Favorite Royal Rumble Moments of the Golden Era

 

    When you see the Royal Rumble above, what comes to mind?  Perhaps Ric Flair's 1992 performance, when he entered 3rd and went the distance.  Maybe it was the stare down between Hulk Hogan and Ultimate Warrior in 1990.  How about Ax and Smash of Demolition going at it being the first and second entrants in 1989?  It could've been Diesel's impressive performance in 1994, or a year later when Shawn Michaels and The British Bulldog started first and second, lasted to be the final two competitors, with Shawn earning the victory?

    Outside the inaugural Royal Rumble in 1988, the logo above was used for Rumble from 1989 - 1995.  It conjures many memories for old school fans such as myself. One of the first pay-per-view events I was allowed to order was the 1991 event.  The next year, I invited my friend over to watch.  Little did I know how special the 1992 edition would be.  My friend left my house that night a fan, and his fandom would span for many years.  Here are some of my favorite moments from the early years of the Rumble in no particular order.

The Rumble was Fair to Flair (1992)

    It is safe to say that the 1992 edition of the Royal Rumble is the favorite, and if not, close to, edition of the event for many fans.  1992 marked the first time the Rumble match had stakes.  The prior events didn't have the winner go on to main event Wrestlemania, or in the case of 1992, win the vacant World Heavyweight Title.  

    The undercard was strong, and the story telling of not only Flair, but Roddy Piper was outstanding.  Piper had wrestled The Mountie for the Intercontinental Title earlier in the evening, earning a victory, and along with it, the IC title. He competed in the Rumble match itself, putting himself in possible contention to win two belts that night.  He wouldn't win, of course.  Instead, the victor of the Rumble match was Ric Flair.  Prior to 1992, anyone who entered the event early wasn't there at the end, or at least in contention to win it in the end.  Flair entered number 3.  

    Flair was known by NWA and WCW fans for his long matches by this point, and ability to tell a story in the ring.  He had entered the WWE in late 1991, claiming to be the "real world's champion".  At his first Rumble, he revealed what he was known for to WWE fans.  He really sold the fatigue, the struggle, and utilized strategy during the event.  I don't know how familiar non-NWA or WCW fans were with Flair when he came over to WWE, but his performance most likely made many of those fans believers after his performance.

    On a related note, Bobby Heenan performed one his finest moments in commentary calling the Rumble match.  He really sold when Flair would be in danger, and you really believed his personal vestment in Flair.  Heenan also sold other competitors in the match, including faces.  For example, when "El Matador" Tito Santana entered, Heenan brought up his accomplishments in the ring, and made a case that he may have what it takes to win.  

    The post-match interview with Flair, Heenan and Mr. Perfect is still well-known and remembered today by fans.

Diesel Power

    As a disclaimer, I did not watch the 1994 Royal Rumble until years after as part of the Royal Rumble Anthology set.  

    1994 was a year that saw the WWE navigating transitional waters.  The old guards of the Golden Era such as Hogan Hogan were either gone, or put in a reduced capacity (Randy Savage in a commentator role).  The WWE was seeking its next star, and they seemed to be banking on the future of one Kevin Nash.  Standing about 6' 10", with a billed weight of over 300 pounds, he wasn't a muscle monster of the Golden Era, but fit the bill for WWE's preference at the time for physically impressive performers.

    During the Rumble match, Diesel seemed to eliminate other match participants with ease.  Tossing competitors out left and right, he was at times alone in the ring, waiting for the next challenger.  He was the first competitor that I can recall that up to that point who did that.  His performance would set the groundwork for those who'd follow like Kane in 2001.

    Overall, the 1994 Royal Rumble seems to be overlooked in the overall history of the event, but it's overall a solid show.  

Ted DiBiase's Two Year Rumble Story (1989, 1990)

    Ted DiBiase's gimmick in the WWE was "The Million Dollar Man".  That says it all.  He was the evil man with money who used it to try to buy whatever, and whoever he wanted.  How successful he ultimately was, is perhaps questionable.  

