WWF Royal Rumble 1994 Review (The One With Two Winners)

Date: January 22, 1994

Location: Providence, Road Island, USA (Providence Civic Center) Announced attendance: 14,500 PPV buys: 200,000 (up 11.1% from WWF Survivor Series 1993's 180,000 buys; down 33.3% from WWF Royal Rumble 1993's 300,000 buys; up 73.9% from WCW's last PPV - Starrcade - 115,000 buys)

Welcome everyone to my review of the 1994 Royal Rumble PPV. Thirty wrestlers compete in the annual 30-man Royal Rumble Match, with the winner getting a WWF Title shot at WrestleMania X. Speaking of the WWF Championship, it is up for grabs here as Yokozuna defends the belt in a Casket Match against The Undertaker. Plus, Bret & Owen Hart challenge The Quebecers for the WWF Tag Team Championship, Razor Ramon puts the Intercontinental Title up for grabs against IRS, and Bam Bam Bigelow meets Tatanka in a singles match.

The list of WWF's champions heading into Royal Rumble 1994:

• WWF Champion: Yokozuna [223rd day of his 2nd reign] - previous champion: Hulk Hogan

• WWF Intercontinental Champion: Razor Ramon [117th day of his 1st reign] - previous champion: Shawn Michaels, before it was vacated

• WWF World Tag Team Champions: The Quebecers (Jacques & Pierre) [5th day of their 2nd reign as a tag team; Jacques' 2nd individual reign & Pierre's 2nd individual reign] - previous champions: Marty Jannetty & The 1-2-3 Kid

• WWF Women's Champion: Alundra Blayze [27th day of her 1st reign] - previous champion: Rockin' Robin, before it was deactivated

Title reign lengths are calculated as of the episode's air date

Note: in title matches, the names of the defending champions are underlined

Enjoy the review!

Your hosts are Vince McMahon & Ted DiBiase

McMahon welcomes us to the show and brings out his broadcast partner for the night, the returning Million Dollar Man Ted DiBiase.

Tatanka vs. Bam Bam Bigelow (w/ Luna Vachon)

Note: This was supposed to be Ludvig Borga vs Tatanka, but Ludvig Borga suffered an injury during a house show match with Rick Steiner on January 17 and Bam Bam Bigelow replaced him in this match. Borga would never wrestle for the WWF again.

Bigelow tries to attack Tatanka with a running splash in the corner before the bell even rings, but Tatanka moves out of the way. Slugfest to start, dropkick by Bigelow and Tatanka with a running crossbody for two. Tatanka goes to work on the arm with a submission and a DDT to Bigelow's arm. He goes up top for a high crossbody, but finds no water in the pool. Bam Bam pounds away and this time he connects with the running corner splash. A second one only finds Tatanka's boot, though. Tatanka tries to capitalize with a sunset flip out of the corner, but Bam Bam is way too strong for that. Bigelow crushes Tatanka with a massive buttdrop splash to counter the sunset flip.

Tatanka unloads on Bigelow in an attempt to make his comeback, but Bigelow cuts him off with a rather sloppy-looking dropkick. And now it's Bearhug O'Clock. Tatanka eventually fights out of the hold with the help of the crowd, only to be taken down by Bigelow. Bam Bam charges... right into a powerslam for a nearfall. They both run the ropes at the same time and collide. Tatanka seems to be ON THE WARPATH now, but Bigelow simply kicks him down with an enziguiri while Tatanka was running across the ring! He sets up Tatanka for the moonsault, but Tatanka moves out of the way. Tatanka goes up top and comes down with a high crossbody for the win at 8:12.

Winner: Tatanka

• Rating: For a match with little to no heat (Tatanka had obviously been feuding with Ludvig Borga), this was quite good. While it wouldn't have felt out of place on an episode of RAW, this was still a nice PPV opener. **3/4

Recap: They take us back to Survivor Series 1993, where Owen Hart was the only Hart Family member eliminated. That led to drama between Bret and Owen, with the latter even challenging his older brother to a singles match. Bret refused to fight Owen and the two eventually sorted things out during the holidays. We also see The Quebecers losing the tag team titles to (and regaining them from) Marty Jannetty & The 1-2-3 Kid in January.

