Royal Rumble (1995)

Last updated

Royal Rumble
Royal Rumble (1995).jpg
Promotional poster
Promotion World Wrestling Federation
DateJanuary 22, 1995
City Tampa, Florida
Venue USF Sun Dome
Attendance10,000
Buy rate 225,000 [1]
Tagline(s)30 Men, 1 Winner, Something's Gotta Give!
Pay-per-view chronology
← Previous
Survivor Series 		Next →
WrestleMania XI
Royal Rumble chronology
← Previous
1994 		Next →
1996

The 1995 Royal Rumble was the eighth annual Royal Rumble professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) event produced by the World Wrestling Federation (WWF, now WWE). It took place on January 22, 1995, in the USF Sun Dome in Tampa, Florida. The event featured five matches on its card. As has been customary since 1993, the Royal Rumble match winner received a world championship match at that year's WrestleMania. For the 1995 event, the winner received a match for the WWF World Heavyweight Championship at WrestleMania XI.

Contents

The main event was the 1995 Royal Rumble match, which Shawn Michaels won after entering first and outlasting the 29 other wrestlers. This was the first time that the first entrant won the match. The event also featured a match for the WWF World Heavyweight Championship, where Diesel defended the title against Bret Hart. The match was stopped when several other wrestlers interfered and the referee lost control of the match. Two other title matches took place; Jeff Jarrett won the WWF Intercontinental Championship from Razor Ramon, and The 1–2–3 Kid and Bob Holly won the final match in a tournament that determined the new WWF Tag Team Champions.

Several storylines from Royal Rumble 1995 were carried over to WrestleMania XI, the WWF's next pay-per-view. Bam Bam Bigelow attacked National Football League Hall of Famer Lawrence Taylor, who was sitting in the crowd; this set up a match between the two at WrestleMania. Pamela Anderson was at ringside and was supposed to accompany the winner of the Royal Rumble match to his WWF World Heavyweight Championship match at WrestleMania. Although Shawn Michaels won the match, Anderson came to the ring at WrestleMania with Diesel. The Undertaker's feud with Ted DiBiase's Million Dollar Corporation also escalated, as DiBiase's men stole the urn that was said to give The Undertaker his power. Jarrett and Ramon continued to feud for several months, and Bret Hart targeted Bob Backlund because Backlund interfered in the WWF World Heavyweight Championship match.

Production

Background

The event was held at the USF Sun Dome in Tampa, Florida. Sundomecloseup.JPG
The event was held at the USF Sun Dome in Tampa, Florida.

The Royal Rumble is an annual gimmick pay-per-view (PPV) produced every January by the World Wrestling Federation (WWF, now WWE) since 1988. It is one of the promotion's original four pay-per-views, along with WrestleMania, SummerSlam, and Survivor Series, which were dubbed the "Big Four", [2] and was considered one of the "Big Five" PPVs, along with King of the Ring. [3] It is named after the Royal Rumble match, a modified battle royal in which the participants enter at timed intervals instead of all beginning in the ring at the same time. The match generally features 30 wrestlers, and the winner traditionally earns a world championship match at that year's WrestleMania. In 1995, the winner earned a match for the WWF World Heavyweight Championship at WrestleMania XI. The 1995 event was the eighth event in the Royal Rumble chronology and was scheduled to be held on January 22, 1995, in the USF Sun Dome in Tampa, Florida. [4] [5]

Storylines

The event comprised five matches that resulted from scripted storylines, where wrestlers portrayed heroes, villains, or less distinguishable characters in scripted events that built tension and culminated in a wrestling match or series of matches. Results were predetermined by WWF's writers, while storylines were produced on WWF's weekly television show, Raw . [6] [7]

The storyline behind the WWF World Heavyweight Championship match began in 1994, when Bret Hart was feuding with his brother Owen. After Owen was unable to win the title, [8] he helped Bob Backlund win the belt from Bret at Survivor Series 1994. [9] Three days after Survivor Series, Diesel faced Backlund and won the title belt. [10] He agreed to grant a title shot to Bret Hart, who, like Diesel, was also a fan-favorite. [11]

Diesel as WWF World Heavyweight Champion. Diesel in 1994.jpg
Diesel as WWF World Heavyweight Champion.

