The 1994 Royal Rumble, is the first true RR of the New Generation era, gone in the last year was Hulk Hogan (at least for the rest of the century) and even the 93 Rumble marked the last hurrah for many long-term superstars.
So let's get straight to it, tonight's commentators are Vince McMahon and Ted DiBiase (not sure how many PPVs or shows he worked the announce table)
#1 is SCOTT STEINER, who has wrestled a lot of countries, I always thought the Steiner Bros where a cool team back in the day, #2 is SAMU, again with AFA who throws him in the ring by the hair again. It's crazy how much Scott looks different here from when he became Big Poppa Pump. It's hard to get into this bit so much when you know a tag-team wrestler is not going to win, #3 is RICK STEINER, in a shocking twist, while the two team up on Samu, there is just no urgency to any of it and #4 comes out and unsurprisingly it's FATU KWANG (with Harvey Wippleman) as SAMU gets eliminated, so faces have the advantage still, Kwang would later be a better (but not huge) success as Savio Vega, #5 is OWEN HART, who had a memorable moment earlier in the night when he kicked Bret's leg from his leg and cemented an incredibly memorable heel turn (and a classic 5* star match against Bret at Wrestlemania X), he eliminates Rick Steiner and Scott is busy with Kwang, #6 is future Brawl For All Winner BART GUNN - this is such a weird pet peeve but I hate when wrestlers wear jeans to fight, so I was never a big Smoking Gunns fan, and it turned out him and Billy were not really Brothers, I hate when wrestling lies to me like that! Vince talks about getting the cameras back for something. #7 is DIESEL, in his first Rumble and is Shawn Michaels' bodyguard at the time. Diesel eliminates Bart Gunn, followed y Scott Steiner and he also throws out Owen, think would have made sense to have Owen come in later maybe and he cleans house by taking Kwang out (Vince also literally says cleaning house as I type that)/.
#8 is current record holder BOB BACKLUND, and almost gets Diesel out but is gone in less than 2 minutes... the two also had memorably short World Title match at the end of the year, as Diesel waits for #9 for BILLY GUNN, also in jeans like his "Brother" was and doesn't last long at all, never mind he'd go onto one of the most successful tag-teams of the Attitude era and also have a gay wedding ceremony, as we cut to the back to show footage from earlier of Kabuki and co. attacking Lex Luger. #10 as Super Shredder waiting for wrestling superstar VIRGIL, who is an alternate for Kamala according to Vince, and he doesn't last long at all, as Oz waits for the next entrant, and we get #11 MACHO MAN RANDY SAVAGE! who may eliminate himself, it's crazy to think this is Savage's last year with the company. He has to be the first person in that you don't think Diesel will automatically throw out, #12 is DOUBLE J JEFF JARRETT, whose using the federation as a stepping stone to stardom in Nashville... if that makes sense, Jarrett thinks he's got Savage out and does is strut but it's too late and he gets thrown out, #13 is CRUSH, I used to like him back in the day, and him and Savage are feuding at this point (or this the start), all 3 people in the ring are future NWO members (as was the previous 2 eliminations Virgil and Jarrett). Both men are teaming upon Savage, and now at #14 it's DOINK THE CLOWN with Dink as Savage gets eliminated as Vinnie Vegas automatically goes for Crush, and while Doink is laughing at them, they both want to gang up on him back he does things like eye gouge them as Doink fails at body slamming Diesel, #15 is BAM BAM BIGELOW (with Luna), one of the greatest and agile big men of all time in my opinion, and the BB and Doink have much history, and Bam Bam might be the only person in the history of the Rumble to actually have the opponent up high and actually throw them out as he does with Doink.
