Royal Rumble (1996 TV Special) User Reviews

A tad underrated as far as Rumbles go.

[callanvass · 6/10 · 21 March 2016]

(01.21.96)

Live from Fresno, CA

Attendance: 9,600

Your hosts are Vince McMahon & Mr. Perfect

Jeff Jarrett Vs Ahmed Johnson

Ahmed wins by DQ when Jarrett nails Ahmed with a guitar. This wasn't the best choice to open the show. Jarrett being Ahmed's first high- profile feud is smart because Jarrett is a solid wrestler and a pro. Jarrett guiding him along nicely with Ahmed showing off his green, but impressive agility at times.

*1/2

Tag Team Championship

The Smoking Gunns (C) Vs The Bodydonnas (W/Sunny)

The Gunns retain when Bart pins Zip with a small package. This tag match was OK, if a little inconsistent at times. In my opinion, Sunny was the most interesting thing here.

**

Intercontinental Championship

Razor Ramon (C) Vs Goldust (W/Marlena)

Goldust wins the title after The 1-2-3 Kid interferes and costs Razor the title. This one was all about mind games and psychology. They told a good story, it's just the match quality isn't that great because of Goldust's methodical style. This would lead to Razor facing The Kid in a crybaby match.

*3/4

It's time for the Royal Rumble! #1 is Hunter Hearst Helmsley. #2 is Hunter's old foe, Henry Godwin. #3 is Bob Backlund. He saves Hunter from being eliminated. #4 is Jerry Lawler. He helps devise a plan to triple team Henry Godwin with Hunter and Backlund. Henry ends up throwing slop on Lawler. #5 is Bob Holly. #6 is King Mabel. I'm shocked that Mabel didn't eliminate anyone. #7 is Jake "The Snake" Roberts to a huge pop. He clears everyone out of the ring (through the ropes) with his snake except for Lawler, who gets the snake draped over him. #8 is Dory Funk Jr. The crowd wants Jake to deliver a DDT. Lawler is NOT eliminated, just hiding underneath the ring. #9 is Yokozuna. Yokozuna tosses Backlund and eliminates him. #10 is the 1-2-3 Kid with Razor trailing right behind him. Razor chases The Kid all over ringside until he's restrained by officials. #11 is Takao Omari from Japan. #12 is Savio Vega to no reaction. Yokozuna eliminates Mabel, then Jake Roberts gets rid of Omari as well. Uh- oh! #13 is Vader. Savio eliminates Dory Funk Jr. #14 is Doug Gilbert from the USWA. Jake DDT's Savio to a pop, but gets eliminated by a punch from Vader immediately after. #15 is a Squat Team member. I'm not too familiar with The Squat Team. Vader eliminates Doug Gilbert with ease by press-slamming him over the top rope. Soon after that, he gets rid of the Squat Team member. #16 is Squat Team member #2. Since they're twins, they decide to enter the ring together, but Yokozuna and Vader quickly put a stop to that. #17 is Owen Hart. #18 is Shawn Michaels! Vince is WAY too excited about Shawn (Here he comes! Here he comes!!) Vader gets rid of Savio Vega to end his night. Shawn dumps BOTH Yokozuna and Vader to a huge pop. The 1-2-3 Kid's night ends when Shawn tosses him. #19 is Hakushi. Vader is P****sed about being eliminated and clears the entire ring, but none of the eliminations count because Vader had already been thrown out. #20 is Tatanka. Owen Hart tosses Hakushi out as Aldo Montoya comes in at #21. Shawn finds Lawler under the ring, pulls him out, then officially eliminates him. #22 is Diesel. Diesel gets rid of Tatanka. #23 is Kama. #24 is STONE COLD....err, The Ringmaster. The Ringmaster ends Bob Holly's lengthy run and eliminates him. #25 is Barry Horrowitz. Diesel eliminates Triple H after Hunter was in there for almost 50 minutes. #26 is Fatu. #27 is Issac Yankem (Kane). Owen Hart tosses Horrowitz. Shawn eliminates Owen Hart. Austin hilariously mocks HBK's pose after drilling him with a clothesline. #28 is Marty Janetty. Shawn and Marty go at it, of course. #29 is The British Bulldog. The Bulldog gets rid of Janetty. Fatu eliminates The Ringmaster, then Yankem tosses Fatu. #30 is Duke "The Dumpster" Droese. Owen Hart runs out and attacks HBK to get some revenge for the elimination. Shawn eliminates Issac Yankem. Diesel and Kama get rid of Droese. The final four are HBK, Diesel, Kama, and The British Bulldog. HBK clotheslines Bulldog out. Diesel eliminates Kama, but Shawn superkicks Diesel from behind to eliminate Diesel. Diesel makes his way back to the ring and confronts Shawn Michaels. After some brief tension is teased, Diesel ends up high-fiving Shawn.