    In 1989, a segment was shown during the event of participants drawing their entry numbers.  DiBiase drew his, then called out to Slick, who was a manager.  It was clearly implied that DiBiase didn't like his draw, and was looking to purchase a higher spot.  Sure enough, when the 30th entrant came down, it was everyone's favorite millionaire himself!

     While in 1989 it looked like DiBiase was able to use his money to better position himself, it backfired.  In 1990, when the Howard Finkel got the crowd excited to see who drew #1, it was the money man himself.  Despite his draw, DiBiase would be considered perhaps the first ironman of the Royal Rumble event.  He put on an impressive performance, lasting over 40 minutes.  

Two Superhumans Stare Off (1990)

    I won't assume, but I would think that many kids who were WWE fans in early 1990 would consider Hulk Hogan vs. The Ultimate Warrior a dream match.  Two larger-than-life figures who seemed cut from a cloth no other humans were.  They were muscular comic book heroes come to life.  They would lay the foundation of their famous match at Wrestlemania VI during the 1990 Royal Rumble.  

An Additional Observation

    As I watch the classic Rumbles now, I appreciate the storytelling moments.  How some feuds were perhaps never laid to rest.  Two examples I can think of here are Tito Santana / Rick Martel, and Marty Jannetty / Shawn Michaels.  Both pairs were in tag teams that would break up.  Martel and Santana were Strike Force in the late 80s, until Martel turned on Santana at Wrestlemania V in 1989.  Michaels and Jannetty were The Rockers from 1988 until Michaels' famous heel turn in early 1992 during an episode of The Barbershop segment.

    It would seem each Rumble Santana would take go after Martel.  They were still going at in the 1993 Rumble match.  Jannetty and Michaels had a singles match on the 1993 Royal Rumble undercard, but in subsequent Rumbles, they would attack each other.  Even as a late as the 1996 event.  Some feuds never die, and it's storytelling like that that made those early events special.

Conclusion

    It's difficult for the WWE to have a bad Rumble.  Even the 1995 edition.  While the Rumble match itself was shortened to 1 minute per entrant, and lacked star power, the undercard matches were really good. The current Rumble events are watchable in a time when the WWE for a multitude of reasons is a hard watch for me.  

    No matter how much the WWE product changes, or gimmicky the Rumble seems now (see Kofi Kingston's yearly elimination avoidance spots), the early years of the Rumble from 1989 - 1992 hold a very special place in my heart.  Those were the years I was most vested in the product, and the Rumble felt like a must-watch event.  While 1992 had stakes, it was still stand-alone in that the winner would win a vacant title.  The days before the Rumble became an adjacent event to Wrestlemania, and the winner lamely pointing at the Wrestlemania sign in the arena.  

    The classic Royal Rumbles, despite the production showing their age, have held up very well over the years.  

A Quick Take on the 2017 Royal Rumble

This past Sunday, the WWE hosted their annual Royal Rumble event, coming to us from the Alamo Dome in San Antonio, TX.  A site which hosted the 1997 Royal Rumble (trying hard not to think it has been 20 years already).  A Rumble that saw "Stone Cold" Steve Austin put in an impressive performance along his way to the top of the WWF at the time, and to being one of the most popular wrestlers of all-time.  Sadly, the 2017 didn't really have a display like that, but after the previous couple years of lackluster Royal Rumbles, this year's edition, I felt was one of the better ones they've put on in recent years.

The Royal Rumble usually provides a solid series of undercard matches.  This year was no exception.  Every match on the undercard was solid to outstanding.  The John Cena/AJ Styles match was one of the better matches I've seen in a very long time.  Despite how some fans may feel about Cena, he does step up to the plate under the bright lights, and rarely disappoints.  In the Kevin Owens vs. Roman Reigns match for the Universal Championship, despite how I personally feel about the endless push Reigns gets, and how drawn out this feud has been, both men put on a great match.  Having Chris Jericho (Owens' buddy), hanging above the ring in a cage was a nice old school touch.

As for the Rumble match, I REALLY enjoyed it, well 90% percent of it.  I did my best to stay away from any online sources that may've spoiled the outcome for me.  When it comes to the Rumble, I want to be surprised.  I loved what they did with Braun Strowman.  He's been booked since the brand split last year as an unstoppable monster.  His performance in the Rumble match did not disappoint.  He'd eventually be eliminated, but I felt his performance was congruent with how he's been booked.

