The Wrestling Framework 01.29.12: The Day of the Rumble

MATCH: 30-Man Royal Rumble Match 1998

Psychology: 1.5
Work Rate: .5
Crowd: 2
Spots: 2
Finish: 2
Overall: 8

Psychology: You know, I never really saw the psychology in Rumble matches. Until I actually watched this match looking for it. I mean besides the obvious that everyone is going to be fighting each other, regardless of teams and alliances, for a chance to headline WrestleMania taking on the world champion. But, there are little things that I really never noticed. There is a lot more underlining story than I thought. You have team mates fighting each other, you have feuding wrestlers going after each other. Good examples here are how the NOD starting beating the hell out of each other, starting it The Rock and D-Lo as well as watching the Owen Hart Jeff Jarrett chronicle take place. Let’s not forget how the match started. You had Cactus Jack and Chainsaw Charlie going one-on-one. And they started things off in only a way Mick Foley and Terry Funk could, hardcore. While I’m not a fan of their rather brutal style, the trade off between Foley and Funk was mildly entertaining. But I did dock .5 points from the score here because, well, lets face it, the Rumble match is not exactly one smooth running story. There’s so much going on that there’s not a lot of focus on making sure the story is clear. There’s a huge lack of selling and a huge amount of guys just doing random stuff to fill time until they’re eliminated. I should take a full point off, but I like the fact that they put multiple stories inside the match.

Work Rate: Work rate is pretty much nonexistent. Well, maybe not nonexistent, but it’s just not good. As I would expect from a Rumble match. There’s really no place for extensive work rate. So the score here reflects that. However, I was generous and gave a .5 for the score because I do understand that some guys are having to stay in there for 20+ minutes and it’s better to not burn yourself out. Plus, most of those guys are just filler. So as a filler participant, I can’t imagine they would be allowed to do a whole lot to catch the attention of the fans. Maybe a spot here or there. But most of the exciting moments are kept for people they want to keep relevant. The Rocks, Austins, Farooqs, Foleys. Not the Godwinns, Headbangers, DOAs, Brandis. I do understand that even though they’re filler, they still want to have their small little moment. I agree that they deserve to have that. Especially in a match that their little moment isn’t going to ruin. So, in closing, I have to say that the only saving grace is the fact that I know these guys have to do something during the match besides standing around but I also know there’s not a reason to go over the top with the work. So I give it half a point and I’m done with it.

Crowd: The Rumble crowd’s are always hard to judge. Because one moment they’re on their feet going crazy, the next they’re dead silent. One thing you do know is they’ll always be a part of the countdown. That you can’t deny. This particular crowd was pretty good. Even when the action came to a crawl, they were pretty verbal. There was still that neat little buzz that I love to hear during a match. Not every Rumble has this. I remember a number of Rumble matches in the 2000’s that the crowd would just fall dead. Not a peep could be heard from them. Maybe it was just the way it came off on TV. I think it was the 2005 Rumble that had some pretty silent moments. And that was the first time I noticed it. The first rumble I watched was 1997’s, and looking back the crowd was pretty much buzzing throughout. Same as this one and 1999. 2000 even had the constant buzz. 2001-2004 I don’t remember quite well as that was the point where I wasn’t able to order PPVs and after 2005 I was in the Marine Corps and didn’t have a way to get PPVs. Good crowd for this Rumble. I can only hope the crowd for this Rumble will be spectacular. But I doubt it.

Spots: The Rumble match itself is built on spots. This one had some very different ones than any other Rumble. The hardcore start was a neat little touch. Watching Foley and Funk trade off charishots was fun. Now, the eliminations in this one didn’t really have a whole lot of spectacular ones. But there were some really good ones. Like Rocky lowblowing Shamrock then throwing him out. And the final elimination itself was a fun little spot. And you gotta love the Jarrett/Owen spots. JJ attacking Owen from behind with Corny. Then Owen coming out and eliminating JJ in stylish fashion. Owen pulling himself back in then throwing the strutting JJ out was just a beautiful sight. Then there was HHH and Chyna coming out and going after Owen. That crutch shot looked brutal as hell. And while it’s not a spot, the worst thing I saw was Ahmed Johnson’s ass. Literally, after he gets eliminated and he starts fighting with Phineas, his tights are all up in his asscrack and it’s quite disgusting. Not that I was purposely looking. You can’t miss it. Now you’re all going to hate me cause you’re going to notice it. Or you’re going to love me because you have some weird attraction to Ahmed. Meh. Anyhow, the Rumble deserves the 2 point score.

