As of this writing, I am preparing for the 2019 Royal Rumble event to kick off. So, what better way to celebrate the annual Royal Rumble event than to watch what many (including myself) consider to be the greatest Royal Rumble match ever: The 1992 Royal Rumble Match.
The context of this event is that the WWF President Jack Tunney has vacated the WWF Championship after a series of controversial finishes revolving around The Undertaker, Hulk Hogan, and the ever-interfering Ric Flair. Tunney decided to strip Hogan of his newly won championship and hold it up for the first time ever as the prize for the winner of the annual 30-Man Royal Rumble Event. Hogan and Undertaker were given preferential numbers later in the Rumble. However, as we would find out, Ric Flair was not so fortunate. For the NWA/WCW superstar who was proclaiming to be "The Real World's Champion," this was the night Flair won perhaps his greatest victory: a championship win by Vince McMahon over most of his entire roster.
Let's Do This!
WWF Royal Rumble 1992
January 19, 1992
**Note: I will be providing entrant-by-entrant coverage. But do not expect a great deal of detail in terms of moves performed. There's only so many times I can write "Forearm, forearm, almost tossed ______ over..." in a review. **
Jack Tunney is introduced, and he forgets the event that he's even at when introducing the match. Wow.
Entrant #1- British Bulldog
Entrant #2- Ted DiBiase (w/ Sensational Sherri for the entrance)
Sherri's outfit... Wow. Bulldog and DiBiase go at it for a couple moments. DiBiase gets the advantage and nails a few good suplexes on the Bulldog. DiBiase dumps out Bulldog, but Bulldog never hits the floor. Bulldog dumps out DiBiase for a legitimately shocking elimination.
Ted DiBiase is eliminated
Entrant #3- Ric Flair
Bobby Heenan is going absolutely nuts on commentary, cursing "Damn It!" Gorilla reminds him that up to that point, no one had entered #1-5 and won the Rumble. Bobby yells "OH SHUT UP!" Haha. Bulldog shoves Flair down on the mat. Bulldog press-slams Flair in the middle of the ring. Bulldog and Flair continue to go at it while Heenan is continuing to go through the "Seven Stages of Grief" on commentary.
Entrant #4- Jerry Sags (The Nasty Boys)
Sags helps Flair beat up on Bulldog with some boots and holding up Bulldog for some Flair chops. Double clothesline by Bulldog. Sags gets dumped onto the apron and dropkicked down to the floor.
Jerry Sags is eliminated.
Flair begs off and fights Bulldog in the corner.
Entrant #5- Haku
Haku goes immediately after Bulldog and helps Flair (just as Sags was earlier). Haku goes after Flair though with some kicks. "THIS ISN'T FAIR TO FLAIR! 30 ENEMIES!" Flair goes to the floor to avoid Haku. Piledriver by Haku to Bulldog, and Flair rakes the eyes of Haku. Knee Drop by Flair. Haku gets dumped out by Bulldog a few moments later.
Haku is eliminated.
Entrant #6- Shawn Michaels
Shawn has just started his heel run in the weeks after the Barber Shop incident. Flair and Michaels go at it some high intensity action. Thrust Kick (soon to be Sweet Chin Music) puts down Flair. Seconds later, Bulldog and Shawn are going at it. Bulldog press-slams Michaels. Michaels kicks down Bulldog. And now, Michaels is working over both Bulldog and Flair. Michaels ends up saddling the top rope thanks to Bulldog.
Entrant #7- El Matador Tito Santana
Santana goes immediately after Flair and tries to dump him over. Michaels and Santana start going at it. Heenan makes some comment about Michaels turning Santana into "guacamole." (Wow. That doesn't age well.) Flair low-blows Bulldog deliberately in the middle of the ring. Heenan: "I'd do that to my grandmother if I had to!" Gorilla: "I'm sure you would."
Entrant #8- The Barbarian
Heenan: "Barbarian doesn't like anybody. When I managed him, he barely liked me. Why do you think they call him The Barbarian? He's not a hair dresser on his day off, you know?" Absolute gold here. But now we're getting the "punch-kick-forearm" formula. Flair is chopping a few guys. Michaels gets on the corner waiting for someone to come over for the longest time, but he ends up saying "Screw it" and joining the crowd.
Entrant #9- Texas Tornado
Tornado goes after Flair. Flair eats the spinning fist and does the Flair Flop. Michaels takes the punch too moments later. Michaels is bumping all over the ring for Bulldog and holding on for dear life to avoid elimination.
