WWF Royal Rumble 1991 1/19/1991

WWF Royal Rumble 1991 1/19/1991

We get the national anthem to start.

Vince then announces the Royal Rumble competitors. I absolutely love these voiceovers and had them saved on my phone at one time.

Gorilla Monsoon and Roddy Piper are our hosts here. Piper says it's a jungle back there and the guys have hair on their teeth. Piper talks about being proud of this being on The Armed Forces Network. He has a yellow ribbon and says it's staying there until the troops come home. Gorilla says there's no friends at this one, only enemies.

The Orient Express vs The Rockers

This really wasn't built up much and The Rockers just got off having some matches with Demolition on house shows. Piper says it should be one of the greatest tag team matches we've ever seen.

Tanaka knocks Marty off the ropes as he poses and Shawn takes a double back body drop. Marty dropkicks Kato then superkicks Tanaka. Tanaka takes a huge double slam to the point that it was almost a hiptoss. The Express go out to stall and The Rockers do stereo topes on them.

Marty side headlocks Kato. Marty side headlocks Kato. Kato leapfrogs him then hiptosses him. Marty headscissors him and Kato rolls out. They double bridge up together then Marty backslides him. They then stand off.

Marty leapfrogs Kato then Kato runs into Tanaka. Marty armdrags Tanaka. Shawn works Tanaka's arm and water wheel drops him. Shawn armlocks Tanaka then shoulders him over. Tanaka flying twisting forearms him for 2. Tanaka chinlocks him. Kato is tagged in. Kato drops down and they almost run into each other then Shawn bangs The Express' heads together. Shawn flying knees Tanaka.

Shawn sleepers Tanaka then Kato hits Shawn from behind off the buckles. Kato legsweeps him and hits chops and punches. Shawn hits corner punches on Tanaka then moonsaults onto Kato. The Express are thrown into each other but dosey do and hit punches on The Rockers. The Rockers flip out of double atomic drops then hit double dropkicks.The Rockers then do plancha's off the top onto The Express outside.

The Rockers double back elbow Kato and Gorilla says, "a pat on the back is only 18 inches from a kick in the pants". Shawn twisting suplexes Kato then Shawn takes a double team stungun. Tanaka holds Shawn for cane shots from Fuji. Tanaka chops Shawn down then leapfrogs Kato to land on Shawn's back. Tanaka trap holds Shawn then pounds on him.

Kato gets in and throws Shawn in the corner. Shawn upside down flips for it then is superkicked on the apron. Shawn takes a double clothesline and does a twisting sell for it. Shawn bangs Tanaka's head off the mat. The Express grab a belt and try to clothesline Shawn with it. Shawn crossbodies the belt and sends them into each other.

Marty is hot tagged in and hits punches on both Express members. Marty hits dropkicks on both then powerslams Kato for 2. Marty flying back elbows Kato. Marty goes for the backslide then Tanaka kicks Marty. Shawn trips Kato then Kato takes a double superkick. Marty goes to rocket launch Shawn but Tanaka kicks Marty and Shawn falls off the top to the floor. Kato slams Marty then Marty is catapulted into a Tanaka chop.

Shawn hits Tanaka, Kato catapults Marty and Marty sunset flips Tanaka to win the match.

Thoughts: Piper said it was going to be one of the best tag matches ever and he didn't lie. This was an easy MOTYC for 1991. It's not a surprise either after The Rockers vs The Harts from SNME earlier in the year. The 2nd half wasn't as good as the first half due to some of the rest holds but the first half was some of the best tag team wrestling ever. The crowd was red hot. The Rockers did cool flying moves and double teams while selling well. The heels cheated and got their double teams countered. It was exciting and there were lots of twists and turns here. Just everything clicked and went right and you could not ask for more.

Sean Mooney interviews Macho King Randy Savage. He says he's the greatest champ ever and the #1 contender. He said Slaughter told him he's the #1 contender if he wins the title. Sean asks if he got the same commitment from The Ultimate Warrior. Macho says it will happen in seconds when Queen Sherri bates The Ultimate Warrior. He calls Warrior a fool.