Chris Jericho was another highlight.  Entrant number 2, he found himself in the Rumble and lasted about an hour.  I was disappointed that the announcers barely made mention of his duration.  As a kid, I used to love when Gorilla Monsoon would bring up how such and such was nearing a record.  Sure, Jericho spent some of the time outside the ring, but he's had an impressive run, and the Rumble reflects it.  For a man who's about 45 or so, and being in the business as long as he's been, he's putting on one of his best performances as a character since I first saw him back in 1995.

The Rumble was a lot of fun until about entrant 25 or so.  Prior to that, it was mainly the younger guys, and they put on an entertaining show.  From here on out, we had entrants such as Goldberg, Brock Lesnar, and The Undertaker enter the fray.  With these part-timers and legends, it felt the match had some of the air sucked out of it.  Topping it off was entrant 30.  Guess who?  Roman Reigns!  I told myself if he wins, the Rumble was a bust.

As the Rumble reached its conclusion, we had Goldberg quickly eliminate Lesnar, continuing their feud.  Then Reigns eliminated the Undertaker, getting me even more nervous.  Fortunately, Reigns did not go home winning the Rumble.  He was eliminated by Randy Orton.

Overall, despite my feelings that the WWE needs to stop relying on old-timers and continually pushing Reigns on us, they did a great job with the 2017 Royal Rumble.  It's the first Rumble in several years at least I really enjoyed.  I was nervous after the last couple Rumbles, but the WWE didn't let me down this year.  The show gets a solid 4 stars from me.

Starrcade '91: BattleBowl - The Lethal Lottery

1991 Starrcade: The Lethal Lottery

The 1991 edition of Starrcade was the very definition of a gimmick PPV event. There were 10 tag team matches, with the winning team of each match sending it’s representatives to a battle royal known as the Battlebowl. The BattleBowl was a double-ring take on the Battle Royal. As for the tag teams themselves, they were random pairings. As a result, there were heels teaming with faces, and in the case of the opening match with the Fabulous Freebirds, normal tag partners facing off against each other. There was certainly promise for this event to lay down the groundwork for stories moving forward. Unfortunately, the event didn’t seem to do that with the exception of the outcome of the BattleBowl match itself. As an admission, I caught WCW when I could back then, which wasn’t often, so I could be wrong about feuds.

My overall opinion of the event would be that while I felt the BattleBowl concept was interesting, the overall card I felt very middle-of-the-road about. The first half of the tag matches provided most of the highlights. The first match had Fabulous Freebird members Michael P.S. Hayes and Jimmy Garvin on opposing teams. The Arn Anderson and Lex Luger vs. Terry Taylor and The Z Man provided fans with the match of the night. Of course, how can we forget Rick Rude was on this card as well as part of the Dangerous Alliance. The rest of the tag matches after the first half of the event leading up to the Battlebowl could not hold my interest. However, Rick Steiner’s belly-to-belly overhead suplex to 450lb Big Van Vader was one of the event’s highlights. Arachnaman? Not so much.

The BattleBowl itself was a different take on the Battle Royal match concept. Two rings were set up side-by-side, and the elimination was a two-step process. The match starts in ring one. Competitors get tossed over the top rope into ring two. Sort of like a losers ring. When a competitor gets tossed over the second ring’s top rope and hit the floor, then they are eliminated. The first ring in due time gets cleared of everyone except for one, as does the second ring. The two remaining competitors then do battle, and whoever gets tossed over the top rope to the floor is the loser.

The BattleBowl match I felt was well paced. It took awhile for the first ring to clear, which I feel in a match like this is important for storytelling purposes. It gives the feeling that the competitors all want to survive and win the match. Once the second ring started to fill up, THEN the eliminations began to pick up pace. The two survivors were Lex Luger (first ring), and Sting (second ring). Sting and Luger would battle for a bit before Sting eliminates Luger, winning the inaugural BattleBowl match. I thought this set up the feud between Luger and Sting nicely.

