WWE - Royal Rumble 1 And 2 [DVD]

The 1989 Rumble match is solid, if not spectacular with a surprise winner and only Jake Roberts/Andre and Hogan/Savage confrontations during it worthy of note.

In 1990 the undercard was still struggling to provide matches worthy of PPV. The Bushwackers/Rougeaus was a fairly "paint-by-numbers" tag match for both teams, The Genius/Brutus Beefcake match was appalling by any standards (The Genius wrestling on PPV ???), a submission match between Ronnie Garvin/Greg Valentine which was way too long (why in a submission match did they try and pin each other sooooooo many times ?), while the match between Hacksaw Duggan and the Big Bossman was pretty fair (both hard hitters) but not main event status by any means. We are also treated to a Brother Love segment that sowed the seeds for the Dusty Rhodes/Randy Savage fued that ran and ran and ran.......etc.

The Rumble match was much better than 1989, with plenty of juicy encounters. Ted Dibiase's efforts were amazing for the time, while we saw the big clash between Hogan and the Warrior (teasing us for Wrestlemania VI). All in all a fairly solid card made up with a cracking Rumble.

Not a bad buy at all - but the undercards needed rapid improvement.

Royal Rumble 1989 was the first Rumble event to feature 30-men (the first Rumble match featured just 20). Among those involved were Demolition, Andre The Giant, Hulk Hogan, Mr Perfect, Jake Roberts, Randy Savage, Ted Dibiase and more (Dibiase actually tried to "buy" his way to the #30 spot. Watch and find out to see if he gets his wish).

Before the Rumble itself, there are a few undercard matches. For some reason, Harley Race VS King Haku hasn't been included, but every other supporting match has. The highlight of the undercard is a 2-Out-Of-3 Falls 6-Man Tag pitting Jim Duggan & The Hart Foundation against Dino Bravo & The Rougeaus and a daft but enjoyable "posedown" between The Ultimate Warrior and Rick Rude. Meanwhile, Rockin' Robin VS Judy Martin is yet another abysmal Women's Title Match from that era, although Sensational Sherri is quite good as a guest commentator throughout the match.

The Royal Rumble match is enjoyable, especially because you really don't know who's coming next (unlike today, where WWE announce which wrestler has #30 or #1). The actual Rumble winner turns out to be a surprise and in truth, his win is pretty pointless. But it's still an exciting free-for-all featuring all the major superstars from that period.

Royal Rumble 1990 is a marked improvement on it's predecessor. The Rumble is better and the undercard is generally more satisfying. Jim Duggan VS Big Boss Man and Ron Garvin VS Greg Valentine in an "I Quit" match are deathly dull, but Brutus Beefcake VS The Genius is a good effort (apart from the finish) and The Bushwhackers VS The Rougeaus is a fun opener.

Once again, the Rumble match features 30 men, including Earthquake, Honky Tonk Man, Macho King, Dusty Rhodes, Hulk Hogan, Bret Hart and others. As with RR 89', there is also really nothing on the line, apart from bragging rights (Hogan was the WWF Champion at the time, but still got entered into the Rumble). This Rumble is livelier and more action-packed than before and features the first proper one-on-one meeting between Hulk Hogan and The Ultimate Warrior.

Royal Rumble 90' works far better than RR 89', but both offer plenty of entertainment as individual shows. They're obviously not up to the standards of later Rumbles or later events, but even today, they still haven't lost their appeal. This is once again another worthy "Tagged Classics" purchase.