Queen Sherri and Mean Gene Okerlund head to the stage. Sherri said she's here to make a public apology. She says Warrior promised Macho that he will be granted a title match. Sherri says that she knows Slaughter will give Macho a title shot. She said she hopes that The Warrior will be as honorable as he says he is. She tells Warrior to come out and accept the challenge. She says he is yellow. 

The Ultimate Warrior comes out. Sherri says "what about it?". She asks if he will give Macho a title shot. Sherri says she admired him for a long time and touches him. She tries to seduce him and gets on her knees, asking if he will give Macho a title match. Warrior says no and beats his chest. Warrior walks off and we see Macho throw a chair in his room. He says he's gonna get him right now.

Macho runs out to ringside and runs up to Sherri but Warrior is gone.

Thoughts: Uh, okay. This was a weird angle and the set-up for it was already weird. Macho asked for a title shot a while ago and Warrior agreed to it but it hadn't happened yet for unknown reasons. Warrior then changes his mind here and it's seemingly off for unknown reasons. 

The Barbarian vs The Big Boss Man

This match hadn't been built at all though Boss Man had been feuding with Heenan for months after Heenan started insulting his mom. Rick Rude was involved but he left so Barb is filling in for him I suppose.

Barb leaves as Boss enters and Boss grabs Barb's robe. Barb stalls outside for a while. Barb knees him in the gut and hits uppercuts. Boss hits a nice big boot and running back elbows him. Boss hits shots on him outside and sends him into the post. Barb eye pokes Boss then is hit in the gut as he comes off the top. Boss lariats Barb over the top and goes out with him.

Boss hits shots then Barb suplexes him. Barb hits a stiff lariat. Barb punches him and Boss hangs off the ropes outside in a cool bit of selling. Barb boots and clubs on Boss while he hangs. Barb rams Boss' back into the post. Heenan gets a boot in on Boss outside.

Barb clubs on Boss then backbreakers him. Barb bearhugs him and drops him. Barb hits elbow drops. Barb bearhugs him and Boss headbutts him. Boss bites him in the nose then step up enzugiri's him. Boss misses a corner charge and is rolled up. Boss stunguns him for 2. They bang heads and both go down.

Barb top rope diving clotheslines him for 2. Barb flies at him and is sidewalk slammed. Barb piledrivers him. Barb top rope crossbodies him and Boss rolls through it to pin him and win.

Heenan runs to the back before Boss can get him.

Thoughts: It was a little longer and slower than it needed to be but the work was great here and I liked it. Boss really had figured things out by this point and was just the complete package. He was big, he had a good gimmick, he could sell, he took great bumps and he could talk. Nobody really talks about Boss Man was one of the top WWF guys of this era but there's really no argument for him not to be a main event wrestler at this point.

Sean Mooney interviews General Adnan and Sgt. Slaughter. Adnan talks in his language. Sarge says if you think there is turmoil in the world today, wait until he faces "The Ultimate Puke" for the title. He says you will see some turmoil when he wins the title. He says these maggots need a leader and he will be their new leader. He says he has integrity and is someone people can look up to and respect. Sarge says Warrior's weeks, days and hours are no longer numbered, his seconds are numbered. He says he is dismissed and that's an order.

Thoughts: It was a good promo here by Sarge.

Mean Gene Okerlund interviews The Ultimate Warrior. Warrior says the orders fall on deaf ears. He says he only takes orders from The Warrior's that ride on back. He says Sarge's turmoil is nothing but a grain of sand in the desert. He says the foxhole that it is in will lead you to defeat. Warrior says his Warrior's could never look up to someone like Sarge and says the only people who would are people who are demented. He says he will walk away as the ultimate victor.

WWF Title - The Ultimate Warrior (c) vs Sgt. Slaughter

As I said earlier, leading up to this, Warrior vs Macho seemed to be the next big title match. Sarge was just announced as the next contender for no real reason and it seemed like a last minute change of plans.

