Royal Rumble

The most rushed royal rumble seemed to be running to the ring. The plan for the night seemed all to clear to early. Felt like you were watching in fast forward so very hard for anyone to get over.

This was a major event for the WWF, with the setup for Wrestlemania. First of all the appearance by Pamela Anderson was great and definitely was attractive. The Razor Ramon and Jeff Jarrett match was great right up until the end and a great way to start the show. The Undertaker Vs. IRS match was not quite as good as the other matches, but still entertaining. Bret Hart and Diesel worked their butts off for the crowd, and would have been better if there wasn't all of the interferences. The Tag Team Match had a surprising outcome, and set up the big Bam Bam Bigelow/Lawrence Taylor match. But the Royal Rumble match itself was what stole the show. Shawn Michaels and The British Bulldog were the first two in and the last two in the Rumble, with Shawn being the only man to come in at the number one spot and win. Great show 5 out of 5 all the way!!!

Usually, when reviewing old WWF wrestling events, one of my main complaints is that (at times) the technical wrestling is quite shoddy and the Royal Rumble platform is only used as a vehicle towards Wrestlemania. In the case of the '95 RR, however, that was not the case. The story lines were interesting, and the wrestling was decent, but still the company at that time lacked one key ingredient...a stable of stars to keep the card interesting from beginning to end.

On this card, the Hart-Diesel confrontation is very exciting, The Undertaker (against I.R.S.) gives another nice performance, and the Rumble event itself may be one of the best ever just based on the last few minutes alone! Sadly, that's all the show has to offer. Besides Hart, Undertaker, Shawn Michaels, and Razor Ramon (who in this tape is paired with the dreadful Jeff Jarrett), there is no one else to offer any excitement to the rest of the broadcast...just a bunch of fat guys and jobbers. While watching, I found myself thinking back to the RR's of the late 1980s and early 1990s, when it seemed like every single match brought the fans to their feat multiple times. Boy, how the mighty had fallen by '95, considering how the entrance of "Adam Bomb" (a very forgettable character) got the biggest charge out of the crowd all night. It was almost as if the fans were desperate to cheer for something, not being thrilled by the action put before them.

One positive, though, is the commentary of Vince McMahon. Say what you want about his personal life and how he runs his company (and I would be the first to give him the "Stone Cold Salute"), but he sure is more exciting than having to sit through Bobby "The Brain" Heenan for three hours. Announcers are such a big part of professional wrestling (as they really help to inflame passions among viewers) that this is one of the few steps up from previous years.

Overall, I would recommend heavy utilization of the "Fast Forward" button on your remote while watching this one. Watch Hart, 'Taker, and the end of the Rumble...everything else is pure dreck.