WWF Royal Rumble 1988

Back when I was a kid, just knowing about this show – let alone the results, or even having seen it – could get you some serious street cred on the lunch table wrestling scene. Today, with the WWE more openly acknowledging their history (which is something they certainly did not do in the 90s), shows like this one are released on Anthology DVD sets, talked about in WWE produced ‘documentaries,’ and isn’t really obscure at all. Some things change, and sometimes they change for the better.

The original Rumble wasn’t the pay per view staple it has become – not even airing on pay per view at all, but rather as a special on the USA Network – and was devised (like Survivor Series before it) as a way to undermine the NWA, who were trying to expand into the pay per view universe with their Bunkhouse Stampede card. The Stampede promised a gimmick battle royal (it would be held in a cage), so to counter program, the WWF introduced their own gimmick battle royal – and attracted viewers by promising action on free TV. It was a huge ratings success – even more so because Stampede was so poorly critically and commercially received – and began a new, great tradition.

From Hamilton, Ontario, Canada; Your Hosts are Vince McMahon and Jesse Ventura.


Opening Match: Rick Rude v Ricky Steamboat: Rude wins an early slugfest, but Steamboat starts throwing chops, and backdrops Rude to the floor, so naturally, Rude accuses him of pulling the tights. Inside, Rude dominates a test-of-strength, but Steamboat reverses into a long armbar. Meanwhile, some horribly obnoxious woman in the front row busts out a megaphone and offers her own commentary of the match, annoying the wrestlers, the commentators, the referee, the TV crew, and pretty much everyone in the building. Even the deaf kid in the fourth row. Rude throws a backelbow to come back (making sure not to use the arm Steamboat has been working), but can't take control, as Steamboat goes back to the arm. Rude sells it wonderfully, and throws another backelbow - this time to the eye - and dumps the Dragon. He takes the opportunity to slam Steamboat out there, and then heads in to get his countout victory. Steamboat won't stay down, however, so Rude unloads a crisp suplex for two. Reverse chinlock, but Steamboat powers up into an electric chair. He tries to capitalize with a splash, but Rude raises the knees, and drops him with an atomic... drop. He goes back to the reverse chinlock, but this time Steamboat fires him into the corner to break, and aggressively rams his head into the buckles. Falling chop gets two, and gets a backslide for two. Schoolboy for two, and a cradle gets two. Small package for two, but Rude catches him with a clothesline for two. Suplex, but Steamboat reverses and goes for the flying bodypress - but Rude throws the referee in the way. He hooks an overhead backbreaker, but the referee wakes up, and disqualifies Rude at 17:00. Too long for what it was, but certainly a well worked, psychologically sound match, with great selling - particularly from Rude. * ¼

Weightlifting Challenge: Mean Gene Okerlund hosts a segment with Jesse Ventura, bringing out Dino Bravo to try and bench-press 715 pounds to break the world record. Bravo manages to pull it off, but not without controversy - as Ventura gives a bit of an assist. The segment in general wasn't a poor concept, it just went on too long, with Bravo stalling to work the crowd, and doing 'warm-up' lifts before the finale. The best part of the whole deal is McMahon questioning Ventura about his 'spotting' during the next match, and Jesse viciously chewing him out over it. Best line, 'it's weightlifting, McMahon. Clearly something someone of your stature knows nothing about!'

WWF Women's Tag Team Title 2/3 Falls Match: The Glamour Girls v The Jumping Bomb Angels: The Angels control with fast paced double team stuff, and hooks double figure fours to pop the crowd. The Angels focus on the leg, cutting the ring in half, but the Girls throw a cheap shot to turn the tide, and Judy Martin gets the first fall with an inverted powerbomb at 6:30. The Girls continue to dominate - pulling hair, and slamming the Angels around - but Martin misses a splash allowing the Angels to turn it around. 2nd rope clothesline gets two, and a bodypress for two. They do some more double teaming, and Noriyo Tateno gets the second fall with a slightly botched sunset flip at 8:00. The Angels keep it going, pulling out an enzuigiri, but a fisherman's suplex attempt fails. The Glamour Girls cut the ring in half, but a missed spot allows the Angels to take over and try to kill Judy Martin, and a double team missile dropkick wins the titles at 15:00. As I've noted elsewhere, I never could get into proper Women's wrestling. The Diva's, sure, but generally unattractive girls actually treating it like a sport never did it for me. That said, they were working way ahead of the curve here, wrestling a fast paced, highspot oriented style that wouldn't really become common in North American mens matches until the mid-90s. * ¼

Contract Signing: WWF Champion Hulk Hogan and Andre the Giant sit down at center ring to sign the contract for their fateful WrestleMania III-rematch at the first Main Event special. Hogan and the Giant's (sexual) tensions result in a physical confrontation - with Andre shoving him under the contract signing table with ease - while Ted DiBiase berates Hogan. Segment dragged a bit, but was a good ratings draw (the longer Hogan and Andre's faces are on TV, the better for the WWF), and set up what would go on to be the most watched wrestling match in all of history.

