer’ runs down at number 3, no longer sporting black hair so I assume he’s not still part of the team with Honky Tonk Man. That question is answered as Jimmy Hart berates Valentine from ringside, ‘The Hammer’ responds by dumping Bravo out on the far side of the ring and shoving Jimmy off the apron. To be fair, Bret also has a history with the ‘Mouth of the South’. Number 4 is Paul Roma with Slick chasing behind. Valentine and Roma double team Bret. Roma turns on Valentine. Next man in is the Texas Tornado and he tees off on Paul Roma. It blows my mind that Kerry Von Erich is wrestling here with a prosthetic foot and its deeply saddening he’d die by suicide in 1993. The countdown begins and it’s ‘The Model’ Rick Martel. No eliminations since Bravo despite the efforts of Martel and the ‘Hitman’ lands some sweet body shots on his fellow Canadian. Saba Simba is 7, which probably doesn’t warrant much coverage. As poorly conceived as the character of a warrior representing a Ugandan tribe, Tony Atlas has stated that he was homeless and living on a park bench before being brought back as the character. Butch of the Bushwhackers enters the fray at 8 and moments later Martel goes over with Saba Simba, Martel holds on and Simba doesn’t. Monsoon then forgets that Saba Simba went out literally 30 seconds before. ‘The Snake’ is next to join the action and he’s met by Martel, who he’s amid a feud with. Martel slides out under the bottom and Jake follows. Piper mentions that they have a 10 count on the floor. That’s new. Tenth man in is Hercules, tag team partner of Paul Roma in Power and Glory.

Eight men are in the ring with just Bravo and Saba Simba eliminated. Valentine is a poor Rumble wrestler. He attacks people from behind, then moves on straight away and attacks somebody else without giving them the chance to sell or retaliate. Tito Santana is 11 just as Roma sails over thanks to Jake Roberts. Santana goes straight for his former partner Martel. It’s hard to fathom Martel as a babyface. Next up, the Undertaker. Now business will pick up and Bret ‘Hitman’ Hart is his first victim. Undertaker takes shots from Jake and Tornado before choking Von Erich on the mat. 13 is ‘Superfly’ Jimmy Snuka. Undertaker tosses Butch out. Number 14 is British Bulldog and following him is Demolition Smash as we reach halfway through the field. Is that Shane McMahon as a referee at ringside? Martel eliminates Jake. That is Shane. Brother Love, Mr. Fuji and Slick are all at ringside. Hawk comes out at 16 and he’s en~fuego. He gets ganged up on with three and then four opponents. It’s as if everybody has three moves. Double noggin’ knocker, atomic drop and clothesline. Number 17 is a young Shane Douglas and he might bring some energy to the dance. Undertaker eliminates Texas Tornado and Hawk tosses out Snuka in quick succession. Nobody gives the crowd time to get involved either. Tito almost has Martel out, there’s a big pop and it gets interrupted when Smash blasts Santana from behind. Nobody comes out at number 18 but it looked like Animal of Legion of Doom was at the curtain, only to be shouted back in. Undertaker is working over Hawk. It would make sense for Animal to next in. Legion of Doom’s Animal is indeed entrant number 19. Double clothesline by the Roadwarriors dumps Undertaker out and he lands on his feet at ringside. Hercules and Martel then blast Hawk from behind, he tumbles over. Undertaker intimidates Shane at ringside. Valentine looks spent as number 20 is Crush from Demolition, he joins partner Smash in beating on the Bulldog.