Entrant #10- Repo Man
Repo Man sneaks around the ring for a few seconds and then enters when he decides to attack. Flying crossbody by Matador to Barbarian. A bunch of punches and kicks going on as the wrestlers break off into groups around the ring. Gorilla: "16 minutes for Flair." Heenan: "I KNOW! I KNOW!"
Entrant #11- Greg "The Hammer" Valentine
Flair and Valentine start exchanging chops in the corner. Bulldog helps Valentine beat down on Flair. Gorilla goes over the "#1-5" routine again with Heenan, which Heenan gets even more irritated about. Michaels is holding on for dear life danging from the ropes upside down.
Entrant #12- Nikolai Volkoff
Nikolai impressively jumps over the ropes. Bulldog starts going after Flair again in teh match. Valentine catches Flair on the mat and slaps on a Figure Four Leg Lock! Meanwhile, Nikolai is dumped out by Repo Man.
Nikolai Volkoff is eliminated.
Hammer continues to live up to his name against Ric Flair.
Entrant #13- Big Boss Man
Boss Man beats up on everyone in the ring. Meanwhile, Hammer gets dumped out by Repo Man.
Greg "The Hammer" Valentine is eliminated.
Michaels is flipped upside down again on the corner. Seconds later, Boss Man dumps out Repo Man.
Repo Man is eliminated.
Flair is chopping Tito as Bulldog comes over to get some more of Flair. Flair lifts up Bulldog and eliminates him! Seconds later, Texas Tornado gets dumped out by Flair as well!!!
British Bulldog and Texas Tornado are both eliminated.
And while the countdown is going on for the next entrant, Tito Santana and Shawn Michaels end up eliminating each other.
Tito Santana and Shawn Michaels are eliminated.
(You notice what just happened here. #13 was the start of The Great Purge of this Rumble up to this point. 6 men were eliminated in the span of 2 minutes. This leaves Flair, Barbarian, and Boss Man as the only survivors of the original 13 entrants left.)
Entrant #14- Hercules
Barbarian and Flair team up on Boss Man. Hercules goes right after Flair. Barbarian and Flair high-five each other, but Flair ends up chopping Barbarian. Big mistake as the big man presses Flair up over his head. Flair is almost dumped out, but Hercules dumps Barbarian out instead. Boss Man dumps out Hercules, which leaves Boss Man and Flair alone.
Barbarian and Hercules are eliminated.
Flying clothesline by Boss Man to Flair. He charges Flair, but Flair ducks. Boss Man ends up going over the top to the floor as Heenan proclaims "FLAIR WINS IT! FLAIR'S THE CHAMPION OF THE WORLD!" Gorilla: "ARE YOU KIDDING?! A lot more guys are left." Meanwhile, Flair does the classic Flair Flop of exhaustion.
Big Boss Man is eliminated.
Entrant #15- ROWDY RODDY PIPER!
Flair begs off. And Piper walks in a circle before going right after Flair with the flurry of punches. Back Body Drop and a Knee Lift by Piper. Flair goes to the floor, and Piper runs out to clothesline him. He throws Flair back in. Piper is merciless in his punishment of Flair, breaking out even an Airplane Spin. Sleeper Hold by Piper. Heenan is exasperated and crying about Piper "choking the life out of him."
Entrant #16- Jake "The Snake" Roberts
Jake just sits in the corner and tells Piper to come to him. Instead, Piper just continues the hold. Jake breaks it up and goes after Piper. Heenan thanks Jake, as does Flair. But Jake hits the underarmed clothesline to Flair, causing Heenan to take back his thanks. "You can't trust a Snake! THIS IS NOT FAIR TO FLAIR!" A DDT is broken up by Roddy Piper! "Thank you Roddy. It's a kilt. It's not a skirt. It's a kilt!" says Heenan. Flair locks in the Figure Four on Jake, but Roddy ends up kicking both men while locked up. "Why you no good creep!!! You skirt-wearing freak! It's not a kilt. It's a skirt!" - Heenan.
Entrant #17- Hacksaw Jim Duggan
Duggan goes right after Flair and knocks him down. Monsoon puts over Flair for his intestinal fortitude and conditioning. Piper and Flair are going at it while Duggan and Roberts work the other corner. Flair back-suplexes Piper while Jake Atomic-Drops Duggan.
Entrant #18- I.R.S.
Flair is going after Duggan, but I.R.S. attacks everyone (just like the real I.R.S.). Now, we're going back to the "forearm-forearm" routine. Duggan smacks Jake and Ric's heads together. I.R.S. and Flair double-team Piper.