Todd Pettengill is in the back with Bret Hart & Owen Hart. Bret is confident and says teams like The Steiners and Jannetty & Kid will get title shots after they win tonight. Owen says this is the happiest day of his life, he's worked all his life for this opportunity and he'll make Bret and all the family proud.

WWF World Tag Team Championship

The Quebecers (Jacques & Pierre) (w/ Johnny Polo) vs. The Hart Brothers (Bret & Owen Hart)

Pierre and Bret lockup to start the match. They go back-and-forth reversing each other's moves until Pierre scores with a slam. Bret cuts him off with a knee to the gut and makes the tag to his brother. Owen showcases his agility and an armdrag gets two. Jacques comes in off the tag and stops to tell Owen he's a lot better than Bret. They finally go at it with Owen blocking Jacques' backdrop and turning it into a suplex. Owen misses a kick with Jacques grabbing his foot, but Jacques gets too cocky and allows Owen to hit him with an enziguiri for two. Owen makes the tag to Bret and the Harts hit an assisted middle rope elbow for two. Small package by Bret gets two, as does a sunset flip. Bret gets another nearfall with an O'Connor Roll, and Pierre has to enter the ring to cut him off. Owen joins the party as well and the Harts clean house. The Quebecers take a second to regroup, but Bret atomic drops Jacques as soon as he re-enters the ring and continues to beat him up. Owen gets tagged in and he hits a running clothesline for two. Suplex by Owen gets two. A legdrop gets two as well. Back to Bret, who ends up walking right into a powerslam for two.

The Quebecers start cheating as Pierre chokes Bret with the tag rope while Jacques is distracting the ref. Jacques kicks Bret down and gets two. The Quebecers double-team Bret and Pierre splashes Bret's back against the ropes for a nearfall. Pierre goes to the top rope but ends up eating Bret's boot. Hot tag Owen and he's a house of fire! He takes it to both Quebecers and finally applies the Sharpshooter on Jacques, but Pierre bulldogs Owen from behind to save the belts. The Quebecers take Owen down with a double-team stungun for two. They go for a double-team clothesline, but Owen blocks and takes both men down with a double dropkick before making the tag to Bret. The Hitman runs wild with a dropkick to Pierre, a Russian legsweep to Jacques, a backbreaker to Pierre and finally a double noggin' knocker! An atomic drop sends Pierre flying to the outside as Owen calls for a double-team attack. However, Johnny Polo pulls the ropes and knocks Bret to the floor, who lands hard on his knee. The Quebecers waste no time and go after the injured knee immediately, even hitting him with a chair and Polo's cane.

Owen has to throw Bret back in the ring to prevent a count-out loss. The Quebecers continue to work on Bret's knee and Jacques applies a Boston Crab that Owen breaks up. Pierre comes off the top with a flying legdrop, but The Quebecers end up missing an assisted senton bomb. Bret decides to go for the Sharpshooter on Pierre rather than tagging Owen in. He nearly applies it, but collapses as soon as he puts weight on the injured leg and the referee calls for the bell at 16:48.

Winners by referee stoppage & still champions: The Quebecers

Owen is visibily angry after the match while Bret can't even stand. Owen is yelling at him anyway, saying he was right there for the tag. Then, once Bret finally gets back up, Owen kicks his brother in the injured leg to officially turn heel after teasing it for months. Owen finally leaves the ring to a chorus of boos and says Bret is "too damn selfish" to tag him in. Meanwhile, Bret Hart has to be stretchered out of the ring.

• Rating: I can't rate the match and this iconic post-match angle separately, so I'll do my best to come up with a fair rating. The match itself is amazing, very story-driven and it gets particularly good and dramatic once Bret injures his knee on the floor. The way Bret sells the pain is so believable, especially when he tries to go for the Sharpshooter and just can't put any weight on that leg. It saves an ending that had everything to be flat, and then Owen's heel turn after the match makes it even better. While not a technical masterpiece, the storytelling and crowd reaction will keep you hooked. ****1/4

Todd Pettengill speaks with Owen Hart in the locker room. Owen says he thought he had the best tag team partner in the world in his own brother for the biggest match of his career, but Bret is too selfish and that's why Owen kicked Bret's leg out of his leg! Todd says Bret is in no condition to compete in the Royal Rumble Match because of Owen and asks if that wasn't a selfish act too. Owen says "there's not a selfish bone in my body" and he can count on HIMSELF to win the Royal Rumble and become WWF Champion.

