Three questions from the 1991 Royal Rumble

Recap of the Royal Rumble 1991

For the second year in a row Hogan outclassed 29 other superstars to win the Royal Rumble and set up the main event for Wrestlemania 7 with the American turncoat villain, Sgt. Slaughter. Hogan didn't need to win the 1990 Royal Rumble, Mr. Perfect should have gotten the nod there to launch a well-deserved main event run. Here however, Hogan was the only logical choice to win considering the circumstances of the Gulf War and his status as an All-American hero. And win he did by eliminating all the big men that were available (read Smash, Crush, The Warlord, Brian Knobbs and Earthquake).

Other stars who shined included:

Royal Rumble 1991: British Bulldog eliminates Mr. Perfect with a brilliant dropkick

British Bulldog eliminates Mr. Perfect with a brilliant dropkick <Courtesy: WWE>

The Undertaker (still managed by Brother Love) who eliminated the likes of Bret Hart and "Texas Tornado" Kerry Von Erich
"The Model" Rick Martel who entered at no. 6 and made it to the final five thereby setting a new Royal Rumble endurance record of more than 50 minutes
British Bulldog who ended up in the final four and along the way tossed out big names such as Haku, Mr. Perfect and Rick Martel
Earthquake who served as the ideal monster heel that Hogan needed to vanquish at the end in order to send the fans home happy

After watching the entire match, I had three questions about the trajectories of some of the stars who competed in this Rumble.

Three questions from Royal Rumble 1991

1. Bret Hart entered at no. 1 in the Rumble and had a fairly short stay before being dumped out of the ring by the Undertaker. The booking more or less proves that the higher-ups were still not considering him for a singles push. So, the question I have is at what point in 1991 did Vince McMahon and team think that it would be beneficial to book Bret Hart as a singles star? It would be interesting to find out the exact moment that convinced them of the potential that Bret had

Royal Rumble 1991: Bret Hart calibrating his strategy while Greg Valentine tackles Paul Roma

Bret Hart calibrating his strategy while Greg Valentine tackles Paul Roma <Courtesy: WWE>

2. "The Model" Rick Martel was undoubtedly the MVP of this Rumble. He not only lasted the longest but was also a genuine threat to all comers. Certainly, such a performance would have merited a push into the main event and also perhaps a run with at least the intercontinental title. But, that didn't happen. In fact after his match with Jake the Snake Roberts at Wrestlemania VII, Martel was permanently slotted in the mid-card for the rest of his WWF career. I therefore want to understand what prompted the management to not book Martel as a more credible threat for the main event stars? Had Martel's momentum continued, he could have upended Bret Hart for the intercontinental title and had an exceptional match with "Rowdy" Roddy Piper at Royal Rumble 1992 instead of the Mountie

Royal Rumble 1991: Bret Hart and "Texas Tornado" Kerry Von Erich work on the "The Model" Rick Martel

Bret Hart and "Texas Tornado" Kerry Von Erich work on the "The Model" Rick Martel <Courtesy: WWE>

3. The cracks in Hogan and Tugboat's friendship appeared in the match itself where both went at each other. Tugboat hurled Hogan over the ropes only for Hogan to come back and flip the big man over the top rope. Instead of Nasty Boy Knobbs could Tugboat and Earthquake have been there at the end to stretch Hogan's odds? Their blatant double teaming would not only have sown the seeds for the formation of Natural Disasters post this pay-per-view but also established them as a legitimate threat to any of the top tier talent

Royal Rumble 1991: Tugboat and Hulkster have a go at each other

Tugboat and Hulkster battle it out <Courtesy: WWE>

So, there you go my friends. Those were my questions from the 1991 Royal Rumble. What were your thoughts? Where did your fantasy booking thoughts for Royal Rumble 1991 take you? Leave a comment!

Until next time,
Your sports entertainment fan.

