WWE Royal Rumble 1996 (1996)

Load of rubbish!!

best movie i've ever seen.

The story-telling is good with flashbacks.The film is both funny and heartbreaking. You smile in a scene and get a soulcrushing revelation in the next.

A terrific literary drama and character piece that shows how the process of creating art can be seen differently by those doing it and those looking at it from the outside.

1st Match: Jeff Jarrett vs Ahmed Johnson. An OK match to start, until Jarrett gets DQ'd, making the match virtually pointless. I honestly would've preferred just a squash match to this. Rating: 3/5 2nd Match: The Bodydonnas vs The Smokin' Gunns, WWF Tag Team Championships. An alright match, a lot longer than I thought it would be, but both teams get some good offense, and there are some good spots as well. Rating: 3.5/5 3rd Match: Razor Ramon vs Goldust, WWF Intercontinental Championship. This match feels way longer than it actually is. I guess Goldust was still getting used to his character and trying to get over, but some actual wrestling would be nice too. There are some good points, but it's mostly just Goldust acting all hot and bothered for Ramon. Even the ending is lackluster, because Waltman runs in and screws Ramon out of the win. The match felt more like a push for Waltman instead of the guy who actually won. Rating: 2/5 4th Match: Royal Rumble match. Highlight time! There are some better names in this Rumble compared to last year. Rumble debuts for guys like Vader, Hunter, and future-Kane. Michaels wins for the second year in a row, but it's more impressive because of guys like Nash, Owen Hart, Yokozuna, and Vader being in the match instead of countless jobbers. The biggest problem with this match is that it's not last. I've always been of the opinion that the Royal Rumble should end a PPV, if not, it's like starting a PPV with an Iron Man match, it feels out of place. Rating: 3.5/5 5th Match: Undertaker vs Bret Hart, WWF Championship. The match is good, both guys get their signature moves in, and there's even some good brawling on the outside. The problem comes with the ending of the match, where Nash runs down and gets Bret DQ'd, thus making the thirty minute match kind of a waste. The match mostly served as a way to build up Nash vs Taker at Wrestlemania XII, but throwing a good title match away like this is pretty disappointing. Rating: 3/5 Final Rating: 6 out of 10. The show as a whole just existed to think up some matches for Wrestlemania. I know that's normally the point of the show, but it did so by sacrificing match quality, with 2 of the 5 matches ending in a DQ. Hopefully it pays off in a couple of months.

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

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.

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.