Ted DiBiase applauds Owen for finally realizing he can count on nobody but himself if he really wants it. Vince McMahon reminds him that wasn't just any tag team partner out there, it was Owen's own brother. DiBiase adds that if you have to step on people to get the job done in wrestling or any other business, so be it.

WWF Intercontinental Championship

Razor Ramon vs. Irwin R. Schyster

Good luck following that angle. Gorilla Monsoon and Jim Ross are on commentary for this one. IRS slaps Razor in the face as soon as the bell rings and bails immediately. IRS returns to the ring and goes after Razor in the corner. Razor turns things around and unloads on IRS, who bails once again. Back in, Razor still in control with an atomic drop followed by a clothesline for two. However, IRS throws Razor Ramon over the top rope to the floor and rams Razor's head into the stairs. Slam by IRS, who goes up top. Razor gets his foot up to counter, but IRS lands on his feet (avoiding the contact) and drops an elbow from a standing position for a nearfall. IRS applies a chinlock while the fans start chanting Razor's name. Razor manages to escape the hold, only to walk right into a knee to the gut. IRS remains in control with a bunch of legdrops before going back to the headlock.

Ramon finally escapes the headlock and he tees off on the challenger. Fallaway slam by Razor followed by a corner splash... that takes the referee down. Meanwhile, IRS has the briefcase in his hand! He tries to attack Razor while the ref Joey Marella is down, but it backfires and Razor ends up hitting IRS with the briefcase instead. Cover by Ramon, but there's no referee to count. The match continues with Razor hitting a backdrop superplex off the top rope. He's thinking Razor's Edge now... but Shawn Michaels shows up and hits Razor in the back of the head with his own IC Title belt. IRS crawls over and he covers Razor for the three count.

Winner & new champion: IRS

IRS grabs the belt (the one Shawn Michaels just used and left in the ring) to celebrate his "win". Unfortunately for him, Earl Hebner enters the ring to explain to Marella what just happened and to show him that there are two belts at ringside! While this is happening, Razor Ramon gets back up and he hits IRS with the Razor's Edge. Ramon then pins IRS and Joey Marella counts it, making Razor the official winner after 11:30.

Winner & still champion: Razor Ramon

• Rating: Not a bad match by any means, but it took them a while to switch gears. To their credit, the fans were alive for most of this match, which is a really good sign given they had to follow an intense angle and heel turn. The finishing sequence with Shawn Michaels getting involved was exciting. A decent match overall, but nothing more than that. **1/2

WWF Championship - Casket Match

Yokozuna (w/ Mr. Fuji & Jim Cornette) vs. The Undertaker (w/ Paul Bearer)

The bell rings and Yokozuna doesn't look particularly confident. Undertaker takes it to Yoko with a series of clotheslines, only taking the champion down after the third one. A punch knocks Yoko all the way to the outside, where Yoko ends up eating the post in a funny spot. Yoko rams Taker's head into the stairs outside of the ring, but Taker no-sells it and Yoko freaks out. They return to the ring where Undertaker connects with Old School, but misses his classic flying clothesline and they take the fight to ringside again. Undertaker avoids a chairshot and hits Yoko in the back with a chair. However, Yoko grabs a handful of salt and throws it into Taker's eyes to blind him. That allows Yokozuna to take over as he hits Undertaker with a chair a number of times. Clothesline by Yokozuna back inside the ring. He tries to put Taker inside the casket already, but Taker isn't done yet.

Yokozuna cuts off the comeback sequence with a belly to belly suplex... but Taker sits up and gives him a Chokeslam! Big DDT by Undertaker, and Paul Bearer raises the urn which means it's time to go for the casket. Taker puts Yoko inside the casket, but Crush (who's also managed by Mr. Fuji) shows up to attack Undertaker before he can close the lid. Undertaker eventually takes care of Crush... but now The Great Kabuki and Genichiro Tenryu are here. Undertaker puts both men down with a double clothesline and he tries to close the lid again, but now Bam Bam Bigelow shows up. Meanwhile, we see Mr. Fuji stole the urn from Paul Bearer, so Bearer takes it back and hits both Fuji and Cornette in the head with the urn.

