["Wicked Game" playing]
Tonight contains material of a graphic nature.
Viewer indiscretion… [chuckles softly] I mean, viewer discretion is advised.
[dramatic music playing]
[announcer] Some measure a champion by size,
or the strength exuded by muscle and bone.
Others are gauged by speed,
lauded for courage, or known for the gift to enthrall.
In the World Wrestling Entertainment the reigning champion is defined by heart,
Bret "The Hitman" Hart, a living legend who has conquered adversity.
A man who continues to overcome seemingly insurmountable odds,
but tonight The Hitman must face the challenge of a man
who is no mere mortal, a force whose powers are mythical,
a phenom whose heart at times can be cold.
Razor Ramon, the four-time Intercontinental Champion,
displays the heart and ferocity of a lion as well
but tonight he faces a most peculiar foe, in the bizarre Goldust.
A man whose fascination with Machismo seemingly weighs more on his heart
than the desire for the gold around Razor's waist.
And tonight in the over the top rope Royal Rumble match,
30 WWE superstars will attempt to prove that they too possess
the heart of a champion.
In this battle of elimination,
the sole survivor could be the returning hero.
The former WWE Champion, the new force invading Entertainment
or any number of mighty superstars who will go to any lengths to win
the guaranteed title shot and a chance to be called champion at WrestleMania.
Tonight, the passion and heroics of these athletes
will surely pen a new definition for "champion."
[music concludes]
-[upbeat music playing] -[crowd cheering]
[Vince] Welcome, everyone to the 1996 WWE Royal Rumble.
Welcome to Fresno, California.
Welcome to the Selland Arena.
What a ruckus crowd, jam-packing this arena,
they are ready for action. Hello, everyone.
I'm Vince McMahon, along with Mr. Perfect
and if ever we had a perfect Royal Rumble this one's likely to be it.
I'll tell you what, McMahon. You listen to these people.
Next Sunday, the NFL, they got the Super Bowl but tonight,
we got our Super Bowl in the 1996 Royal Rumble.
I've been in the back room, locker room area, everybody is on ice.
I mean, they're ready to fight.
No question about that, ladies and gentlemen.
As a matter of fact, "Double J" Jeff Jarrett
is ready to step through. Wait a minute. Here he comes right now.
He claims to be the greatest entertainer
in the World Wrestling Entertainment today.
-Here he comes, Double J. -["Tennessee Swing" playing]
[bell ringing]
[Howard] This contest is scheduled for one fall.
Coming down the aisle from Music City, USA,
weighing 232 pounds, "Double J" Jeff Jarrett
[Vince] Yes, we made big news at the last In Your House.
Let's take you back now and show you some of the events that led up to this matchup.
Here we go.
Oh, my goodness. Look at this.
-Unbelievable. -[Mr. Perfect] Oh, a smashing hit.
[Vince] And then the impact.
You can bet Ahmed Johnson, ladies and gentlemen, is…
Oh my goodness. …looking forward to this matchup here
tonight live on pay-per-view.
Yes, there he is, "Double J" Jeff Jarrett from Nashville, Tennessee.
-[Mr. Perfect] Ain't he great? -[Vince] Well, that remains to be seen.
Double J, we'll leave the light on for you.
[chuckles] Look at that strut.
[Mr. Perfect] When you got it, you can do what you want with it.
[Vince] Is that right? I think Ahmed Johnson has it as well.
Ahmed Johnson, an extraordinary competitor and--
-Well, here we go. -["Pearl River Rip" playing]
[Howard] His opponent, from Pearl River, Mississippi,
-weighing 305 pounds, Ahmed Johnson. -[crowd cheers]
[Vince] Ahmed Johnson wasting no time.
[Mr. Perfect] Look at the size of this guy, McMahon.
[Vince] Double J going out to a hard right hand by Ahmed Johnson.
Ahmed Johnson, going to work on "Double J" Jeff Jarrett.
Sets him up for the ride now, coming off and, no, no. Uh-uh.
[Mr. Perfect] Here he is. He's the answer for the WWE.
-He's the WWE Mike Tyson right there. -[Vince] Yeah.
Ahmed to the outside. Ahmed wants to get it on,
but Double J who seems to be the slightest bit tentative.
Right back in, or as Double J tryna set up--
-He's tryna set it up. -[Mr. Perfect] Oh, there you go.
[Vince] Tryna set up Ahmed Johnson.
Ahmed Johnson does not have the experience of a "Double J" Jeff Jarrett.
But he does not have Ahmed-- Oh, look, wait a minute.
Double J does not have the power of Ahmed Johnson, that's for sure.
[Mr. Perfect] But Double J is gonna have to use that mat skill that he's got,
the experience that he's got to wrestle the big guy down.
Certainly can't match him with strength and power.
[Vince] And Double J now, tryna reverse things and does indeed,
standing side headlock.
"Double J" Jeff Jarrett opening up things here live from Fresno, California,
1996 Royal Rumble, and Double J.
-[Mr. Perfect huffs] -[Vince] Now, that takes strength.
[Mr. Perfect] He's got plenty of strength, McMahon.
But when it gets down and dirty, and the time goes on here,
we'll see what he's got down deep inside him.
[Vince] And Double J clipping the chin of…
Brother Ahmed Johnson, I think that Ahmed a little tentative
on that last move but he's not tentative there at all.
[Mr. Perfect] Not at all.
You gotta cover him though, when you get him down.
He's not doing it. That's a lack of experience.
[Vince] And Ahmed Johnson again with the tackle
and "Double J" Jeff Jarrett having his problems here.
And trying again, and going right back down into the canvas again.
[Mr. Perfect] Well, Double J, he can't outpower him, not a chance.
[Vince] And Double J, this time scooped up and… oh!
[Mr. Perfect] He drove him through the canvas.
-[Vince] And a cover. -[Mr. Perfect] No.
[Vince] And a kick out by Double J just in a nick of time.
Ahmed Johnson, undefeated thus far here in the World Wrestling Entertainment
and you wonder whether or not, against the highly experienced Double J,
that undefeated strength will come to a brusque halt here tonight.
Coming off the rope and-- Oh, way up there.
[Mr. Perfect] Well, this is Ahmed's first Royal Rumble, McMahon.
First time he's been in a major event like this one.
I'll tell you right now, it takes a lot. A lot on the guy's mind is what it is.
[Vince] I'm sure it is, there's a lot of butterflies
in the stomach of Ahmed Johnson.
And coming to the rope now and right back up, Ahmed--
No. Double J really set up Ahmed Johnson who's caught in the rope there.
[Mr. Perfect] Now you gotta take advantage of him.
-Get on him, Double J. -[Ahmed groaning]
[Vince] And Double J doing just that.
[Mr. Perfect] It's the best time to kick a man is when he's down.
[Vince] I beg your pardon.
"Double J" Jeff Jarrett with a clothesline
and down goes Ahmed Johnson.
And now the tables have turned here unquestionably
as far as momentum is concerned.
"Double J" Jeff Jarrett and Ahmed Johnson on the outside and--
Oh, Ahmed driven into the apron.
[Mr. Perfect] You see how Double J takes advantage
of the man when he's down, stays right on top.
[Vince] Oh, my… Unbelievable.
Ahmed Johnson into the steel steps and he moved those steps.
Did he ever.
And that could very well be the beginning of the end for Ahmed Johnson.
"Double J" Jeff Jarrett, we'll take a look at this again.
Now, look it. Ahmed Johnson whipped into the steel.
He goes down but when he does, he takes the steps with him.
[Mr. Perfect] That will separate your AC joint.
[Vince] And any other joint you may have.
Double J now coming off and down,
goes the back of the head and Ahmed Johnson--
[Mr. Prefect] There we go! Show your stuff, Double J. Show it to 'em.
[crowd cheers]
[Mr. Perfect] He might get caught wasting too much time himself.
[Vince] "Double J" Jeff Jarrett very confident,
perhaps a little overconfident but maybe not,
-down to the back of Ahmed Johnson. -[Mr. Perfect] Uh-oh.
[Vince] Double J now going-- Wait, Ahmed tryna run it off,
tryna shake it off and…
"Double J" Jeff Jarrett from the second rope
down into the back and Ahmed Johnson tryna loosen up.
[Mr. Perfect] McMahon, he's gotta go after the legs.
-No doubt about it to get the-- -[Vince] Oh, no.
[crowd cheering]
[Vince] Ahmed Johnson!
[Mr. Perfect] He'll squeeze the life right outta you.
[Vince] Catching "Double J" Jeff Jarrett…
Oh, my goodness!
…from a reverse atomic drop.
Coming off the rope now, Ahmed with the clothesline.
[crowd cheering]
[Mr. Prefect] What a mean-looking customer.
[Vince] He is mean-looking.
He means business, that's for sure. Here we go. Wait a minute.
I thought we were gonna see that Pearl River Plunge.
Coming off the rope, Ahmed Johnson and Double J. Oh!
Spinebuster nicely done.
And Ahmed Johnson, certainly respecting
the skills of "Double J" Jeff Jarrett, may appear to be just a bit tentative.
His timing may be just a little bit off because you have to wonder what
the wily veteran-- Oh, my God. Oh, boy!
[Mr. Perfect] Lucky he landed on his head.
[Vince] Ahmed Johnson taking it to "Double J" Jeff Jarrett.
[Mr. Perfect] I can't believe the move he just performed here, McMahon.
He dove over the top rope. That's 15 feet down.
[Vince] Ahmed taking a chance and you're gonna have to take a chance
if you're gonna make it in World Wrestling Entertainment
and "Double J" Jeff Jarrett in trouble.
Ahmed now going upstairs. We've never seen this before either.
Ahmed going all the way up to the top! What's he gonna do?
-Oh! -[Mr. Perfect] Oh!
[screams]
[Mr. Perfect] He hurt his knee a little bit.
-[Vince] Hurt his knee. -[Mr. Perfect] Here he goes.
[Vince] Here we go with the figure-four leglock.
[Mr. Perfect] It's the opening Jarrett needed.
[Vince] "Double J" Jeff Jarrett applying the figure-four leglock
on Ahmed Johnson and this is the end of Ahmed Johnson's undefeated streak.
[Mr. Perfect] No doubt about it. Ring the bell.
-[Vince] Ahmed trying to hang on. -[crowd cheering]
[Vince] Ahmed must be in tremendous pain.
[Mr. Perfect] Jarrett's got a great technique.
-He will not be able to-- -[Vince] Oh, no. Wow.
Can you imagine that? Ahmed Johnson… he refuses to surrender.
"Double J" Jeff Jarrett.
[Mr. Perfect] He's reversed it.
[Vince] Ahmed now reversing the hold and the pressure unquestionably back
on Double J who now releases the hold
and, nonetheless, "Double J" Jeff Jarrett had to go there
and, for sure, I thought Ahmed Johnson was going to surrender.
Oh, and here he goes right back, working on the legs again.
"Double J" Jeff Jarrett making sure that Ahmed Johnson
will have a great degree of difficulty in the upright position.
[Mr. Perfect] Well, Jarret's doing exactly what I said he needed to do.
Go after the leg, knock it out, and wrestle the man on the mat.
[Vince] You know, wait a minute! He kicked out Double J to the outside.
[crowd cheers]
[Vince] Double J. Wait a minute. Hey, wait a moment.
Double J is going up. Is Double J getting desperate?
Double J couldn't beat Ahmed Johnson with his figure-four leglock.
"Double J" Jeff Jarrett from the top and-- Oh.
-[bell ringing] -[Mr. Perfect] Send me back home.
That's one way to get rid of a guy.
Play it again, Sam. Look at him. [laughs]
[Vince] I can't believe
-what "Double J" Jeff Jarrett did. -[Howard] The winner of this bout
as a result of a disqualification, Ahmed Johnson.
[Mr. Perfect] The old Tennessee two-step right on Ahmed's head.
[Vince] Oh, my goodness, Tennessee two-step.
-[Mr. Perfect] Oh! -[Vince] And, Ahmed Johnson.
Yeah. Let's go back and take a look at the replay.
Ahmed Johnson back up on his feet. Wait a minute.
[Mr. Perfect] He's still up. How do you stop this guy?
-Ahmed is on his way. -[crowd cheers]
[Vince] And "Double J" Jeff Jarrett better be running for cover
as we go back to take another look now at the replay. Look at this.
[Mr. Perfect] Off the top rope with all that force. Oh, man.
That speaks for itself.
[Vince] And, another look at "Double J" Jeff Jarrett
who was desperate.
Double J could not beat Ahmed Johnson with his figure-four leglock.
My goodness, he loved that he bought the guitar.
[Mr. Perfect] I love it.
One of the odds-on favorites to win the WWE Royal Rumble here tonight,
"Big Daddy Cool" Diesel, former WWE Champion.
Diesel, let me ask you, what's going on in your head right now?
A lot of people are wondering where Big Daddy Cool's head's at right now,
if I had to make an analogy, I guess, it's, like, I'm a ninth grader,
my mom and dad have finally decided to leave me at home alone.
They're backing down the driveway, I don't know what I'm gonna do next,
but I know I'm about to have the time of my life.
Your best friend, The Heartbreak Kid, Shawn Michaels returns.
There's a man named Vader who you've never faced before.
You're gonna have to go through these superstars.
Its everyman for himself.
I mean, Shawn Michaels came out last year and did what nobody else has done,
you know, he lasted the entire Rumble. Vader, he's a big guy,
but as far as I'm concerned, he's unproven in these waters,
he's got to prove himself first in the World Wrestling Entertainment.
And I'll tell you right now, you know, I just looked at my watch,
it doesn't look like Vader time to me, it looks like Big Daddy Cool time.
Let me ask you, Diesel, let's say you become the winner
of the WWE Royal Rumble match here tonight.
Who are you gonna face?
Bret "The Hitman" Hart? The Undertaker? Any preference there at all?
You know, a lot of people are… this whole thing with The Undertaker.
I don't have a problem with The Undertaker.
The problem I had was him being the number one contender.
I want my belt back. It doesn't matter which one I face.
Hey, I hope they have a hell of a match,
but as far as I'm concerned, neither one of them can matchup to the Big D.
Big Daddy Cool says, it's gonna be Diesel time tonight.
Let's get it back to ringside.
-["Addonas" playing] -[Vince laughing]
He's something else, and right now, ladies and gentlemen, here they come.
Here come the Bodydonnas.
-Led, of course, by Sunny. -[Howard] …Tag Team Championship.
-Coming down the aisle -[Vince] You have to wonder
-what Sunny is up to as of late. -[Howard] …along with Sunny.
[Mr. Perfect] She's got that look in her eye.
[Vince] She certainly does,
and thumbs down many individuals have for Skip and Zip.
-The Bodydonnas. -[Howard] The Bodydonnas!
[Vince] Nonetheless, they are a formidable WWE tag team combination to stay the least
and who knows they could be after the end of this match
the WWE Tag Team Champions
awaiting The Smoking Gunns, the title holders.
This should be an extraordinary matchup.
[Mr. Perfect] Well, Sunny usually get what she wants.
[Vince] Yeah, one way or another.
Ladies and gentlemen, children of all ages.
I just want your attention just for a quick second.
I know I can get it.
Take a good look right now in the ring
as the premier tag team of the World Wrestling Entertainment,
I have Skip, and now I have Zip,
and in just a few moments I'm gonna have the Tag Team Championship.
[Vince] You don't say.
Who knows? Anything can happen here in the World Wrestling Entertainment.
[Mr. Perfect] I wonder how she trains these two guys.
-["Smokin'" playing] -[Vince] All right. Here we go.
[Howard] Their opponents, from the great state of Texas,
at a total combined weight of 512 pounds,
the World Wrestling Entertainment Tag Team Champions,
Billy and Bart, The Smoking Gunns!
[Mr. Perfect] Who ever said Texas is a great state?