Also at Survivor Series 1994, Shawn Michaels and Diesel argued after Michaels accidentally kicked Diesel in the face. Although the pair held the WWF Tag Team Championship together, Diesel said that he did not want to team with Michaels any longer. [12] The title was vacated, and the WWF held a tournament to determine the new champions. [13] During the tournament, The Smoking Gunns were forced to withdraw when Bart Gunn was injured in a rodeo accident. [14] As a result, the 1–2–3 Kid and Bob Holly took their place. The Gunns requested that they get a title shot after the tournament when Bart had recovered. [14] The 1–2–3 Kid and Holly advanced to the finals, as did Ted DiBiase's team of Bam Bam Bigelow and Tatanka. The match to determine the new champions was scheduled to take place at the Royal Rumble. [13]

The Undertaker had been feuding with DiBiase's Million Dollar Corporation since his return to the WWF from an injury in August 1994. During the match between The Undertaker and Yokozuna at Survivor Series 1994, Irwin R. Schyster, one of DiBiase's wrestlers, interfered in the match by attacking The Undertaker. [15] The feud between The Undertaker and Schyster escalated when Schyster performed a series of vignettes in which he repossessed such items as tombstones and burial plots from people he claimed had not paid their taxes before dying. [16] [17] [18] During the feud, Schyster was escorted to the ring for his matches by a group of hooded druids. [16] [19]

The feud between Jeff Jarrett and Razor Ramon began in late 1994 when Jarrett challenged Ramon for Ramon's WWF Intercontinental Championship. They faced each other several times, but Jarrett was unable to win the belt. Jarrett, who portrayed an aspiring country music star, was accompanied to the ring by The Roadie, who often interfered in matches on Jarrett's behalf. [20] [21]

Although no major feuds were featured in the Royal Rumble match, Baywatch star Pamela Anderson was in attendance at ringside. It was announced that she would accompany the winner of the match during his WWF World Heavyweight Championship title shot at WrestleMania XI. [22]

Event

Other on-screen personnel [23]
Role:Name:
Commentator Vince McMahon
Jerry Lawler
Carlos Cabrera (Spanish)
Ed Trucco (Spanish)
Interviewer Todd Pettengill
Ray Rougeau
Stephanie Wiand
Ring announcer Howard Finkel
Referee Danny Davis
Jack Doan
Earl Hebner
Tim White

Prior to the live pay-per-view broadcast, Buck Quartermaine defeated The Brooklyn Brawler in a dark match. [23]

In the first televised match, Razor Ramon defended his WWF Intercontinental Championship against Jeff Jarrett, who was accompanied by The Roadie. Ramon used his strength to dominate the opening of the match. Jarrett gained momentum with a series of dropkicks and then choked Ramon with a sleeper hold. Ramon ran at Jarrett but was thrown over the top rope. He hit his knee when he landed, and The Roadie then hit Ramon from behind in the knee. Ramon was unable to return to the ring, so Jarrett was awarded the match via countout. Because the championship cannot change hands on a countout, Jarrett challenged Ramon to continue the match. Ramon agreed and nearly pinned Jarrett twice. Jarrett applied the figure four leglock to apply pressure to Ramon's injured knee. Ramon escaped the hold and attempted to perform the Razor's Edge. He collapsed under Jarrett's weight, however, and Jarrett pinned him to win the title. [11] [24]

Irwin R. Schyster lost to The Undertaker but gained revenge by stealing The Undertaker's urn. MikeRotunda1994Cropped.png
Irwin R. Schyster lost to The Undertaker but gained revenge by stealing The Undertaker's urn.

The Undertaker faced Irwin R. Schyster in the next match. The Undertaker gained the advantage at the beginning and held it until Ted DiBiase called his druids to the ring. When The Undertaker attempted to attack Schyster from the top rope, the druids shook the ropes and caused him to fall. Schyster performed a clothesline to knock The Undertaker out of the ring, where he and the druids attacked The Undertaker. When the match returned to the ring, Schyster was in control. Both men got knocked down, however, and a druid snuck into the ring and rolled Schyster on top of The Undertaker for a pinfall attempt. The Undertaker kicked out and attempted to perform the Tombstone Piledriver. A druid interfered to prevent the move, but The Undertaker performed a chokeslam on Schyster to gain the pinfall victory. After the match, Ted DiBiase called out Corporation member King Kong Bundy to help Schyster attack The Undertaker and steal the urn, which was said to be the source of The Undertaker's power. [11] [19] [25]

The WWF World Heavyweight Championship match was next, in which Diesel defended the title against Bret Hart. Diesel began the match by clotheslining Hart, but Hart gained the advantage by focusing on injuring Diesel's knee. He performed the figure four leglock twice before attacking Diesel outside the ring. Diesel regained the advantage by using his size and strength to throw Hart and perform power moves to wear him down. Hart tied Diesel's legs to the ring post with a piece of tape and kicked him repeatedly. Diesel recovered and performed the Jackknife power bomb on Hart. Before the referee could count the pinfall, Shawn Michaels ran to the ring and attacked Diesel. The referee ordered the match to continue, and the match went back and forth until Hart used the Sharpshooter submission hold to place pressure on Diesel's injured leg. Owen Hart interfered by attacking Bret, but the match was ordered to continue. Bret Hart and Diesel brawled until Bret rolled Diesel up for a pinfall. The referee was knocked unconscious, and Michaels, Jarrett, and The Roadie came to the ring to attack Diesel. Meanwhile, Owen Hart and Bob Backlund attacked Bret Hart. Because the referee could not control the match, it was declared a draw and Diesel retained his championship. [11] [26]

Bam Bam Bigelow attacked football star Lawrence Taylor after losing his match. Bam Bam Bigelow in 1995.jpg
Bam Bam Bigelow attacked football star Lawrence Taylor after losing his match.

