23 years ago today, WWF presented Royal Rumble (WWE Network link) from the Providence Civic Center in Providence, Rhode Island. About 14,500 were in attendance, with 200,000 homes watching on PPV. That's down a third from the 1993 edition (300,000 homes).
In a preshow dark match, The Brooklyn Brawler defeated Jim Powers.
Tatanka defeated Bam Bam Bigelow. Ludvig Borga was the original opponent for Tatanka, but he suffered an ankle injury a few days before the Rumble event. (1.75/5)
The Quebecers (Jacques & Pierre) defeated Bret Hart & Owen Hart to retain the WWF Tag Team Championship. Post-match, Owen kicked an injured Bret after he berated him for not getting a tag. (3.25)
Razor Ramon defeated Irwin R. Schyster to retain the WWF Intercontinental Championship. (1.5)
Yokozuna defeated The Undertaker in a Casket match to retain the WWF Championship. The match was essentially a write-off for The Undertaker, as he would not wrestle again until Summerslam. (1)
Bret Hart and Lex Luger co-won the Royal Rumble match, last eliminating each other. (2.5)
Notes:
This is the last time the Royal Rumble PPV aired on a Saturday night. Beginning in 1995, the Rumble (and all of WWF’s PPV’s) would air on Sunday.
The seven consecutive eliminations for Diesel is the most ever in a single Royal Rumble match. The record still stands today.
Speaking of seven, that was the number of men needed to eliminate Mabel from the match. That’s the most for a single elimination until the eight-man effort needed to eliminate him again (this time as Viscera) in the 2007 Royal Rumble.
As a result of there being two Royal Rumble winners, both Lex Luger and Bret Hart would receive championship matches at Wrestlemania. As three-way matches weren’t a thing in 1994, a coin toss determined who would get their championship match first. On the January 31 RAW, Lex won the toss and the right to face Yokozuna, with the winner to face Bret Hart in the main event. To ensure fairness, Hart would also have a second match on the show, against Owen Hart. Had Bret won the toss, Lex Luger would have faced Crush early in the show, then the Hart-Yokozuna winner in the main event.
22 years ago today, WWF presented Royal Rumble (WWE Network link) from the USF Sun Dome in Tampa, Florida. About 10,000 were in attendance, with 225,000 homes watching on PPV. That's up slightly from 200,000 homes the previous year.
In a preshow match, Buck Quartermaine defeated The Brooklyn Brawler.
Jeff Jarrett defeated Razor Ramon to win the WWF Intercontinental Championship. (3.25/5)
The Undertaker defeated Irwin R. Schyster. (1.25)
Diesel and Bret Hart went to a draw for the WWF Championship. (4.25)
Bob Holly and The 1-2-3 Kid defeated Tatanka and Bam Bam Bigelow in a tournament final to win the vacant WWF Tag Team Championship. (3.75)
Shawn Michaels last eliminated British Bulldog to win the Royal Rumble and a WWF Championship match at Wrestlemania XI. (3.5)
Notes:
At 38 minutes, 41 seconds, this is the shortest 30-man Royal Rumble in WWE history. This is because entrants in this Royal Rumble entered at 60-second intervals as opposed to 90-second or two-minute intervals.
By comparison, there have been 33 instances where a competitor went longer than the length of the 1995 Royal Rumble; Chris Jericho at 51 minutes, 20 seconds and Roman Reigns at 59 minutes, 48 seconds are the most recent people to do it.
This was the first Royal Rumble match to have the first two entrants finish 1-2 in the match. It's only happened once since: Steve Austin and Vince McMahon in 1999.
21 years ago today on RAW from Stockton, California (WWE Network link), Bret Hart defeated Goldust by submission. It is the first televised loss for Goldust since debuting the previous spring.
