#1: Royal Rumble 1992
Winner: The “Nature Boy” Ric Flair
Prior to 1992, the Royal Rumble match was nothing but another spectacle for the WWF. A highly anticipated, highly entertaining spectacle, but the only prize was the honor and respect of pro wrestling fans everywhere. If you want to get technical, the winner of the 1990 and 1991 Rumble matches – Hulk Hogan – was in the WrestleMania main event. That said, Hulk Hogan was always in the WrestleMania main event.
When “Nature Boy” Ric Flair arrived on the scene in late 1991, he began advertising him as the “real world’s champion”, carrying around the big gold belt that would later become known as WWE’s World Heavyweight Championship. One of the first major programs Flair involved himself with was the title feud between then-champion Hulk Hogan and The Undertaker. Following some interference from the dirtiest player in the game, Undertaker was able to defeat Hogan at the 1991 Survivor Series pay-per-view, executing the Tombstone Piledriver onto a steel chair. The following month in San Antonio, TX WWF President Jack Tunney issued a mandatory rematch, standing ringside to make sure Flair stayed away for the title. However, when Tunney was knocked out mid-match, several shenanigans occurred, ending with Hogan using ashes from the Undertaker’s urn to distract, and ultimately defeat the Deadman to win back his WWF Championship. Seeing this, Jack Tunney vacated the title and made the blockbuster announcement that, for the first time in history, the Royal Rumble match would be contested for the biggest prize in professional wrestling.
This Rumble match should be the outline for how to properly book all successful Rumble matches. Or, at the very least, how to properly book a heel to go over in a major way, but still send the crowd home happy. The whole match was built around Ric Flair surviving the match, lasting almost 60 minutes and going head-to-head with the likes of Roddy Piper, Randy Savage, The Undertaker, Ted DiBiase, a young Shawn Michaels, Sid Justice and Hulk Hogan. The “Nature Boy” won the match, becoming the WWF Champion and, in his eyes, “the man” once again.