Overall, Starrcade ‘91: BattleBowl – The Lethal Lottery, was an event with a lot of promise, but the execution ultimately fell flat. There was so much potential to create interesting feuds moving forward out of the tag matches, which didn’t seem to happen. The wrestling overall wasn’t bad, but lacked consistency. There are some good things to be found on this card, but it was easy for me to become bored watching a lot of it. While I give WCW credit for trying something different, they should’ve saved this gimmick idea for a card other than their biggest one of the year. Either that, or have the tag team matches occur on a series of Saturday Night shows over a few weeks, and save the BattleBowl for the PPV. I’d not recommend watching this. The tag matches made the card drag at times, and can easily cause a view to lose interest, in particular the final half of the tag matches.

Royal Rumble Opinion

The Royal Rumble, one of the premier events for the WWE, started with humble beginnings. The Royal Rumble as an event concept we all recognize aired on the USA network back in January of 1988. A variant of a Battle Royal, instead of having all the competitors start the match at once, competitors came down to the ring in timed increments. The 1988 Rumble match did not end that card, but instead was the second to last match. In addition, the 1988 Rumble was the first, and only Rumble to have 20 competitors. From 1989 on, with the exception of 2011, when the WWE tried a 40 participant Rumble match, the number of competitors has been 30. Over the years, there has been some tinkering to the Rumble event, from placement of the Rumble match itself, to the time between competitors. Perhaps the best known tinker to the event that we take for granted today is that the Royal Rumble lays the foundation for Wrestlemania. In the formative years of the Royal Rumble, it was its own standalone event.

In 1992, the stakes were raised big time. Prior to the 1992 event, there was no Road to Wrestlemania. The idea prior to '92 was the winner received a handsome payday, and got to boast of how they outlasted 29 other competitors. In 1992, the story leading to the Rumble was that the World Heavyweight Title had been vacated. The winner of the Rumble match would win more than a payday, or an ego boost. He’d go home with the title. The winner that year, Ric Flair, made history. Not only for winning the title, but he started the match as the third entrant. He broke the record up to that point for remaining in the Rumble match, which was held by Rick Martel, who set it the year before. Going forward, the Royal Rumble solidified itself as not just a gimmick event, but one of the most important ones of the year. To this day, the winner has either gone on to main event at Wrestlemania, or, in the case of 2016, win a title that was vacant (Triple H).

As a young wrestling fan, I loved the Royal Rumble. It was unpredictable. You got to see battles between tag team partners, face against face, heel against heel. It was always exciting trying to follow who was in the ring, who had been eliminated, and who had yet to come out. The Rumble match was often used to push storylines (see Hogan and Savage in 1989), and was where feuds were born (Roddy Piper and Bad News Brown in 1990). The Royal Rumble usually had very good and entertaining undercard matches. The Rockers vs. The Orient Express tag match from the 1991 immediately comes to mind. That match, to this day, stands as one of my favorite tag matches of all-time.

I have certainly enjoyed the Rumble over the years, despite weaning in and out of varying levels of fandom. There have been plenty of moments that make the Royal Rumble a must-see event. Steve Austin’s 1997 showing, which solidified his rise to the main event scene. Kane’s high number of eliminations from 2001. Vince McMahon blowing his quad running into the ring in 2005, and all three commentators participating in 2012. For the most part, it has retained some degree of surprise. In recent years there’s a surprise entrant, usually a legend. However, some of the surprise element has been ruined by the internet, in addition to overly predictable booking. Also, I wish they didn’t play the wrestler themes as they come out. Just let the buzzer sound, and let us see who comes out from behind the curtain.

With the 2017 Royal Rumble just a few weeks away, I very much plan on watching it. Despite how I feel about some of the recent editions of the event, the Royal Rumble is the only event of the year where you get a potential mixture of lower-card, mid-card and main-event scene competitors in the same ring at the same time. The format of the match stands the test of time, and while the WWE can put on a bad Wrestlemania, or any PPV for that matter, it is very difficult for them to put out a bad Royal Rumble.