Royal Rumble winner: Shawn Michaels

Thoughts: This was a pretty solid Rumble for the most part. I wouldn't say it's filled with outstanding moments, but it does have some memorable ones. Vader made as good of an impact as he possibly could have without winning the rumble. Triple H made an impression by lasting almost 50 minutes. Also, Shawn winning was the right choice at this juncture. My favorite moment of the rumble is Jake Robert's return. I always pop for it each time I see it.

WWF Championship

Bret Hart (C) Vs The Undertaker (W/Paul Bearer)

Diesel brawls with Undertaker in the aisle while Diesel's on his way back to the dressing room. The Undertaker has the match won after hitting Bret with a tombstone, but Diesel pulls the referee out and causes the DQ. I have mixed emotions about this match. On one hand, I enjoyed it. The psychology was great and it really became exciting after a while. Even though both were faces, I liked the aggression from both. On the other hand, there are far too many rest holds at times and it really dragged the match down. The crowd was split 50/50.

***1/2

The beginning of a short lived era

[bh_tafe3 · 6/10 · 1 July 2009]

Well, the strange year of 1995 was behind us, Diesel's title reign was no more, he'd lost his WWE Championship to Bret Hart in November. Not only that but the Undertaker was getting a title shot tonight rather than Diesel. The big man was none too pleased that he had yet to be granted a rematch.

Of equal concern coming in was the health of fan favourite Shawn Michaels, who had collapsed in the ring during a live RAW broadcast in December (entirely fictional but effective stunt taking advantage of the old adage "You can do anything on a live show"). The Royal Rumble would be his first meaningful match since.

The night kicked off with Duke Droese defeating rich snob Hunter Hearst Helmsley (who would later be better known as Triple H) by disqualification in a throwaway match that I think was actually part of the free for all, but found its way onto both the VHS and DVD releases.

At least I hope that's the case because the next match followed in another disappointing DQ with the recently returned Jeff Jarrett trying to take out powerhouse Ahmed Johnson with his guitar. Johnson was not the best worker in the WWE on his best day, and didn't have a great night here either. Bad match.

Todd Pettengil got a rather diplomatic interview from Diesel about not having a title match tonight and his chances of winning the Royal Rumble, drawing special attention to former WCW Champion Vader, who would be competing in this match in an early WWE PPV appearance. An exceptionally mobile big man in his prime, Vader never really caught on in the WWE.

The next match saw the Smoking Gunns (Bart and Billy) successfully defend their Tag Team Championships against the Body Donnas (Skip and Zip) despite the managerial skills of Sunny. This again was not really a great match. Well at least it's a step up from losing to Barry Horowitz, hey Skip? Ted DiBiase now gives us a look at his wrestling war room. Not one of his more memorable segments.

Intercontinental Champion Razor Ramon had a big problem going into the next match, the man he'd be putting the title on the line against, Goldust, supposedly had a crush on him and had been sending him love letters and beguiling him with poetry. It was all a sham though, I mean who needs Razor when you've got Terri Runnels. Goldust and Terri worked well in tandem, and amidst much suggested hanky panky and other shenanigans Goldust got the pin and became new IC Champion. Decent match, but weird as well. Goldust certainly was a sight to behold.

We had the typical video montage going into the Rumble, with various wrestlers saying they were going to win it. In the end Triple H came in at one and lasted the longest, Shawn Micheals had the most eliminations and was also the winner. This was not really a great rumble, the ending came with Shawn Michaels super kicking Diesel just as he was eliminating a hapless opponent. Diesel was furious, his Wrestlemania dream in tatters, but Shawn Michaels would be there. It was only a question of who he would face.