Warrior is wearing USA colors here which is cool. Adnan and Sarge try to clothesline Warrior with the Iraqi flag but he ducks it and double clotheslines them. Warrior punches Sarge and Sarge goes out then Adnan is knocked out too .Warrior then breaks the Iraqi flag.

Warrior hits Sarge with the flagpole which should have been a DQ (as should have Sarge trying to hit Warrior with it). Warrior whips him into the buckles and kneelifts him. Sarge has a piece of the flag in his mouth and has his head banged off the post. Warrior chokes Sarge with the flag.

Sarge is sent into the buckles gut first and does a nice bump for it then Warrior corner lariats him. Sarge takes another belly bump into the corner and goes over the top to the floor. Queen Sherri comes down to ringside wearing a new outfit from earlier. Warrior chokes Sarge with the flag.

Warrior shoulders Sarge over. Sherri trips Warrior. Warrior chases Sherri to the back then is nailed by Macho King in the aisle. Macho sends him into the rails, hits him with a light and falls over on him as well. Warrior is down way beyond the ref's vision and is being counted out. Sarge stops the count and Warrior tries to get back to the ring. 

Sarge boots and double axe handles Warrior in the ring. Sarge clubs on Warrior then backbreakers him. Sarge spits on him. Warrior ducks a clothesline then they double clothesline each other. Sarge bearhugs Warrior. Warrior starts to hulk up while in the hood then double chops Sarge. Warrior slams Sarge and holds his back.

Sarge hits elbow drops to the back then backbreakers him. Sarge stomps the back then camel clutches him. Warrior's legs are hanging out of the ring but the ref doesn't see it. The ref makes Sarge break the hold. Sarge thinks he has it won and the ref says Warrior's legs were hanging out of the ring.

Sarge hits shots on Warrior and Warrior hulks up. Warrior hits running clotheslines then flying shoulders him. Queen Sherri then heads down to ringside again. She has Macho's scepter and gets on the apron. Warrior pulls her over the top rope and gorilla presses her. Macho King comes down to ringside and Sherri is gorilla pressed onto Macho outside.

Sarge knees Warrior from behind then Macho nails Warrior with the scepter, breaking it on him. Sarge then elbow drops Warrior and wins it. Sgt. Slaughter is the new WWF Champion!

The crowd quiets down and the announcers don't believe it. The crowd chants "bullsh!t". Warrior then runs to the back to try and grab Macho. Piper then yells "bull" when Sarge is awarded the win.

Thoughts: It was actually a really good match. Sarge bumped big. Warrior sold Macho's attack well and worked the crowd into a frenzy with his comeback off the bearhug. The interference really added drama here and made it seem like Sarge had a shot at this. The crowd was red hot for this as well. People say Warrior was a bad worker but he always come ups big in main event matches like this one. You could also write off any chances of Hulk vs Warrior II after this one.

Anyone who has been following the coverage here knows what I think of Warrior's title reign. It was one of the worst booked reigns ever. Hogan took some of the spotlight from the start at Wrestlemania VI. Warrior was given people he had already beaten like Rude, who were not really established main event guys. Hogan always got more TV time and focus than he did and there were many weeks where on the flagship WWF show, Warrior wasn't seen. He had bizarre segments with Brother Love. Warrior was put with The LOD against Demolition for a while which again wasn't a huge main event program and then he got ripped for letting himself be slapped around by Sherri. He then ended up losing the title to Sgt. Slaughter in a match that had very little build to it when he was feuding with Macho Man. It's no wonder his reign didn't do great numbers - he never really got a fair shake and despite being champ, was never really the top guy. The whole thing was also part of the bigger issue of the WWF running out of talent to poach from other territories which lead to some rough years through the early 1990's.

They have an ad for Wrestlemania VII at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum which is only 2 months away and won't be taking place there.

The Mountie vs Koko B. Ware

This isn't The Mountie's debut as he had already wrestled 2 matches at this point. But, neither of the two matches had aired yet. This match also had no hype or build and Koko had been reduced to jobber status at this point.