[Vince] Billy and Bart, The Smoking Gunns! Here live on pay-per-view
World Wrestling Entertainment's bout to defend the Tag Team title.
[crowd cheers]
[Vince] The Smoking Gunns looking for action.
By the way, we're told that Ahmed Johnson is looking for action of a different kind.
He's trying to find Double J to even up things,
I would suggest, as to what we saw earlier on with the guitar.
[music concludes]
-[Vince] All right. Here we go. -[bell ringing]
[Vince] Who's gonna start things off?
One of the advantages the Bodydonnas have, Mr. Perfect,
is at least from behind they're almost identical.
[Mr. Perfect] I really hadn't noticed them from behind but I'll take a look at it,
-if you want me to. -[Vince laughing]
[crowd cheering]
[Vince] Other than their facial features, their…
[Mr. Perfect] I know that from behind.
-[Vince] It's a-- -I can't help it if they love me.
[Vince] Yeah. She thinks everyone loves her so…
-[Mr. Perfect] Maybe they do. -[Vince] Maybe they do.
She's up to something
and I'm sure we'll be able to figure it out here.
[Mr. Perfect] All right. Here we go, Skip.
Or is that Zip? That's Skip.
-[Vince] I can't tell. -[Mr. Perfect] I'm just kidding.
[Vince] I see.
Billy starting things off for The Smoking Gunns against Skip.
[Sunny] Come on, Skip!
[Vince] Skip now, standing side headlock,
The Bodydonnas hope for being the Tag Team Champions
at the conclusion of this matchup, and-- Oh, a quick cover here!
Two and-- All right, back up. And, Billy now, from the other side.
Leapfrog nicely done by Skip off the rope and how about this?
-Wait a minute! What's this? Yes. -[Mr. Perfect] Look at this.
This match is gonna be fast paced, McMahon.
You can tell right from the get-going here.
-Hope you're ready. Oh! Wow! -[Vince] Oh!
[Vince] And Billy Gunn now with the-- Oh!
Billy Gunn over the top rope.
[Mr. Perfect] I don't know if he moved out of the way or fell out of the way.
[Vince] Skip, barely eluded there, but Bart now coming in to help out,
and, unfortunately, Bart is being double teamed.
Bart to the outside, on the opposite side of the ring.
And double team effort.
Let's see what happens here. Billy comes in, yes, the hard way,
and in control of things now, Skip and Zip,
setting up Billy, now The Smoking Gunns coming off, and double elbows
into the solar plexus.
Bart right back up, but wait a minute, look at this.
Bart, let's go and look at-- Oh, yeah.
[Mr. Perfect] Whoa.
[Vince] How about that?
[Mr. Perfect] The referee almost disqualified the Bodydonnas for be…
-[Vince] Look at this. Yes. -[Mr. Perfect] Wow.
[crowd cheering]
[Vince] Bart and Billy, tag team action personified here
-live at the Royal Rumble. -[crowd cheers]
[Vince] And Skip and Zip having some degree of difficulty.
[Mr. Perfect] Neither one of these teams, McMahon, had a lot of time
-to prepare for one another. -Zip!
[Mr. Perfect] You can't have a good match if you don't do your homework.
[Vince] Homework important, no question about that.
-And now-- -[Mr. Perfect] Unless you're Mr. Perfect.
[Vince] Well, of course.
And a kick out by Billy, and-- Oh, my goodness.
Bart-- Oh, boy. Skip-- Oh, look at that! Skip has no idea where he is,
I would suspect right about now, he's being pummeled.
-[Mr. Perfect] Oh! -[Vince] So is Zip.
-[crowd cheers] -[Sunny] Zip, go!
[Vince] And Sunny tryna help out her Bodydonnas
and apparently not having… Oh, my goodness.
…all that much effect.
[Mr. Perfect] She needs to pull them both outside the ring
-and regroup the Bodydonnas. -[Vince] That's a little difficult to do.
No time outs here in the World Wrestling Entertainment.
[Mr. Perfect] Oh, she's blowing kisses to the cowboys.
-Bart's going for it. -[crowd cheering]
[Mr. Perfect] Yippee ki-yay.
[Vince] She is obviously distracting The Smoking Gunns
-and doing a very good job at it. -[crowd cheering]
[indistinct yelling]
[Vince] And, that's Zip in there.
-I think Zip's going for Bart. -[Mr. Perfect] I think she wants Bart.
-She might. -[Bart] You want me?
[Vince] All right, here we go, tag is made, and--
-[Mr. Perfect] See the Bodydonnas, he's got the cowboys doing
exactly what he wants. He's telling them what to do out there.
And they're doing it.
[Vince] Reversal there by Bart Gunn, a kick to the midsection,
-Zip now with a chop. -[Mr. Perfect] There you go. Whoa!
[Vince] Hits on Bart. [chuckles] Bart just moving in.
Those chops having a very little effect at all.
[Mr. Perfect] Look at the size of these cowboys.
[Vince] Very good size, no question about that,
they mean business too.
[Mr. Perfect] That'll rearrange your nipple.
[Vince] Bart now with Zip and to the buckle, out-- Oh!
-Oh, no! -[Mr. Perfect] Wow!
Bart the stronger of the two, no doubt about it.
[Vince] Down to the canvas.
And Bart the southpaw connecting with a hard left hand.
And Zip now from the other side and look out!
-[Mr. Perfect] All right! -[Vince] Lower the bull.
[Mr. Perfect] They made the tag, that was legal, McMahon.
-What a great move. -[Vince] You have to be plastic man
-to make that tag. -[Mr. Perfect] Plastic man?
[Vince] Illegal in the ring right now, there was no tag, I didn't see a tag.
Setting up now right now is Bart, and Skip is in there,
and I think the official got confused
as to which man was legal, unless I didn't see the tag.
[Mr. Perfect] There was a tag, McMahon.
-[Vince] All right, I didn't see it. -[Mr. Perfect] I wouldn't lie.
-[Vince] And, oh! -[crowd cheering]
[Mr. Perfect] Now, there's double teaming, come on, ref, take charge.
-[Vince] And, Sunny now up on the apron. -[Mr. Perfect] What has she got under her…
[Vince] Sunny is distracting the official.
[Mr. Perfect] We got a full moon here tonight.
-[Vince] Nonetheless, Sunny… -One, two,
[Vince] The official trying to move Sun-- Oh, no, Sunny goes down.
-[crowd cheering] -[Mr. Perfect] She could have been hurt.
[Vince] And she could very easily have been hurt
and wait a minute, Bart-- Well, that's Billy coming out.
[Mr. Perfect] Oh, see?
-[crowd exclaiming] -[Vince] Oh, wait a minute.
It appears as though she were… kind of a… [speaks indistinctly]
-She might be hurt. -[Mr. Perfect] She's definitely hurt.
-[Vince] Oh, shoot! -[Mr. Perfect] So is Billy.
[Vince] Back up on her feet, she has…
-Look at that, I can't believe it. -[Mr. Perfect chuckling]
[Vince] Bart now, tryna come over and help his partner.
Billy and Bart now on the outside with the Bodydonnas.
[Mr. Perfect] She's not like a lot of women, McMahon, she's smart.
[Vince] Oh, please.
And nonetheless, Sunny has turned the complexion
of this match completely around.
Wide open--
Wait a minute. From the other side now, here comes Skip over the top.
Yeah! -[Mr. Perfect] All right.
[crowd cheering]
[Mr. Perfect] It's a great matchup, McMahon.
[Vince] And Billy is in trouble,
from Skip on the inside and, likely, from Flip on the outside.
And who knows what part Sunny is gonna play
-in this matchup as far as the outcome. -[Mr. Perfect] Did you say Flip or Zip?
-[Vince] Actually, I think I did say Flip. -[Mr. Perfect] Yeah, you're confused,
that's all right, it can happen to anybody, except me.
[Vince] All right, well, not everybody's perfect.
-[Mr. Perfect] Right. -[Vince] And slammed down to the canvas.
Oh.
Billy's in trouble. A cover now, a count, two, and no.
Billy and Bart Gunn.
[Mr. Perfect] McMahon, you wonder what kinda party Sunny would throw
these two guys if they won the titles match, I'd like to be there.
[Vince] You might be in attendance.
Because the Bodydonnas clearly have the advantage at the moment.
And Billy and Bart in trouble.
Billy slammed to the canvas again.
And the high flying Bodydonnas-- Here we go, tag was made.
[Mr. Perfect] Yeah, quick tags in and out.
[Vince] And what's this now?
-[Mr. Perfect] Keep the fresh man-- -[Vince] Oh!
-Right down to the chest. -[Mr. Perfect] That's different.
[Vince] Very different. A cover, a count and two!
-[Mr. Perfect] No, he hit. -[Vince] Oh, only a count of two.
A close call for Billy who would like nothing better
-than to tag his partner, Bart. Ooh! -[Sunny] Come on, Skip!
[Vince] But Skip just beat him to the punch, so to speak.
[Sunny] Referee get him outta here.
[Vince] And Bart on the other end, wanting to come in to help out,
but he's not helping the cause at all.
Double-team effort behind the official's back.
Billy is being pummeled by both Skip and Zip.
[Mr. Perfect] This is really great teamwork, McMahon,
I am impressed with the Bodydonnas.
[Vince] I'm gonna say I'm relatively impressed myself.
And certainly, Sunny is very impressive.
And has played a big part in this matchup already.
[Mr. Perfect] You see where they're smart, McMahon, they cut the ring up,
they got 'em in there cornered, that's where you need to keep them,
in the corner.
[Vince] Sunny, inadvertently knocked off--
I guess inadvertently knocked off the apron,
and then when Billy came around to help out,
that's when the complexion of this matchup really changed.
Stop!
[Vince] And, oh, my goodness,
tag is made there, beautiful maneuver by Billy,
and in the ring right now…
Wait a minute, that is Skip or is that…
-Is that Zip? -[Mr. Perfect] That's Zip.
-[Vince] That's Zip? -[Mr. Perfect] No, that's Skip.
That's Skip. All right, Skip now, going upstairs.
Let's see if he could connect here.
Yes!
-[Mr. Perfect] Pin him. -[Vince] And a cover. One, two, and…
Right shoulder coming up.
Billy must tag his partner, Bart. The Bodydonnas doing an excellent job
of keeping Billy away from tagging his partner, Bart,
trying to wear him down.
Double-team effort, double back--
-Oh, goodness. -[Mr. Perfect] Oh, man.
There we go. There we go. It's over now, I'm gonna have the belt.
[Vince] And a cover, this could do it.
Two and three, got him!
-[Mr. Perfect] No, no, he didn't. -[Vince] No, no.
Again, a very, very close near fall, the Bodydonnas coming closer and closer,
you can almost feel those tag team titles leaving the Smoking Gunns.
Wait a minute! Over and-- Oh! Oh, my goodness.
That was most unusual to say the least. And Bart trying to do everything.
And Billy tryna reach for the tag, but he's in the wrong corner.
The Smoking Gunns must mount an offense here.
Bart must somehow get into this match and he does.
[crowd cheering]
-[Vince] Bart all over. -[Mr. Perfect] Wow.
[Vince] The Bodydonnas in trouble, Bart with a succession of left hands now.
[Mr. Perfect speaks indistinctly]
[Vince] And, oh, my! From the top way up above.
Coming off the rope, and Flip, or Skip, or Zip, or whatever his name is--
Two and they got him.
-[Mr. Perfect] No, they didn't. -[Vince] No, they didn't.
Oh! A right hand by Billy, back up on his feet.
And look out, the Bodydonnas.
-Back body drop, a kick, a scoop, a slam. -[Mr. Perfect] Unbelievable.
[crowd cheering]
[Vince] And there you see some tag work by the Smoking Gunns,
that's what brought 'em to the dance.
-Here we go. -[Mr. Perfect] Come on, Zip.
-From the top. -[Mr. Perfect] Wow!
[Vince] And come on, ref, turn around, turn around.
Sunny distracting the official, look out from the other side.
And unfortunate-- A cover here.
-Wait a minute, two and yes! -[Mr. Perfect] No!
-[Vince] Did he get him? Yes. He got him. -[Mr. Perfect] Yes, he did.
-[Vince] He got 'em. No, they didn't. -That was three!
[Vince] Wait a minute, I'm not so sure that's the legal-- Oh, my goodness.
-Bodydonna. -[Mr. Perfect] That is the legal one in.
I think.
[Vince] And now, Bart is being set up by both Bodydonnas.
Double back body drop.
Skip and Zip want the WWE Tag Team Championship
and they are likely to be victorious if this continues.
Come on, ref. Double team effort. Come on, get in there. Wait a minute.
Takes one of 'em out!
-A cover, one, two-- Got 'em. -[Mr. Perfect] No!
-[bell ringing] -[Mr. Perfect] Come on, ref, they cheated.
-["Smokin'" playing] -[Howard] The winners of this bout
and still World Wrestling Entertainment Tag Team Champions,
the Smoking Gunns.
[Vince] Sunny can't believe what has happened to her Bodydonnas.
[Mr. Perfect] I can't believe it either.
They were in definite control all through the match.
[Vince] Yes, indeed. Billy and Bart, WWE Tag Team Champions
for a successful title defense.
Give it up for the Smoking Gunns.
All right, ladies and gentlemen, right now let's take you
to something that seems to be very popular here in the World Wrestling Entertainment,
a compilation of Billionaire Ted's "Wrasslin' Warroom" compilation.
Here we go.
-[dramatic music playing] -I bought myself a network.
I bought myself a World Series.
I bought myself a library of classic movies,
but why can't I buy WWE?
We've been trying, Ted.
[hesitates] And how come their wrestling is still better than ours?
They've got better athletes.
All we've got are the disloyal, greedy, has-beens from the '80s.
Who are you calling a "has-been," brother?
Can't blame a guy for trying to con-- uh, make a buck.
Who are you calling disloyal? Besides, I started in the '70s not the '80s.
Well, then, go out there, and find some of those WWE generation superstars.
We've been trying, Ted.
[hesitates] Then we need more action from our stars,
[hesitates] I want them to pull out all the stops.
Okay, boss, we have some suggestions.
Nacho, how about this maneuver?
Oh. [hesitates] Never.
Ain't done it in my entire career and I ain't about to try it now.
How about climbing the ropes and performing some aerial tactics?
Brother, at my age, my feet don't leave the ground.
[hesitates] Well, tell us, what can you boys do?
["Pump It" playing]
[announcer] You can't teach old dogs new tricks.
The new WWE generation, on top of the hill, not over it.
Uh, Hawkster, what if we call you "The Boy Toy," yeah?
[laughs] That's good, I like it.
[Todd] Lately, it seems Goldust has been trying to attract the attention
of the Intercontinental Champion, Razor Ramon.
And, man, has he ever.
The Bizarre One's first declaration of affection,
came in a form of a gold letter, at last month's In Your House.
And, Goldust has been showering the confused Razor with gifts ever since.
[Vince] Wait, it was a box of flowers, he-- Hey, oh, no.
[Jerry] That's a personal foul, unnecessary roughness, what's he doing?
He wanted me to present you
with this token of his appreciation for you.
[Vince] Uh-oh.
[crowd jeering]
This is for you. Wait a minute, hold on.
[Vince] It looks to be a centerfold of sorts, of Goldust and--
And that usher better take off. Razor Ramon has had it, and who wouldn't?
[Todd] Obviously, the gifts have begun to get on the Bad Guy's nerves,
raising the question, "What are Goldust's intentions?"
It became more evident that Razor was becoming more uncomfortable
with each amorous approach.
We began to wonder, is Goldust after the Intercontinental Champion?
Or is the object of his desire the Intercontinental belt?
Goldust's lips are anything but sealed
and the Bad Guy has gotten the message loud and clear.
After the Androgynous One unveiled the tattoo of his Latin lover's name
last weekend on WWE Superstars, Razor absolutely snapped.