‘Hacksaw’ Jim Duggan joins the party, he goes to town on Smash before focusing his heavy hands on ‘The Model’. Lots of pretty uninteresting punching and kicking right across the squared circle. There’s ten remaining before number 22 is one of the favourites in Earthquake. He has some new darker blue gear that looks a lot better than the baby blue he’s been wearing. He establishes himself by dipping a shoulder and hoisting Animal out. Duggan goes after ‘Quake but the bigger man turns that around. The hits keep coming as having drawn 23 is Mr. Perfect. Is that the Perfect number? He was in the final two last year before Hogan prevailed and the Intercontinental Champion is in no hurry. When he does get in, he bumps like crazy for Duggan before back dropping ‘Hacksaw’ over. Dropkick to Smash. Big pop as Hogan is out at 24, what a draw he got. Straight away he gets pounded on, he breaks free and out goes Smash. What happened to Crush? Oh, he’s still there. Hogan locks up with Earthquake. The countdown brings Haku to the ring as Martel eliminates Greg Valentine. Douglas tries charging at Earthquake but he barely notices. No eliminations before ‘The Anvil’ Jim Neidhart races in. The camera just about catches Earthquake throwing Tito Santana out. Bushwhacker Luke drew 27 and he’s sent over immediately by Earthquake for the quickest elimination that stood for many years.

Brian Knobbs got another late draw as Martel hangs on yet again. For some reason he’s jumped on by five men including Haku, Neidhart, Hercules and Bulldog. Gorilla Monsoon and Roddy Piper are talking about the remaining men. There’s three to go – Tugboat, Warlord and Randy Savage – with only two spots. Knobbs sends Hercules to the showers. Warlord is number 29, that’s a great number for a fresh big man. Hogan gets Crush over and out. Piper suddenly realises that Rick Martel has surpassed the record for longevity. Hogan clotheslines Warlord out. The last man in is Tugboat, which means ‘Macho King’ Randy Savage was number 18. There are jeers amongst the live crowd as they realise Savage missed out. Mr. Perfect survives by athletically gripping the ropes as Neidhart chucked him over. Knobbs eliminates Shane Douglas off-camera. There’s still 12 minutes to go on the broadcast with 9 men in the ring still eligible. Great sequence as Hogan chops Perfect, he drops to the mat and Earthquake walks over him. Tugboat almost has the Hulkster out and he holds on, then Hogan comes back to eliminate Tugboat. That’s seen as a shocking betrayal. Bulldog dropkicks Perfect out. Martel uses leverage to get under Neidhart and he’s done for. Bulldog dumps Haku over. Suddenly we’re down to five. Martel, Earthquake, Bulldog, Hogan and Knobbs. Looks like Knobbs was the only Nasty Boy to get the call. Bulldog shakes the ropes, Martel crotches on the top turnbuckle and gets clotheslined over by Davey-Boy Smith. Martel’s record is 52 minutes and 17 seconds.

Knobbs and Earthquake team up to eliminate the Bulldog. They then take turns working over Hulk Hogan. Earthquake Splash on Hogan but he’s back up on his feet to deliver a double clothesline. Big boot sends Brian Knobbs to the floor. Big boot to ‘Quake. Slam attempt and Earthquake lands on Hulk. Elbow drop finds the mark. Hulk draws power from the audience and slams Earthquake before clotheslining him from behind and Hogan is the winner. He celebrates showing some signs from the crows first for himself, then for peace in the Middle East. An American flag appears in the front row and he takes it wave. As a Rumble, it was probably one of the poorer ones but in fairness ten participants lasted over 20 minutes – Hogan, Earthquake, Shane Douglas, British Bulldog, Tito Santana, Martel, Valentine, Hercules, Texas Tornado and Bret Hart – the majority of them can work. [**]

 The Verdict: It’s one of those events that’s best described as ‘of it’s time’. The use of the Iraqi war was a double-edged sword. Yes, there’s plenty of coverage but no, it’s not all positive. From looking like it was going to be a Hogan-Warrior rematch, now we have two clear paths to WrestleMania. Hogan as the ‘Real American’ up against Sgt. Slaughter and Ultimate Warrior versus ‘Macho King’ Randy Savage. Other matches that look set include Virgil versus Ted DiBiase and Mr. Perfect versus Big Boss Man on the basis that Boss Man is working his way towards Bobby Heenan. As a historical event, worth a watch.