The "power of the urn" brings Undertaker back to life! He starts beating up all the heels with Fuji's bucket of salt, and now Jeff Jarrett and The Headshrinkers join the party as well. The numbers finally get to Undertaker, as The Headshrinkers put Taker down with a double superkick. Meanwhile, Yokozuna finally gets back to his feet with Diesel also entering the ring. The heels put Undertaker in the casket, but Taker isn't going down without a fight. He re-enters the ring, but Yokozuna knocks Paul Bearer off the apron and takes the urn away from him. This effectively stops The Undertaker in his tracks as many of the heels take turns hitting their finishers on the fallen Undertaker. Then, all of them put Undertaker in the casket and Crush closes the lid to give Yokozuna the win at 14:20.

Winner & still champion: Yokozuna

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dBcgy_Il8F4

After the match ends, the heels carry the casket (with Undertaker inside of it) to the back but they stop when they see smoke coming out of the casket and hear Taker's song. A creepy video then airs with Undertaker cutting a promo inside the casket. Taker says all mankind will witness the rebirth of The Undertaker and that he will not rest in peace.

• Rating: Let me start by saying I absolutely hated this match when I was younger because of how cheesy it was. So, I completely understand if anyone dislikes it. Having said that, I liked this match a lot more after rewatching it now. It's obviously cheesy given how cartoonish the product was back then, but Yokozuna and Undertaker did their best to tell a compelling story. Plus, the in-ring action itself wasn't bad at all up until all the heels came out to attack Undertaker. Is this an all-time classic? No, not at all, but you'll find yourself entertained if you get into the story and its cheesiness. ***

Royal Rumble promos:

Randy Savage is going to win the Royal Rumble and he's gonna crush Crush on the way, yeah! Jeff Jarrett says he'll see the champ at WrestleMania X.

Tatanka will be the final one standing to face the WWF Champion.

Diesel is all fired up and ready to take on the champion at 'Mania.

Doink (and Dink) are super excited for the Royal Rumble.

Shawn Michaels throws away "his" IC Title belt because he wants the WWF Title at WrestleMania.

Lex Luger has waited for this opportunity and he'll be the winner.

Bring these back, please!

Main Event

1994 Royal Rumble Match

Winner Faces The WWF Champion At WrestleMania X

The 1994 Royal Rumble begins with Scott Steiner at #1 and Samu of The Headshrinkers at #2. They unload on each other to start off the Rumble and hit each other with clotheslines. Steiner with a butterfly powerbomb and he goes for the elimination, but Samu stays in it. Samu catches Steiner with a big clothesline and Rick Steiner is #3. Rick saves his brother from being eliminated and The Steiners go to work on Samu. They take turns suplexing Samu, Rick gives him a Steinerline and Scott eventually throws him out.

Samu eliminated (by Scott Steiner)

Samu's head got caught between the top and middle ropes in a smooth-looking spot right before getting eliminated. Anyway, the Rumble continues with Kwang entering at #4. He takes it to The Steiners after spitting the green mist in Rick's face, but it doesn't last very long. The crowd's not very interested, either. Just as I type that, they wake up with loud boos for #5, Owen Hart. He goes after Rick while Scott and Kwang go at it on the other side of the ring. Rick eventually gets thrown out by Owen.

Rick Steiner eliminated (by Owen Hart)

#6 is Bart Gunn, who goes after Owen immediately. Diesel joins the match at #7 and he's not wasting any time, going after everyone in the ring. See ya, Bart Gunn.

Bart Gunn eliminated (by Diesel)

Scott Steiner is also gone just a few seconds later.

Scott Steiner eliminated (by Diesel)

Diesel eliminates Owen Hart next, which gets him a big pop.

Owen Hart eliminated (by Diesel)

And just like that, we only have Diesel and Kwang left in the ring. The Royal Rumble only lasts a couple more seconds for one of them. Imagine who!

Kwang eliminated (by Diesel)

Diesel is now alone in the ring after scoring four quick eliminations. He doesn't have time to celebrate though, because here comes Bob Backlund at #8. It's crazy to think these two had a WWF Championship match later in the year, and with the roles reversed too. Backlund outwrestles Diesel as soon as he enters the ring and nearly throws the big man out, with Diesel only escaping thanks to a shot to the eyes. That opening allows Diesel to attack Backlund, and he adds the former WWF Champion to his list of eliminations.