The Mad Guy showed up unannounced on Monday Night Raw
and delivered a message of his own.
[Vince] Razor! All over Goldust.
-Oh, no, Razor's lost it. -[indistinct clamor]
-No! No! No! -[Vince] Oh, no!
-Razor! -[indistinct shouting]
-[Jerry] Oh! -[indistinct clamor]
[Vince] Razor's gone mad!
[indistinct clamor]
[Todd] The brutal beating stopped only when Goldust escaped.
One thing is clear,
Razor Ramon has had enough of Goldust's uninvited advances.
Tonight, has Goldust played his greatest role,
using Razor's machismo against him? Or will Razor be able to control
his anger and control the match.
["Gold-Lust" playing]
[Vince] All right, ladies and gentlemen,
yes, here it comes.
-[bell ringing] -[Howard] The following contest…
[Vince] …most unusual individual,
the most bizarre individual in the history of World Wrestling Entertainment.
[Howard] Coming down the aisle…
[Vince] Please do not adjust your television set…
-[Howard] From Hollywood, California… -…this is Goldust.
…Goldust!
[Vince] And, yes, gold dust beginning to come down from the ceiling,
and there he is.
His own Walk of Fame, so to speak, and… hang on one second.
All right. Hello? My goodness, this is most unusual.
Goldust along with…
[Mr. Perfect] It's a woman carrying a cigar.
[Vince] That's what it's all about with Goldust, just when you think
you have the answers, I believe, he's changing the questions.
[Mr. Perfect] What's a woman doing with Goldust?
-[Vince] Who is she? -[crowd cheering]
[Vince] Goldust always full of surprises and here's another one for you,
live at the WWE Royal Rumble, ladies and gentlemen,
Goldust along with…
And there's the usher there coming up from behind.
Very attractive, young lady preceding Goldust.
-With the usher as-- -[Mr. Perfect] The Cigar!
-[Vince] I beg your pardon? -[Mr. Perfect] A cigar in her hand.
[Vince] And whomever this young lady is, is very attractive.
[Mr. Perfect] It's not…
[Vince] Thank goodness that cigar is not lit.
You can bet that Goldust is lucky to light things up here tonight.
Yes, Goldust, ladies and gentlemen, against Razor Ramon
for the Intercontinental Championship.
This is very, very strange and very unusual.
[song continues]
[Vince] Goldust peering about this capacity crowd.
Now, if you're Razor Ramon, what are you thinking, Mr. Perfect?
[Mr. Perfect] Let's ooze it together, Chico. [laughs]
[Vince] That's not what he's thinking, come on, knock it off.
And Goldust going through the imaginations of preparing for the match
as only Goldust does. Look at Goldust.
[Mr. Perfect] He can't help it if he looks like a movie star.
[Vince] I'm anxious to find out just who this young lady is
who has accompanied Goldust to the squared circle.
Well, hopefully, before we go off the air or during the match,
we might find out some information.
Goldust…
making some sort of a gesture,
as, again, it rains gold dust upon this capacity crowd,
live from the Selland Arena, and, ooh, there he is, bizarre indeed.
You wonder, whether or not Goldust is sore from that beating he took
last Monday night from the man on his way to the squared circle now.
-["Bad Boy" playing] -[Vince] The screeching tire…
-[Mr. Perfect] Here we go, McMahon. -…means only one thing.
[Howard] The World Wrestling Entertainment Intercontinental Champion,
Razor Ramon.
[Vince] Razor Ramon, ladies and gentlemen, four-time WWE Intercontinental Champion,
the Bad Guy.
Boy, was he ever bad last Monday night on Raw.
[Mr. Perfect] I've never seen Razor Ramon so upset my whole life.
He's the Mad Guy is what he is. He's lost it completely.
I'm surprised to see how calm he is right now.
Maybe this is the calm before the storm.
[Vince] Who knows but you can bet Razor Ramon is somewhat caught off guard
by the antics of Goldust and I would suggest caught off guard
by the presence of this young lady at about the ringside with Goldust.
Razor peering about, no question in terms of fan support,
the Bad Guy is gonna have all this capacity crowd behind him.
[crowd cheering]
[Mr. Perfect] Going back to his roots, McMahon, street smart Razor is,
a street fighter he is, tonight, I believe we're gonna see it all.
[Vince] Yes, but you have to wonder whether or not
the Bad Guy can contain his temper. If he loses it like he did
last Monday night, it could cost him the WWE Intercontinental Championship.
[Mr. Perfect] Well, I think beating up Goldust is more on his mind
than that Intercontinental Championship belt is.
[Vince] I would suggest that Goldust has a lot on his mind for sure.
Capacity crowd joining us, ladies and gentlemen,
live from Fresno, California.
And look at the gold around the neck, gold around the waist.
That's the Bad Guy for you.
Oozing machismo.
And, apparently, the young lady accompanying Goldust, is…
What's she have? A director chair of some kind?
[Mr. Perfect] Let's not forget about the Royal Rumble jinx last year.
[Vince] She's sitting right up-- Wait a minute. Look at this.
-She has her own ringside seat. -[Mr. Perfect] That's firm and proper.
[Vince] And look at Goldust, look what kinda mind games
is Goldust playing with Razor Ramon.
[Mr. Perfect] I don't think Razor has him figured out at all.
[Vince] I don't think anyone has Goldust figured out.
He is bizarre, Goldust is, and Razor's objecting, I guess,
to the presence of the usher, as well as,
I guess, Goldust's lady friend, or I don't know, maybe she's a director.
She's in a director's chair.
And I think she's giving Razor Ramon the eye.
That's what it's all about,
the WWE Intercontinental title, ladies and gentlemen,
at the Royal Rumble.
[Mr. Perfect] Look at Razor. He's paying a lot of attention
to the usher out there, he better just worry about Goldust.
This guy's 6'6, 260 pounds, McMahon, and he can wrestle.
[Vince] No question about it.
Two superb athletes, although, again, there you see Goldust
with these machinations.
Quite obviously… to distract Razor Ramon.
Oh, my goodness, toothpick in the face.
[Mr. Perfect] You're gonna put an eye out.
[Vince] And Razor Ramon ready to get it on.
[Mr. Perfect] I'm surprised at Razor,
I thought he was gonna take it right to Goldust.
Taking his time.
[Vince] Well, think about it now, Goldust has to take the title from Razor,
Razor does not have to beat Goldust.
-The only way a title changes hands-- -[Mr. Perfect] Hey, I know.
-I'm a two-time Intercontinental Champion. -[Vince] I understand that, yes.
The only way a title changes hands in World Wrestling Entertainment
is either by pinfall or submission.
So, Goldust has a task of taking the title from Razor.
And again, Razor, look at this.
-[Mr. Perfect] Oh, boy. -[Vince] Thus far keeping his cool,
-I think that's important. -[Mr. Perfect] You can just see it
in Razor's face, he's uncomfortable, McMahon, no doubt about it.
[Vince] Oh, I don't know that anyone who wouldn't be uncomfortable.
During a recent interview that I personally conducted with Goldust,
I'm gonna say I was uncomfortable.
-[Mr. Perfect] He likes you. -[Vince] A right hand. Wait a minute.
And now, Razor Ramon.
-My goodness, look at this. -[Mr. Perfect] Oh!
-Jerking right off his body. -[Vince] Oh, my goodness.
Razor Ramon means business,
and Goldust is really having some degree of difficulty.
Armbar finally stepping up, look at him.
Look at this, Razor all over Goldust.
The Bad Guy wants to prove he is bad and doing just that thus far.
[Mr. Perfect] If he loses the title, he'll be "The Sad Guy."
[Vince] You're right about that. Standing side headlock, Razor Ramon now
against Goldust.
Never has anyone made the impression that Goldust has made
here in World Wrestling Entertainment.
Again, tightening the gloves and moving his hands about his physique.
And Goldust looking down at…
I guess, maybe we'll call her "The director."
I know I'm exciting. But the real attraction is in the ring.
[Vince] I did not pick up those comments, nonetheless, we have Razor Ramon now,
reversed-- Oh, my God.
Whoa, whoa, wait a minute.
[Mr. Perfect] I can't believe what I just saw.
[Vince] That was a little different.
[Mr. Perfect] Maybe Goldust got what he wanted out of this match already.
[Vince] Oh, no, I think this man is cagey,
very crafty, Goldust.
[Mr. Perfect] Ten-yard penalty for illegal use of the hands.
[crowd chanting] Razor! Razor!
[Vince] Listen to this capacity crowd.
Goldust with bizarre tactics, locking back up now with Razor Ramon.
Goldust now, here's another look at what we saw earlier on
after the reversal.
Live action at the right-hand side of your screen.
Back to live action.
I've never seen that ever…
[Mr. Perfect] Is he gonna check him for a hernia next?
-[Vince] Oh, my goodness, look at that. -[crowd cheering]
[Vince] And there is no question that Goldust is getting into the head
-of Razor Ramon. -[Mr. Perfect] Razor's beside himself.
-He doesn't know what to do. -[Vince] What would you do?
-[Mr. Perfect] Kick him in the face. -[Vince] Right.
[Mr. Perfect] I'd wrestle him, McMahon, I'm a wrestler.
-I'd take him down and wrestle him. -[Vince] I see.
[Mr. Perfect] Maybe that's what he wants.
[grunts]
[Vince] Razor Ramon back now working on the wrist,
the left arm of Goldust.
Nice reversal there by Goldust and give Goldust credit for--
Oh, what a shot that was.
[Mr. Perfect] Slapped the smile right out of his face.
-[Vince] He really did! Whoa! -[Mr. Perfect] Whoa!
[Vince] That's gonna wake the Bad Guy right up.
Whoa, my goodness, what a shot.
[Mr. Perfect] Maybe Goldust likes it rough, McMahon.
[Vince] Who knows what Goldust likes?
Nice takedown by Razor Ramon and I think he'll like that a lot.
[Mr. Perfect] Maybe.
[Vince] Back up and, oh, my goodness, and a shot by Razor Ramon,
-a shot on the keister as well. -[crowd cheering]
[Mr. Perfect] Oh, look at him, he likes it, McMahon. He likes it.
-[Vince] What? -[Mr. Perfect] Goldust, he--
-[Vince] I bet he didn't like that. -[Mr. Perfect] Don't think he liked that.
[Vince] Goldust…
bizarre beyond belief. On the outside, here comes the Bad Guy,
coming right after him.
Goldust, now-- Oh, wait a minute.
Hey, hey, come on, hiding behind this lady.
[crowd exclaims]
[Mr. Perfect] I don't think Razor really cares.
[Vince] Of course he cares.
[Jimmy] Both of you! Get inside!
Goldust, let her go. Get inside.
[Vince] And Razor Ramon wanting to move in on Goldust,
and Goldust literally hiding behind this woman.
-[crowd exclaims] -[Jimmy] Five…
six.
[Vince] And now, Goldust.
-Come on, ref, get control of this thing. -[Mr. Perfect] Well, he's smart,
he's taking his time.
[Vince] Obviously, breaking what momentum Razor Ramon had.
[Mr. Perfect] Exactly.
[Vince] Now, right back up in a standing position,
Razor Ramon, who never faced anything quite like this.
-[Mr. Perfect] That we know of. -[Vince] Bam Bam Bigelow,
many other WWE superstars who've had a great degree of difficulty
competing with Goldust-- Scissor, yeah, he finally got it and a kick out.
Right back up, right back down, headscissor applied and right back out.
Goldust now with a takedown, and again, headscissor.
Look at this, back and forth, Goldust! [groans]
And it stops right about there when the Bad Guy does what he does best.
[Mr. Perfect] That's right, street fight, punch, kick…
-How many times I gotta tell you stay… -…and I'll tell you what, he could hit.
[crowd cheering]
[Vince] And again, Goldust-- Oh, come on. Goldust literally hiding behind this woman
and again, breaking the momentum that the Bad Guy, Razor Ramon had.
The official should send this woman back where she came from
along with the usher.
I don't want a clutter out, get inside now. Move it inside!
[Vince] And again, we couldn't quite pick up what…
-what this lady had to say to Goldust. -Inside now!
[Vince] Seems to be giving him some sort of instruction though,
-some sort of direction. -[Jimmy] Two!
[Vince] All right. Goldust now, what is this man up to? My goodness.
It boggles the mind,
all of the things that Goldust has done to the Bad-- And look at Razor Ramon,
-come on, he loves to wrestle. -[Mr. Perfect] He's blowing him a kiss.
-[Vince] Come on, let's go. Let's wrestle. -[crowd cheering]
[Vince] The Bad Guy with a kick to the midsection now,
setting up the bizarre, Goldust, from the other side--
Oh, putting on the brakes, Goldust. And again, he goes back to that--
-A clothesline! -[crowd cheering]
[Vince] That's what Razor Ramon has to do. Razor has to stay on top of Goldust,
if he does, Goldust can't play his mind games.
[Mr. Perfect] Razor's going back to the streets of Miami, McMahon,
pulling out all the stops here, no doubt about it.
[Vince] And Razor has dominated this matchup offensively
but he just can't build all-important momentum.
[Mr. Perfect] Is he winning mentally, you think? I don't think so.
[Vince] Oh, come on! And again, that woman right in the way,
Goldust pulls her right in front of him and--
-[Mr. Perfect] Whoa! Whoa! -[Vince] Whoa!
[Mr. Perfect] Look at that!
-He threw a woman down. -[Vince] He did not.
-[Mr. Perfect] Okay, a lady. -[Vince] He moved her out of the way
and unfortunately that cost him and--
Oh, my goodness, into the apron, Goldust now with a hard right hand.
[Mr. Perfect] He played right into Goldust's hand.
-[Vince] Possibly. -[Mr. Perfect] Perfect.
[Vince] Goldust with Razor Ramon, once again drives him back
into the apron again.
And, Goldust really working on that lower back area-- Oh, high impact.
-What a shot that was. -[Mr. Perfect] Oh, man.
That might do it right there, McMahon.
[Vince] And Goldust and Razor must be leery of the count out
because if there's a count out, there will be no title change,
that's for sure. Goldust wants to walk away
from Fresno, California as the new Intercontinental Champion.
From the top rope, now, and down on the back.
Again, more damage to the back area
as Goldust continues his attack on Razor Ramon,
a very methodical attack. Oh, my goodness, there's a right hand.
Razor for the ride, to the buckle-- that hurts the back as well.
Right back out to the other side--
[Mr. Perfect] It just goes to show you, McMahon,
you can't judge a book by its cover, I mean, look at the skills of Goldust.
-Look at that. -[Vince] And a bulldog.
-And a cover, one, two, he got-- -[Mr. Perfect] Yes, he did!
[Vince] No, he didn't. No, no. Ooh! That was close.
Razor Ramon must mount an offensive once again
and he must keep it, he must keep the momentum.
Right now, Goldust in control, this capacity crowd getting--
[Mr. Perfect] Look at where his hands are. Look at his hands, McMahon.
[Vince] What a maneuver that was.
[Mr. Perfect] I think Goldust is getting everything he wants out of this match.
[Vince] And a cover, we have one, and a two, and a kick out again
by the Bad Guy, Razor Ramon.
-[Mr. Perfect chuckling] -[Vince] Razor, extremely competitive.
[Mr. Perfect] Hey, McMahon, that was a perfectly executed slingshot suplex.
-Oh. -[Vince] What's this?
[Mr. Perfect] She's looking at you, I think.
-[Vince] Wait a minute, she's asking-- -[Jimmy] Break it up.
[Vince] She's gonna kiss Razor Ramon.
-She blew some of that gold dust… -[Mr. Perfect] Gold dust.
…in Razor's eyes.
[Mr. Perfect] What a great asset she is to Goldust.
[Vince] And again-- Oh, my goodness! Oh, look at this, Razor back up on his feet,
now withstanding the blatant maneuvers a moment ago.