Royal Rumble Match: As noted earlier, this is the first Rumble, with the same rules at would become famous for (two men start, with another entering at a pre-determined interval (two minutes, in this case) until everyone is in, and all but one are out) – though this version only has 20-men, like a standard battle royal. Bret Hart and Tito Santana draw numbers one and two, Bret goes ballistic on him, wrecking him in the corner, but Santana gets the best of a criss cross, and unloads mounted punches. Butch Reed joins the fun at #3, and goes right for Santana. Reed with a 2^nd rope axehandle, and the heels double team. Things don't get much better when Jim Neidhart draws #4, and the Hart Foundation take Tito out with a Demolition Decapitator. All three try to dump Tito (who is he? Andre the Giant?), but Jake Roberts draws #5, and is a house of arson - dumping Reed. The faces try to double team the Harts, but the more experienced former tag champs takeover pretty quickly. Harley Race draws #6, dropping a series of elbows on Roberts, before he and Neidhart try to dump him. Tito unloading on Bret distracts the Anvil, however, and he heads over to make the save. Jim Brunzell draws #7, and immediately goes for Bret, but Neidhart saves again. Jake responds by pulling Neidhart’s goatee (that's just mean), and Sam Houston joins us for the #8 draw. He's a house of arson, too, but much like Jake, runs into the Hart Foundation. Danny Davis draws #9, as the Harts dump Tito, in a nice bit of poetic booking. Boris Zhukov draws #10, and goes right for Sam Houston - though he can't quite eliminate him. Thankfully, Harley Race steps in to break up that JTTS-classic, and Bret throws Houston a backbreaker for good measure. Don Muraco draws #11, though Nikolai Volkoff (who has #12) decides he wants in now, and comes down with him. That gets him beat down by Muraco, and while he's waiting his turn, Jake dumps fellow Bolshevik Boris. That was a nice bit, though, further establishing the rules for an audience seeing this match format for the first time. Time finally runs down, allowing Volkoff in, as Muraco dumps Harley Race. You know, I'm still surprised the WWF didn't repackage Harley into some sort of motorcycle racer gimmick when he joined up. Must have been an off day for them. Jim Duggan draws lucky #13, and decides to go right for Neidhart - though he can't eliminate him. Ron Bass hits the ring at #14, as Volkoff dumps Brunzell. B. Brian Blair gets #15 to fill the rings Bee-quota, but he flies right into the Hart Foundations nest. Hillbilly Jim draws #16, and he too goes right for the Harts - though significantly more successfully, as he manages to dump Neidhart. Dino Bravo gets #17, as Ron Bass dumps Sam Houston. The Ultimate Warrior draws #18, and goes for Bravo, as Muraco dumps Bret Hart - who gets the first longevity record at 25:42. Meanwhile, One Man Gang joins in at #19, and starts dumping bodies. Jake Roberts is first to go, and he starts working on Hillbilly Jim, while the Junkyard Dog hits the ring at #30 - rounding out the field. Duggan dumps Volkoff, and Gang continues his wrecking machine routine - but runs into The Ultimate Warrior. Bravo forms an alliance with him to dump him, however. Meanwhile, Duggan dumps Davis, and Bass gets rid of JYD - only to get dumped by Muraco immediately after. That leaves us with Duggan, Bravo, Muraco, and Gang. Muraco tries to ROCK UP!! on the Bravo Gang, but gets dumped for his efforts. That leaves Duggan alone with the two heels, but Jim dives right in - firing shots off at both guys. Bravo's first to go - after a miscommunication with Gang - but Duggan can't keep it going to overpower the power of gut. He dodges a blind charge, however, and wins the first Royal Rumble at 33:00. They were still getting used to the format here, working it more like a normal battle royal than the 'every man for himself' match it would become – with heels sticking with heels and faces with faces. Still, a fun introduction to the format - and certainly not boring. In retrospect, Warrior should have probably gone over, as he could have done more with the win. * ½

2/3 Falls Match: The Young Stallions v The Islanders: The main event's already over, but they ended up running down faster than anticipated, so we get this to close the show. Meanwhile, the crowd doesn't give a shit, and you can see more empty seats than a furniture store, as people go home. Or, possibly to a furniture store.  Anyway, Jim Powers and Tama start - with Powers hitting an atomic drop - so both guys tag. Paul Roma actually dominates Haku, and the Stallions work the arm. Powers gets caught in the wrong part of town, however, and the nerveholds begin! Double knockout allows a double tag, and Roma's a house of arson, but gets dumped by Tama, and injures his knee on the way down, giving the Islanders the first fall by countout at 8:00. Roma has trouble continuing, so the Stallions go to the back for medical attention - though really it's just an excuse to bring Andre and DiBiase back out to cut a promo on Hogan, and promote The Main Event. Finally back, and the referee forces Roma to start (since he was last in), and the Stallions are apparently too dumb to just immediately tag out. Roma continues to prove his stupidity by using his knees to block a splash, and the Islanders kill him until the referee stops it at 14:00. Match wasn't anything special to begin with (though certainly not bad), but stopping it dead between falls really hurt the flow. *

BUExperience: Certainly historically significant, but not a particularly good show. All the interview segments, and bits like the Weightlifting Challenge were fine since this was technically a TV special, not pay per view, but it didn’t make it any more intriguing. Still, though, the concept lives to this day, and anyone like me who loves history, and always wants to see how things all began would be interested - at least as a curiosity. It’s also a good example of why real competition with another promotion was such a good thing for wrestling fans, as both this, and the Survivor Series (two of the WWE’s most enduring concepts) were literally born just to fuck with the competition. *