Wrestlemania 31 - Press Play

I'll start this post off with a disclaimer.  My expectations for Wrestlemania 31 were extremely low.  Every year I look forward to Wrestlemania.  My buddy and I make plans to watch it and we talk about it as soon as the Royal Rumble concludes.  In fact, we attended the 29th Wrestlemania at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey.  It really was our Superbowl.  This year was different though.  I became disillusioned with the product, and stopped watching it last July, except for Pay-Per-Views on the WWE Network. The overall booking leading up to this year's 'Mania was flat, and didn't give me anything to look forward to.  I went to dinner and returned about an hour after the event started, and I was pleasantly surprised.  Of course, my friend came over, and we caught the first hour on replay.  Overall, Wrestlemania 31 was a pleasant surprise.  Here are my thoughts on the good and bad of the event.

The Good

The opening Intercontinental Title match was a 7-man ladder match, with the key names in the match being the champion Wade Barrett, top contenders Daniel Bryan, Dolph Ziggler, and Dean Ambrose.  Luke Harper, Stardust and R-Truth were the other three combatants.  Overall, it served its purpose.  It had some nice spots (Ambrose going through a ladder bridge set up outside the ring), allowed Bryan to be a champion again, and was a return after a few year hiatus of ladder matches at Wrestlemania after Money in the Bank became a stand alone PPV.  It was a good match to open the card.

Randy Orton vs. Seth Rollins was the next match on the card, and Rollins continues to show that he is part of a very talented group of young stars that can carry the company moving forward (depending on creative getting out their rut).  One of the highlight moves came when Rollins went for his curb stomp.  Orton lifts himself up, Rollins gets airborne, and Orton hits with an RKO.

Undertaker vs. Bray Wyatt.  Undertaker looked much healthier this year compared to last.  Got a much better match this year compared to last year's that ended his 21-0 winning streak.  We got a 'Mania moment in this match when 'Taker is down on the mat, Wyatt does his human spider body pose.  Undertaker sits up, and Wyatt's express said it all!  Taker would win this match.

Main Event match.  Roman Reigns was, most likely, originally going to leave Levi's Stadium last night with the title.  However, fan reaction to Reigns probably forced WWE their hand, much like last year.  The match started great, with Brock being an unstoppable beast, manhandling Reigns like he was a child.  Reigns would get a couple Superman Punches in to Reigns towards the end of the match.  As the title match came to a conclusion, both competitors battered, Seth Rollins comes down to the ring, demanding to cash in his Money in the Bank contract.  It's now a triple threat match, with Rollins giving a Curb Stomp to Lesnar and getting the pin. 

Fans got to see the NWO vs. DX in the Sting vs. HHH match.  I wasn't as crazy about this match as others were, mainly because I knew Sting would be booked to lose, because McMahon can never lose to WCW.  However, it was a lot of 1997 nostalgia with the NWO and DX going at it and looking out for the respective stars of the companies they represented back then. 

Wrestlemania is known for great entrances.  Out of them all this year, Rusev's was the best.  He entered the arena in a tank!

There was also the Rock with Ronda Rousey standing against the Authority.  Rousey did a perfect hip toss to HHH, and to be honest, she would be able to legit beat him up! 

The Bad

There wasn't much to complain about.  Being in California, the sun was out for most of the event, which kind of put a damper on Sting's, Undertaker's, and Bray Wyatt's entrances.  Those would have had a more stronger effect if it was dark, but otherwise, the last Wrestlemania that was outdoors, and under mostly sunlight, was the infamous Wrestlemania 9.  In that regard, it was different.

The stage set up.  Each year since Wrestlemania hit the big arena circuit starting at X-7, the stage set ups have been fantastic.  However, this year it seemed lacking, and looked to me very much the same one that was used at 'Mania 28 in Miami, except the font was different (or appeared to be).  I hope this doesn't become a trend.

My biggest gripe was the burial of Sting.  Yes, I knew it was coming, it was obvious, but I wonder why Sting even bothered signing with WWE.  Hopefully he got a good payday out of the deal.

Overall

Wrestlemania 31, in this fan's humble opinion, was a strong Wrestlemania offering.  From top to bottom, there wasn't a bad match on the card.  Each match, including the Diva's match, was decent at worst.  There weren't any matches that made me want to divert my attention to the guitar I had sitting by me, waiting to be played.  Of course, the WWE pulls out all the stops for Wrestlemania, and they hit it out of the park this year.  It makes me look forward already to see what they can do at next year's installment, which will be held at the massive AT&T Stadium.

