WWE Royal Rumble: The Complete Anthology - Volume Two

This volume of the Royal Rumble is probably the weakest of the four volumes but it has its moments and significant bouts. Let's get to it:The Royal Rumble 1993This Rumble was the first to introduce the winner getting a title shot at WrestleMania and its been that way ever since.The Steiner Bros. Vs. The Beverly Bros. - This was the then-WWF debut of Rick and Scott Steiner, fresh from their run in NWA/WCW. This was a good bout against The Beverly "Brothers" (who weren't really brothers/just close friends, similiar to the Edge/Christian thing).The bout featured one of the nastiest Frankensteiners I've ever seen from Scott as he practically piledrove the man's head into the mat! Ouch! Its amazing he walked away from it. Good opener.Marty Janetty Vs. Shawn Michaels (WWE I-C title Match) - This was almost a year after the Rockers' break up and Shawn was beginning to find himself as a singles wrestler. Add in the betrayal of the late Sherri Martel and you could've had a classic but it just didn't quite hit the mark. The two would later have a much better match that summer on RAW where Janetty actually beat Michaels for the I-C title.This one was just good. It wasn't that great.Bam Bam Bigelow Vs. The Big Bossman - This one just sucked! These two had better matches than this one. I don't mean to talk ill of the dead but this one stunk! The best part of the match was when it was over. Just watch once and skip.Bret Hart Vs. Razor Ramon (WWF World Title Match) - While more known for his tag team with Kevin Nash and his WrestleMania X ladder match with Shawn Michaels, this bout with Bret hart is often a forgotten match as it was very good and showed that Razor could've been a main eventer if not for his personal issues.As for Hart, what needs to be said, he was one of those guys that could make a broom look good in the ring and he certainly did that with Razor. Good match to watch.The Rumble itself that year wasn't that good but it didn't stink. The highlights was then 43 year old Bob Backlund lasting an hour before being eliminated by the late Yokozuna. It also had appearances from guys that have been lost to time like Max Moon (Paul Diamond), Dameon Demento and Giant Gonzales. The final guy I named was put into a forgettable feud with The Undertaker! Quite frankly, Gonzales makes today's Great Khali look like Ric Flair! He stunk that bad!In the end, Yokozuna won and won his title shot against then-champion Bret Hart at WrestleMania and we know how that ended and it wasn't to the liking of either Hart nor Yoko!THE ROYAL RUMBLE 1994Tatanka Vs. Bam Bam Bigelow - Great opener. These two got busy on each other in this one! Tatanka wins after an impressive and hard flying bodypress on Bigelow for the win.Bret & Owen Hart Vs. The Quebecers (WWF World Tag Team Title Match) - This bout was very good and it showed the team work of both sides. Still, it was just a set up for Bret Vs. Owen as Bret cost his team the match by going for the Sharpshooter with a bad leg instead of tagging out to his brother Owen! When he failed, the referee stopped the match which enraged Owen, starting the feud that would have several good to classic matches during 1994.Razor Ramon Vs. I.R.S. (WWF I-C Title Match) - A pretty decent bout that saw a mix of brawling and wrestling between the two with a little Shawn Michaels thrown in to further the storyline between Razor and Shawn for WrestleMania later that year. Razor wins with his "Razor's Edge" powerbomb after I.R.S. thought he had won the belt.The Undertaker Vs. Yokozuna (WWF World Title Match/Casket Rules) - Not the greatest bout but it showed the fighting spirit of UT as Yoko set a trap for him as several heels at the time came out to gang up on him and (in the end) put him in the coffin to help Yoko retain his title.The Rumble match that year started out slow but picked up once Diesel (Kevin Nash) showed