Wait a minute, down to the canvas! Oh.
[Mr. Perfect] Did you see that, McMahon? Razor lowered his head, not long enough.
Goldust is really impressing me with his wrestling skills here.
[Vince] A cover again, two, and-- Oof, a near fall again.
Yes, Goldust is impressive with his wrestling skills
but more impressive with his psychological ones.
And Razor looking over at this young lady, directing, I believe,
the attack of Goldust with a cigar in her hand,
and gold dust in another,
coming off the rope and sleeper hold applied by Goldust.
[Mr. Perfect] If he puts Razor to sleep, McMahon,
he can do anything he wants to him.
-Including-- -[Vince] Imagine that.
And, Goldust.
[Mr. Perfect] Oh, my God, McMahon, can you imagine if he puts him to sleep?
[Vince] I don't even wanna think about it but it could happen,
anything can happen in World Wrestling Entertainment.
[crowd cheering]
[Vince] And, Goldust applying--
-[Mr. Perfect] He's going out, McMahon. -[Vince] He certainly is.
Razor is going out. Razor's down.
[Mr. Perfect] Razor's going down.
[Vince] And, Razor Ramon is just about out and if that happens, again,
we have a new WWE Intercontinental Champion.
And who knows what Goldust would do to Razor if he is, indeed, unconscious?
[Mr. Perfect] This could be a fairytale ending to this match.
[Vince] Again, a very confident lady on the outside,
looking at Goldust, watching this-- and Razor, now, wait a minute,
Razor's starting to move.
Razor, trying to turn into Goldust, trying to break the momentum.
Trying to break the leverage, back up on his feet.
Razor Ramon, now, let's see what he can do
with Goldust back up and…
[Mr. Perfect] You gotta hand it to Razor,
four-time Intercontinental Champion, this guy is tough.
-[Vince] Razor made it to the rope. Oh! -[crowd exclaims]
[Mr. Perfect] A little a back door of his own.
[Vince] And Razor Ramon,
rather there, using desperate tactics, it's easy for me to say.
Hey, wait a minute.
And, Goldust is in a serious condition, notwithstanding…
Razor Ramon, both men down.
[crowd chanting] Razor! Razor! Razor!
[Vince] I guess desperate situations call for desperate tactics.
[Jimmy] Seven!
[Mr. Perfect] Razor certainly desperate.
-[Vince] And Razor. -[Mr. Perfect] Here we go, McMahon.
-One, two, yes-- No, no, no. -[Mr. Perfect] Yes, he got him!
[crowd cheering]
[Vince] And now, a look of concern on this woman on the outside.
And a right hand-- No, blocked, a right hand by Razor, retaliation.
Another block, Razor connecting, Goldust is in trouble.
Goldust being pummeled now, and down he goes.
And now, Razor going back to what he knows best,
that street fighting style coming off, and over the hip-- No, reversal, and--
-[Mr. Perfect] Oh! -[Vince] A knee to the midsection, and--
Oh! Yeah! A cover! One, two, and, no. No, so very close.
Near fall by Razor Ramon.
[Mr. Perfect] That was a pretty low knee too, McMahon, pretty low.
[Vince] It was in the abdominal area, it was not.
And wait a minute, here we go, yes! Razor Ramon with the cover,
referee out of position. Two, he got the leg, and three.
No, not quite.
Left shoulder barely coming up.
What a matchup.
[Mr. Perfect] Both these guys are incredibly tough.
[Vince] And, Goldust, what's he doing now? Look at this.
Goldust, going all the way to the top, Razor Ramon now…
-[Mr. Perfect] Oh! -[Vince] Knocks out one leg!
[Mr. Perfect] Vienna Boys' Choir.
[Vince] Goldust is in trouble. Razor Ramon can capitalize on this now.
Here we go, yes, Razor, coming up from behind now.
And wait a minute. The woman is coming into the ring as Razor sets up Goldust,
-suplex, yeah. Cover him. -[Mr. Perfect] Oh! Forget about-- Oh!
[Vince] Wait a minute, what?
-[Mr. Perfect] She twisted her ankle. -[Vince] She what?
-She twisted her ankle? -[Mr. Perfect] She twisted her ankle.
Look at the size of those heels, no wonder.
[Vince] Goldust is down. Wait a minute.
Oh, 1-2-3 Kid, turn around, Razor. The Kid going up to the top.
-The 1-2-3 Kid, oh! -[Mr. Perfect] Oh, he took his head off.
[Vince] And a cover by Goldust.
And this lady, still with the official and-- No!
-[Mr. Perfect] The spinning heel kick. -[Vince] Yes! Yes! It's over.
-[bell ringing] -["Gold-Lust" playing]
[Mr. Perfect] Goldust has all the gold. new Intercontinental Champion,
-Goldust. -[Howard] The winner of this bout
-and new Intercontinental Champion… -[Vince] And you could see obviously,
-this woman friend, whomever she is… -…Goldust!
…who appeared to be directing the skills of Goldust.
Nothing wrong with her ankle…
something might be wrong with her taste in men but, well, enough said there.
Nonetheless, we are looking at, ladies and gentlemen,
believe it or not, the new Intercontinental Champion.
Razor Ramon, thanks to the 1-2-3 Kid,
as this woman was distracting the official,
Goldust covering Razor.
Let's go back and take another look, the 1-2-3 Kid coming in
via the top rope, the Kid lowering the boom on Razor Ramon.
-Take a look at this. -[Mr. Perfect] Take a look,
the Kid goes to the top rope right here, McMahon,
he hits him with that spinning thrust kick and it's the trail that takes the head off
of Razor Ramon.
[Vince] And that's enough to knock the Bad Guy out, of course,
for the cover and there you see them,
Goldust and whomever that is, cigar and all.
[Mr. Perfect] I don't think we've seen the last of this confrontation
-with Razor Ramon and Goldust. -[Vince] Certainly not.
Victorious, nonetheless, Goldust. And there unfortunately, Razor Ramon
suffering the consequences of the jump from the top rope of 1-2-3 Kid,
really connecting, and Razor might be in some degree of trouble himself.
Certainly hope you're enjoying the Royal Rumble, ladies and gentlemen.
The winner of the Royal Rumble matchup heads to WrestleMania.
With that in mind, we had an occasion to pick up some comments
from some of the participants in this year's Royal Rumble,
we'll begin, however, with Dr. Jeffrey Unger.
In my professional opinion, I think Shawn Michaels is ready
to get back in the ring. He's a 100% back to where he was before.
He's in tip-top condition, tip-top shape.
I'm a little bit concerned about him getting back in with 29 other guys
right from the start, however, I'm gonna be out in the sideline
making sure that everything is okay for him.
Coming up next is the Royal Rumble,
and you're looking at the next winner of the Royal Rumble,
and Shawn Michaels, he said it's a dream come true
to be the WWE Champion.
Well, Shawn Michaels, I'm gonna win the Royal Rumble,
and I'm gonna end your career, like I should've done the first time.
Royal Rumble, just when you thought the demons were gone,
you got a snake that you gotta deal with.
Each and every one of you will get a taste of me,
and I just might get a taste of you.
I'm gonna let you peons in on a little secret.
Why do think it was called the "Royal Rumble" huh?
[chuckling] Because it's gonna be won by royalty,
me, the King, Jerry Lawler. [chuckles]
I'm walking into the Royal Rumble as the major underdog
as all my matches are.
The chances are 30 to one that I'm gonna win,
but when I walk out of the Royal Rumble, I am gonna be the winner.
I'm confident and I'm happy. And remember, in World Wrestling Entertainment,
anything can happen.
-[chuckles] -Yeah!
This is the kinda thing that you wait a lifetime for,
the chance to guide the career of the most powerful force
in World Wrestling Entertainment. I'm about to release this mastodon
-into the Royal Rumble. -It's time! It's time! It's Vader time!
-[chuckles] -[Vader] Yeah! Yeah!
Unless my eyes deceive me, HBK is back in the saddle again.
What are my odds of doing it one more time, winning the Rumble?
Are you kidding me? I did it once, I'm bound to be able to do it again,
because this year is so much different from last year.
The Heartbreak Kid and all of his fans, now known as The Kliq,
are gonna turn the hopes and dreams of a 12-year-old boy
into a destiny and a reality at WrestleMania XII,
you'll be looking at the new World Wrestling Entertainment Champion.
Ladies and gentlemen, we said, the winner of the Royal Rumble matchup
goes onto WrestleMania and faces the champion,
whomever that may be.
This is gonna be an unbelievable matchup.
It starts on, of course, with Hunter Hearst Helmsley,
unfortunately, having lost in the Free For All.
-He didn't really lose-- -He did, to Duke "The Dumpster" Droese.
We know that Hunter and Duke are gonna sandwich this thing.
Duke's number 30, a tremendous advantage, and Hunter, oh, boy, he's in trouble.
After that, after Hunter's introduced, from there, we go every two minutes,
a new man comes into the squared circle until we have a winner.
The process of elimination, of course, being thrown over the top rope,
both feet must hit the ground then you are eliminated
and taken back to the locker room.
After it's all said and done, one man will win the Royal Rumble.
-Who's gonna win it? -Well, I gotta go with Vader.
He's the biggest, the strongest, most athletic.
That's easy to say.
Here he comes, the man who earned the right,
if you would, to be the very first individual
in the Royal Rumble.
[Mr. Perfect] He's not a happy camper. Look at this guy.
-He means business. -[Vince] He was disqualified earlier on.
As a matter of fact, I believe, we have that footage that we have--
There we go. Now, watch, he used some sort of an object there.
[Mr. Perfect] Some fan threw him something there.
-He picked it up off the mat. -[Vince] That's what he said earlier,
I'm not too sure we can believe that.
This occurred earlier on prior to the pay-per-view,
ladies and gentlemen, on the preview channel,
yes, the first ever Free For All.
Hunter Hearst Helmsley disqualified.
And Gorilla Monsoon on hand, by the way,
the interim president of World Wrestling Entertainment,
he stepped right in there and disqualified Hunter Hearst Helmsley.
[Mr. Perfect] Now, we got to find out who's number two, McMahon.
[Vince] Yes, indeed, we do. Your guess would be?
-["The Godwinns" playing] -[Mr. Perfect] H.O.G. man.
[Vince] Oh, yeah, I wonder why.
-[Mr. Perfect] God, am I good. -[crowd cheering]
[Vince] We're gonna go from bad to worse, Hunter Hearst Helmsley
earned the right to be number one and of course, we know what happened
at the last WWE pay-per-view extravaganza, In Your House.
[Mr. Perfect] Now, look what's inside, that's a-- I can smell it from here.
[Vince] Look at this. Hearst Helmsley
and the H.O.G. man, slugfest developing here.
Hunter Hearst Helmsley With Henry O. Godwinn,
sets up the big farmer from Arkansas, continues to pummel on the midsection now.
Look at the succession of boots and hard right hands by Hunter.
[Mr. Perfect] It's like a replay from In Your House, McMahon.
[Vince] It certainly does indeed. And here we go to the buckle.
Hunter Hearst Helmsley, Oh, what a clothesline.
[Vince] And that's what Henry O. Godwinn--
-[howls] -[Vince howls] Calling the hogs.
[Mr. Perfect] I can see three girls in the front row move in.
[Vince] Big old razorback now with Hunter Hearst Helmsley,
off the rope and back body drop.
-[Mr. Perfect] Boy, oh, boy. -[Vince] My goodness.
And in just a few minutes,
as we count down, ladies and gentlemen, who's gonna be number three.
Again, this match gets most interesting, it is-- Oh, my goodness--
The most exciting complete hour of action in World Wrestling Entertainment.
Helmsley in, oh, my goodness, big trouble.
[Mr. Perfect] Look at the strength of this guy.
-[Vince] And… -[Mr. Perfect] Oh, yeah.
…Hunter Hearst Helmsley, I thought for sure
he was gonna be thrown over the top to the outside.
[Mr. Perfect] The little thumb in the eye would put anybody out.
[Vince] Hunter Hearst Helmsley now, making a move on Henry O. Godwinn.
Again, remember now, a pin is of no consequence,
no such thing as disqualification in this matchup.
You must eliminate your opponent by throwing them over the top rope,
both feet have to hit the floor after being thrown over the top.
[Mr. Perfect] The H.O.G. man, he was in the top five,
he was in the last five in last year's Rumble, so he can do it.
[Vince] And of course, everyone remembers that Shawn Michaels
started things off last year at the Royal Rumble
and went all the way, an incredible feat.
[Mr. Perfect] What are the odds of winning it two years in a row?
-Not very good. -[Vince] Not too good.
I agree with you there.
Nonetheless, we anxiously await the presence of Shawn Michaels.
We know from his physician that he is in tip-top condition.
Right now, it looks like the H.O.G. farmer is in great shape as well.
-Here we go. -[Mr. Perfect] Here we go.
[crowd] Eight, seven, six…
[Vince] This capacity crowd counting down whomever might be coming in next.
Hunter Hearst Helmsley and the H.O.G. man going at it now.
-["Hail to the Chief" playing] -[Vince] It's Bob Backlund.
-[Mr. Perfect] All right. -[Vince] Bob Backlund,
the would-be president of the United States.
Bob Backlund who holds the record, by the way,
in terms of endurance in any Royal Rumble. Bob Backlund holds that record.
He wants to set another record. Hunter Hearst Helmsley almost out.
-[Mr. Perfect] Here we go. -[Vince] And Backlund had Hunter out,
and Backlund going to work on the H.O.G. farmer, and look at this.
Now, both men still in the squared circle, no one out.
Bob Backlund with the forearms trying to send the big H.O.G.
Backlund trying to throw him out.
[Mr. Perfect] Backlund has a great chance, not only winning the Royal Rumble,
but becoming a president. He's a graduate of Princeton, isn't he?
[Vince] No, I don't believe he's a graduate of Princeton, no.
[Mr. Perfect] Sure, he's from Princeton.
[Vince] I believe it's North Dakota State.
Oh, my goodness, another massive right hand by Hunter Hearst Helmsley.
[Mr. Perfect] Oh, he's from Princeton, Minnesota.
[Vince] It's all right. Oh, my goodness.
And Hunter Hearst Helmsley and the H.O.G. farmer.
It's everybody for himself. Look at Backlund.
[Mr. Perfect] He took his head off.
[Vince] You might think Bob Backlund and Helmsley would team up
against the H.O.G. farmer but, no, it is every man for himself
here tonight at the Royal Rumble.
[Mr. Perfect] I don't think there's anybody in better shape
than Bob Backlund, except for me maybe.
[Vince] Maybe. And Backlund over the top. Yes-- No. Yes! He's almost out.
Helmsley now. And-- Oh.
And Helmsley, I believe, should have helped the H.O.G. farmer
get Bob Backlund over the top. Helmsley maybe can do it himself.
Of course, there's bad blood obviously between Hunter Hearst Helmsley
and the H.O.G. farmer.
Over the top, yes.
Over-- No, not quite.
Not quite. Helmsley hanging on.
[Mr. Perfect] If I remember right, McMahon, Backlund
went one hour, one minute and 15 seconds,
that's the longest time ever in the Royal Rumble.
-[Vince] How long was that, one hour? -[Mr. Perfect] One minute and 15 seconds.
In 1993 WWE Royal Rumble.
-Who's coming up now? -[Mr. Perfect] Here we go again.
-[crowd] Six, five, four… -[Vince] You'll wonder just whom
it might be on his way in to the Royal Rumble.
-[buzzer blaring] -["The Great Gates of Kiev" playing]
[Vince] It's the King. The King.
Jerry "the King" Lawler.
[Mr. Perfect] I wonder what he had to say in the Superstar line, McMahon.
He's a cagey veteran.
He knows how to wrestle these Royal Rumbles. He's smart.