#16 is MABEL of M.O.M accompanied by Oscar as the crowd chant oop there it is, crazy to think Crush is the small guy in this ring as he splashes Diesel in the corner, while even as a kid I never thought it would be even close to a technical classic I wanted to see Mabel go one on one with Yokozuna. #17 is SPARKY PLUGG (who took the place of the 123 Kid), the future Hardcore Holly, who stayed employed for years in spite of (or because of) being a jerkass bully, this is when he was a racecar driver, the wages weren't obviously good as many had to take a second job. #18 is SHAWN MICHAELS and will he and Diesel work together, as Shawn just basically lets Bam Bam and Mabel and co. eliminate Diesel and even helps them. Impressive showing for Diesel in his first Rumble, #19 is MO of M.O.M, I can barely remember much about him from an in-ring pov as he almost eliminates Michaels, M.O.M seem to be working together, #20 is GREG 'THE HAMMER' VALENTINE, surely this was a one off wasn't it, surely he still wasn't with the company at this point... wait he was one of the Knights at Survivor Series in 93 wasn't he? #21 is TATANKA, as Crush stupidly doesn't throw Shawn Michaels out as he has him over his head, #22 is THE GREAT KABUKI - this was is only night with the company, everybody sans Mo team up to throw out Mabel, #23 is LEX LUGER to a nice response who runs out like he was not attacked earlier in the night, and is fighting everybody though Vince seems to think he signalled Kabuki out, but he does throw him out. Crush and Bigelow have impressively stayed in a while.
#24 is TENRYU another guy like Kabuki was hired by Fuji to take out Luger - this wasn't his first appearance for the company (he was also in the 93 Rumble and also had a WM to boot), #25 is... is... nobody, it must have been Bret Hart, Vince ponders... I legit think the story got give though was it was Bastion Booger, who ate something bad, #26 RICK 'THE MODEL' MARTEL, a worker I can't help but like, I think he was starting to wind down with the company here, making a few more appearances after this (and later a cool but short lived run in WCW circa 1998, that ended due to injury), #27 is nobody again... wait it's BRET HART, knowing how to sell an injury as he limps down to the ring, as Crush intelligently goes for his leg. Sparky as had a good run at this point, as #28 is FATU trying to make a difference (I may have already made that joke), looks positively trim here compared to his later more successful run, Crush is out by Luger and you wonder if it wasn't a bit of an accident and #29 is MARTY JANNETTY, a very talented guy who just couldn't keep it together and goes straight for his old tag-partner Shawn Michaels, who he almost eliminates. #30 is ADAM BOMB, who I hope nobody gets the wrath of, let's face it even if I didn't know the result, there is a few in here that you can see winning, Bret tries to eliminate Shawn and Plugg but only Plugg goes out.
I'm kind of waiting for the ring to clear out now as Bret goes for Adam Bomb as Fatu has Luger nearly out. Wait Mo is still in there, way to go Mo! Hammer too well done you! Bam Bam still feels the most impressive though. Luger seems to have not used is metal plate in his forearm yet though. The Model sends out Hammer in what feels a long time between eliminations as Tatanka eliminates his old foe Martel quickly after, Bomb runs at Luger at the ropes and that old trick he ducks for him to eliminate himself. Bam Bam takes out Tatanka. We have Jannetty, Michaels, Fatu, Bigelow, Tenryu, Luger and Bret. Luger eliminates Bigelow as Jannetty is sent out by Michaels. Tenryu attacks Luger as Bret comes to his aid and they both work together to eliminate him and they do! Tenry wants to get back in as we are down to our last four, Michaels and Hart go at it as Hart almost eliminates him. The heels are getting the better here. Luger hits a nice clothesline on Fatu after he almost eliminated (think Rikishi's later), as Bret eliminates Fatu and Luger eliminates Shawn in a neat spot at the same time, and the two fight and Luger and Bret go over the rope at the same time!
The referees (Joey Marella and Earl Hebner) are arguing over who the winner is, and we have Howard Finkel announcing who the winner is... and Luger's music hits as Hebner is arguing with Fink and now they order to play Bret's music, it's clear whose more popular of the pair as Bret's music gets a a louder response, Marella wants Luger and he raises his arm which gets as Ebner raises Bret's arm to cheers. Jack Tunney is now out, so it means business and we get a replay that doesn't help as we get another angle that still doesn't help. Tunney is telling Fink something and he announces the winner --- and then asks Tunney again --- they are milking this --- Fink is announcing the winner and it is LEX LUGER and BRET 'HITMAN' HART, that's right co-winners.The two shake hands in a sportsman like way.
Overall, let's be honest, it was a Rumble lacking in star power at times, Diesel's rampage was cool as was Bam Bam Bigelow's showing. Less cool was having Owen last relatively short since his memorable heel turn earlier in the night. Certainly a memorable ending but it was clear the fans wanted Bret to win more, the Lex Express was out of gas by this point and it was also a tale of two wrestling sell, Bret hobbled to the ring as Lex showed no ill effects at all. It's not a terrible Rumble by any means and I think my nostalgia glasses make it better then it was but it was watchable.
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