Entrant #19- "Superfly" Jimmy Snuka
Heenan continues to get more and more exasperated on commentary which Gorilla is enjoying pointing out. Snuka uses his head to attack Flair. Forearms and punches are flying around. A poke to the eyes of Snuka by Flair. Elbow, elbow, elbow. Chop, chop, chop, chop. Flair teases getting dumped over, but he holds on for dear life. Jake tries to dump out Flair, but Flair still holds on.
Entrant #20- The Undertaker
This was the lowest possible # for The Undertaker based on the preferential numbers available for Undertaker and Hogan. Undertaker walks in and IMMEDIATELY dumps out Jimmy Snuka!
Jimmy Snuka is eliminated.
Flair goes after Undertaker! Heenan: "WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU?!" Undertaker starts choking the life out of Flair in the corner. Heenan (exasperated): "It's over! It's over! Every thing down the toilet!" Duggan comes over to beat up on Undertaker, and in an uncharacteristic move, The Undertaker mule kicks Duggan downstairs. Duggan learns the realities of life as I.R.S. and Undertaker beat down on him: Death and Taxes. Eventually, Undertaker goes after I.R.S.
Entrant #21- "Macho Man" Randy Savage
Savage runs in looking for Jake. Jake bailed from the ring as I.R.S. and Undertaker gang up and attack Savage. Roberts comes in to get his shots in on Savage. Short clothesline misses as Savage goes nuts. Double Ax-Handle to Jake. Jake gets hit with a knee by Savage, sending him over the top. Savage flies over the top after Jake, which seemingly eliminates him. Jake and Savage continue to brawl, but Undertaker grabs Savage and throws him back in. Monsoon and Heenan explain that Savage was not thrown over the top. Therefore, he's not eliminated. (This was likely to cover for the botch that Savage wasn't supposed to go over the top to attack Jake, but we are so early in the Rumble match history {5th Rumble Match ever on TV} that this sort of thing can be excused away.)
Jake Roberts is eliminated.
Undertaker continues to rip away at Savage as the remaining wrestlers pair off around the ring. Duggan and Undertaker, Flair and Savage, I.R.S and Piper. Flair comes over and low-blows The Undertaker who only sells it in a slight "Undertaker-ish" way (as in leaning towards the rope).
Entrant #22- The Berzerker
HUSS! HUSS! HUSS! HUSS! Berzerker goes after Undertaker and everyone else in the ring. (No sword in hand, by the way.) Heenan advises Flair to "weasel" his way out. Lol. Piper and Undertaker double choke Flair, but Undertaker decides to choke Piper while he's choking Flair with the other hand!
Entrant #23- Virgil
Virgil goes after I.R.S. But eventually, he finds himself tortured by The Undertaker. Savage is back up on his feet, helping Piper fight off Berzerker. Poor Flair is again getting Undertaker moments later as Taker tries to dump Flair to the floor.
Entrant #24- Col. Mustafa (aka The Iron Sheik)
Sheik-y Baby! He puts everyone in Camel Clutch. Makes them humble. Ok. That didn't happen. Duggan and Sheik/Mustafa have a reunion from a 1987 car ride in the corner. Piper gets the ten punches in the corner on Flair, but Undertaker pulls him off. Savage goes right after Flair while Piper is being worked on by Undertaker.
Entrant #25- "The Model" Rick Martel
Martel goes after Virgil in the corner. Flair and Martel, seconds later, go at it in the corner. Duggan appears to be working with Undertaker in the corner. Martel almost gets Flair over the top. It looks like Virgil dumped Col. Mustafa to the floor.
Col. Mustafa has been eliminated.
Entrant #26- Hulk Hogan
"OH MY GOD! NO!"- Heenan. The crowd erupts for Hogan. Hogan goes right after Undertaker and Flair. Hogan rakes the eyes of Undertaker. Berzerker helps double-team Hogan with Undertaker. I.R.S. gets involved as well. Undertaker gets clotheslined over the top rope to the floor! Berzerker gets dumped out as well. VINTAGE HULK HOGAN T-SHIRT RIP, BROTHER!
The Undertaker and The Berzerker are eliminated.
Hogan takes his shirt and starts choking Rick Martel with it. Meanwhile, Virgil and Duggan end up going over the top to the floor in all this craziness.
Virgil and Jim Duggan are eliminated.
Hogan is going after Flair now in the corner.
Entrant #27- Skinner
Hogan picks up Flair and goes to dump him to the floor. Martel tries to dump out Savage in another corner. Skinner gets a chance to work with Hogan as Flair and Martel try to dump Piper over the top. Monsoon puts over Flair still being there towards the end of the match, which has never been done prior to this. Flair gets clotheslined by Hogan.
Entrant #28- Sgt. Slaughter
Skinner gets dumped over by Rick Martel and Roddy Piper.
