Hello Boys & Gurls, I’m baaaack. I didn’t go nowhere but who doesn’t love a good movie quote. ‘Tis the month of January; the most god awful boring month on the calendar year, not to mention for those in colleges like me, there are exams. BOOO! But fear not, WWE is our knight in shining armour riding along with what I consider the best PPV of the year. So much unpredictability in one night and a night that creates those ever so special WrestleMania main event matches. I love the PPV, it’s my favourite WWE PPV during the year, sure WrestleMania is big lights bright cities, the pinnacle of our sport but when there are 30 men in one match, entering at various stages to win their one shot for a match at WrestleMania there is that sort of something in the air; unpredictability, emotions run high and that sense that it’s their one and only chance (not if you’re John Cena or Randy Orton or Triple H) to get that opportunity.

1995-
The Royal Rumble match in 1995 was great, it would probably one of my earliest WWF memories. I was obviously really young then cos I was born in 1994. But I can remember watching the Royal Rumble pooping my diapers. My memory isn’t thaaaaaat great though so I can’t really remember most of it. Note to self: watch 1995 Royal Rumble again. Anyways, obviously the stand out moment of the 1995 Royal Rumble was HBK, The Heartbreak Kid, Shawn Michaels winning the match by eliminating The British Bulldog in what was a great ending. The British Bulldog thought he had the match won when he threw Shawn over the top rope. However, as we all know… (Please read this next bit in Howard Finkel’s voice) BOTH FEET NEED TO HIT THE GROUND. Thanks one and all for your co-operation in Fink’s voice. Only one foot hit the ground and Michaels managed to hold onto the top rope with his other leg dangling in mid-air. Michaels pulled himself back over the top rope and saw British Bulldog celebrating on the top rope so gut instinct told Michaels to run, run forest run and push the Bulldog over the top rope to win the match! Probably one of my favourite Royal Rumble finishes.

2000-
The whole Royal Rumble event from start to finish is on my top list of favourite PPVs. I’ve mentioned it many times before on Wrestling Rambles and probably will still talk about it in my many years of life… At least I hope that’s many years! However, as I’m only taking a look at the actual Royal Rumble matches I will shut up about the prior matches to the 2000 Royal Rumble. I remember me and my friend Ross (remember I told you about me and him in my bio? Yeah that guy) used to watch the old style VHS tapes at the time and seconds later recreate what the stars were doing on top of his bed or my bed… That sounded like an innuendo… “IN YOUR ENDO”. Sorry, I keep getting sidelined, for those not in the know I just typed out a Scrubs quote. Back to WWE and the Royal Rumble. The Rock won the 2000 RR when he pulled The Big Show over the top rope and onto the floor. I jumped like hell at that moment because back in my earlier days I was such a Rockie fangirl. Another great moment in that RR match was the part where Jericho got eliminated by Chyna. That was the first ever female entrant in the RR and the first woman to eliminate a male superstar. Correct me if I’m wrong. Chyna, as we all know, went on to make the worst porn movies ever seen to man or woman.

2002-
2002 was another Royal Rumble in which I really enjoyed and really remember. Triple H was out with an injury for around 8 months, and returned in January stating his intention to enter the Royal Rumble. Triple H stayed true to his word and entered the Rumble at position 22. He went on to victory by eliminating Kurt Angle when Angle thought he had eliminated HHH, how wrong was he! HHH came back, knee-busted him in the face and clotheslined him over the top rope. I was a big HHH fan and absolutely loved seeing him win the RR however it was not this reason that meant I would remember this RR as a good one. Does anyone remember Undertaker getting eliminated by Tough Enough winner Maven Huffman. Maven eliminated Undertaker by dropkicking him over the top rope in an elimination absolutely no one predicted. What later followed somewhat bemused me at the time because I liked Maven. Undertaker took Maven, eliminated him, hit him with a few chair shots and most memorably smashed him head first into a popcorn machine! Free popcorn peeps! Another thing that really stood out to me in the 2002 RR match was the return of Mr Perfect! I was never really a huge Mr Perfect fan but when he came into the Royal Rumble it was a great moment to watch, his return in the Rumble lead to him getting offered a new contract by WWE.

2004-
This is probably one of the RR’s that I will remember forever simply because of the winner. Chris Benoit entered number one and went all the way to win his chance to compete at WrestleMania for the WHC (which is one of my favourite matches of all time!).  Benoit really did deserve to win the Rumble as he broke the record for the longest lasting participant to stay in the Rumble. It was just a case of cheering on someone to win the Rumble but for me there was a case of I’ll boycott this damn shit if he doesn’t win, thankfully Benoit won. It wasn’t a case of “Yay, I’ve won, blah blah” but after the victory Benoit’s emotions poured out, and I genuinely felt so happy, so elated for him. I can honestly say that it was one of my happiest moments watching WWE, along with the WM20 and my next RR match.

2006-
The whole wrestling world had a massive blow in 2005 when everyone’s friend Eddie Guerrero sadly passed away. His death would impact the wrestling world for years to come and still impacts the industry today. One of Eddie’s closest friends Rey would always be seen wearing an EG armband in honour of his friend. In 2006 Rey would go on to beat Benoit’s record as the longest lasting superstar in the Royal Rumble (Correct me if I’m wrong on that one btw.) as he entered second (practically first) and stayed in to win it. The last three superstars in the ring were Triple H, Rey Mysterio and Randy Orton. Mysterio eliminated HHH which gave HHH reason enough to attack Rey, roll him back into the ring expecting Orton to eliminate him with the GREATEST OF EASE man. But things weren’t so simple and there was more fight in the dog than expected as Rey reversed Orton’s attempt to eliminate him and dupped Orton over the top rope. This was another favourite Royal Rumble of mine simply because of who won, and what it meant to them. Rey’s emotions could be seen at the end of the RR as he paid tribute to the late and great Eddie Guerrero.

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EXTRA: Royal Rumble Highlighs

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Hope you enjoyed having a look at my favourite Royal Rumble winners/matches, and there will be more to come in the run up to the Royal Rumble of 2012.

Just as an FYI – I changed my twitter handle this week & if any of you guys follow me I may have “disappeared” when really my twitter handle was changed and you may have mistaken me for someone else. My OLD twitter handle is @rwilson3694 but I recently changed it to: @Razor_WWE94. If anyone has twitter and isn’t follow me, then please check out what ramblings about wrestling I have during the week. I promise not to bore you too much! Thanks guys!

-Ryan