Comments

The grandeur of Gandikota Fort

Where? About 400 kms from Hyderabad. Gandikota fort overlooking the gorge over Pennar river What is it? A picturesque fort on top of a gorge steeped in history and relevant for multiethnic communities. Plaque detailing the history of Gandikota fort What greeted us within the fort? We made our way into the fort through a majestic entrance which was constructed wide enough for the royal elephants to march in. The majestic entrance of Gandikota fort Gandikota's own version of Charminar and an ancient prison house were the next stops on the journey. Charminar - Gandikota fort version The ancient prison house - Gandikota fort Then, the magnificent Madhavaraya temple with its awe-inspiring gopuram and resplendently carved pavilions emerged. This temple is an excellent example of Vijayanagara school of architecture. The spectacular Madhavaraya temple within the Gandikota fort Vijayanagara school of architecture - Madhavaraya temple pavilions Next stop was to the Gandikota go...

Zamarrud Theatre Hyderabad

More than two decades ago a 5 year old boy (yours truly) found himself in Abids which was certainly then the microcosm of Hyderabad. Abids in the 80s <Courtesy: OkaTeluguAbbayi > The occasion was a family outing to Zamarrud Cinema. And we are stepping out for not just any movie my friends, my parents decided that nothing less than the Raj Kapoor blockbuster Chori Chori was good enough for us. To be honest I wasn't exactly enthused about watching a black and white film of a bygone era even though the movie had all the credentials of a classic. But that was before I saw Zamarrud, the theatre where the movie was being played. Nested in the heart of Abids, Zamarrud was the perfect amalgamation of Hyderabad's old world charm and new fangled ways. Zamarrud was not just any theatre, it was one of the first air conditioned halls in Hyderabad, a premiere cinema hall which used to host the best of what the film industry had to offer and the place to go for Hyderabad...

KBR National Park

In the midst of the hustle and bustle of the fifth largest city in India - Hyderabad lies KBR (Kasu Brahmananda Reddy) National Park . It's difficult to imagine a natural habitat in the center of a concrete jungle but that's exactly what KBR park is - an oasis in middle of an urban desert . One of Hyderabad's prized tourist attractions which in my opinion doesn't get the attention it deserves. The Entrance <Courtesy: Andhra Aroma > I don't remember when I first noticed the park but it soon became a sight which I couldn't miss during the course of my everyday commute to work. I always wondered what lay beyond the entrance but never found the time to check it out for myself until last year. But let me back up a bit, there's a back story to my first visit to the park. In my ' Count Your Blessings ' post, I talked about how a walk around my office building started a positive change in my life. That incident made ' walking ' ...

Parmanu: The Story of Pokhran

Backdrop: I diligently avoid docudramas based on real incidents as they only rehash what we already know without adding anything new. That's precisely the reason why I avoided watching Parmanu all these weeks but it's been a while since I saw a movie and the lack of decent fair at the cinemas coupled with upbeat critical reviews for Parmanu finally cajoled me into watching it. Boy! Was I thrilled to watch a competent movie which was slick and gripping till the very end. The verdict is out first but keep reading as to what makes this movie a recommended watch . (Credits: IndiaToday.in ) Plot: It's 1995 and India is facing an existential crisis amidst mounting defensive and strategic pressures from it's neighboring countries. I.A.S. officer, Ashwat Raina ( John Abraham ), believes that India's road to political parity lies in establishing a nuclear program. The recommendation is taken up but Ashwat Raina's plan is not followed to the ' T', resu...

Mahabharata - An All Time Classic by C.Rajagopalachari

There are books which you read and then there are books which make you read them and change your life. Chakravarthi Rajagopalachari's (Rajaji's) Mahabharata belongs to the latter category. Mahabharata introduced me to the joy of reading books as a kid and today I couldn't have picked a better topic for my 25th post. I cannot describe what a pleasure and honor it is to extol the virtues of this classic book during this holy festive season of Makar Sankranti . Mahabharata an all time classic by C. Rajagopalachari The story of Mahabharata is as old as the mountains and has been retold several times. Mahabharata by Rajaji however stands out in my mind because here is a story which is spiritual yet not religious, is thought provoking yet not preachy, is compelling yet not tedious. The story left an indelible impression upon me for several reasons which are: Rajaji uses extremely simple language to convey some of the finer aspects of the saga. I was 10 years old when I r...

Life Etc Etc

Search This Blog