Bob Backlund eliminated (by Diesel)

This is quite the star-making performance. Poor Billy Gunn is #9 and something tells me his night won't be very long. He does go after Diesel with a bunch of kicks, but eats a boot in the corner and he's gone just like that. The crowd is more and more into Diesel with each elimination he makes.

Billy Gunn eliminated (by Diesel)

Before the next man comes out, we see a clip of Lex Luger getting attacked by Tenryu and Kabuki backstage. McMahon wonders if he'll still be able to compete in the Royal Rumble. Anyway, back to live action, Virgil is #10. DiBiase says he's gonna enjoy this! Diesel beats up Virgil - who's replacing Kamala here, says McMahon - and he dumps Virgil to the floor rather easily. DiBiase loves it!

Virgil eliminated (by Diesel)

Diesel is sporting a busted lip now, quite possibly from a Virgil potato. Shit gets serious now with Randy Savage coming out at #11. Macho Man (who's competing in his last Royal Rumble here) gets a pretty good pop and he takes it to Diesel like no one else did so far. Jeff Jarrett comes out at #12 to save Diesel from getting eliminated. That's quite stupid... have you not been watching this match? Jarrett drops a knee on Savage, dropkicks him and struts. DiBiase immediately says Jarrett would be smart to go after Diesel, who's resting in the corner after eliminating seven people all by himself. THANK YOU! Jarrett struts for the third time in about a minute of action, which allows Savage to jump him from behind to get rid of him.

Jeff Jarrett eliminated (by Randy Savage)

Not exactly the greatest showing for Jarrett here. Savage goes after Diesel right after eliminating Jarrett... but here comes Crush at #13. Savage turns his attention to Crush as soon as he sees him, leaving Diesel alone in the corner once more. Macho Man takes Crush down with a pair of double axehandles off the top rope. He stops to go after Diesel though, so Crush assaults him from behind immediately. Diesel decides to help Crush and that allows Crush to eliminate Savage.

Randy Savage eliminated (by Crush)

Doink the Clown is #14 with Dink by his side. However, Diesel and Crush start attacking each other before he enters the ring, and Doink laughs while watching them. They stop fighting when they see him laughing... but the lame water spray stops both heels in their tracks. Doink decides to slam Diesel for whatever reason, which obviously earns him a beating. He somehow lasts until the next entrant, which is Bam Bam Bigelow at #15. Diesel and Crush invite him in the ring to finish off Doink, and Bam Bam doesn't say no. Bigelow immediately goes after Doink and sends him flying with a huge gorilla press slam.

Doink the Clown eliminated (by Bam Bam Bigelow)

Diesel and Crush try to get Bigelow out of the ring, but it backfires. Crush then stops trying to eliminate Bigelow and smacks Diesel in the jaw instead in a pretty fun spot. All three men go after each other now and Mabel is up next at #16. Mabel is really over as a face here. He delivers a running splash to Diesel in the corner. Crush eats one too. So does Bigelow. Diesel cuts him off shortly thereafter, and Sparky Plugg (Bob "Hardcore" Holly) joins the party at the worst possible time at #17. Crush kicks him down and somehow Holly doesn't get thrown out in a few seconds. Everyone tries to get Crush out of the ring, but he manages to sneak back inside the ring under the bottom rope. Shawn Michaels is #18 and he comes face to face with Diesel immediately. Michaels wants no part of Diesel, and Diesel doesn't do anything. That ends up costing him though, as everyone teams up to attack him next to the ropes and they end up throwing him out. Shawn Michaels himself went there at the last second and helped them push him out!

Diesel eliminated (by Shawn Michaels, Bam Bam Bigelow, Crush, Mabel & Thurman Sparky Plugg)

That was one hell of a performance from Diesel, who gets an ovation from the crowd. McMahon acknowledges the cheers on commentary despite Diesel being a heel. You can tell he immediately saw Diesel as his next top face at this very moment. Mo joins his partner, Mabel, in the ring at #19. Mo almost eliminates Michaels, but Crush makes the save. Somehow, Sparky Plugg is still in there. I hadn't seen him since he got kicked right after his entrance. Plugg almost eliminates Michaels(!) but he skins the cat and stays in it. The returning Greg Valentine comes out to a pretty nice reaction at #20. They all kick and punch each other in the corners as Tatanka comes in next at #21. He takes it to Michaels, but Mabel stops him for some reason and helps Michaels attack Tatanka. That was random! Michaels ends up punching Mabel by mistake after Tatanka moves out of the way. Valentine nearly eliminates Michaels, but he finds another way to avoid elimination. The Great Kabuki is #22 and now everyone tries to get Mabel out. They end up succeeding and Mabel is out of the Rumble. Mo was the only one who didn't do it, as he'd just been punched.