Bob Holly and the 1–2–3 Kid faced Bam Bam Bigelow and Tatanka next in the final match of the WWF Tag Team Championship tournament. Tatanka began the match by using his strength against Holly, but Holly soon turned the match around by performing a hurricanrana throw. Bigelow used his strength against his opponents, but the 1–2–3 Kid performed a hurricanrana on him as well. Bigelow regained the advantage by kicking the Kid in the back of the head and controlled the match until the Kid threw him out of the ring. Bigelow and Tatanka turned the match around again, using power moves to wear down their opponents. At one point, Bigelow held the Kid for Tatanka to attack, but Tatanka accidentally hit Bigelow instead. The match ended similarly, as Tatanka knocked Bigelow off the top rope when Bigelow attempted to perform a moonsault. The 1–2–3 Kid pinned Bigelow to win the match and the WWF Tag Team Championship. After the match, the crowd heckled Bigelow. He responded by pushing retired NFL player Lawrence Taylor, who was at ringside, laughing about Bigelow's loss. [11] [13] [27]

In the main event, Shawn Michaels was the first entrant in the Royal Rumble match, while Davey Boy Smith was the second participant. Every 60 seconds, another wrestler entered the match. As Owen Hart made his way to the ring, he was attacked by his brother Bret. As a result of the attack, Owen was quickly eliminated from the match when Smith, his brother-in-law, threw him out of the ring. King Kong Bundy and Mabel, the two biggest competitors in the match, fought until Mabel eliminated Bundy. Lex Luger then entered the match and eliminated Mabel. Bret Hart returned later and attacked Bob Backlund as Backlund was about to enter the match. This enabled Luger to eliminate Backlund quickly, after which Backlund and Bret continued to fight. The final four participants remaining in the ring were Michaels, Smith, Luger, and Crush. Luger attacked Crush but was eliminated by Michaels. Crush then convinced Michaels to work with him but then turned on Michaels by attacking him. Michaels scratched Crush's eyes, which enabled Smith to eliminate Crush. Michaels and Smith, the first two entrants, were the last two wrestlers remaining. Smith threw Michaels over the top rope and began to celebrate. Michaels, who had only touched the floor with one foot, was not eliminated from the match, however. He attacked Smith from behind and threw him out of the ring to become the first wrestler to win the Royal Rumble after entering first. Michaels celebrated in the ring with Pamela Anderson. [11] [22] [28]

Reception

The event was attended by 10,000 fans, [29] which is approximately the maximum capacity of the USF Sun Dome. [30] This attendance figure was down from the previous year's attendance of 14,500, but higher than the following year, when 9,600 people attended Royal Rumble 1996. [29] From the ticket sales, the WWF gained $140,000; again, this was lower than in 1994 but higher than in 1996. [29] The pay-per-view buyrate of 1.0, however, was higher than 1994's 0.9 figure but lower than 1996's buyrate of 1.1. [29]

Current WWE wrestler Cody Rhodes has stated that Michaels's win, in which he was the first wrestler to enter the ring in the #1 position and win the match, [31] is his favorite ending to a Royal Rumble match. [32] Reviewing the event for Online Onslaught, columnist Adam Gutschmidt evaluated the event as acceptable but not exceptional. He found the Royal Rumble match to be the best part of the show, although he claimed that the WWF's switch to having wrestlers enter every 60 seconds hurt the match. He also found the inconclusive ending to the WWF World Heavyweight Championship match frustrating and rated the match between The Undertaker and Irwin R. Schyster as a "dud". [11] The event has also been rated by customers at Amazon.com, who have given the event four and a half out of five stars. [33] Art O'Donnell, writer of the website WrestleCrap, has inducted the 1995 Rumble match into the site's list of "the very worst in pro wrestling". He cites that most of the Royal Rumble participants' gimmicks and the lack of main event wrestlers (such as Jeff Jarrett, Scott Hall and The Undertaker) as his reasons for including the match in the list. [34]

Royal Rumble 1995 was released on VHS in North America by Coliseum Video on March 8, 1995. [33] It was released in the United Kingdom in VHS format on May 8, 1995. [35] The event, packaged together with Royal Rumble 1996, was also released on DVD in the United Kingdom as part of the WWE Tagged Classics line on April 17, 2006. [36] On October 15, 2007, WWE released the event in the United Kingdom as part of the Royal Rumble Complete Anthology DVD set. [37]

Aftermath

The day after Royal Rumble, the 1–2–3 Kid and Bob Holly faced The Smoking Gunns. The Gunns won the match and the WWF Tag Team Championship. [38] By losing the belts after one day, the Kid and Holly tied what was at that time the record for the shortest tag team title reign in WWF history. [39]

Shawn Michaels lost his WWF World Heavyweight Championship match at WrestleMania but reunited with former friend Diesel. Shawn Michaels in 1994.jpg
Shawn Michaels lost his WWF World Heavyweight Championship match at WrestleMania but reunited with former friend Diesel.