[Vince] Jerry "the King" Lawler now entering the 1996 WWE Royal Rumble
[Mr. Perfect] People just love him here, McMahon.
[Vince] They do, huh.
The King-- Wait a minute. Look at this now.
You can bet the king is gonna try and plan a little strategy here
and then double-cross someone. That's his style, he's looking for it.
[Mr. Perfect] See the two Blue Bloods are together, they got a strategy going.
[crowd chanting] Burger King. Burger King.
[Vince] You can hear this Burger King chant.
As the King goes to the outside and, well, wait just a moment.
Hey, wait a minute.
[Mr. Perfect] He's gonna slop the H.O.G. man.
[Vince] Double-team effort now on the far side of the ring,
Backlund and-- Oh, no, Helmsley is going to be slopped.
[Mr. Perfect chuckles] No, Helmsley is not.
-H.O.G. man's gonna be slopped, McMahon. -[Vince] Yup.
And wait a minute, you're wrong. Kick to the midsection.
[Mr. Perfect] Oh, no.
-[Vince] Hey, wait a minute. -[Mr. Perfect] No, wait a minute.
[Vince] The H.O.G. farmer in control of the slop.
[Vince] And I thought for sure he'd go for Hunter Hearst Helmsley.
Everyone went through the ropes by the way, getting out of dodge
and who would blame them.
Over the top the rope, the process of elimination and--
-Hey, wait a minute. -[crowd cheering]
[Vince] While there was a huddle going on on the outside--
-[Mr. Perfect] Oh, Backlund's mad. -[Vince] Well, who wouldn't be?
Hunter Hearst Helmsley covered in slop, Backlund covered in slop.
Here comes the King. He got some of it too.
[Mr. Perfect] There's no place for that stinky slop.
[Vince] Oh, my goodness. Wow, look at that.
[Mr. Perfect] Talk about a Gallagher concert. [laughs]
[Vince laughs] Well, I'm not too sure what we're at.
[crowd] Seven, six, four…
[Vince] Jerry "the King" Lawler, Hunter Hearst Helmsley and Bob Backlund
taking great exception to being slopped by the H.O.G. farmer from Arkansas.
Who's coming in now?
-Bob Holly, start your engines. -["How Do You Like Me Now" playing]
[Mr. Perfect] I can't wait for Vader. I wonder when he's coming out.
Wait until you see this guy, McMahon.
[Vince] I'm anxious to see Vader, the man they call Vader,
unquestionably, in this Royal Rumble. Back body drop, yeah.
And again, as this ring fills up, if it does, that its likelihood
of maneuverability is obviously lessened considerably.
Bob Backlund having some difficulties so as Hunter Hearst Helmsley.
Thus far no one has been eliminated.
[Mr. Perfect] What if all 30 participants come out, McMahon,
and nobody was eliminated?
They wouldn't even probably fit in the ring.
[Vince] The odds against that are pretty great.
[Mr. Perfect] Like you said, anything can happen
-in World Wrestling Entertainment. -[Vince] I agree with you there.
And the King is almost out.
And H.O.G. farmer is eliminated-- No. Over the top, and--
No, his feet did not hit the bottom-- His feet did not hit the floor.
Helmsley taken down by the H.O.G. farmer. Elbow drop, nicely executed.
And again, H.O.G. farmer trying to loosen up Helmsley from behind.
[Mr. Perfect] Bob Backlund, he knows how to take care of a pig.
[Vince] Bob Backlund over the H.O.G. farmer,
meanwhile, we've got Jerry "the King" Lawler,
the speedster from Talladega.
[Mr. Perfect] Backlund just hates pork.
[Vince] And again, this ring beginning to fill up
and Holly out there on the top rung of the ladder.
Waiting for somebody to dump him and no one going that way.
Here we go now, double team effort-- No, it's Backlund who's gonna go out.
[Mr. Perfect] Every man for himself. And certainly no friends here.
-[Vince] No alliance. -[Mr. Perfect] Isn't that the truth?
[Vince] No allegiances and-- All right.
Again-- Oh, a right hand. Down goes Jerry "the King" Lawler.
-[crowd] Eight, seven, six… -[Vince] Who's it's gonna be?
Who's coming in and who's going out? Backlund takes a shot to the midsection.
-H.O.G. farmer pummel-- -[buzzer blaring]
-["The Lyin' King" playing] -[Vince] Oh, my goodness.
-[Mr. Perfect] It's King Mabel. -[Vince] Even more royalty.
[Mr. Perfect] Talk about a heavy favorite, McMahon.
[Vince] Look at all the royalty.
[Mr. Perfect] Five hundred and 68 pounds. And Sir Mo with him.
[Vince] We've got Mabel.
The King of the Ring award winner.
We've got Jerry "the King" Lawler in there.
And of course the American Blue Blood, Hunter Hearst Helmsley.
-[Mr. Perfect] Mr. Backlund. -[Vince] And-- Oh, my goodness.
This thing is gonna change--
What kind of effort will you get out of Mabel?
[Mr. Perfect] Look at the size of this guy.
[Vince] I'd suggest that the ring has been reinforced as Mabel now comes in.
And he means business as well. Going right after the H.O.G. farmer.
[Mr. Perfect] He's bigger than I've ever seen him.
[Vince] He is a monster, isn't he?
And just who will be able to get Mabel out of the ring?
Five hundred and 68 pounds.
May take a number of individuals, and under normal circumstances,
in previous Royal Rumbles that's what we've seen.
We have seen double, triple, quadruple teams
to get some of the big men out.
[Mr. Perfect] Let's call AAA to get Mabel out of the ring.
[Vince laughs] I could very well.
[Vince] Again the King softening up the H.O.G. farmer from Arkansas.
Far side, back body drop, nicely done.
And again, Hunter Hearst Helmsley having the distinction
of being the very first individual in the Royal Rumble.
Can he do what Shawn Michaels did last year?
[Mr. Perfect] He's in great shape, McMahon.
-No fat on that guy's body. -[Vince] In tremendous condition.
And Bob Holly trying to hang on. There's a double team effort now.
[Mr. Perfect] I think he's spinning his wheels, Holly.
[Vince] Bob Backlund, look out. Here he comes.
Backlund-- No-- Helmsley. He's only going for Bob Holly.
Wait, for both of them!
Backlund with a leg in each hand.
Backlund trying to earn the right to go to WrestleMania
-and face the WWE Champion. -[crowd] Five, four, three…
As we count off. And who's coming in now?
-[buzzer blaring] -["Snake Bit" playing]
[Mr. Perfect] Oh, here we go. Here we go.
[crowd cheering loudly]
[Vince] Jake "The Snake."
[Mr. Perfect] Listen to these people, McMahon.
[Vince] This building has exploded.
[Mr. Perfect] And you know what's in the bag, McMahon.
[Vince] I know one thing, that's a huge bag.
[Mr. Perfect] Look at the size of that.
[Vince] And if that's what I think it is.
Whoa, wait a minute. Whoa!
What's gonna happen-- Jake "The Snake" Roberts and--
-[crowd cheering] -[Mr. Perfect] Oh, man.
-Look at the size of that snake, McMahon. -[Vince] It's huge. Look at that.
[Mr. Perfect] Look at the size of that snake.
[Vince] Unbelievable. Jerry "the King" Lawler being pulled over.
-[Mr. Perfect] Oh, my God. -[Vince] Oh, my God.
[crowd cheering]
[Mr. Perfect] Look at-- I'd hate to see, look at the two snakes.
Lawler is headed for high ground.
[Vince] There were three snakes in the ring a moment ago, Jake,
this python, and the King but-- Oh, my-- Wait a minute.
Look at that. Jake's attendant right there with this-- Well, finally.
[Mr. Perfect] No one's gonna know how scared Lawler really was,
-maybe his laundry man. -[Vince] Oh, my goodness.
What an impression, Jake "The Snake" Roberts
has made here on this Royal Rumble.
[Mr. Perfect] He's always been a major. This guy's unbelievable.
[Vince] Jake "The Snake" Roberts, could he win the 1996 WWE Royal Rumble
and then go into WrestleMania and face the champion?
As now everyone comes back into the ring. Everyone very careful.
-They exited with this… -[Mr. Perfect] Oh!
…they exited through the ropes. No one went over the top.
Trouble for Mabel.
Trouble for Bob Backlund way up there as well.
[Mr. Perfect] You know, Jake Roberts is smart, McMahon.
He knows when to pick his spot and when not to.
[Vince] And--
Wait a minute.
Conspicuous by his absence.
Where's the King?
[Mr. Perfect] Maybe he's looking for a wet wipe somewhere.
-[Vince] Jerry "the King" Lawler. -[crowd] Nine, eight, seven…
[Vince] Didn't get the word-- He did not--
-And no, he was not eliminated. -[Mr. Perfect] No, he was not.
-He was not eliminated. -[Vince] All right, who's coming in now?
-[buzzer blaring] -[Dory Funk's entrance theme playing]
[Vince] Oh, yeah. Here we go.
It's Mr. Funk from the famous fighting Funk Family. Dory Funk.
[Mr. Perfect] Yee-haw. It's a nice ring jacket.
[Vince] Former NWA Champion. And who knows, again Funk can pull it out.
[Mr. Perfect] He brings a lot of experience into the ring.
[Vince] No question about that.
His brother Terry was invited to the Royal Rumble as well.
He's watching us from Germany as we speak-- Oh, my goodness.
[Mr. Perfect] Middle age crazy. Trying to prove he still can.
[Vince] Nonetheless, Terry Funk and his pal Bruce Willis watching as--
And in control right now of Bob Backlund is Dory Funk
and Mabel is having a go over on the other side.
[Mr. Perfect] Those are legendary Funk forearms, McMahon,
you're seeing right there, legendary.
[Vince] And Bob Holly is just about eliminated but, no.
[Mr. Perfect] Has anybody been eliminated?
[Vince] No one has been eliminated. I don't believe.
But we don't know where the King is. The King has not been eliminated either.
-[Mr. Perfect] Yeah, the king is gone. -[Vince] No, he's not.
The king has not been eliminated. We just don't know where he is.
Jerry "the King" Lawler, ladies and gentleman, is somewhere.
But nonetheless Mabel now, look at this.
Mabel is standing right up on the H.O.G. farmer's throat.
-And everybody wants to see the DDT. -[crowd chanting] DDT! DDT!
[Vince] And Jake "The Snake" Roberts likely to give a number of individuals
the DDT, but that's not the name of the game.
You have to eliminate someone. You don't put him down to the canvas,
you put him over the canvas. Over the top rope to the outside.
Hey, wait a minute. That was Lawler.
Jerry "the King" Lawler is underneath the squared circle,
that coward. I can't believe it.
Jerry Lawler is hiding underneath the ring.
[Mr. Perfect] Well, it's smart, McMahon. It's a smart play.
[Vince] And a forearm by Bob Backlund.
[Mr. Perfect] He thinks the snake's still in the ring.
[Vince] I don't think so.
Jerry "the King" Lawler cowering underneath the ring
while all this activity is going up, on top of Lawler.
-Who's coming in now to join the fray? -[crowd] Three, two, one.
[buzzer blaring]
-["Sumo" playing] -[Vince] Oh no.
[Mr. Perfect] I don't know if this ring can--
[Vince] You're talking about how big Mabel is, 568 pounds,
this man's the biggest man in the history of World Wrestling Entertainment.
Two-time
World Wrestling Entertainment Champion, Yokozuna.
And Helmsley is almost out but look that leg is caught
between the top and second rope. Here we go.
[Mr. Perfect] I think Yokozuna is gonna win it.
[Vince] Yokozuna in. And Yokozuna hammering Bob Backlund.
[Mr. Perfect] Where's Mr. Fuji at or Cornette?
-I don't see either one of them. -[Vince] In any event,
Yokozuna now, ladies and gentleman, in there with Mabel.
In there with Bob Backlund, and Backlund--
-Oh, yes, Backlund's eliminated. -[crowd cheering]
Bob Backlund will not be going to WrestleMania to face the WWE Champion.
The first man eliminated, Mr. Bob Backlund.
He's out.
Oh, my goodness, and look at these two.
[Mr. Perfect] Whoa! Mabel and Yokozuna.
[Mr. Perfect] You don't have to look far
to find out where the beef is, it's up there.
[Vince] For sure.
And Bob Holly in trouble.
And wait a minute. Is that? H.O.G. farmer Henry Godwinn--
Oh. Behind Yokozuna. I didn't see--
[Mr. Perfect] I didn't see him back there.
[Vince] As big as the H.O.G. farmer is, you can't even see.
-[Mr. Perfect] This is unreal. -[Vince] Bob Backlund has been eliminated.
[indistinct yelling]
[Vince] And Mo from the ringside area
to assist Mabel, and Mabel wants to get Yokozuna out of there.
Mabel wants to be the only big man in the Royal Rumble.
But there's other big men on their way.
[Mr. Perfect] This is a good way for somebody to really get hurt, McMahon.
These guys are falling all over the place.
Could fall on somebody's knee and bend it the way wrong way,
snap a medial collateral ligament like nothing.
-[Vince] Again as that ring fills up-- Oh! -[crowd exclaims]
Number of fans of course are calling at WWE Superstar Line to find out.
They can't wait to find out just who is coming out.
-We're gonna find out in two seconds… -[crowd] Three, two, one.
-…however, who is it? -[buzzer blaring]
-["Make Some Noise" playing] -[Mr. Perfect] It's the Kid.
[Vince] The Kid, who cost Razor Ramon the Intercontinental Championship.
-The Kid-- he's looking behind him. -[Mr. Perfect] Here comes Razor Ramon.
[Vince] The Kid's in the ring. Razor Ramon coming after him.
-[crowd cheering] -[Mr. Perfect] Oh, they're following him--
[Vince] Razor Ramon trying to catch the 1-2-3 Kid.
-[Mr. Perfect] What a hot head Ramon is. -[Vince] Would you blame him? The Kid--
-And look at that. -[Mr. Perfect] He can't catch the Kid.
[Vince] The officials tryna slow Razor down.
Trying to get him out of here.
Razor has no business being around the ringside area.
Razor not in the Royal Rumble.
Razor Ramon lost the Intercontinental title…
[Mr. Perfect] What a sore loser, McMahon. What a sore…
…against Goldust.
-…sore loser. -[Vince] Thanks, in part,
to the 1-2-3 Kid.
As the officials move Razor Ramon…
But, hey, wait. We haven't seen the last of him! Here he comes again.
Razor coming in trying to get after the Kid.
[Mr. Perfect] You can't hit a moving a target, McMahon.
[Vince] And Mabel pummeling the Bad Guy.
Razor on the outside-- Oh, my goodness. Razor almost hit one of our officials.
Razor is angry and justifiably so.
He was robbed of the Intercontinental Championship
here tonight at the Royal Rumble.
[Mr. Perfect] But he better watch out Monsoon's here.
He'll lay a fine on him on top of it.
[crowd chanting] Razor! Razor! Razor! Razor! Razor!
[Vince] Again, listen to this capacity crowd.
[crowd chanting] Razor! Razor! Razor! Razor! Razor! Razor!
[Vince] They obviously are very much in favor of "The Bad Guy," Razor Ramon,
who will not be participating in this Royal Rumble matchup.
Uh-oh. Wait a minute. The Kid however is going up and around.
Razor looking up at the video wall
on his way back being assisted by the officials
and the Kid almost went out. The Kid himself is, well, in trouble.
Uh-oh, look out. Here comes big Mabel.
-[Mr. Perfect] Oh. -[Vince] Oh, yeah.
-The strength of Mabel. -[Mr. Perfect] Here we go again.
[Vince] And the Kid's in trouble.
Right hand by Jake "The Snake" Roberts. Who's coming in now?
-[buzzer blaring] -[Omori's entrance theme playing]
[Vince] And here he comes, the wild man from Japan, Omori.