Skinner has been eliminated.
Piper and Hogan trade eye rakes to relive 1985 one more time. Where's Cyndi Lauper and Capt. Lou Albano? Flair continues to go on the attack and not just sitting in the corner.
Entrant #29- Sid Justice
Nice ovation for Sid. Sid goes after I.R.S. Moments later, I.R.S. and Flair work over Hogan. Heenan continues to praise the performance of Flair on commentary, as does Monsoon. (Notice that even with everything else going on, they are still focusing on the performance of Flair in this match.) Sid goes after his former Four Horsemen leader in the corner. (Oh that's right. That was NWA/WCW. That never happened.)
Entrant #30- Warlord
Flair gets thrown off the top rope onto the mat by Hogan. Flair goes to the floor with Hogan. Hogan suplexes Flair on the floor. Sid slings Slaughter into the corner, for which Slaughter does his classic "Top Turnbuckle" sell to eliminate him from the Rumble.
Sgt. Slaughter is eliminated.
Flair and Hogan are back in the ring. Big Boot to Flair. Sid tortures I.R.S. in the corner. I.R.S. goes after Piper moments later, but Piper uses I.R.S.'s tie to eliminate him from the Rumble.
I.R.S. is eliminated.
Hogan and Sid gang up on Warlord to eliminate him.
Warlord is eliminated.
Rick Martel and Roddy Piper start going at it, and Sid dumps them both out.
Roddy Piper and Rick Martel are eliminated.
Your Final Four are Hogan, Flair, Sid, and Savage. Savage is placed over the top rope by Sid, and Flair runs up into Sid to smack him into Savage. This officially eliminated Savage.
Randy Savage is eliminated.
Flair goes after Hogan and chops him several times. Hogan returns the favor. Flair gets whipped into the corner and punched over the top rope. Flair fights to survive as Hogan tries to eliminate him. SID DUMPS HOGAN OUT!
Hulk Hogan is eliminated!
Hogan is uspet on the floor as Sid mocks him. Hogan grabs the arm of Sid, and Flair sneaks up from behind to dump Sid with Hogan's help!
Sid is eliminated.
Ric Flair crashes and burns in the ring, the victor of the Royal Rumble and UNDISPUTED WWF CHAMPION! Heenan is elated on commentary "YES! YES! YES! YES! YES! I TOLD YOU MONSOON!" The crowd gives a good pop for the finish here. Flair gets out of the ring to celebrate with Perfect as Sid and Hogan need to be pulled apart by referees and officials. The crowd is solidly behind Sid at this point.
(A few things. 1) Bad booking here as Hogan was clearly a sore loser. He was legitimately eliminated by the nature of the rules. 2) Flair got such a great reaction from the crowd that WWF tried to rewrite history by adding in boos later as they replayed the finish on their various TV shows. Yeah. This company doesn't like to micromanage what people think of their product, right? 3) Sid clearly was emerging as a guy the fans wanted to see more of, but Hogan Must Pose, Brother.)
WINNER: RIC FLAIR (NEW WWF CHAMPION)
Match Grade: A+. 27 years later, I still consider this as the definitive Greatest Royal Rumble of all time (Sorry, Saudi Arabia. You can't buy greatness). Ric Flair was given a great push here in a territory where he didn't get his claim to fame. He worked this match for almost an hour legitimately against 29 of the best talents that Vince McMahon had to offer. You can talk to me all day about the Ricky Steamboat matches, the classics with Terry Funk, the making of Sting, and the retirement match with Shawn Michaels all you want. This is Ric Flair's greatest moment, the crowning achievement that surpasses them all.
And how can anyone watch this match and not love Bobby Heenan on commentary? Bobby and Gorilla added so much to this match that you feel like you are missing something anytime you don't listen to it. I recently listened to "Something to Wrestle's" commentary during the match, and I felt like I was only watching half the match. Heenan's eternal begging, pleading, coaching, and dealing with God for Ric Flair make this one of the great moments in commentary history period in any medium. A commentator's job is to add something to the presentation, not take away (like some of today's commentary teams). Bobby and Gorilla created a track of long-form commentary that may never be surpassed.
Greatest. Rumble. Ever.
To cap it all off, here's the great interview that followed this match backstage with Jack Tunney, Mean Gene Okerlund, Bobby Heenan, Mr. Perfect, and ("The Man" himself) Ric Flair.
Gene telling someone to "put that cigarette out" put the icing on the cake for what was one of the great presentations in WWF/WWE history.
Until next time, take care of yourselves. Spread some awesomeness. And .... Wooooooo!
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