Razor Ramon faced Jeff Jarrett at WrestleMania XI in a rematch for the WWF Intercontinental Championship. To counteract The Roadie's interference, Ramon was accompanied by his friend the 1–2–3 Kid. Ramon won the match by disqualification but did not win the title. [40] On May 19, 1995, Ramon defeated Jarrett in a ladder match to regain the championship, [41] but Jarrett won the belt back three days later. [42]

The Undertaker faced King Kong Bundy at WrestleMania XI. Although The Undertaker won the match, [40] Kama, another member of DiBiase's Corporation, took possession of the urn and melted it down into a necklace. [43] The Undertaker defeated Kama in dark matches at In Your House 1 and In Your House 2. [44] They faced each other in a casket match at SummerSlam, which The Undertaker won to end the feud. [45]

Bret Hart wrestled an "I Quit" match against Bob Backlund at WrestleMania. Hart won the match after special referee Roddy Piper determined that Backlund had conceded defeat. [40] Bret's feud with Owen was not featured again, but the two did not reunite until they formed The Hart Foundation in 1997 with brothers-in-law Davey Boy Smith and Jim Neidhart. [46]

Despite Michaels winning the right to be escorted by Pamela Anderson to his WWF World Heavyweight Championship match against Diesel at WrestleMania, Anderson came to the ring with Diesel instead. [47] Michaels's bodyguard, Sycho Sid, attempted to interfere on Michaels's behalf but ultimately helped Diesel retain the title. Michaels became the second man to win the Rumble but lose their Wrestlemania title match. Diesel offered Michaels a rematch, and Michaels told Sid that he would not be needed in the upcoming match. Upset with Michaels, Sid attacked Michaels until Diesel came to Michaels's rescue. [48] Diesel and Michaels became allies once again and teamed up to win the WWF Tag Team Championship later that year. [49]

Bam Bam Bigelow challenged Lawrence Taylor to a match, which Taylor accepted after initially refusing. [50] Diesel trained Taylor, [51] who beat Bigelow at WrestleMania XI. [52] Embarrassed, Bigelow challenged Diesel to a match for the WWF World Heavyweight Championship. Tatanka was at ringside for the match; he turned on Bigelow and caused him to lose. Bigelow attacked Tatanka after the match, which led Sid, a new addition to the Corporation, to come to Tatanka's defense. [53] This led to a tag team match at King of the Ring, where Diesel and Bigelow defeated Tatanka and Sid. [54]

Results

Ted DiBiase's wrestlers did not win any matches. Ted DiBiase in 1995.jpg
Ted DiBiase's wrestlers did not win any matches.
No.Results [55] StipulationsTimes [29]
1D Buck Quartermaine defeated The Brooklyn Brawler by pinfall Singles match —
2 Jeff Jarrett (with The Roadie) defeated Razor Ramon (c) by pinfall Singles match for the WWF Intercontinental Championship 18:06
3 The Undertaker (with Paul Bearer) defeated Irwin R. Schyster (with Ted DiBiase) by pinfall Singles match 12:21
4 Diesel (c) vs. Bret Hart ended in a draw Singles match for the WWF Championship 27:19
5 The 1–2–3 Kid and Bob Holly defeated The Million Dollar Corporation (Bam Bam Bigelow and Tatanka) (with Ted DiBiase) by pinfall Tag team tournament final for the vacant WWF Tag Team Championship 15:32
6 Shawn Michaels won by last eliminating The British Bulldog 30-man Royal Rumble match for a WWF Championship match at WrestleMania XI 38:41
(c) – the champion(s) heading into the match
D – this was a dark match

Tournament bracket

The tournament was held between December 1994 and January 22, 1995. The tournament brackets were:

Quarterfinals Semifinals Finals
         
Bam Bam Bigelow and Tatanka Pin
Men on a Mission ( Mabel and Mo )
Bam Bam Bigelow and TatankaPin
The Headshrinkers
The Headshrinkers ( Fatu and Sione )Pin
Owen Hart and Jim Neidhart
Bam Bam Bigelow and Tatanka 15:32
The 1–2–3 Kid and Bob HollyPin
The Heavenly Bodies ( Jimmy Del Ray and Tom Prichard ) Pin
The Bushwhackers ( Bushwhacker Butch and Bushwhacker Luke )
The Heavenly Bodies
The 1–2–3 Kid and Bob HollyPin
The 1–2–3 Kid and Bob Holly Pin
Well Dunn ( Steven Dunn and Timothy Well )

Royal Rumble entrances and eliminations

"British Bulldog" Davey Boy Smith was the last wrestler eliminated from the Royal Rumble match. British Bulldog in 1995.jpg
"British Bulldog" Davey Boy Smith was the last wrestler eliminated from the Royal Rumble match.