Omori, All Japan Pro Wrestling.
Omori being received by the 1-2-3 Kid and Omori, who knows,
an underdog here, very little known about Omori except that he is a--
[Mr. Perfect] That doesn't make him
-an underdog, McMahon. -[Vince] Oh, okay.
-Not a great deal is known about Omori. -[Mr. Perfect] Right.
[Vince] Nonetheless, Omori, in the squared circle in the Royal Rumble.
Individuals coming from all over the world
to participate in this most prestigious event.
As you mentioned that the outset, Mr. Perfect,
the NFL has its Super Bowl next weekend
and this might be, to a certain extent, an equivalent to the Super Bowl match
-at the Royal Rumble. -[Mr. Perfect] Without a doubt, McMahon.
You know for sure the winner of this match
is gonna be in the main event
at WrestleMania. You know, it's a big payday,
and that's what they're in here, for the money.
[Vince] Yokozuna and Mabel-- Uh-oh, wait a minute.
They're gonna double teaming Omori.
Oh double chop.
Yokozuna may be able-- The Kid trying to hang on,
on the right side of the screen.
And Omori being chopped by Mabel.
Earlier he was chopped by Yokozuna.
Yokozuna and Mabel pretty much respecting each other
at the moment, trying to stay, I believe, away from each other.
Which is not all that surprising.
And not too many people are coming to Yokozuna.
[Mr. Perfect] How're you gonna get these big guys over the top, McMahon?
[Vince] I don't know, you said before to call AAA. I don't know.
[Mr. Perfect] I can't see it.
[Vince] Jake "The Snake" Roberts could win it all.
Then again, could it be Hunter Hearst Helmsley?
Could it be Bob Holly?
The 1-2-3 Kid could win this thing. Who knows?
-[Mr. Perfect] That'd be great. -[Vince] Whoa!
Oh, yeah. Jake "The Snake" hammering away.
-Jake "The Snake." Down goes Yokozuna. -[crowd cheering]
[buzzer blaring]
[Vince] And here he comes. Here who comes?
-Savio Vega! -["Star of Vega" playing]
And Savio Vega likely to make a big difference
in the 1996 WWE Royal Rumble.
He is a fighter. He could go, in great condition.
-Savio Vega… -[Mr. Perfect] Representing Puerto Rico.
…Savio Vega hammering away on big Mabel in the far side of the ring.
The 1-2-3 Kid being set up. Here comes Savio now.
Off the rope, clothesline misses from the other side and, yeah.
[Mr. Perfect] Oh!
[Vince] That's the kind of difference Savio Vega can make.
But you need to make that kind of difference--
He's going right after Yokozuna.
[Mr. Perfect] He's gotta get him over the top rope.
[Vince] That's it. That's where-- Here we go.
-Mabel goes over. -[Mr. Perfect] There he goes.
-[crowd cheers] -[Vince] I can't believe it.
Yokozuna eliminating 568 pound, Mabel.
Now, Yokozuna is the big daddy in there.
Wait a minute. Jake "The Snake" is gone. He's gone.
No, it was Omori.
What a maneuver by Jake "The Snake" Roberts.
Unbelievable. Did you see that?
It looked like Jake was gonna be eliminated by Omori
but Jake pulled a tremendous maneuver.
Here we go with Yokozuna, being dumped unceremoniously
out of the ring by Yokozuna.
Now we're narrowing things down a bit.
And Yokozuna from behind, Yokozuna.
[Mr. Perfect] McMahon, I just tapped into the Superstar Line,
you're not gonna believe who's next.
-You're not gonna believe this. -[Vince] I'm not.
-You're not gonna tell us, are you? -[Mr. Perfect] No.
[Vince] I didn't think so.
1-2-3 Kid and Savio Vega.
And Vega making a tremendous difference in there.
What is he gonna here now? Suplex nicely done.
Dory Funk, executing--
Veteran Dory Funk executing a beautiful suplex
but you have to suplex him over the top.
And imagine Yokozuna being pummeled here on the other side.
-[crowd] Eight, seven… -[Mr. Perfect] Wait 'til you see this.
-[Vince] Bob Holly… Who is it? -[Mr. Perfect] Wait.
[Vince] I can't wait, here we go, and it is.
-[buzzer blaring] -[Vince] Who is it?
-["Vader Time" playing] -[Mr. Perfect] Vader time. Vader time.
Look at the size of this man.
[Vince] The mastodon
of the World Wrestling Entertainment perhaps.
Yes, and Jim Cornette, by the way, accompanying Vader.
Well, I guess we certainly know that-- Wait a minute.
[Mr. Perfect] He's gonna clean house, McMahon.
-[Vince] Vader… -[Mr. Perfect] He doesn't like anybody.
[Vince] Let's see what he does. Vader looking for someone to pummel.
Vader now,
going after Bob Holly.
The man they call Vader.
[Mr. Perfect] Holly's been in there a long time right now too.
[Vince] Yes, he has.
And Holly going to work here with Vader back and forth.
-[Mr. Perfect] Oh! -[Vince] And, oh, those punches
are devastating.
And Savio trying to get Dory Funk over the top.
He can't quite--
Yes, he can-- No, he-- Yes, he can.
So, Dory Funk eliminated and that's unusual.
I never see anything quite like that in a Royal Rumble.
[Mr. Perfect] He wants to punish him a little bit.
[Vince chuckling] The man they call Vader snapped Savio Vega into the ring.
[Mr. Perfect] McMahon, this guy is 450 pounds
-and he's a good athlete on top of it. -[Vince] An extraordinary athlete.
Again, everyone wondering what kind of effect Vader will have here,
in this Royal Rumble, for that matter look and him pummel--
Look at him have a go on Savio Vega in the corner.
Vader just hammering away.
[Mr. Perfect] Look at Savio, he doesn't know where he's at.
-He's on rubber leg street. -[Vince] Oh, I guess so.
-How much does Vader weigh? -[Mr. Perfect] Four hundred and fifty.
I don't know, he's up there. In any event, an awful lot behind
those rights and lefts, but Vader better watch…
Jake "The Snake" Roberts, that's for sure.
Jake "The Snake", now, with the man they call Vader.
-[crowd] Five, four, three, two. -[Vince] Bob Holly is still in there.
He's been in there a long time.
-Roberts standing… -[buzzer blaring]
…Hunter Hearst Helmsley started things off--
-And who's this? -[Doug Gilbert's entrance theme playing]
[Mr. Perfect] Who's that?
-[Vince] That's Doug Gilbert coming in. -[Mr. Perfect] All right.
-From USWA. -[Vince] From USWA.
Oh, my goodness. And Gilbert unceremoniously
being hammered by Hunter Hearst Helmsley.
[Mr. Perfect] I'll tell you what, McMahon. I was the Tag Team partners
with his brother, the late Eddie Gilbert, right here
in World Wrestling Entertainment years ago.
He's got a great wrestling family this guy comes from.
[Vince] And right now, trying to make a difference
with Hunter Hearst Helmsley and the Kid is gone. Not quite.
-The Kid is gonna leave us. -[Mr. Perfect] The DDT.
[Vince] And look at Yokozuna-- The Kid trying to hang on.
And Yokozuna and Vader having a go, it is every man for himself.
Although, you would say-- Wait a minute.
I thought for sure-- but you see Jake "The Snake" Roberts just eliminated.
Wow, what impact from this 400-pounder, Vader.
Jake "The Snake" Roberts eliminated by the man they call Vader.
Vader now-- What's he doing? He has Gilbert.
Let's see what he can do with Gilbert.
[Mr. Perfect chuckles] He's just in complete control, McMahon.
[Vince] I don't see it quite that way.
Vader and the Kid, no effect.
Having no effect on Vader and-- Oh, my goodness.
Vader staring down the 1-2-3 Kid.
Vader attacking the 1-2-3 Kid.
[Mr. Perfect] Maybe the Kid's not as smart as I thought he was.
[Vince] Ovation for Jake "The Snake" Roberts,
ladies and gentlemen, on his way back,
who was eliminated by this monster, this mastodon, Vader.
And here's another shot.
Oh! Look at that, and Jake tryna gain his balance,
he's so tall, he went over-- Unbelievable impact by Vader.
All right, we've got Yoko now, we have Vader all over again.
[Mr. Perfect] Geez, he just sandwiched him.
[Vince] And someone coming in about--
[Mr. Perfect] Whoa, Savio caught him good.
[crowd] Five, four, three, two, one.
[Vince] Who's coming in? Who's joining the fray?
-[buzzer blaring] -[Squat Team entrance theme playing]
[Vince] That's one of the Squat Team members.
Making his debut here in the World Wrestling Entertainment.
One of the Squat Team members.
In the squared circle, let's see what-- Oh, my God,
look at the size of this man, most unusual.
[Mr. Perfect] He's about 400 pounds too, McMahon.
[Vince] My goodness, what beef in there?
[Mr. Perfect] I hope they reinforced the ring.
[Vince] I believe it has been indeed reinforced.
Who's gonna win the 1996 WWE Royal Rumble?
Who's going to WrestleMania? Who will face the champion?
And who will that champion be?
We're gonna find that out perhaps, later on tonight
when "The Hitman" Bret Hart faces-- Oh, God, The Undertaker.
Vader standing over Gilbert.
He's had a rude awakening here to World Wrestling Entertainment.
The USWA and unfortunately for Mr. Gilbert, he got locked up
with the man they call Vader right away and Vader is not about to let him go.
[Mr. Perfect] Gilbert won the tournament in Memphis to qualify, right?
[Vince] I don't know what but-- Oh, my goodness, look at this.
And thus, ladies and gentlemen, Gilbert has been eliminated,
rather unceremoniously again.
And now look at this Squat Team member again to this big mastodon, here it is.
Oh! Look at that, over the top to the outside.
[Mr. Perfect] I'm telling you Vader is in control, McMahon.
[Vince] Vader just man-handled that 400-pounder.
Ooh, devastating maneuver.
Look, no one wants to any of Vader, no one wants any of Yokozuna.
[Mr. Perfect] And you can't blame 'em.
[Vince] And Gilbert, of course, eliminated by Vader to the outside.
Back to live action now.
Wait a minute, Yokozuna and the man they call Vader mixing it up
that can't make Cornette too happy.
-Not happy at all. -[Mr. Perfect] Every man for himself.
[Vince] It is, every man for himself. Who's coming in now?
-[Vince] Why, it's-- it's-- -[buzzer blaring]
[Squat Team entrance theme playing]
-[Mr. Perfect] He just got eliminated-- It's the other Squat Team.
[Vince] Wait a minute. That's right, they are identical twins.
The other Squat Team member on his way, to the squared circle.
[Mr. Perfect] Are these two twins?
[Vince] Yes, I think I just said. They are identical twins.
Wait a minute. And the one that was just eliminated
is coming right back.
Which one is the legal man, which one is the illegal man?
-[Mr. Perfect] The one on the left. -[Vince laughing] Which left?
-[Mr. Perfect] My left. -[Vince] I see.
Wait a minute, now here we go.
Both Squat Team members-- they're both coming back in.
Now, one of them is not legal. One of them should not be in there.
[Mr. Perfect] Vader doesn't care. Vader punched both their faces in.
[Vince] Vader pummeling both of these Squat Team members.
-He threw one of them out earlier on. -[Mr. Perfect] He don't care.
Yokozuna with one of those Squat Team members and Vader
with a clothesline to the outside.
[Mr. Perfect] A bowling ball.
[Vince] And from the other side Yokozuna just eliminated
one of the Squat Team members as well.
Yoko eliminates one. Vader eliminates the other one.
And hanging on in the corner, can you believe
that Hunter Hearst Helmsley is still in this match.
[Mr. Perfect] It was certainly Vader time for the Squat Team.
[Vince] Yes, it was.
And Savio Vega down to the canvas, courtesy of the man they call Vader.
Who's going to win this thing,
do you think Hunter Hearst Helmsley can pull it off,
do you think he can pull a Shawn Michaels from last year?
Who knows? Will it be Yokozuna?
-Will it be the man they call Vader? -[Mr. Perfect] I gotta stick with Vader.
[Vince] We're at the halfway mark
and Savio Vega could very well win this thing. Anyone can win.
[Mr. Perfect] I learned a long time ago, McMahon, you never make a redhead mad.
[Vince] I see. Look at this, double the team effort now.
Vega and Helmsley unlikely partners pummeling the man they call Vader.
-All right, who's coming in now? -[buzzer blaring]
["High Energy" playing]
[Vince] There he is the king of hearts, Owen Hart.
[Mr. Perfect] He is the man who put Shawn Michaels on the shelf.
[Vince] Well, the man who certainly takes credit
for putting Shawn Michaels on the shelf.
Owen Hart.
[Mr. Perfect] Greatest martial arts kick in the WWE, McMahon, right there.
[Vince] I wouldn't deny that. An extraordinary competitor, look at this.
Owen Hart even before he gets in the ring, going to work.
-[Mr. Perfect] With great experience. -[Vince] Great experience?
Owen Hart pummeling the 1-2-3 Kid. It's every man for himself.
And Holly's gonna go for the ride, I believe.
Oh, my goodness, a kick to the back area
and a choke-- blatant choke, over-- again,
remember now, no disqualification here
and look at this-- Oh, look at that.
A dropkick had no effect on this monster Vader, maybe it had some.
Yokozuna now-- Oh, wide open. Look at that.
[both chuckle]
-[Vince] A right hand. -[Mr. Perfect] Oh, geez, look at his face.
[Vince] Down below, Vader coming back upstairs.
Look at that. Vader just hammering Savio Vega.
[Mr. Perfect] You'll cauliflower an ear right there.
[Vince] And Savio now for the ride to the other side.
-Don't tell me they got-- Oh, my. -[Mr. Perfect] What team work!
-I would hate to be Savio-- -[Vince] Here comes Vader.
[Mr. Perfect] Cornette never seizes to amaze me, he's a brilliant man.
[Vince] All right, so you think--
Now we're seeing the fact that Vader and Yokozuna
were going at it actually against each other earlier on.
Obviously, they can also be in cahoots somewhat.
[Mr. Perfect] Yeah, you gotta feel everybody out, McMahon, part of the game.
[Vince] Managed by Jim Cornette, who also manages Owen Hart in there.
So, Cornette with a tremendous advantage,
I would suggest, as we speak here at the Royal Rumble.
[Mr. Perfect] One of his people are gonna be in for a payday.
[Vince] And Vega-- Oh!
Devastating maneuver. Look out. Look out.
-[crowd] Five, four, three, two… -[Vince] Devastation.
All right, who's it gonna be now?
-Who's gonna join the fray? -[buzzer blaring]
-["Sexy Boy" playing] -[Vince] Here he comes, here he comes.
[Mr. Perfect] He better save some of that energy
for the ring, McMahon.
[Vince] Here he comes, ladies and gentlemen, Shawn Michaels.
Michaels back in there, and here we go.
Michaels wasting no time and really going to work.
You talk about fat boys, you talk about resilience.
Everyone thought Shawn Michaels was gonna-- Wait a minute
Savio just eliminated by Vader.
Wait a minute Hunter Hearst Helmsley being pummeled by Shawn Michaels
and the Kid takes a shot as well.
Shawn Michaels trying to-- Look at this going right over to Owen Hart
and pummeling Hunter Hearst-- That's not Hunter.
And another right hand. Michaels is everywhere.
Not surprisingly.
[Mr. Perfect] There's too much beef in the ring, McMahon,
for Michaels right now.
[Vince] Whoa! Yokozuna hit!
-Yokozuna and the man they call Vader. -[Mr. Perfect] Oh, boy.
[Vince] Hammering it out here. Look at this.
And that can't make Cornette happy at all.
These two mastodons mixing it up.
And oh, my goodness, Vader's out.
Cornette trying to talk some sense into Yokozuna
and perhaps into Vader as well.