Mabel eliminated (by Shawn Michaels, Tatanka, Bam Bam Bigelow, Crush, Thurman Sparky Plugg, Greg Valentine & The Great Kabuki)

Shawn Michaels barely hangs on to avoid elimination once again, this time at the hands of Mo and Plugg. Lex Luger is #23 and he goes after Kabuki immediately. Luger is not selling the backstage attack at all. Luger gets rid of Kabuki without breaking a sweat.

The Great Kabuki eliminated (by Lex Luger)

They spent weeks promoting Kabuki and Tenryu as major threats and that's it? What an angle! Can someone put Diesel back in the ring so he can clean this house? What the hell is Sparky Plugg still doing in there!? Genichiro Tenryu is #24 and McMahon is talking about how Luger will now be double-teamed by both Tenryu and Kabuki. What a mess. Just dump him out and continue the match. Tenryu chops away on Luger in the corner while Michaels barely avoids elimination once more. #25 is... no one. Vince McMahon assumes it was Bret Hart's spot and he couldn't make it because of Owen's attack. Not much is happening besides kicks and punches in the corner now. Michaels tries to eliminate Luger but fails. Rick Martel comes in at #26 and he goes at it with Mo. Luger and Tatanka slug it out in the middle of the ring for a while but the action slows down once more. Bret Hart limps his way to the ring at #27 and the fans love to see him. Crush goes after the injured leg immediately but Sparky Plugg(!!!) stops him to help Bret. Headshrinker Fatu (Rikishi) is #28, long after his partner Samu entered. I can't even follow the action anymore with all the people inside that ring. We finally get another elimination as Crush gets taken out by a bunch of people.

Crush eliminated (by Lex Luger, Bam Bam Bigelow, Bret Hart & Thurman Sparky Plugg)

Marty Jannetty enters at #29 and he immediately starts fighting Shawn Michaels. Some things just never change! Tenryu seems to get in their way, but they just ignore him and keep going at it. Jannetty almost eliminates Michaels, who's trying to carry the second half of this Royal Rumble on his back. Finally, Adam Bomb enters the Rumble at #30. McMahon proclaims Adam Bomb is going to win the Royal Rumble! At this point I'd start betting on Sparky Plugg. Well, just as I type that, Plugg gets eliminated by the unlikeliest of duos.

Thurman Sparky Plugg eliminated (by Bret Hart & Shawn Michaels)

Now that everyone has entered the Royal Rumble, McMahon announces the man who didn't come out at #25 was Bastion Booger. Hopefully now we start seeing people flying over the top rope. Fatu tries to eliminate Luger, but that obviously goes nowhere. Bret and Tatanka can't get Michaels out of the ring as he holds on to the bottom rope. Martel backdrops Valentine over the top rope and he's gone.

Greg Valentine eliminated (by Rick Martel)

Martel goes after Tatanka next, but Tatanka ducks a clothesline and Martel is out of it.

Rick Martel eliminated (by Tatanka)

The same spot happens immediately afterwards, this time with Adam Bomb missing a clothesline on Lex Luger and getting eliminated.

Adam Bomb eliminated (by Lex Luger)

So much for Adam Bomb's Royal Rumble win! The eliminations keep coming as Fatu throws Mo out with a superkick.

Mo eliminated (by Fatu)

Tatanka unloads on Bigelow in a repeat from the opening match. However, Bigelow eliminates Tatanka to avenge the loss from earlier.

Tatanka eliminated (by Bam Bam Bigelow)

Jannetty and Michaels almost eliminate one another while fighting near the ropes. Meanwhile, Bigelow misses a blind charge in the corner and Lex Luger throws him out with the forearm.

Bam Bam Bigelow eliminated (by Lex Luger)

Fatu goes after Bret's leg as he continue taking a beating. Tenryu chops Luger once again, but Bret joins forces with Lex and they take care of him.

Genichiro Tenryu eliminated (by Lex Luger & Bret Hart)

And we have our final four.