A new entrant came out approximately every minute.

  – Winner

[56]

DrawEntrant [56] OrderEliminated by [56] Time [57] Eliminations
1 Shawn Michaels -Winner38:418
2 The British Bulldog 29Shawn Michaels38:414
3 Eli Blu 9Sione09:561
4 Duke Droese 3Shawn Michaels08:130
5 Jimmy Del Ray 1The British Bulldog01:250
6 Sione 10Eli Blu06:553
7 Tom Prichard 6Shawn Michaels05:300
8 Doink the Clown 7Kwang04:500
9 Kwang 8Sione04:011
10 Rick Martel 502:290
11 Owen Hart 2The British Bulldog00:030
12 Timothy Well 400:230
13 Bushwhacker Luke 11Shawn Michaels00:120
14 Jacob Blu 1200:170
15 King Kong Bundy 14Mabel03:001
16 Mo 13King Kong Bundy00:030
17 Mabel 16Lex Luger01:581
18 Bushwhacker Butch 15Shawn Michaels00:190
19 Lex Luger 27Crush and Shawn Michaels18:514
20 Mantaur 18Lex Luger09:330
21 Aldo Montoya 23Shawn Michaels13:211
22 Henry O. Godwinn 26Lex Luger14:401
23 Billy Gunn 20Crush and Dick Murdoch07:250
24 Bart Gunn 19Crush and Dick Murdoch06:190
25 Bob Backlund 17Lex Luger00:160
26 Steven Dunn 21Aldo Montoya04:290
27 Dick Murdoch 25Henry O. Godwinn05:082
28 Adam Bomb 22Crush05:200
29 Fatu 2405:320
30 Crush 28The British Bulldog08:515

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WrestleMania X</span> 1994 World Wrestling Federation pay-per-view event

WrestleMania X was the 10th annual WrestleMania professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) event produced by the World Wrestling Federation. It took place on March 20, 1994, at Madison Square Garden in New York, New York. The central focus of the pay-per-view was the WWF Championship, which was defended in two matches. Due to Lex Luger and Bret Hart being named the co-winners of the 1994 Royal Rumble match, both challenged champion Yokozuna. Luger was first but was disqualified for pushing the referee. Hart faced Yokozuna later in the evening and won the championship by pinning Yokozuna. This led to a lengthy worked feud between Bret and his brother Owen, who had defeated Bret in the opening match of the pay-per-view.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WrestleMania IX</span> 1993 World Wrestling Federation pay-per-view event

WrestleMania IX was the ninth annual WrestleMania professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) event produced by the World Wrestling Federation. The event took place on April 4, 1993, at Caesars Palace in the Las Vegas suburb of Paradise, Nevada. It was the first WrestleMania event held outdoors.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WrestleMania XI</span> 1995 World Wrestling Federation pay-per-view event

WrestleMania XI was the 11th annual WrestleMania professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) event produced by the World Wrestling Federation. It took place on April 2, 1995, at the Hartford Civic Center in Hartford, Connecticut. Seven matches were contested at the event.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WrestleMania XII</span> 1996 World Wrestling Federation pay-per-view event

WrestleMania XII was the 12th annual WrestleMania professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) event produced by the World Wrestling Federation. It took place on March 31, 1996, at the Arrowhead Pond of Anaheim in Anaheim, California in the United States. Eight matches were held at the event, including two on the Free for All pre-show.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tatanka (wrestler)</span> American professional wrestler

Chris Chavis is an American professional wrestler. He is currently signed to WWE, under a legends contract. He is part of the state-recognized Lumbee Tribe of North Carolina. He is best known for his tenures in the World Wrestling Federation/World Wrestling Entertainment under the ring name Tatanka from 1991 to 1996 and from 2005 to 2007. His ring name is a Lakota word, which means "bison".