Post Royal Rumble 2015 Thoughts

As most viewers of the WWE know, the 2015 edition of the Royal Rumble went over the Philadelphia crowd like the Hindenburg disaster.  This was due to two things.  Poor/outdated booking, and the mindset of the modern fan.  I'm going to provide a brief synopsis of how the two are tied together, leaving WWE creative in a corner regarding who they want to push, and how history may repeat itself after last year's, and the 2015 Rumble.

For some background, it's January 2014.  Daniel Bryan, who is the darling of fans within the IWC (internet wrestling community), and perhaps outside of it, was way over with the fans.  At the 2014 Rumble, many of them had expected he'd be competing in the Rumble match.  As the competitors came and went, only one more had yet to come out, the 30th entrant.  With much anticipation, the fans counted down with the clock...5, 4, 3, 2, 1.  The buzzer sounds and it's Rey Mysterio.  The boos became deafening as not only Bryan wasn't in the match, but it became obvious that Dave Batista was going to win it. 

After the Rumble, and leading up to Wrestlemania, fans online gave Batista a lot of flack for headlining Wrestlemania, and rightfully so, at the beginning at least.  Batista had been away from the ring for quite some time, and had returned after filming Guardians of the Galaxy (which he was great in).  His matches after Rumble saw him get gassed quickly in the ring, and it was apparent from both a conditioning and wrestling standpoint he was not ready to main event the 30th edition of Wrestlemania. 

The WWE stuck to their guns...for awhile, but they eventually changed the main event at 'Mania.  Bryan feuded with HHH in a very good underdog vs. authority storyline, culminating in a match-up at 'Mania.  The winner would go on to wrestle in the headlining match, making it a triple threat.  Despite the great match that two of the greatest technical wrestlers of their respective eras put on, it seemed obvious Bryan would get the win, which he did.  He proceeded to win the Bryan/Batista/Orton triple threat match.  His presence in the match certainly helped elevate it from the disaster it appeared to be on paper, but it wasn't something that they would've done prior to the rise of the internet.  The fans actually had a say on booking decisions, and it was something I thought I'd never see.

Let's fast forward to the 2015 Rumble.  Bryan, still darling of the fans, had recently returned to competition from an injury.  While he was gone for sometime, he certainly was missed.  He came out at #10 to his signature "YES" chant.  The crowd was very loud, and added energy to what had already been up to that point an entertaining Rumble, then something happened.  He was eliminated about ten minutes later by Bray Wyatt at the approximate halfway point in the Rumble match.  All of a sudden, viewing this on the network, you could feel the air popped right out of the zeppelin. The crowd suddenly turned on the match, booing, and chants of "bullshit" lingered for the rest of the match.

After Bryan's elimination, Roman Reigns enters the match.  Though most of us had a feeling he'd win it, it became obvious at that point by his placement after the Bryan elimination he was going to come out the victor.  The live crowd knew this, and nothing was going to draw them back into the match.  The WWE lost them, and things only got worse...

The apparent final four of the 2015 Royal Rumble were Reigns, fan favorite Dean Ambrose, Big Show and Kane.  Yes, Big Show and Kane.  Big Show and Kane easily eliminated Ambrose, then, to a very, very loud chorus of boos, Reigns took out the two long-term big men.  However, there was one participant who was not eliminated - Rusev.  He came back into the ring, and was quickly dispatched by Reigns.  Show and Kane get back into the ring, when the Rock comes in, assisting his cousin in getting them out for good.  Reigns points to the Wrestlemania sign hanging in the arena to a loud chorus of boos by fans who, some of them, were probably cheering for him just one year prior.

So what happened?  First, bad, or outdated booking happened.  The WWE has some popular stars in Ambrose, Dolph Ziggler and Bray Wyatt.  All three were eliminated by two big men well past their prime with ease.  This isn't a knock on Show and Kane, but this would have made more sense back in 1999 when they were at their peak.  Wrestling fans don't believe in unstoppable giants anymore (another topic for another day).  Creative went to the old time formula of having two of their biggest guys looking strong, only to be dumped out by an unstoppable force (Reigns).  This backfired big time, as the fans voiced their displeasure.  After the match, #cancelwwenetwork was one of the top trending twitter handles.