[Mr. Perfect] Cornette's bent all out of shape here.
[Vince] And wait a minute, Shawn Michaels.
[Mr. Perfect] Oh my God!
[Vince] Vader! Shawn Michaels just eliminated Yokozuna.
[Mr. Perfect] Over 1,000 pounds he just dumped out.
Boy, does that change the odds, McMahon?
[Vince] Unbelievable. Can you believe that?
We're about halfway out. Oh, my God, the Kid eliminated.
Michaels has just eliminated the 1-2-3 Kid.
Shawn Michaels, the opportunist, eliminating Yokozuna
and the man they call Vader teetering on the outside.
Teetering over the top rope, Michael just flipped them right over
and then took the Kid right out as well.
[Mr. Perfect] But look at Vader and Yoko on the floor.
[Vince] What are they doing? On the outside?
[Mr. Perfect] They're pushing and shoving.
-[buzzer blaring] -[Vince] Wait a minute, here comes Hakushi
but meanwhile, on the outside of the ring, Vader and Yokozuna-- From behind!
[Mr. Perfect] Oh, my God.
[Vince] Yokozuna was just leveled by Vader.
[Mr. Perfect] I told you don't make the redhead mad.
[Vince] Cornette apparently screaming at Yokozuna,
and Vader back in the squared circle, what is going on?
[Mr. Perfect] Now, he's eliminated, right?
[Vince] Vader pummeling Shawn Michaels.
Obviously, Vader wanting to get back at Shawn Michaels,
and doing a pretty good job at the moment.
[Mr. Perfect] He's going right after the head, McMahon.
[Vince] And Michaels now-- Wait a minute. Oh, no, no don't tell me.
Don't tell me, Michaels has been eliminated.
Shawn Michaels has not been eliminated because Vader is not legal in the ring.
[Mr. Perfect] He don't care.
[Vince] Vader now with Helmsley. Look at this-- Vader!
-[Mr. Perfect] Oh, geez. -[Vince] Oh, is he laying them in or what?
[Mr. Perfect] He's cleaning house.
[Vince] And unfortunately, Bob Holly thrown over.
Unbelievable. Vader has cleaned house now.
Wait a minute. Owen Hart through the ropes to the outside.
[Mr. Perfect] Doesn't matter Vader is eliminated anyways.
[Vince] All of the individuals are trying--
Gorilla Monsoon is in there.
[Mr. Perfect] Call the Fresno Police for this.
[Vince] Vader must go.
-[Mr. Perfect] Punch him out, Vader. -[Vince] Vader must go.
Cornette trying to calm Vader down.
And Gorilla Monsoon means business, I can tell you that.
Vader doesn't want to take a chance.
[Mr. Perfect] Whoa!
-And Vader -[crowd cheering]
Tremendously negative reaction to Vader, talk about a sore loser.
All right, Vader is to the outside.
We're gonna start this thing all over again.
-Here we go Shawn Michaels in there. -[buzzer blaring]
-["The War Dance" playing] -[Vince] Wait a minute.
what's he doing with Cornette?
Tatanka coming in but Shawn Michaels has Jim Cornette.
-And Cornette goes over the top. -[Mr. Perfect] Oh, no.
-[Vince] Here we go. Oh, my God. -[Mr. Perfect] Oh.
[Vince] And you can tell that Shawn Michaels
was gonna give Jim Cornette a ride, and boy did he ever get one.
-[Mr. Perfect] Look at Hakushi. -[Vince] Hakushi, devastating maneuver.
[Mr. Perfect] What a move.
And Native American Tatanka is supposed to be in here somewhere, here he comes.
Back in action.
Tatanka-- Wait a minute, Shawn Michaels hanging on.
Hakushi…
with Owen Hart
and Shawn Michaels still hanging on.
Michaels almost eliminated by Hunter Hearst Helmsley
and now Bob Holly tries to eliminate Shawn Michaels.
Michaels has that top rope hooked
he's not going anywhere. Now a bottom rope hook.
[Mr. Perfect] Bob Holly's been in there for such a long time.
How much strength does he have left?
[Vince] I don't know, think about Hunter Hearst Helmsley.
[Mr. Perfect] Right.
[Vince] Over 40 minutes,
Helmsley's been in the ring for over 40 minutes.
Take a look now, at what we saw earlier with Yokozuna
and look at this, this big mastodon,
this did not make Jim Cornette happy at all.
Look, charging in, then dumping both men
over the top rope, unbelievable maneuver by Shawn Michaels.
And of course, Yokozuna being pummeled by Vader from behind,
which can't make Yokozuna all that happy.
I wonder, we saw that Cornette not having too much affect…
[Mr. Perfect] There he goes. Shawn Michaels get him out of there.
[Vince] Michaels almost over-- Almost out.
Whoa, still hanging on.
And Owen Hart tried to take a leg out of Shawn Michaels.
-Hunter Hearst Helmsley-- [Mr. Perfect] There he goes.
-[Vince] Oh, did you see that? -[Mr. Perfect] How does he do that?
[Vince] Did you see that?
Michaels hanging over that top rope like an octopus.
[crowd counting]
[Vince] Hakushi was just eliminated by Owen Hart.
-[buzzer blaring] -[Vince] Here comes Aldo Montoya.
[''What A Jock'' playing]
[Mr. Perfect] He's got his jock on the wrong part of his body.
[Vince] I don't know about that. We're down to the final ten,
ladies and gentlemen, coming into the Royal Rumble.
Bob Holly amazingly still in there.
Hunter Hearst Helmsley even more amazingly still in there.
Still competing. Native American Tatanka
perhaps will be the winner of this 1996 WWE Royal Rumble.
And Hakushi has been eliminated as-- Look at this, Owen Hart
catches Hakushi and then dumps him out.
Oh, all right.
-Shawn Michaels knocked through the ropes. -[Mr. Perfect] I think he's out.
-I think he's eliminated. -[Vince] No, no, no, no.
Apparently, Michaels knocked through the ropes,
you see him out there walking on--
[Mr. Perfect] I'm sure he's taking a breather.
[Vince] No, I don't think that's the case.
Nonetheless, Helmsley threw Shawn Michaels.
And-- Wait a minute now we have-- Oh, what a shot.
And on the outside Shawn Michaels,
who is taking his time getting back in there.
[Mr. Perfect] Yeah, I knew he wasn't ready to come back, McMahon.
[Vince] All right, and-- Wait a minute,
I think-- Is he looking for--
[Mr. Perfect] He's gonna crawl under the ring and hide.
[Vince] No, he's not.
Shawn Michaels, ladies and gentlemen, is underneath the ring
and I think, I think he-- Oh, no-- Oh, no, look.
Jerry "the King" Lawler is being pulled from the--
being pulled from the ring, look, hanging onto the cables.
hanging onto anything he possibly can.
Jerry "the King" Lawler had a plan apparently that plan is gonna backfire.
Oh, my goodness a right hand.
Jerry " the King" Lawler a royal embarrassment now.
Must go back in and must face all these men.
Look at Jerry "the King" Lawler taking off.
Shawn Michaels with a right hand.
[Mr. Perfect] I think Lawler was napping under there.
[Vince] He might have been. Unquestionably, playing possum--
Chickened out while trying not to be eliminated.
-Oh, King was eliminated. -[Mr. Perfect] And the King is gone.
-["Diesel Blues" playing] -[Vince] Well, well, well.
[Mr. Perfect] You know, Diesel's gonna win this thing now, McMahon.
No doubt about it.
[Vince] Look who's coming atop.
Black glove raised high.
And he is full of diesel fuel for sure, ladies and gentlemen.
More than anything else, he wants to win this Royal Rumble.
He wants to go to WrestleMania
and become the WWE Champion all over again.
Tatanka eliminated by "Big Daddy Cool" Diesel.
Oh.
Well, Diesel wasting no time in making an impact here
in the 1996 WWE Royal Rumble.
[Mr. Perfect] A runaway train, this guy is a runaway truck.
[Vince] He is a monster for sure.
"Big Daddy Cool" Diesel, ladies and gentlemen.
A hard right hand at Owen Hart who's in trouble.
[Mr. Perfect] Seven feet tall, 317 pounds.
-[Vince] Wait a minute. -[Mr. Perfect] They're best of friends.
[Vince] Whoa. Look at that. It is every man for himself.
[Mr. Perfect] Uh-oh.
[Vince] And Shawn Michaels returns the favor
on "Big Daddy Cool" Diesel. Hammering away.
Even best friends go at it, in the Royal Rumble.
[Mr. Perfect] It's for that big payday at WrestleMania, McMahon.
[Vince] And Owen Hart there with "Big Daddy Cool" Diesel,
trying to soften up the big seven footer…
Let's take you back now and show the way that Shawn Michaels
eliminated Jerry "the King" Lawler.
What a hard shot. Watch this now.
A right hand and the King-- Oh, my goodness.
And that's what you get for hiding underneath the ring.
-[Mr. Perfect] There he goes. -[Vince] Shawn Michaels out.
No, he's not. Michaels just might be out.
And Diesel pulling Bob Holly off of Shawn Michaels.
[Mr. Perfect] What sense did that make, McMahon, to pull Bob Holly off?
-It made no sense at all. -[Vince] I have no idea.
However, it doesn't have to make sense. It's the Royal Rumble.
-Who's coming in now? -[crowd counting]
[Vince] Hunter Hearst Helmsley still in there.
"Big Daddy Cool" Diesel pummeling away.
-And who's coming in? -[buzzer blaring]
-[Vince] It's Kama. -["Too Sexy" playing]
[Vince] "The Supreme Fighting Machine,"
representing, obviously, the Million Dollar Corporation.
Is this Ted DiBiase's
Million Dollar Corporate member gonna make a big impact?
This capacity crowd on hand enjoying the 1996 WWE Royal Rumble matchup
as we certainly hope you are as well.
What action thus far.
[Mr. Perfect] Look at the money I could've made.
I should've kept a hundred tickets and sold them.
[Vince] Yeah, please, come on. Here we go. Kama--
Two big men over in the corner.
Kama and "Big Daddy Cool" Diesel going at it.
Meanwhile, on the other side of the ring, Michaels way up there
and that's a risky maneuver to be up like that.
Michaels hammering away into this very risky--
Someone could just pop him right over.
[Mr. Perfect] I don't think Michaels is all there.
I don't think he's fully recovered yet.
[Vince] According to his doctor, he is. According to Shawn Michaels, he is.
But then again, his read can be short,
shortened at least here for the World Wrestling Entertainment
as a result of those concussions.
And speaking of concussions, apparently Ahmed Johnson
has been taken to the local hospital here to be checked out
after that devastating shot earlier on with the guitar,
Double J nailing Ahmed Johnson.
I'm sure Gorilla Monsoon is gonna have something to say about that.
[Mr. Perfect] Yeah, a lead electric guitar, Ahmed Johnson.
[Vince] And Hunter Hearst Helmsley is still hanging on.
Look at this. Helmsley somehow…
-Oh, a right hand and-- -[Mr. Perfect] Oh, he knocked him out.
[Vince] He certainly did.
Diesel nailing Shawn Michaels, inadvertent.
Nonetheless, there's the "Supreme Fighting Machine" Kama,
lays them in on "Big Daddy Cool" Diesel.
[Mr. Perfect] He knows how to place some punches, right where to put them.
[Vince] And Diesel now being set up and Diesel for the ride, no.
Yes, here we go.
And Diesel at a disadvantage because of his height advantage,
-and here we go, Diesel trying to hang on. -[crowd counting]
[Vince] Who's coming in to join us now? Who is it?
-[buzzer blaring] -["Circle of Doom" playing]
[Vince] It's… Oh, no. It's The Ringmaster.
[Mr. Perfect] He's the winner right there, McMahon. I pick him.
[Vince] And there's a good look, ladies and gentlemen,
Steve Austin, known as The Ringmaster, on his way.
Another corporate member
of Ted Dibiase's Million Dollar Corporation.
And you can bet he definitely is gonna make a difference.
Can he take chop right out?
-[Mr. Perfect] Look at this guy, McMahon. -[Vince] Bob Holly. I see. He can go.
[Mr. Perfect] The Ringmaster, close enough to perfect for me.
He gets my vote right now. Look at the shape this guy's in.
Look at how aggressive he is. Look how good he looks.
Reminds me of me so much.
[Vince] He is cold and calculating for sure.
Bob Holly, nonetheless, given his due.
Bob Holly still in this thing. Bob Holly hammering away.
"Big Daddy Cool" Diesel with a succession of knee lifts and look at that.
Ringmaster turns things right back around on Big Daddy Cool.
[Mr. Perfect] Ted Dibiase really found himself a winner
with the Million Dollar Champion.
[Vince] Yes, maybe, maybe and he's still hanging on
is Shawn Michaels, just like last year almost.
-[Mr. Perfect] Yeah, get him out of there. -[Vince] Michaels hanging on.
Give credit to Bob Holly. Wait a minute, over the top.
Oh, no, for sure, talk about athleticism.
[Mr. Perfect] I'm telling you, McMahon, this guy's unbelievable.
-[Vince] Oh, Bob Holly's eliminated. -[Mr. Perfect] There you go, Holly.
[Vince] Oh, my goodness, after all that time, has been eliminated.
Give credit to Bob Holly for hanging in there as long as he did.
[Mr. Perfect] Give credit to The Ringmaster.
[Vince] Superlative effort on the part of Bob Holly.
We'll take you back and show you the way Holly was eliminated.
Let's also stay with this if we can.
Bob Holly eliminated by The Ringmaster in short order,
and The Ringmaster obviously wasting no time
in making an impact here in World Wrestling Entertainment.
The Ringmaster along with-- Look at this. Wait a minute now.
The knee and drove Holly over the top and-- Oh, that was bad.
Holly-- And wait a minute.
Michaels still in the match, still hanging on.
-Who's coming in to join us now? -[crowd counting]
-[Vince] Why, it's-- -[buzzer blaring]
[Vince] Oh, my goodness. You talk about an underdog.
["Hava Nagila" playing]
[Mr. Perfect] It's a bird, it's a plane, no, it's Barry Horriblewitz.
[Vince] You call him what you will.
Barry Horowitz could pretty well win this thing, anyone can win.
[Mr. Perfect] If a nerd ends up in WrestleMania
against the World Wrestling Entertainment Champion,
I'm getting back in the ring.
[Vince laughing] In any event,
we have right now "Big Daddy Cool" Diesel in there
and of course, Barry Horowitz who's a bit in awe
to be in this Royal Rumble to begin with,
and certainly in there with "Big Daddy Cool" Diesel
-and Owen Hart is-- Oh, look. -[Mr. Perfect] No, they didn't touch.
[Vince] Hey, that was some maneuver on the part of Owen Hart.
[Mr. Perfect] Skin the cat.
[Vince] Owen Hart, Barry Horowitz, Shawn Michaels.
[Mr. Perfect] You know, Owen should be going right for Michaels' head.
Kick him in the head. Pummel that head area.
[Vince] And Hunter Hearst Helmsley
and The Ringmaster going at it a moment ago.
[Mr. Perfect] Put them out once, Owen, you can put them out again.
[Vince] Can you please be nice?
-[Mr. Perfect] I'm trying to be. -[Vince] It's about competition.
It's not about putting somebody out of action.
It's about competition.
And here in World Wrestling Entertainment,
ladies and gentlemen, lots of it here thus far. We certainly hope
you're enjoying the 1996 Royal Rumble matchup.
Diesel, taking a shot-- Here's another one coming by Kama.
Kama, big enough, strong enough
one-on-one to eliminate "Big Daddy Cool" Diesel.
And he has been going after Diesel, so has Helmsley.
[Mr. Perfect] Diesel's been getting pummeled pretty good.
[Vince] Certainly has.
-[Mr. Perfect] Whoa! -[Vince] Oh, no.