The Million Dollar Corporation was a professional wrestling stable in the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) from April 1994 to May 1996 and was led and managed by the "Million Dollar Man" Ted DiBiase. DiBiase had retired from active competition after a back injury in a match for All Japan Pro Wrestling in late 1993 and was brought back by the WWF as a manager.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">SummerSlam (1993)</span> World Wrestling Federation pay-per-view event

The 1993 SummerSlam was the sixth annual SummerSlam professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) event produced by the World Wrestling Federation. It took place on August 30, 1993, at The Palace of Auburn Hills in Auburn Hills, Michigan and featured ten televised matches.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">SummerSlam (1994)</span> World Wrestling Federation pay-per-view event

The 1994 SummerSlam was the seventh annual SummerSlam professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) event produced by the World Wrestling Federation. It took place on August 29, 1994, at the United Center in Chicago, Illinois, which had opened eleven days earlier. Eight matches were contested at the event, including one dark match held before the live broadcast.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Royal Rumble (1994)</span> World Wrestling Federation pay-per-view event

The 1994 Royal Rumble was the seventh annual Royal Rumble professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) event produced by the World Wrestling Federation. It took place on Saturday, January 22, 1994, at the Providence Civic Center in Providence, Rhode Island—the second and final Royal Rumble held on a Saturday until the 2022 event. Six matches were contested at the event, including one dark match.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Royal Rumble (1993)</span> World Wrestling Federation pay-per-view event

The 1993 Royal Rumble was the sixth annual Royal Rumble professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) event produced by the World Wrestling Federation. It took place on January 24, 1993, at the ARCO Arena in Sacramento, California. It centered on the Royal Rumble match, a modified battle royal in which participants enter at timed intervals instead of all beginning in the ring at the same time.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Survivor Series (1992)</span> World Wrestling Federation pay-per-view event

The 1992 Survivor Series was the sixth annual Survivor Series professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) event produced by the World Wrestling Federation. It took place on November 25, 1992, at the Richfield Coliseum in Richfield Township, Ohio, which was the third time a Survivor Series was held there after the 1987 and 1988 events. It was the first Survivor Series to have only one match with the namesake elimination tag team match while the remaining matches were one-on-one and standard tag team matches.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Survivor Series (1993)</span> World Wrestling Federation pay-per-view event

The 1993 Survivor Series was the seventh annual Survivor Series professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) event produced by the World Wrestling Federation. It took place on Thanksgiving Eve on November 24, 1993, at the Boston Garden in Boston, Massachusetts. Six matches were contested at the event, including one dark match before the live broadcast.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Survivor Series (1994)</span> World Wrestling Federation pay-per-view event

The 1994 Survivor Series was the eighth annual Survivor Series professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) event produced by the World Wrestling Federation. It took place on Wednesday, November 23, 1994, at the Freeman Coliseum in San Antonio, Texas, and the final edition of Survivor Series to be held on either Thanksgiving Day or Thanksgiving Eve, as all previous Survivor Series events had.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Survivor Series (1995)</span> World Wrestling Federation pay-per-view event

The 1995 Survivor Series was the ninth annual Survivor Series professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) event produced by the World Wrestling Federation. It took place on November 19, 1995, at the USAir Arena in Landover, Maryland, and was the first Survivor Series to take place on a Sunday night. Each previous edition had taken place either on Thanksgiving or Thanksgiving Eve; the company would not do another non-weekend pay-per-view event until 2004, when Taboo Tuesday debuted.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">In Your House 1</span> 1995 World Wrestling Federation pay-per-view event

In Your House was the inaugural In Your House professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) event produced by the World Wrestling Federation. The event took place on May 14, 1995, at the Onondaga County War Memorial in Syracuse, New York. The In Your House series was established to be held as monthly PPVs to take place between the WWF's "Big Five" PPVs at the time: WrestleMania, King of the Ring, SummerSlam, Survivor Series, and Royal Rumble.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">King of the Ring (1995)</span> World Wrestling Federation pay-per-view event

The 1995 King of the Ring was the third annual King of the Ring professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) event produced by the World Wrestling Federation that featured the ninth King of the Ring tournament. It took place on June 25, 1995, at the CoreStates Spectrum in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. This pay-per-view is somewhat notorious among WWE fans as it is considered one of the worst ever pay-per-views produced by the company.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">King of the Ring (1994)</span> World Wrestling Federation pay-per-view event

The 1994 King of the Ring was the second annual King of the Ring professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) event produced by the World Wrestling Federation that featured the eighth King of the Ring tournament. It took place on June 19, 1994, at the Baltimore Arena in Baltimore, Maryland. The tournament to determine which wrestler would be crowned King of the Ring actually began the month before the pay-per-view, as the wrestlers gained entry in the tournament by participating in qualifying matches. These matches were held throughout May 1994 on WWF television programs, although the WWF did not explain how wrestlers were selected to compete in the qualifying matches. The second, third, and fourth rounds of the tournament were televised on the pay-per-view broadcast on June 19.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">In Your House 2</span> 1995 World Wrestling Federation pay-per-view event

In Your House 2 was the second In Your House professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) event produced by the World Wrestling Federation. It took place on July 23, 1995, at the Nashville Municipal Auditorium in Nashville, Tennessee. The pay-per-view consisted of six professional wrestling matches, while three dark matches also occurred.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">King of the Ring (1993)</span> World Wrestling Federation pay-per-view event

The 1993 King of the Ring was the inaugural King of the Ring professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) event produced by the World Wrestling Federation and featured the seventh King of the Ring tournament. It was the first of ten King of the Ring events produced as pay-per-views; an 11th exclusively aired on the company's livestreaming service, the WWE Network. The inaugural event took place on June 13, 1993, at the Nutter Center in Fairborn, Ohio. Ten matches were held at the event.