up and pretty much stayed no lower than medium speed from then on out. Ends when Lex Luger and Bret Hart both were eliminated at the same time. Leading to the controversial decision by the late Jack Tunney to declare both Hart and Luger winners of the Rumble. Not a bad Rumble card.THE ROYAL RUMBLE 1995Razor Ramon Vs. Jeff Jarrett (WWF I-C Title Match) - The future founder of TNA wrestling was making his own name at this point, going for the I-C title held by Razor Ramon (who was into his second reign as champion at this point). Jeff neutralized The Razor's Edge by working on Ramon's leg for most of the match. Ends when Jeff catches him in a small package for the win and Jeff's first I-C title.The Undertaker Vs. I.R.S. - Slow bout. Not that memorable but it does set up UT's WrestleMania confrontation with King Kong Bundy at WrestleMania 11.Bret Hart Vs. Diesel (Kevin Nash) (WWF World Title Match) - While many remember their King Of The Ring 1994 bout or their classic Survivor Series '95 bout, this bout is often forgotten when discussing bouts between these two as it was very good as well! Features run-ins from both Shawn Michaels and Owen Hart which caused the match to stop twice but it continued. Finally, when Michaels and Hart showed up with Jeff Jarrett, Bob Backlund and The Roadie ("Road Dog" Jesse James from DX), the ref put a stop to the match for good. Good bout up until the big run-in though.1-2-3 Kid (X-Pac) & "Sparkplug" Bob Holly Vs. Tatanka & Bam Bam Bigelow (WWF World Tag Team Title Match) - The former enemies from last years' R.R. were now part of The Million Dollar Corporation led by Ted Dibiase against this then-rookie team of The Kid and Holly. This wasn't a bad match and it ends like a lot of X-Pac matches back then. He gets in a lot of moves but basically he and his partner get the crap beat out of them but then their opponent makes a mistake and BOOM! The Kid and Holly win the WWF tag team titles. This also sets up the angle with Bam Bam and Lawrence Taylor in one of the worst celeb/wrestler matches ever at WM!This one Rumble bout is remembered really for one thing....Shawn Michaels going in first and winning it! What's often not discussed is that Shawn only went 30 minutes or so to win s people came in every 60 seconds. Several other winners like Ric Flair, Rey Mysterio and Chris Benoit started at around the same position and wrestled far longer to win! Plus, this Rumble wasn't exactly star studded. You could even argue it had one of the worst lineups ever! I will say it gave us a thrilling ending with Michaels and the late Davey Boy Smith though.Overall a good Rumble card.THE ROYAL RUMBLE 1996This one was basically geared around Shawn Michaels but it wasn't a bad card overall.Jeff Jarrett Vs. Ahmed Johnson - This was more of a display for Ahmed who was a newcomer at the time and it was his first PPV one on one matchup. Too bad he was too injury prone and hurt a lot of guys he worked with because he really had potential. The ending was a sign of things to come in later years as Jarrett came off the top rope with a guitar shot, calling for an immediate DQ!The Bodydonnas Vs. The Smokin' Guns (WWF World Tag Team Championship Match) - This showed Sunny in her heyday as well as Skip (the late Chris Candido) and Zip (Dr. Tom Prichard) against Bart Gunn and Billy Gunn (the latter who would go on to greater fame with DX). Not a bad bout but it was more about showing the lengths that Sunny would go to get the win for her team. It didn't happen on this occassion as her interference backfired, allowing The Gunns to retain their titles.Goldust Vs. Razor Ramon (WWE I-C Title Match) - In his fourth and final reign as I-C champ, Razor defended the title against Dustin Rhodes' new character which clearly pushed a homophobic button to the hilt! While its funny now, the Goldust character caused a lot of outrage from wrestling fans back then.As for the match