Mountie misses a shot and Koko does his bird flap. Piper says he can't get the last match out of his mind and thinks Sarge has won it. Mountie hits Koko then Koko dropkicks him. Gorilla says Piper knows Mountie well and Gorilla should since he wrestled here for years.

Mountie hits leapfrogs and goes for another then Koko punches him. Koko armdrags him. Mountie hits punches and Koko hits back. Koko takes a wild back body drop over the top the floor. Jimmy Hart gets on the apron and Mountie zaps Koko with his shock stick. Mountie claws him and shoves him down. 

Mountie backs Koko's head off the buckles. Piper really puts over how Mountie doesn't represent Canadian mounties and how he's a bad egg. Koko sunset flips him for 2. Mountie throws him out and Jimmy Hart yells at Frankie the bird.

Mountie goes for a piledriver and takes a back body drop. Mountie kicks him in the ribs then Koko spinning neckbreakers him. Koko flying headbutts him and slams him. Koko top rope dropkicks him and lands on his feet. Koko goes after Jimmy Hart. Koko hits shots on Mountie then Koko 2nd rope twisting crossbodies him for 2. Piper swears and Koko runs into an iron claw slam. Mountie gets the win.

Thoughts: This wasn't a great debut for Mountie. It was slow and went on too long. As I said, Koko had been used as a jobber by this point and it didn't look good for Mountie to have trouble with him when everyone was wiping the floor with him easy.

Sean Mooney interviews Macho King Randy Savage and Queen Sherri in the locker room. Sean calls Macho's actions a heinous act. He says Warrior would still be champ without him. Macho says nobody says no to him. Macho says he's always been the champ and is still champ. He says he's going after Slaughter now. Warrior starts pounding on the door and Sean, Macho and Sherri run for it.

The announcers talk about what happened in the Warrior/Sarge match and are mad.

Mean Gene Okerlund interviews Sgt. Slaughter and General Adnan. Sarge tells Gene to shut his hole. He says he gives the orders and when he says he will do something, you better believe he will do it. Sarge says he will reach out and take what he wants. He says when he is going to get someone or do something, he will do it. He says he's the new champ and that's an order.

Piper says Sarge won't hold onto the title for long and Gorilla says he's the ultimate puke. Piper says it's open doors and we will all get a crack at him.

We get some messages from people for the troops.

Gorilla said Hulk had a tour set up for the Middle East but the US government said he can't do it. He said Hulk will visit bases in the US instead. 

They said we will hear from people in The Rumble.

Jake Roberts does a promo. He says there's 29 people in The Rumble but one snake who is sure what he has to do. He says he will cut through 29 men to get to Rick.

Earthquake says a lot of people will go right for him. He says to bring them all on and says he has something special for Hulk.

Greg Valentine has blonde hair again. He says he has 29 men to worry about and says the real hammer will come crashing down on them.

Texas Tornado says when the tornado comes down there will be one winner and it's him.

The Legion of Doom talk. Hawk says if life is like a rollercoaster, you don't want to take a ride on either of them. Animals says things can happen that never happened before.

Brother Love says The Undertaker will bury all 29 opponents. Taker says the only thing his opponents will do is rest in peace.

Hacksaw Jim Duggan says it's getting close. He says he will be the last man in the ring.

Rick Martel says it's not what you do, but how you look doing it. He says to watch him shine when he throws everyone out. He says it will be his pleasure to guide Jake out of the ring, making an eye joke here

British Bulldog says he's gonna have a bulldog?

Heenan and Mr. Perfect do a promo. Perfect says he will be the last man standing. He says he's the greatest athlete the WWF has ever produced and will win The Rumble.

Tugboat says it's every man for himself. He says he will jump in the middle of things. He then does his horn sound when he says it could be and Hulk at the end.

Piper says he doesn't know if he can take it and says it has been the greatest PPV event he has ever been at.

Piper said he had lunch with Virgil.