I firmly believe that most of the fans weren't necessarily booing Reigns, but rather how the match was booked, the predictability of it, and the relative ease of how other favorites besides Bryan were eliminated.  To be honest, I don't blame them.  While there have been worse Rumble matches, the 2015 installment of the event has to be one of the worst booked Rumbles in the history of the event to this point.  Back twenty years ago, fans wouldn't have been pleased if this had occurred, but they would take it for what it is and move on.  Not any more.  With more ways than ever to get their voices out, fans aren't afraid of letting it be known how they feel.  In turn, the WWE no doubt reads some of the negative thoughts and let it influence booking decisions, as it did for the Wrestlemania 30 main event.  Time will tell how the main event for this year's 'Mania will turn out.

Who Should Be on WWE's Mt. Rushmore?

While browsing a wrestling forum, one of the posts asked a question of who should be on the Mt. Rushmore of the WWE.  It was certainly an interesting thread, and the discussion was shockingly reasonable.  The overall consensus was there were two locks, Hulk Hogan, and "Stone Cold" Steve Austin.  The debate centered on who should be the third and fourth on the mountain.  Three names stood out.  The Rock, The Undertaker, and John Cena.  Who would I choose if I had to choose WWE's Mt. Rushmore?

My first selection would be Hulk Hogan.  It's very difficult to discredit his contributions with assisting Vince McMahon on making the WWF a national product.  Despite a limited skill set in the ring, he more than made up for it with his look and charisma.  He made Vince, and himself, a lot of money during his peak in the 1980s.  He was a huge draw, and one can debate whether or not Wrestlemania would have been as successful as it turned out to be in its early days if Hogan was not on the card.  Hogan had universal appeal because, despite being a large man with exceptional strength, he still was the underdog in most of his feuds. Hogan was important in breaking the WWF into pop culture back in the mid-80s.

Next is "Stone Cold" Steve Austin.  Much like Hogan, he was a face for his era, not only in wrestling, but pop culture too.  Wresting during the Austin era experienced a surge in popularity that exceeded that of Hogan's era.  The late 90s were a strange time in the pop culture landscape, very loud and crass with disregard of authority.  Austin as a character played that to a hilt.  Not only that, but he represented the everyman, wearing simply black trunks and boots, he didn't need flash to get his character across.  He wasn't larger than life, which made him feel authentic. It was difficult to walk around back in those days and NOT see an Austin t-shirt.  In the scheme of things, his stay on top in the WWE wasn't very long due to injuries, but it certainly made a huge impact.

My third choice is John Cena.  Cena has been compared to Hogan, and perhaps those comparisons have some merit, but what puts Cena on the list is that he has been the biggest draw in the WWE for years now - approximately a decade.  While many fans sit silently in their seats for most of the performers these days it seems, Cena gets a reaction.  All one needs to get proof is the hear the dueling "let's go Cena" and "Cena sucks" chants.  If you happen to attend a live WWE event, most of the shirts seem to be Cena ones.  He makes money for the company, and more importantly, gets a reaction out of the fans.

For my final choice, and perhaps a surprise one, I'd put HHH up there.  Yes, the future head of the company.  There were several choices I felt were just as worthy, the Undertaker, Shawn Michaels, and The Rock all have a legit argument for being there.  So why did I pick HHH?  First, he is one of the best all-around wrestlers of the past twenty years.  His ring style isn't flashy, but he can perform power moves in one sequence of the match, switch gears to a technical mat style the next, to brawling the next, and hardcore if necessary.  He is also very versatile as a character.  He can get over with the fans as a tough, rugged face, to his authority heel character he plays these days, which in fact, may be the best character work of his career.

Those are my choices for the WWE Mt. Rushmore.  The first three, from a drawing standpoint, certainly deserve their places, while there's definitely room for debate in regards to the fourth spot.  Too bad we couldn't place a 5th performer on there...