March to WrestleMania is a professional wrestling television program that was produced by the World Wrestling Federation (WWF). Three separate specials aired one week prior to that year's respective WrestleMania.

References

  1. ↑ "WWE Pay-Per-View Buys (1993-2015)". Wrestlenomics. March 25, 2020. Retrieved January 22, 2021.
  2. ↑ Ian Hamilton. Wrestling's Sinking Ship: What Happens to an Industry Without Competition (p. 160)
  3. ↑ Sullivan, Kevin (November 23, 2010). The WWE Championship: A Look Back at the Rich History of the WWE Championship. Gallery Books. p. 124. ISBN   9781439193211. At the time, SummerSlam was one of WWE's "big five" Pay-Per-Views (Royal Rumble, WrestleMania, King of the Ring, and Survivor Series were the others), ...
  4. ↑ "Specialty Matches: Royal Rumble". WWE . Archived from the original on July 14, 2005. Retrieved December 3, 2007.
  5. ↑ Waldman, Jon (February 2, 2005). "Statistical survival – breaking down the Royal Rumble". SLAM! Wrestling. Archived from the original on October 19, 2015. Retrieved December 9, 2007.
  6. ↑ Grabianowski, Ed (January 13, 2006). "How Pro Wrestling Works". HowStuffWorks. Discovery Communications. Archived from the original on November 29, 2013. Retrieved March 5, 2012.
  7. ↑ "Live & Televised Entertainment". WWE . Archived from the original on February 18, 2009. Retrieved March 21, 2012.
  8. ↑ "SummerSlam 1994 Results". WWE . Retrieved September 24, 2008.
  9. ↑ "History of the WWE Championship: Bob Backlund's second reign". WWE . Retrieved September 24, 2008.
  10. ↑ "History of the WWE Championship: Diesel's first reign". WWE . Retrieved September 24, 2008.
  11. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Gutschmidt, Adam (August 18, 2004). "Royal Rumble 1995 Re-Revued". Online Onslaught. Archived from the original on February 15, 2010. Retrieved September 22, 2008.
  12. ↑ "History of the World Tag Team Championship: Diesel and Shawn Michaels's first reign". WWE . Archived from the original on July 21, 2015. Retrieved September 23, 2008.
  13. 1 2 3 "History of the World Tag Team Championship: The 1–2–3 Kid and Bob Holly's first reign". WWE. Archived from the original on May 15, 2007. Retrieved September 23, 2008.
  14. 1 2 Gianfriddo, Lou (April 1995). "The Smoking Gunns' Dead Aim: New Tag Team Champions!". World Wrestling Federation Magazine. 14 (4). Titan Sports: 12.
  15. ↑ "Casket Match: Undertaker def. Yokozuna". WWE . Retrieved September 23, 2008.
  16. 1 2 "Ring Results: 1994". The History of WWE. Archived from the original on May 1, 2008. Retrieved September 23, 2008.
  17. ↑ "Monday Night Raw". WWF Television. Bushkill Township, Pennsylvania. November 21, 1004. USA Network.
  18. ↑ Gianfriddo, Lou (February 1995). "Royal Rumble: The Winter Sizzler!". World Wrestling Federation Magazine. 14 (2). Titan Sports: 50–51.
  19. 1 2 Gianfriddo, Lou (April 1995). "The Undertaker vs. IRS". World Wrestling Federation Magazine. 14 (4). Titan Sports: 41.
  20. ↑ "Jeff Jarrett". SLAM! Sports. Canadian Online Explorer. Archived from the original on July 14, 2012. Retrieved September 24, 2008.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  21. ↑ Russo, Vince (February 1995). "Why the Cowboy Has the Edge over Razor". World Wrestling Federation Magazine. 14 (2). Titan Sports: 46–47.
  22. 1 2 Gianfriddo, Lou (April 1995). "Shawn Takes the Rumble!". World Wrestling Federation Magazine. 14 (4). Titan Sports: 42–44.
  23. 1 2 "WWF Royal Rumble 1995". Hoffco. Archived from the original on September 21, 2007. Retrieved September 24, 2008.
  24. ↑ Gianfriddo, Lou (April 1995). "Double J Takes Razor's Gold". World Wrestling Federation Magazine. 14 (4). Titan Sports: 38–39.