Ted Dibiase and Virgil are interviewed by Sean Mooney. Ted says his bodyguard will fare well. He says everyone wants to know why Virgil do the things he does and absorbs his treatment. Ted says it's the almighty dollar. He says he bought a bodyguard and a tag team partner. He says there is a bond thicker than blood and it's the money of The Million Dollar Man.

Dusty and Dustin Rhodes vs "The Million Dollar Man" Ted Dibiase and Virgil

The build for this one has actually been good and this feud has been going on since Summerslam, when Ted bought Sapphire. Sapphire hasn't been seen much since and seems to be done as an on air talent.

The heels attack the faces and are thrown into each other. Dusty hits bionic elbows and Dustin hits punches. The heels go out to stall. Virgil chops Dustin then Dustin flying lariats him. Dustin dropkicks him. Virgil clubs on Dustin then is shouldered over. Virgil leapfrogs and is stomped and lariated over the top.

Ted knees Dustin in the gut then hits a nice lariat. Ted hits punches on Dustin then bangs his head off the buckles. Ted hits shots to Dustin's gut. Ted back body drops Dustin. Ted fist drops him.

Dustin bangs Ted's head off the mat. Dustin and Dusty hit elbows on Ted. Dusty hits elbows on Ted Dusty sleepers Ted and Virgil breaks it up. Dustin hits a dropkick on Ted and Virgil breaks the pin up.

Dustin misses a flying knee in the corner. Ted kneelifts him. Virgil drops Dustin with a shot. Dustin's leg is banged off the post. Ted bangs Dustin's leg off the post. Ted yanks Dustin's leg. The heels try to double team Dustin, Dustin moves and Virgil nails Ted. Virgil walks away then Ted hits shots on Virgil. Ted throws Virgil out and Piper says that's what you get if you won't stand up for yourself. Dusty misses a corner charge and Ted rolls him up to win.

Ted gets on the mic after. He says everyone has a price for The Million Dollar Man. He says nobody crosses him without paying the price. He says Rhodes and his punk kid paid the price. Ted calls Virgil an idiot. He tells him to get in the ring and put the belt around his waist. He says he will do it because money talks louder than anything. Ted orders him around and tells him to put The Million Dollar Title around his waist. Virgil throws the title down. He asks if he needs to remind him one more time about his family and mother. Ted says "everybody has a price" then Virgil nails him with the title. Virgil then leaves and is cheered.

Thoughts: The Rhodes were definitely buried here with this loss as Ted basically won it 1v2. The Rhodes were on their way out though here as they would head to WCW. They've been pushing that Virgil is getting tired of being pushed around and used by Ted and they definitely pushed that one here. I was really surprised they had Virgil turn so quick as while they did tease it, they hadn't teased it hard yet.

Mean Gene Okerlund interviews Hulk Hogan. Hulk says him and his Hulkamaniacs need to unite. He says he's dedicating this to the boys in the Persian Gulf. He says he will scratch and fight his way to victory and says Hulkamania has more momentum than it has ever had. Gene interrupts and says he was just told that Sgt. Slaughter has just defaced the American flag. Hulk says if he did that, that would seal his fate for good. Hulk says Sarge's title reign will be like Saddam Hussein's - only temporary.

The 1991 Royal Rumble Match

Bret Hart is in at #1. Dino Bravo is in at #2. They lock up and Bret is shoved back. Bret flying forearms him then dropkicks him. Bret hits an atomic drop then lariats him from behind. Dino is half over the ropes but Dino makes his comeback. Dino hits shots on Bret then atomic drops him. Dino misses an elbow drop and is punched. Greg Valentine is in next. He attacks Dino, who was his stablemate just a few months ago. They trade shots. Jimmy Hart gets on the apron and yells at Greg then Dino lariats Greg from behind. Greg then eliminates Dino after shots. Jimmy argues with Greg and Greg grabs him by the jacket.