Bret Hart and Undertaker worked a neat little match in the main event, not either's best work but perfectly fine, before Diesel ran in and hit Hart, giving the Undertaker victory by disqualification. It was all part of Diesel's plan to keep himself in the Wrestlemania picture and it worked. Gorilla Monsoon announced at the end of the PPV that Bret Hart Diesel would get his title match at In Your House 6 in a month, so Michaels would need to wait a few weeks longer to find out who he would be facing at Wrestlemania in March.

A new era starts here

[paudieconnolly · 6/10 · 5 June 2021]

Much better than last year where people seemed to be flying into the ring every few seconds and was very predictable. Some slow moments but with a mix of some good feuds and elimination sequences . Royal rumble never lies to how much talent is in the company and were it's getting stronger. Some hall of famers in the ring some pre gimmick that puts them in the hall which is always fun to see. World title match after the rumble. I think A mistake hard to keep the energy in the room . A match that has to slow down in comparison to the last match. In a event called the Royal Rumble to me should be the curtain call match.

Really good PPV

[amanwhorocks · 7/10 · 28 October 2013]

1. Hunter Hearst Helmsley Vs. Duke Droese - HHH like complete heel in his beginnings lost by DQ. 6.5/10

2. Jeff Jarrett Vs. Ahmed Johnson - Double J ended match by his guitar. No Pearl River Plunge :( 7/10

3. WWF Tag Team Championship: The Body Donnas Vs. Champs-The Smoking Guns - That wasn't bad. 6.5/10

4. Intercontinental Chmapionship: Goldust Vs. Champ-Razor Ramon - Goldust acted here like gay weirdo, i really don't like that. And yes, he became new champ. 6/10

5. Royal Rumble match: HBK won and I really thought this year should be his. 7/10

6. WWF World Championship: The Undertaker Vs. Champ-Bret Hart I give this points for the length and so effort. 7/10

Kind of Lackluster All-Around

[zkonedog · 4/10 · 12 March 2017]

While not the worst card that the WWE had put together compared to previous years, the 1996 Royal Rumble was just a bit lackluster in terms of overall storyline resolutions.

The Rumble itself feels stale with Shawn Michaels again coming out victorious (second year in a row). No ending gimmicks this time, but having him win again just doesn't thrill (even if I understand the logic behind the WWE's decision).

Razor Ramon vs. Goldust is decent, but again a bit of a letdown when it comes to the finish (I've never been a huge fan of outside interference).

The finale, Bret Hart vs. Undertaker, is bigger in name than in actual stature. These are two icons of the business, but the match here is just...okay. Not horrible, but not anything to remember, either.

I did enjoy seeing a continued push for Hunter Hearst Helmsley (later Triple-H) and the physical specimen of Ahmed Johnson was impressive. Plus, this Rumble marks the debut of "The Ringmaster" Steve Austin, an enticing (if a bit comical at the exact moment) look at what would be on the horizon.

Overall, Royal Rumble '96 isn't anything to write home about. It has a few thrills, but mostly just seems like a re-hash of old ideas and characters.

Very Bland Show From Start To Finish.

[morantjavonte · 4/10 · 6 October 2022]

Royal Rumble 1996 Thoughts

Royal Rumble 1996 was the 9th annual Royal Rumble PPV event produced by the WWF. It took place on January 21, 1996 at the Selland Arena in Fresno, California. Attendence was at a pretty low of 9,600 with a buyrate of 260,000.

1996 wasn't much better than previous years of the WWF but they did get a minor boost in money and talent but not by much. WCW pretty much was the one to have the breakout year and that's something that exploded later in the summer. Main Event unlike the last 8 rumbles was not the royal rumble main eventing. Instead Bret Hart defended the WWF Championship against The Undertaker.

The Good - Not much. Some moments of teasing future feuds were interesting but that's about it. HBK winning the Rumble but this time as the big babyface heading back to try to win the gold again told a story. Vader, a recent signing at the time looked hot in the rumble.