Final Four: Lex Luger, Bret Hart, Shawn Michaels & Fatu

Shawn Michaels and Bret Hart decide to have a nice mini-match in the middle of the Royal Rumble, as Michaels reverses a tilt-a-whirl slam and tries to eliminate Bret with a slam. Meanwhile, Fatu no-sells a faceplant from Luger and superkicks him. That spot was always cool. Fatu comes off the top rope with a flying fist to Luger. Fatu and Michaels almost eliminate Luger, but he stays in it and delivers a fantastic clothesline to Fatu back inside the ring. Luger and Bret dump Michaels and Fatu, respectively, and it comes down to Bret vs Luger.

Fatu eliminated (by Bret Hart)

Shawn Michaels eliminated (by Lex Luger)

Luger and Bret look at each other for a second and start slugging it out immediately. Luger picks up Bret for a slam, Bret reverses it, shoves Luger and... they're both out of the ring. The referees are confused, as are the fans in the arena. The referees talk to each other and Howard Finkel makes the official announcement while Lex Luger's music plays. However, the referees stop Finkel and he makes the announcement yet again. This time, Bret Hart's theme song starts playing and his pop is MUCH bigger than Luger's. Not even a contest there. However, the music stops because the referees can't make up their mind. Joey Marella raises Lex Luger's hand. Earl Hebner raises Bret Hart's hand. He gets a louder reaction than Luger once again. Jack Tunney comes out to discuss with the referees as we see a replay. The spot couldn't have been better. They landed exactly at the same time! After a few minutes of drama, we finally get the official decision: both Lex Luger and Bret Hart are the 1994 Royal Rumble winners.

Winners: Lex Luger and Bret Hart

• Rating: This Royal Rumble will always be remembered because of its unique ending. The execution was flawless because Bret and Luger really did hit the floor at the very same time. As far as the rest of the Rumble goes, the first half was fantastic with Diesel shining as the bout's MVP. Diesel's elimination was well done and it put him over as an unstoppable force. Mabel and Crush were eliminated in similar ways, but it didn't have the same impact. Randy Savage was eliminated quickly and could've had a bigger impact, and the same can be said about Owen Hart. Just put Sparky Plugg out there early so he can be one of Diesel's victims, and let Owen have a brief interaction with Bret towards the end. Still, this was a pretty good Rumble overall, and definitely better than the previous year's Rumble. ***1/2

1994 Royal Rumble Match - Order Of Entrances & Eliminations

Entrant Number	Wrestler	Time In The Match	Number Of Eliminations	Eliminated By
1	Scott Steiner	9:00	1	Diesel
2	Samu	3:13	0	Scott Steiner
3	Rick Steiner	3:57	0	Owen Hart
4	Kwang	5:57	0	Diesel
5	Owen Hart	4:10	1	Diesel
6	Bart Gunn	2:30	0	Diesel
7	Diesel	17:41	7	Shawn Michaels, Bam Bam Bigelow, Crush, Mabel & Thurman Sparky Plugg
8	Bob Backlund	0:41	0	Diesel
9	Billy Gunn	0:14	0	Diesel
10	Virgil	0:32	0	Diesel
11	Randy Savage	4:38	1	Crush
12	Jeff Jarrett	1:19	0	Randy Savage
13	Crush	25:03	3	Lex Luger, Bam Bam Bigelow, Bret Hart & Thurman Sparky Plugg
14	Doink the Clown	1:48	0	Bam Bam Bigelow
15	Bam Bam Bigelow	30:12	5	Lex Luger
16	Mabel	9:57	1	Shawn Michaels, Tatanka, Bam Bam Bigelow, Crush, Thurman Sparky Plugg, Greg Valentine & The Great Kabuki
17	Thurman Sparky Plugg	21:33	3	Bret Hart & Shawn Michaels
18	Shawn Michaels	29:17	4	Lex Luger
19	Mo	22:46	0	Fatu
20	Greg Valentine	20:39	1	Rick Martel
21	Tatanka	20:07	2	Bam Bam Bigelow
22	The Great Kabuki	2:46	1	Lex Luger
23	Lex Luger	21:58	7	N/A (Winner)
24	Genichiro Tenryu	17:21	0	Bret Hart & Lex Luger
25	Bastion Booger	0:00 (Never Made It To The Ring)	0	N/A
26	Rick Martel	11:22	1	Tatanka
27	Bret Hart	15:08	5	N/A (Winner)
28	Fatu	13:04	1	Bret Hart
29	Marty Jannetty	8:18	0	Shawn Michaels
30	Adam Bomb	4:55	0	Lex Luger

WWE has uploaded the full 1994 Royal Rumble Match on their YouTube channel. You can watch it here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rwkdJJ5MNAA

McMahon wonders who will go to WrestleMania to face the champion. Luger and Bret shake hands before leaving the ring and the show goes off the air.