The big news of the show was the television debut of Leon White, best known to wrestling fans Big Van Vader, or simply Vader. Debuting the previous night in the Royal Rumble match, Vader made an immediate impact on this show by attacking Gorilla Monsoon. It’s believed to be the first time a wrestler physically attacked an on-screen authority figure in company history.
Vader was suspended for his actions; in reality, it was a write-off, as he had to get shoulder surgery. He would return at In Your House 6 in February.
21 years ago today on Nitro (WWE Network link) from Las Vegas, Nevada, Lex Luger and Sting defeated Harlem Heat (Booker T & Stevie Ray) to win the WCW World Tag Team Championship.
In the show's opening match, “Macho Man” Randy Savage defeated Ric Flair to win the WCW World Heavyweight Championship.
16 years ago today on the 400th episode of RAW is WAR from Lafayette, Louisiana (WWE Network link), Test defeated William Regal to win the WWF European Championship.
On the same show, Al Snow defeated Raven to win the WWF Hardcore Championship, only to lose it moments later back to Raven.
Raven got some help in winning the title back just seconds after he lost it; Snow was hit in the back with a 2x4 by a woman in a black bodysuit. Turned out that woman—the black ninja, as she was referred to as—was Tori, who had only been on WWF programming once since suffering a torn labrum at King of the Ring six months prior. After the ninja unmasked as Tori just before Wrestlemania X-Seven, she was taken off television.
After working as the female trainer on the first season of Tough Enough, Tori was released from the WWF in September 2001.
14 years ago today at an NWA-TNA weekly PPV taping in Nashville, Tennessee, Triple X (Low Ki & Elix Skipper) defeated America's Most Wanted (Chris Harris & James Storm) to win the NWA World Tag Team Championship.
9 years ago today at an ECW taping in Charlottesville, Virginia, Chavo Guerrero defeated CM Punk to win the ECW Championship.
7 years ago today, Melissa Anderson, aka TNA’s Alissa Flash and Raisha Saeed, leaves the company after failing to come to terms on a new contract.
Anderson, best known as Cheerleader Melissa on the independent circuit, made one-night returns to TNA in 2011 and 2013. She also appeared for TNA’s sister promotion in India, Ring Ka King in 2011.
Following her release, Melissa returned to the independent circuit, most notably Shimmer, where she had won their championship twice; her second run at 560 days is the second-longest title reign in the promotion’s history.
1 year ago today, AAA presented Guerra de Titanes (War of the Titans) from Auditorio Benito Juarez in Zappapo, Jalisco, Mexico.
Guerra de Titanes, usually the final event on AAA’s annual calendar, was originally scheduled for December 5, but on November 25, the show was cancelled without explanation. The show was announced again on December 23.
The show’s main hook was a semifinal match to determine who would face off for the vacated AAA Mega Championship at Rey de Reyes.
Dinastía, Niño Hamburguesa and Pimpinela Escarlata defeated Gran Apache, Mamba and Mini Charly Manson in a Relevos Tríos de Locura match.
Lady Shani, Keira and Taya defeated Faby Apache, Goya Kong and Maravilla in a lumberjack strap match.
Fireball, Australian Suicide and Jack Evans defeated Daga, Parka Negra and Súper Fly.
Los Hell Brothers (Averno and Chessman) defeated Aerostar and Fénix and Máscara Año 2000 Jr. and Villano IV to win the vacant AAA World Tag Team Championship. The title was vacated when Angelico, one half of Los Güeros del Cielo with Jack Evans, suffered a leg injury.
Los Xinetez (Dark Cuervo, Dark Scoria and El Zorro) defeated Electroshock, Garza Jr. and La Parka and El Hijo de Pirata Morgan, Hijo del Fantasma and Taurus in a three-team match to win the vacant AAA World Trios Championship. The title was vacated back on January 6 when Cibernético, one-third of Los Hell Brothers, left the company.
El Mesías and El Texano Jr. defeated Dr. Wagner Jr. and Psycho Clown to advance to the finals of the AAA Mega Championship tournament.