Bret atomic drops Greg then lariats him. Bret goes for the elimination. Paul Roma is in next. The Harts were feuding with Power and Glory at the time, so this makes sense. Roma and Greg elbow Hart together. Roma then turns on Greg. Hart bangs their heads together. Greg and Roma trade then Roma is beat up on. Texas Tornado is in next. Kerry hits shots on Roma then discus punches him. Greg gets one too and flops for it.

Bret misses a 2nd rope elbow. Kerry and Greg trade. Roma hits a nice dropkick on Kerry. Rick Martel is in next. He goes after Bret then Roma pounds on Martel. Martel eye rakes Roma. Greg is dropped with a punch by Kerry. Bret hits punches on Martel and goes for the elimination. Roma hits a nice lariat, surprising Martel. Saba Simba is in next. Saba gets some shots in and everyone pairs off. Martel is atomic dropped by Kerry.

Roma ducks a discus punch and begs off. Kerry puts Roma in the claw. Bushwhacker Butch is in at #8. Martel eye rakes Bret. Butch marches in the ring then is chopped. Saba tries to slam Martel over the top but Martel eliminates him.  

Jake Roberts is in next. Him and Martel pair off as Jake hits punches. Jake gutbusters him then bangs his head off the mat. Jake short arm lariats him. Martel slides out of the ring under the bottom rope. Jake goes after him and they get back in. Greg hits shots on Jake. Jake has new black tights with a colorful snake on it. Martel is on the apron and stomps Jake. Hercules is in next and saves Roma. Butch is double teamed by Power and Glory. Herc and Kerry trade. Jake is tied up in the ropes and Martel chokes him. Tito Santana is in next. Roma misses a flying crossbody on Jake and goes over the top. Kerry hits shots on Jake then Tito tries to throw Martel over the top. Greg then tries to throw Tito over.

The Undertaker is in next. Taker picks up Bret by his throat and throws him out. Kerry and Taker fight it out. Taker drops him with a punch then he chokes him. Jimmy Snuka is in next. Taker throws Butch out for the elimination. Kerry jumps on Taker's back wit ha sleeper and Greg 2nd rope elbows Taker in the head. Taker bangs Greg's and Kerry's heads together.

The British Bulldog comes in. Bulldog goes after Hammer. Things are slowing down some here. Jake atomic drops Martel then Bulldog atomic drops him too. Demolition Smash comes in. Bulldog lariats Smach. Martel avoids Jake's ddt. Martel grabs Jake from the apron and pull him out to eliminate him. Snuka bangs Martel's and Herc's heads together. Hawk is next in and he hits everyone.

3 people then gang up on Hawk. Hawk knees Herc in the gut then Herc and Greg have their heads banged together by Hawk. Shane Douglas is in next. He hits shots on Smash. Kerry tries to discus punch Taker but is thrown over the top. Hawk throws Snuka over the top.

Shane and Tito double clothesline Martel. Hawk lariats Herc. Nobody comes out for the next entry.. Rick Martel has been in for 25 minutes now according to Gorilla. Herc eye rakes Greg. Animal is next in. The Legion of Doom eliminate Taker then Martel and Herc eliminate Hawk. Smash works on Animal.

Demolition Crush is next in. Demolition work on Bulldog together and double clothesline him. Animal stupid saves Martel from a possible elimination. Hacksaw Jim Duggan is next in. Jim hits punches on Smash.

Animal bearhugs Martel. Earthquake is next in. He trades with Animal. Quake misses a big lariat and is lariated into the ropes. Quake then throws Animal over the top and eliminates him. Duggan hits shots on Quake and has his head banged off the buckles.

Mr. Perfect is next in. Duggan throws Perfect into the buckles and Perfect does a big sell for it. Duggan charges at Perfect and is back body dropped over the top rope. Perfect dropkicks Smash. Tito lariats Perfect. Perfect is held for shots from Herc.

Hulk Hogan is next in. Smash pounds on Hulk. Hulk eye rakes him and hits punches. Hulk hits a big boot and throws him over the top. Hulk hits corner punches on Quake. Perfect hits shots on Hulk then Quake hits shots on Hulk in the corner. Quake and Herc try to eliminate Hulk. Haku is next in.  