itself, it was actually a good contest. Ends when The 1-2-3 Kid (X-Pac) comes in and knocks out Razor with a spinning kick from the top rope, allowing Goldust to get the pinfall and his first I-C title.The Rumble match itself saw Shawn Michaels take the win to become the first two time winner of the Rumble since Hulk Hogan did it in 1990 and 1991. This also saw other strong performances from a younger HHH, the late Owen Hart, Steve Austin (who was not yet "Stone Cold"), Diesel, Vader and the late Yokozuna.Bret Hart Vs. The Undertaker (WWF World Title Match) - I can't recall a bad match between these two! While their two one on one matches the following year were better than this one, this isn't a bad encounter. Ends when UT actually has Bret beat but Diesel (who had a confrontation with The Dead Man prior to the match) gets Bret DQ'ed! He even flips UT the bird!While still in "The New Generation" era, we see foreshadowing signs of the more aggressive Attitude era in this PPV.THE ROYAL RUMBLE 1997This one isn't that great as a card. To be honest, its remembered for two things: Steve Austin winning The Rumble in a controversial fashion and Shawn Michaels regaining the WWF World Title. I personally will also remember it for being one of the starting points of the vaunted and still celebrated WWF Attitude era.Goldust Vs. HHH (WWF I-C Title Match) - This one was a brawling type bout which saw Goldust break from his suggestively gay character and act more like his old Dustin Rhodes character in WCW. Not a great technical match but rather a wild brawling one to the point where even the viewer is saying "why isn't the ref DQ'ing anyone?" This might as well have been a hardcore match!Anyway, ends when Hunter gets his now vaunted Pedigree on Goldy for the win and retains his I-C belt.Farooq Vs. Ahmed Johnson - This match wasn't even a classic power man match as their styles were just too similiar. Rather, it was used to further the Ahmed Vs. Nation Of Domination storyline which would carry throughout much of the year (that's another whole review).Nothing special here but there is a very ECW'esqe moment after the bout where Ahmed used his "Pearl River Plunge" (Tiger Bomb) on a NOD member through a table off of some ringside steps!Vader Vs. The Undertaker - In the first ever meeting of (arguably) two of the best big men ever in the game, UT and Vader traded the advantage several times until Paul Bearer interfered on Vader's behalf. This allowed Vader to get the pinfall over UT. This also saw UT do something uncharacteristic of him at that point as he attacked the referee after the match!Fuerza Guerrera, Heavy Metal & Jerry Estrada Vs. Perro Aguayo, El Canek & Hector Garza - I don't remember much about this match other than it wasn't every eventful. I don't even remember who won! Best to look at this once and then skip.The Rumble match saw the continuation of the Ahmed Vs. Nation feud, the Vader Vs. Undertaker feud, HHH Vs. Goldust and Bret Hart Vs. Steve Austin! The ending was one of the most controversial ever as Hart actually eliminated Austin near the end of the match but the referees didn't see it! Seeing this, Austin snuck back in and eliminated the remaining wrestlers including Bret Hart! This continued Austin's momentum while continuing Bret's "crybaby" rants which would eventually make him a heel while turning Austin into a face.Sycho Sid Vs. Shawn Michaels (WWF World Title Match) - To be honest, their Survivor Series 1996 match (where Sid won the title) was better than this but this one wasn't that bad. It was mainly carried by the fact that this event was in Shawn's hometown of San Antonio, TX and the majority of the crowd was for Shawn. Ends when Michaels hits his SCM on Sid after hitting him with a video camera.Overall, this volume of the Royal Rumble has its historic moments but this one is the weakest of the volumes. Still, I would recommend it for its history value.