The Meh - Interesting option for the the WWF Championship match to be the main event instead. However it ending in a DQ was a disappointment. Match itself wasn't really that good and it's a huge shocker looking at the stars who were battling in the ring. Unfortunately even the best have their ups and downs.

The Bad - The Rumble was pretty boring. It was way too obvious who was going to win from the start based on the build up. It wasn't a terrible rumble but not a good one. Opening was lousy and the IC title match was boring due to the repetitive gaps between the match. I also wasn't too impressed with the duo of Vince McMahon & Mr. Perfect on commentary. They just didn't connect.

Overall - PPV event again was lacking soo much star power from the start of 1996. I can't give too much heat like they weren't trying but the show just didn't click at the end.

Score - 4 out of 10: Boring

0 = Terrible : 1 = Bad/Lackluster : 2 = Decent : 3 = Good : 4 = Awesome : 5 = One of the Best of all Time :

1. Jeff Jarrett vs. Ahmed Johnson - 1.5/5

2. The Smokin Gunns vs. The Bodydonnas: WWF Tag Team Championship - 2/5

3. Razor Ramon vs. Goldust: WWF Intercontinental Championship - 1.5/5

4. 30-Man Royal Rumble - 1.5/5

5. Bret Hart vs. The Undertaker: WWF Championship - 2/5

Best Match - Bret Hart vs. Undertaker. Realistically this wasn't good.

Worst Match - Jeff Jarrett vs. Ahmed Johnson

Most Memorable Moment - Nothing

Top 5 Performers

1. Shawn Michaels - Most over of the night.

2. Vader - Great run in the rumble

3. Hunter Hearst Helmsley - Good Performance

4. Undertaker - Random

5. Bret Hart - Random.

Solid action packed show

[BimmerDude · 7 January 2001]

World Wrestling Federation Champion Bret The Hitman Hart defends his WWF Title against Big Daddy Cool Diesel in the main event. This was one of WWF Chammpion Bret"The Hitman"Hart's first title defences since regaining the title at the survivor series and one of Diesel's last matches for the WWF. Besides the WWF Championship match, the over the top rope Royal Rumble was action packed as usual with stand out performances by the Slammy Award Winning Owen Hart, Vader and a returning Shawn Michaaels.

Mildly Disappointing

[Big Movie Fan · 5 June 2002]

When I first watched this in January 1996 I remember being mildly disappointed; it was the first Rumble event I had ever been disappointed in having watched them all from the inaugural 1988 event.

(POSSIBLE SPOILERS)The undercard matches were quite disappointing, the only one that was half decent was the Intercontinental Title match between the bizarre Goldust and Razor Ramon.

Bret Hart defended his WWF Title against The Undertaker in a reasonable match that was spoilt due to it's ending (Diesel interfered robbing the fans of seeing a win via pinfall).

The Rumble itself saved the day. Vader made his PPV debut at this show and cut through stars like a knife through butter. All the stars in the Rumble put on a great show including it's eventual winner Shawn Michaels.

Watch it for the Rumble match alone.

Recap

[Spawn Devil · 1 July 2002]

The 1996 Royal Rumble was historic for a number of reasons.

The man who would go on to win the Rumble -- Shawn Michaels -- was competing in his first match back in the WWE, after collapsing on an episode of RAW in October 1995, during a bout with post-concussion syndrome. Michaels took full advantage of his return, becoming just the second man to win back-to-back Rumble matches. He would go on to capture his first WWE Championship from Bret Hart that March at WrestleMania XII, in the memorable Iron Man Match. The Rumble match also featured the Rumble debuts of a number of superstars who would go on to become big-name players in WWE. Stone Cold Steve Austin -- then known as "Ringmaster" Steve Austin, the Million Dollar Champion -- made his WWE Pay-Per-View debut, as did Vader, a former WCW Champion. Triple H competed in his first Rumble in 1996, entering at No. 1 and lasting nearly an hour.

Ahmed Johnson defeated Jeff Jarrett via disqualification Tag Team Champions the Smoking Gunns defeated the Bodydonnas via pinfall Goldust pinned Razor Ramon for the Intercontinental Championship Undertaker defeated WWE Champion Bret Hart via disqualification Shawn Michaels won the Royal Rumble