Hulk throws Greg Valentine out. Haku headbutts Hulk then Martel chokes Hulk with a shirt. Hulk double arm chokes Martel. Martel 2nd rope double axe handles Haku. Jim Neidhart is next in. Tito hits a punch flurry on Quake's gut. Quake throws Tito out and eliminates him.

Hulk hits shots on Haku. Herc, Haku and Quake try to eliminate Hulk but Shane Douglas makes the save. Bushwhacker Luke is next in. Luke is immediately grabbed by Quake and thrown over the top. Luke then does his march to the back. Hulk is held and nailed by Haku. Quake picks up Hulk but Shane and Bulldog save him. Nasty Boy Brian Knobbs comes in. Knobbs fires on Haku and Martel. Knobbs takes a 4v1. 

Knobbs and Neidhart go at it and Perfect hits shots on Hulk. Knobbs back body drops Herc over the top rope to eliminate him. The Warlord is next in. Warlord hits shots on Bulldog. Crush hits corner punches on Hulk and is thrown over the top to the floor.

Martel atomic drops Douglas and Perfect hits Warlord on accident when they 2v1 Hulk. Hulk lariats Warlord over the top and eliminates him. Tugboat comes out. They said Macho King was supposed to come out but he never made it out for some reason.

Neidhart and Hulk double team Perfect. Tug lifts Martel with a double choke. Bulldog back elbows Knobbs. Neidhart chokes Perfect over the top rope. Tugboat bearhugs Hulk and tries to throw him out. Hulk lands on the apron but gets back in.

Tugboat goes after Martel then Hulk throws Tugboat in. Mr. Perfect is crotched on the top rope and bulldropkicks him down to the floor. Heenan throws his towel into the seats in frustration.

Martel throws Neidhart out then Bulldog back body drops Haku out. The final five are Knobbs, Quake, Bulldog, Martel and Hulk. Hulk is 2v1'd by Knobbs and Quake. Martel goes up top and Bulldog crotches him there. Bulldog then lariats him off the top to the floor. Martel is eliminated after 52:17.

Knobbs and Quake throw Bulldog over the top. Hulk takes a double clothesline then Knobbs hits elbow drops on Hulk. Quake splashes Hulk and high fives Knobbs. Knobbs elbow drops Hulk. Quake butt drops Hulk. The heels pose and Hulk stops selling. Hulk gets up and lariats Quake and Knobbs. Hulk big boots Knobbs over the top. Hulk hits shots on Quake then big boots him. Jimmy Hart gets on the apron and is nailed.

Hulk goes to slam Quake but Quake falls on him. Quake elbow drops Hulk. Quake powerslams Hulk. Hulk stops selling and hulks up. Hulk hits punches on Quake then big boots him. Hulk slams Quake then lariats him from behind over the top rope. Hulk wins the 1991 Royal Rumble for his second Rumble win in a row.

Hulk poses to close the show.

Thoughts: It was a long and slow Rumble. It just didn't have as many exciting moments and it didn't have as good of workers as last year's Rumble did. There were too many people in the ring at times and multiple eliminations happened when someone was entering or when someone else was getting eliminated which made it harder to follow. Hulk winning wasn't real exciting either. I didn't like Hogan no selling Quake's butt drop and I would have liked them to build up to Tug and Hulk attacking each other. Greg Valentine may or may not have turned face here but I could make arguments for both. Martel got the big rub here staying in at over 52 minutes, but you'd think you'd want to give that rub to a face instead.

Overall thoughts: The Rockers/Orient Express was a classic. I liked Boss Man vs Barbarian and Warrior/Sarge was a good match. I didn't really care for the Rhodes vs Virgil/Dibiase tag, Mounties debut match was not that good and I didn't like the Sherri/Warrior angle. The Royal Rumble Match was long, slow and uninteresting. I think I would give it a 5 out of 10 overall due to the opener being so strong and the undercard being good.