I enjoyed ROYAL RUMBLE ANTHOLOGY: VOLUME 2 for the most part. There were some good matches, and it was a wonderful rush of nostalgia for a longtime fan like me. Here are my quick thoughts on each ROYAL RUMBLE PPV:1993---Easily my least favorite ROYAL RUMBLE on this volume. I give credit to the WWF Title Match (Hitman/Razor), as the two guys complemented each other very well. But the rest of the card was tough to sit through. I didn't even care for the Michaels/Jannetty grudge match. It wasn't because they weren't trying; the two guys just didn't entertain me on this particular night. The 30-Man Royal Rumble is one of the worst ever, but it's not awful. Yes, Yokozuna winning via pinfall kickout is incredibly stupid. But considering the WWF didn't have Hogan to work with, I think they did the best they could. And I admit I liked the Giant Gonzalez concept, when I was a kid. There's also an overly-long debut of "The Narcissist" Lex Luger, a dull opener, and a dreadful Bossman/Bigelow contest.1994---Consistently solid from start to finish. The opener between Tatanka and Bam Bam Bigelow is a real crowd-energizer. The Tag Titles Match kicks off the classic feud between Bret and Owen Hart. To this day, the contest is very good, and the feud remains a masterpiece. Razor Ramon's IC Title defense against IRS is surprisingly crisp. Lots of counters, fast-paced action, and a very good finish. Everyone knows about the Yokozuna/Taker Casket Match. I admit it's not a great "match", but I really got into the storyline where Fuji and Cornette paid off a dozen guys to help Yokozuna win. The cheesy supernatural aftermath still works for me. Last but not least, the 30-Man Royal Rumble is a good one. I love the "two-winner" finish, but also love how Diesel (a heel) won the crowd over by dominating for lengthy period of time. Big props to the Providence for showing respect for good in-ring work, regardless of character. 1994 was a good year for the WWF, and it all started here.1995---A mostly solid card, and easily 1995's best PPV. Boy, 1995 was a crappy year for the WWF! We all know that HBK entered #1, and won the Rumble. I like it, you've probably read it, and it's a pleasant 45 minutes to this day. Other than the boring Taker/IRS match, the rest of ROYAL RUMBLE 1995 is pretty good. Jeff Jarrett and Razor Ramon delivered an exceptional technical opener for the IC Title, complete with a "double-ending" like Ramon's 1994 IC Title Match. The vacant Tag Team Titles are up for grabs between the teams of Tatanka & Bam Bam Bigelow, and Bob Holly & 1-2-3 Kid. Four different styles make for one of the best Tag Team Matches in ROYAL RUMBLE history. Forget that post-match scuffle which birthed the worst WRESTLEMANIA main event ever; but don't forget to watch 15 minutes of excellent competition. As for the WWF Title Match Hitman/Diesel), I'm kinda stuck. It's a slower-paced technical match, complete with several run-ins, and several finishes. But somehow, I didn't love the 40 minutes as much as I wanted to. It's not bad, but not great (in my opinion). Regardless, the 1995 RUMBLE is a good one.1996---To me, this is much like 1995's ROYAL RUMBLE. Excellent IC Title Match, Shawn Michaels overcoming the odds in the 30-Man Rumble, and a WWF Title Match (Taker/Hitman) that doesn't quite get my attention despite all of what's going on in it. There's a lot happening in the 1996 PPV. Ahmed Johnson wiping the floor with Jeff Jarrett, only to have a guitar bashed over his head. The Rumble Match gets completely out of control, when the debuting Vader just snaps after being eliminated. Another note on the Rumble is that we finally get entrance music for the participants, and we finally see finishers during the unique Battle Royal. My favorite aspect of the PPV, though, is Razor/Goldust. This is a psychological piece of work that would make Jake Roberts proud. Seriously, Ramon and Goldust played the crowd perfectly with the bizarre "Gold One" persona. As the for the main event, I have watched Bret Hart and The Undertaker compete in multiple matches, and just can't get into them. I might be biased, but this 1996 main event wasn't a highlight to me. However, Diesel's role in the WWF Title Match was most interesting. In the end, I think the 1996 ROYAL RUMBLE PPV is worth watching.1997---The PPV is mostly forgettable, but the 30-Man Royal Rumble is one of the most famous. But first, I'll address the card. For all of the long-term rivalries involved, these PPV showdowns are surprisingly underwhelming. Triple H and Goldust just go on and on and on and on, with all sorts of cheating involved. The commentators can't even understand why the referee is letting the two superstars continue. It's a most bizarre opener. Ahmed Johnson's war against The Nation of Domination finally culminated in a match against leader Faarooq. Too bad the two guys just don't mix well. There's a neat aftermath where Johnson snaps on the NOD, but overall it's a waste. The Taker/Vader grudge match is not too shabby; it probably made both guys look better in the end, even though I don't think the contest is much to brag about. And how did a 6-Man luchador Tag Match fail to excite a 'San Antonio, Texas' crowd?! Sorry if that's a stereotype, but I assumed Texans had an appreciation for Mexican lucha libre. Guess they were too antsy to see HBK win the WWF Title back from Sycho Sid. Speaking of those two guys, I'm sorry to say that their main event is nothing compared to their Madison Square Garden predecessor. It's way too one-sided for too much time. In fact, Michaels pulls off a surprise win similar to John Cena or Hulk Hogan; it's quite ridiculous. As for the 30-Man Royal Rumble, it's quite good. Several feuds come into play, it's nicely-paced, and the Rumble is filled with many WWF legends early in their career. I don't think the 1997 ROYAL RUMBLE is a must-see, but I admit it's probably one the 90s more famous ones.OVERALL---Should you see WWE ROYAL RUMBLE ANTHOLOGY: VOLUME 2? Sure, give it a peek. Should you spend the 35-dollar asking price? Not so fast, people. As much as I like most of this set, this isn't 15 hours of wrestling I'd revisit again. PPV compilations like these tend to blend together, and not feel different from each other. It's nice a trip down memory lane, but not worth the money. Try to rent if possible; buy only if you're a hardcore WWE fan.

Arrived sooner than I thought, very minor/hardly noticeable damage to the box and no damage whatsoever to discs

A fantastic set. Nothing beats the original Royal Rumble Events!

Awesome Dvd, very happy with my Purchase.

I love Royal Rumbles

Great dvd