  25. ↑ "WrestleMania XI – Undertaker vs. King Kong Bundy". WWE. Retrieved October 30, 2008.
  26. ↑ Gianfriddo, Lou (April 1995). "Diesel vs. Bret "Hit Man" Hart". World Wrestling Federation Magazine. 14 (4). Titan Sports: 36–37.
  27. ↑ Gianfriddo, Lou (April 1995). "Holly and The Kid Win Big!". World Wrestling Federation Magazine. 14 (4). TitanSports, Inc.: 40.
  28. ↑ McAvennie, Mike (January 24, 2007). "The No. 1 Showstopper". WWE. Retrieved October 30, 2008.
  29. 1 2 3 4 5 "Royal Rumble". Pro Wrestling History. Retrieved September 25, 2008.
  30. ↑ "Sun Dome Seating Diagram". University of South Florida Bulls. January 1, 2006. Retrieved September 25, 2008.
  31. ↑ "The 1995 Royal Rumble Match". WWE. Archived from the original on March 29, 2008. Retrieved September 25, 2008.
  32. ↑ "Favorite Rumble Finishes". WWE. Retrieved September 25, 2008.
  33. 1 2 Royal Rumble 1995 (1995). Amazon.com. ASIN   6303333419.
  34. ↑ "Induction: The 1995 Royal Rumble – The WrestleCrap Class of 2000". WrestleCrap. Retrieved March 6, 2017.
  35. ↑ "WWF – Royal Rumble 1995". Amazon.co.uk. Retrieved September 25, 2008.
  36. ↑ "WWE – Royal Rumble 1995/96". Amazon.co.uk. Retrieved September 25, 2008.
  37. ↑ "WWE – Royal Rumble: Complete Anthology 1988 – 2007". Amazon UK. Retrieved September 25, 2008.
  38. ↑ "History of the World Tag Team Championship: The Smoking Gunns' first reign". WWE. Archived from the original on February 16, 2012. Retrieved September 25, 2008.
  39. ↑ "History of the World Tag Team Championship". WWE. Retrieved September 25, 2008.
  40. 1 2 3 "WrestleMania XI Results". WWE. Retrieved September 24, 2008.
  41. ↑ "History of the Intercontinental Championship: Razor Ramon's third reign". WWE. Archived from the original on July 24, 2008. Retrieved September 24, 2008.
  42. ↑ "History of the Intercontinental Championship: Jeff Jarrett's third reign". WWE. Archived from the original on October 11, 2008. Retrieved September 24, 2008.
  43. ↑ Ethier, Bryan (December 2005). "White with Fright, Green with Envy: Why the Undertaker Had to Bury Kama". Inside Wrestling. London Publishing: 38–41. ISSN   1047-9562.
  44. ↑ "In Your House". Pro Wrestling History. Retrieved September 25, 2008.
  45. ↑ "SummerSlam 1995 Results". WWE. Retrieved September 25, 2008.
  46. ↑ Shields, Brian (2006). Main Event: WWE in the Raging 80s . Simon & Schuster. p.  102. ISBN   1-4165-3257-9.
  47. ↑ "WrestleMania XI Celebrities". WWE. Retrieved September 25, 2008.
  48. ↑ Davies, Ross (2002). Kevin Nash. Rosen Publishing Group. pp. 48–49. ISBN   0-8239-3492-6.
  49. ↑ "History of the World Tag Team Championship: Diesel and Michaels's second reign". WWE. Retrieved September 24, 2008.
  50. ↑ McAvennie, Mike (March 26, 2007). "Taylor-made". WWE. Retrieved September 25, 2008.
  51. ↑ Rosenbaum, Dave (September 1995). "WrestleMania XI: A Taylor-Made Success". Pro Wrestling Illustrated. London Publishing: 44–50. ISSN   1043-7576.
  52. ↑ "Lawrence Taylor vs. Bam Bam Bigelow". WWE. Retrieved September 25, 2008.
  53. ↑ Greenberg, Keith Elliot (July 1995). "The Challenge: Only One will Wear the Crown". World Wrestling Federation Magazine. 14 (7). TitanSports, Inc.: 42–43.
  54. ↑ Mackinder, Matt (January 21, 2007). "The Up and Down Life of Bam Bam Bigelow". SLAM! Wrestling. Canadian Online Explorer. Archived from the original on July 29, 2012. Retrieved September 25, 2008.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  55. ↑ "Royal Rumble 1995 Results". WWE. Retrieved September 25, 2008.
  56. 1 2 3 "Shawn Michaels (spot No. 1) wins the Royal Rumble Match". WWE . Retrieved September 25, 2008.
  57. ↑ "Royal Rumble 1995 Elimination Info". Pro Wrestling History. Retrieved September 25, 2008.

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.