END OF THE SHOW

Final thoughts: Although there are no all-time classics on the card, there are no bad matches on the card in my opinion. The Royal Rumble Match itself is good, with Diesel steatling the show in the first half of the match while Shawn Michaels, Bret Hart, Lex Luger and others also had good performances. As far as the rest of the card goes, I thought the opener and the Intercontinental Championship match were quite solid. The Casket Match between Yokozuna and Undertaker is one a lot of fans absolutely hate, which I totally understand given the silly ending and post-match angle, but I personally had a good time watching it. The highlight of the entire show is, of course, Owen Hart's heel turn after the fantastic tag team title match featuring Owen & Bret against The Quebecers. Royal Rumble 1994 is a pretty fun show from start to finish. 7/10

WWF Royal Rumble 1994 Results

Match Order	Match	Stipulation	Winner(s)	Time
1	Tatanka vs. Bam Bam Bigelow	Singles Match	Tatanka	8:12
2	The Quebecers vs. Bret Hart & Owen Hart	WWF World Tag Team Championship Match	The Quebecers	16:48
3	Razor Ramon vs. Irwin R. Schyster	WWF Intercontinental Championship Match	Razor Ramon	11:30
4	Yokozuna vs. The Undertaker	WWF Championship Casket Match	Yokozuna	14:20
5	1994 Royal Rumble Match	30-Man Royal Rumble Match	Bret Hart & Lex Luger	55:04

POINT SYSTEM

Click here to find out how the point system works.

Wrestler	Result	Star rating	Main eventing	Elimination (points)	Time (points)	Extras	Total
Bret Hart	2	7.75	1	5	1.5	0	17.3
Lex Luger	3	3.5	1	7	2.1	0	16.6
Bam Bam Bigelow	-2	6.25	1	5	3	0	13.3
Diesel	-1	3.5	1	7	1.7	0	12.2
Tatanka	0	6.25	1	2	2	0	11.3
Shawn Michaels	-1	3.5	1	4	2.9	0	10.4
Crush	-1	3.5	1	3	2.5	0	9
Sparky Plugg	-1	3.5	1	3	2.1	0	8.6
Owen Hart	-2	7.75	1	1	0.4	0	8.15
Greg Valentine	-1	3.5	1	1	2	0	6.5
Jacques Pierre	1	4.25	0	0	0	1	6.25
Fatu	-1	3.5	1	1	1.3	0	5.8
Mo	-1	3.5	1	0	2.2	0	5.7
Rick Martel	-1	3.5	1	1	1.1	0	5.6
Scott Steiner Mabel	-1	3.5	1	1	0.9	0	5.4
Genichiro Tenryu	-1	3.5	1	0	1.7	0	5.2
Yokozuna	1	3	0	0	0	1	5
Randy Savage	-1	3.5	1	1	0.4	0	4.9
The Great Kabuki	-1	3.5	1	1	0.2	0	4.7
Razor Ramon	1	2.5	0	0	0	1	4.5
Marty Jannetty	-1	3.5	1	0	0.8	0	4.3
Kwang	-1	3.5	1	0	0.5	0	4
Adam Bomb	-1	3.5	1	0	0.4	0	3.9
Samu Rick Steiner	-1	3.5	1	0	0.3	0	3.8
Bart Gunn	-1	3.5	1	0	0.2	0	3.7
Jeff Jarrett Doink the Clown	-1	3.5	1	0	0.1	0	3.6
Bob Backlund Billy Gunn Virgil	-1	3.5	1	0	0	0	3.5
The Undertaker	-1	3	0	0	0	0	2
IRS	-1	2.5	0	0	0	0	1.5

Thanks for reading. Don't miss my upcoming reviews here on the website. WrestleMania X is coming soon, but I've got an edition of WCW Clash of the Champions, the WCW SuperBrawl IV PPV, and many episodes of WWF Monday Night RAW coming up before that. Until next time!