Finish: I like this finish. It’s one that I’ve always remembered. Stone Cold thought he had it, but Rocky comes back only to eat a stunner then actually be thrown out. And how about that final four? Stone Cold, The Rock, Dude Love, and Farooq. That’s an interesting foursome to end the Rumble. Well, at the time, maybe not. Looking back, hell yeah it was. Think about it. Two of those men became known as some of the best of all time. Another one became a different kind of legend in his own right. And the last one is a walking catchphrase. Farooq eliminates Dude Love then focuses on Austin only to have his stablemate, The Rock, throw him out. Damn! Then it’s on. Rock and Austin, face to face. Truly the start of something huge. Twice they would meet in the main event of WrestleMania.

Overall: Great Rumble match. I’ve enjoyed this one time and time again. And it’s always fun to sit there and watch all those people come out and point out where they are today. Or who they would eventually become. The Rock was the IC champ. Not quite yet the most electrifying man in sports entertainment. Phineas Godwinn would become Mideon as part of the Ministry. If I’m correct, Mosh became Beaver Cleaver. Blackjack Bradshaw would become part of the Acolytes with Farooq, which turned in to the Acolyte Protection Agency or APA. Then Bradshaw would later become a wrestling god as John Bradshaw Layfield or JBL. And how about that Mark Henry? Look what he’s become today. And the only other one I can think of was Kama Mustafa become The Godfather. Cause apparently, pimpin’ is easier than being what he was once described as, a charismatic black hole. The Rumble is a good way to give a little bit of time to guys who would normally not be seen a whole lot. This Rumble, I think most of the guys you had seen on TV in some way. Overall, I enjoyed this Rumble more than any other. Now I turn it over to you guys. What’s your favorite Rumble of all time?

WINNER: “Stone Cold” Steve Austin

COMMERCIAL BREAK

This is the 1999 Royal Rumble. It’s the first of the Attitude Era. One of the main reasons I’m putting this video up is for the YouTube account that posted this. 1wwf1wwe1 has a lot of classic PPVs on that channel. If you wanna see like the 1993 Survivor Series or something, that channel has it amongst other PPVs.

PAST VS. PRESENT

Arn Anderson

VS.

James Storm

THOUGHTS

Let me start off by saying that this was really close. There were a lot of votes for Storm, Bully Ray, Christian, and Christopher Daniels. There were even votes for Bob Holly, Zack Ryder, Adam Pearce, and El Generico. But through it all, I had to pick James Storm. And his title win be damned. Not like it was a long reign. Storm has time and again impressed me inside the ring and on the microphone. And he has continued to improve himself as a singles competitor. Just like Arn, he got his start as a tag team wrestler. A phenomenal tag team wrestler. And he had never really seen a whole lot of success in the singles division. Until now, that is. Now as a singles competitor, he’s getting the title matches, but he’s not holding the title. Eventually, he may very well get it, and I’ll be more than happy to watch him as the TNA champion. Especially because him and Bobby Roode know each other so well, they can put on some great matches. While some may say that Storm isn’t as good in the ring as Arn, I would have to say that is somewhat false. Storm may not be the full on technical genius that Arn was, but he definitely has the time to improve upon that and become a much better wrestler. And I’m not trying to take anything away from him as I think he’s an entertaining in ring performer, but he could use some work on his work. And I’m going to finish this off by posting the well worded argument posted by Nick.

The modern day Arn Anderson is James Storm.

Where once talented guys like Anderson and Malenko were pigeonholed in the midcard, now their modern equivalents in Storm and Bryant are breaking the glass ceiling and in some ways proving the genius of Anderson and Malenko, who were held back by arbitrary standards like looks and size.

Next week, I’ll have another person for you to compare someone else against. Next week’s choice should prove to be a bit of a challenge.

COMMERCIAL BREAK

BOTCHAMANIA!
Botchamania 199 by Maffewgregg

B-B-B-BONUS ROUND!

So, now I’m just going to give my thoughts on that Royal Rumble PPV. I would have done this in the Roundtable, but I always miss those things. So, I’m going to do my part, right here.

John Cena vs. Kane

So, this one has been built up interestingly. I have been enjoying the slow burn of hatred in John Cena. I’m really interested to see where this goes. I have an inkling that this may lead to a Cena heel turn. I know a lot of people have been talking about it forever and I know there’s a lot that could work against that idea. The main one that I’ve seen is the merchandise sales. My thought on that is that Cena can sell a lot of merch whether he’s a face or a heel. The sales may drop a bit if he goes heel, but I think that’s one of the reasons they built up Punk and Ryder. I think the merch sales of those two can make up for the slight drop in Cena merch sales. But it’s not John’s night. No, Kane is going to win this one. And Cena will become frustrated adding more fuel to the fire. Where they take it from here, I couldn’t say, but I don’t see Cena walking out with the win.

Winner: Kane

Daniel Bryan vs. Mark Henry vs. Big Show

This one has become quite interesting. Bryan has been able to run away from every possible loss that has come his way. And with great heelish fashion at that. Big Show has been growing frustrated with the fact that Bryan has been pushing him and pushing him. I think Show really wants to tear Bryan apart. Then you have the master inductor of the Hall of Pain, Mark Henry. He’s just out to get the prize and put the other two in the hall. But Henry injured himself at the Tuesday Smackdown taping. Is he going to be okay for this steel cage match? Is Bryan going to be able to escape being crushed by these two giants? I have to say yes. I think that in the end, his smaller stature and agility will win out with an escape victory over the slower behemoths.

Winner: Daniel Bryan

CM Punk vs. Dolph Ziggler

Dolph’s chances do not look very good. So far, the build up to this match has been more about Punk and Laurenitis. Ziggler has been playing third wheel to these two. And with Johnny Ace as the special guest referee, you have to wonder if any hijinks will come afoot. Then you have to think about the fact that Johnny’s job is coming under review the next night on RAW. Will he take the chance of losing his interim RAW GM status to make sure Ziggler walks out of the Rumble as champion or will he call it fair and square down the middle? I have feeling that there’s going to be some hijinks from Laurenitis, but Punk is walking out with the title in some form. Possibly by DQ. That’s what I’ll go with. Ziggler wins by DQ.

Winner: Dolph Ziggler(by DQ)

30-Man Royal Rumble Match

This is going to be without a doubt, one of the most interesting Rumbles yet. It is being advertised as everyone being eligible to enter the Rumble. So who can we expect to see? Will we see one of the actual champions? Will we see some long lost and forgotten legend? It’s up in the air of who’s going to show up. There were no qualifying matches this year. Now I’ll follow the Roundtable format and answer those questions. Knowing who is #1, who will #2 be? My answer: R-Truth. It seems the most legitimate person to put there. The Rumble is usually started off by two people who have a history. Who is #30? Triple H. Why not? It’d be like him to put himself in the Rumble, even if he doesn’t win, he wants to be seen. Who is going to have the most eliminations? I’m gonna go with Cena. It just seems right for him to go all superman on the Rumble if he’s not going to win it. Of course, that’s also if he’s even in the Rumble. The Iron Man I think will be Randy Orton. Orton will enter at an early number to be thrown out later by a fresher Wade Barrett. But only for Barrett to be thrown out by Chris Jericho. Yeah, I’m on the “Jericho winning the Rumble” bandwagon.

Winner: Chris Jericho

FINAL THOUGHTS
An exciting Sunday as the WWE is putting on one of the Big 4 and the beginning of the Road to WrestleMania. I know I’m watching it. And getting drunk as hell while I’m at it. It’s always a party. Until next week…

PARTY HARD!