[Mr. Perfect] He just launched him out of the ring.
[Vince] That's the thing about Diesel. Imagine that.
Hunter Hearst Helmsley over 50 minutes, or close to 50 minutes,
nonetheless, in this thing and then summarily eliminated.
Here we go. Take another look at it. A shot, that's what Diesel can do.
He could just, in one fell swoop, eliminate you.
When "Big Daddy Cool" Diesel turns it on, anything can--
[Mr. Perfect] You know what? It's coming down to.
It's the draw, the luck of the draw, McMahon.
[crowd counting]
[Vince] All right. Someone else ready to come in. Who's it gonna be?
We're narrowing things down here in the Royal Rumble.
[buzzer blaring]
[Vince] You talk about a man who can make a difference.
-Here comes Fatu. -[indistinct announcement]
[Mr. Perfect] He's got a low center of gravity,
tough, big man to get over the top rope.
["Clean It Up" playing]
[Vince] Whoa!
Fatu coming in the squared circle to try and make a difference.
Fatu…
let's see what he can do now. Oh, my goodness, what a shot.
And Fatu just nailed Kama.
Wide open is Kama "The Supreme Fighting Machine."
Ted Dibiase with representatives of Kama,
and of course, there's a look at Ted quickly.
Kama, in there for Ted Dibiase along with the Million Dollar Champion.
[Mr. Perfect] According to my calculations, McMahon,
there's only four more superstars to go before we hit the number 30--
[Vince] Who's coming in next?
Only Ray Rougeau on the Superstar Line knows for sure.
Diesel now, they're trying to get
the Million Dollar Champion over the top rope.
Oh, my goodness.
And again, of course,
almost anyone would do anything to win this year's Royal Rumble matchup.
[Mr. Perfect] If Horowitz wins this match, I quit. You'll never see me again.
-[Vince] Really? -[Mr. Perfect] No kidding.
[Vince] Never thought I was gonna be rooting for Barry Horowitz
-but I might be now. -[Mr. Perfect] Yeah. Don't bet on it.
[Vince] Barry Horowitz with the forearm to the back of Shawn Michaels,
and Owen Hart going to work on Barry. Meanwhile, it's Kama in the other corner.
And we have Shawn Michaels, big setup--
Look at this, "Big Daddy Cool" Diesel being pummeled. Oh, my goodness.
-And wait a minute. -[Mr. Perfect] Look at that.
[Vince] Michaels is… Michaels is…
[Mr. Perfect] Drop him on his head!
[Vince] Michaels still hanging on.
Owen Hart trying to get Michaels out. Oh, man! Wait a minute.
There we go and Owen Hart hanging--
He's like an octopus in his own right, hanging on the top rope.
[Mr. Perfect] He's a great athlete.
[Vince] Yes, he is. Make no mistake about it.
[crowd counting]
[Vince] All right. Who's coming in to join us now.
[buzzer blaring]
[Vince] Oh, my goodness. Isaac Yankem, DDS.
The man who sent dentistry back to the dark ages.
Speaking of dark, did you ever get a look at this man's decaying teeth?
[Mr. Perfect] Forget about that, McMahon. This guy is 6'9", 300 pounds.
This guy can do some damage.
[Vince] He certainly can. We saw that recently
with the man he's going to work now, "Big Daddy Cool" Diesel.
We also saw The Undertaker-- And Barry Horowitz eliminated.
[Mr. Perfect] Good night.
[Vince] Owen Hart just eliminated Barry Horowitz.
Yankem took The Undertaker--
Did you see what Owen Hart just did to Shawn Michaels?
[Mr. Perfect] He kicked him right in the back of the head.
[Vince] Michaels is out. Shawn Michaels is unconscious, I think.
[Mr. Perfect] Told you he had the best kick
in World Wrestling Entertainment. Now, look at Michaels, he's out.
-He's collapsed again. -[Vince] No, wait a minute. No, he's not.
Michaels was nailed by Owen Hart, a devastating maneuver,
and Owen Hart took credit for knocking Shawn Michaels out
and over the top.
[Mr. Perfect] Look at here, McMahon. Look at this kick. Watch it.
-[Vince] Owen Hart-- -[crowd cheering]
[Mr. Perfect] What did you say?
[Vince] Let's go back. Here we go. Look at this now.
Shawn Michaels with Owen Hart. Was Owen Hart eliminated or not?
[Mr. Perfect] No, I don't think so.
[Vince] I think he went through the ropes. I'm not certain.
In any event, Shawn Michaels was nailed by Owen Hart.
[Mr. Perfect] Shawn Michaels slowed down quite a bit.
-[Vince] Oh! How about that? -[Mr. Perfect] Oh, for sure.
-And slowing down. -[Mr. Perfect] Atta way, Ringmaster
[Vince] And certainly there was a hush over this capacity crowd
as Owen Hart nailed Shawn Michaels who was just nailed a moment ago.
And Ted Dibiase's Million Dollar Champion,
The Ringmaster, doing quite well for himself at the moment.
I suppose Owen Hart was in fact eliminated by Shawn Michaels.
-That has been confirmed. -[crowd counting]
[Vince] And here we go with Yankem to the far side over there with Kama.
Anyone could win this thing.
Boy, you talk about choosing a winner out of this bunch.
-[buzzer blaring] -[Vince] And here we go.
-["Rock Out" playing] -[Vince] Here comes Marty Jannetty.
Marty Jannetty now, wasting no time. Talk about going for a big boy.
Right away firing off on "Big Daddy Cool" Diesel,
and Kama fires off on Jannetty.
Marty Jannetty, former tag team partner with Shawn Michaels,
and Marty Jannetty has been doing exceedingly well for himself--
And Shawn Michaels is almost out.
Kama trying to get Shawn Michaels out of-- Look at Michaels draped across--
[Mr. Perfect] He's like a fly on the wall, McMahon.
-You can't get rid of this guy. -[Vince] Unbelievable.
Michaels is stuck to the ring somehow, like glue.
Marty Jannetty with Fatu, hammering away.
Headbutt now and Jannetty hurt himself there.
And look at this, Diesel being pummeled by The Ringmaster.
[Mr. Perfect] I told you this guy was great.
[Vince] And Jannetty trying to hang onto Fatu.
Thought for a moment it was gonna be Jannetty
thrown out of the squared circle.
And The Ringmaster and Diesel continue to hammer each other.
Did he ever.
[Mr. Perfect] These two are no strangers--
[Vince] Look at Shawn Michaels and Marty Jannetty pummeling each other.
Former partners, look at this, trading blows.
And now, being set up, is Marty Jannetty, coming off to the other side now.
Michaels on his feet and-- Oh, both men down.
[Mr. Perfect] Wow, they're rocking now, aren't they?
You know, that's what they used to be called, The Rockers, remember?
[Vince] Yup, okay. In any event, we have Kama almost thrown over.
And again, we know who number 30 is, ladies and gentlemen.
That, of course, is Duke "The Dumpster" Droese.
The dumpster winning that honor as a result of a disqualification
in the first ever Free For All matchup earlier,
before we joined you on this pay-per-view extravaganza,
the Royal Rumble.
-Oh, my goodness. However, here we go. -[crowd counting]
[Vince] This man has a tremendous advantage
coming into the squared circle. Why, it just has to be…
-[buzzer blaring] -…The British Bulldog.
-Oh, boy. -["Rule, Britannia" playing]
[Vince] The British Bulldog in the squared circle.
[Mr. Perfect] Right after Shawn Michaels.
[Vince] Yes, wasting no time at all, and pummeling Shawn Michaels.
All right. That was the 29th entrant, ladies and gentlemen.
Only one more to go and, of course, you know that will be
Duke "The Dumpster" Droese. This ring filling up now.
Who's gonna win the World Wrestling Entertainment Royal Rumble?
And there you see Diana, the wife of The British Bulldog,
whom we saw at the last In Your House.
Her husband almost beat Bret Hart for the WWE title.
-What a battle that was. -[Mr. Perfect] He had him beat.
[Vince] Marty Jannetty eliminated by The British Bulldog.
And what a hard-fought battle that was.
Bret Hart taking four stitches on the top of his head.
Look at Fatu going at it with The Ringmaster,
and meanwhile Yankem
and "Big Daddy Cool" Diesel, over in the corner, Shawn Michaels,
trying to hook everything he possibly can to stay in this match.
[Mr. Perfect] A lot of people here, McMahon,
they think that The British Bulldog is the uncrowned Champion.
[Vince] Whoa!
And what do we have here? We have right now Kama still in there.
We've got Diesel. We've got The British Bulldog,
Shawn Michaels, Isaac Yankem, Fatu.
And I believe the… Over the top! There goes Fatu, he's history.
[Mr. Perfect] What happened to The Ringmaster?
[Vince] I'm not certain.
Must have been eliminated, we missed it.
So much going on all over the squared circle.
It is difficult to keep up with all of the action.
So, here we go now.
We've got The Bulldog, along with Kama and Yankem,
and "Big Daddy Cool" Diesel.
British… They're just having a good old time and, of course,
any moment now, Duke "The Dumpster" Droese's
gonna join the fray.
[Mr. Perfect] What a big advantage that the Dumpster has on this.
[Vince] Yes, imagine that,
a garbage man goes to WrestleMania to face the WWE Champion.
That could happen.
What a dream come true for Duke "The Dumpster" Droese.
["Dumpster" playing]
[Vince] Here he comes, garbage can and all, I'm sure.
Wasting no time getting into this thing. The Dumpster coming in.
Dumpster, well, looks like he's singling out Isaac Yankem.
And meanwhile, on the outside,
Michaels and The British Bulldog hammering.
Both men went through the ropes, that much we could easily see.
Wait a minute, there's Owen Hart! What's Owen Hart doing?
Owen Hart should be back in the locker room area.
[Mr. Perfect] Kick him in the head! Throw his head into the railing!
[Vince] Come on, knock it off.
Owen hart has no business being out here.
-Owen Hart, who was eliminated earlier on. -Leave me alone!
[Vince] Owen Hart coming back to pummel Shawn Michaels.
[Mr. Perfect] We better call Shawn Michaels' doctor again
and tell him, "Better stay ringside with him."
[Vince] Michaels somewhat of a target, no doubt of that.
[Mr. Perfect] Calling Dr. Unger, calling Dr. Unger.
[Vince] He is definitely here watching this matchup, as we all are.
And again, now it's down to six individuals.
Which one of these six will go to WrestleMania?
Who will face the WWE Champion? And who will the champion be?
Davey Boy takes a shot
from "Big Daddy Cool" Diesel in the midsection.
[Mr. Perfect] He just saved Shawn Michaels is what he did.
-[Vince] Maybe. Dropkick, Isaac Yankem! -[Mr. Perfect] No!
Well, big men, they teeter easy.
[Vince] And Duke "The Dumpster" Droese eliminated
by both, Kama and "Big Daddy Cool" Diesel.
Diesel trying to set up Kama.
Wait a minute, we've got the final four here.
We're not talking about basketball. Here we go.
We've got "Big Daddy Cool" Diesel, and Kama!
Oh, my goodness. And Diesel takes a shot by Kama.
Wait a minute, over the top… No.
Diesel, I thought for… No, wait a minute! Shawn Michaels, a clothesline!
[Mr. Perfect] I can't believe this, McMahon!
[crowd cheers]
[Vince] And Michaels almost eliminated!
Kama almost eliminated Shawn Michaels, teetering on the top rope.
[Mr. Perfect] It's gonna be Diesel, no doubt about it.
[Vince] It's Diesel! It's Michaels!
-It's… -[Mr. Perfect] No!
[Vince] I can't believe it! Two years in a row.
["Sexy Boy" playing]
[Mr. Perfect] That's impossible, McMahon, impossible.
[Vince] Shawn Michaels is going to WrestleMania!
[Mr. Perfect] How does he do that?
[Howard] …Shawn Michaels!
[Vince] Shawn Michaels going to WrestleMania
to face the WWE Champion, whomever that maybe.
A dream come true for Shawn Michaels!
[Mr. Perfect] I'll tell you what, McMahon. He is an amazing athlete,
no matter what anybody says.
[Vince] And "Big Daddy Cool" Diesel obviously very upset.
You wonder whether or not this is gonna bust up their friendship.
It was every man for himself for sure.
♪ Whenever I'm around… ♪
[Vince] And I can try and get a word with Big Daddy Cool Diesel if we can.
Wait a minute, he just… Oh, my goodness.
Diesel just leveled The British Bulldog.
♪ …Sexy boy… ♪
[Vince] We're gonna try and get…
♪ … Boy toy… ♪
[Vince] "Big Daddy Cool" Diesel hammering The British Bulldog.
-Trying to get a word, Dok, go ahead, Dok. -Big Daddy,
obviously, the Sweet Chin Music of Shawn--
The only reason you're living and breathing is 'cause I'm allowing it.
[Vince] Wow!
And he's coming back to the ring.
Diesel's coming back to the ring
where Shawn Michaels is celebrating his victory.
Look at the look on Diesel's face.
[Mr. Perfect] It doesn't look good, McMahon.
What is Michaels doing?
[Vince] Shawn Michaels entertaining this capacity crowd.
-[Mr. Perfect] Entertaining? -[Vince] Celebrating.
But the look on Diesel's face… Wait just a minute.
Shawn Michaels better pay attention to what's going on behind him.
[music fades]
-[Mr. Perfect] What is that? -[crowd cheers]
[Vince] What is this?
And Michaels must be very concerned. He obviously is going to WrestleMania,
-but in what condition? -[Mr. Perfect] Yeah.
[Vince] And they are best friends, but it's every man for himself,
and Diesel with that black glove, what's he gonna with it?
[Mr. Perfect] You mean, they were best friends.
[Vince] I think maybe you're right.
[Mr. Perfect] Up there taking his clothes off.
-You better pay attention. -[crowd cheers]
[Vince] "Big Daddy Cool" Diesel holding up that big paw.
Wait a minute, I think that's a gesture.
Yes, indeed, here we go. Look at that. Yeah, that's what it is!
["Sexy Boy" playing]
♪ I think I'm cute, I know I'm sexy ♪
-[Vince] No! -[Mr. Perfect] Right there, McMahon,
I would've sucker punched him so hard, it would've been unbelievable.
[Vince] Shawn Michaels, victorious and going to WrestleMania!
♪ …Up and down their spines I'm just a sexy boy… ♪
[Vince] Michaels nailing Big Daddy Cool Diesel
as we take you back now, and look at that. Oh, my goodness, a devastating shot!
-[Mr. Perfect] Every man for himself. -[Vince] Wow.
-♪ …I'm not your boy toy… ♪ -[Vince] Michaels continuing to celebrate.
♪ I make 'em hot ♪
[Vince] You talk about resilience, flamboyance,
there is only one Shawn Michaels, ladies and gentlemen.
And again, there was a question, whether or not Shawn Michaels
would even be competing ever again in World Wrestling Entertainment.
Michaels coming back to not only
competing at the Rumble, but winning it.
[Mr. Perfect] He's in great shape. No doubt about it.
[Vince] There is one thing, and only one thing perhaps,
that has eluded Shawn Michaels for sometime
here in World Wrestling Entertainment.
That, of course, would be the WWE Championship.
Michaels get an opportunity at this year's WrestleMania,
just as he did at last year's WrestleMania to realize his dream.
-♪ I'm just a sexy boy… ♪ -[Vince] Shawn Michaels!
-♪ Sexy boy ♪ -♪ I'm not your boy toy ♪
-♪ Boy toy ♪ -♪ I'm just a sexy boy ♪
-♪ Sexy boy… ♪ -[Vince] Look at this.
-[chuckles] Michaels' all over. -[Mr. Perfect] Look at Diesel.
[Vince] Yeah, he's disconsolate, he's dejected.
More than anything else, he wanted to win this thing.
-I mean, come on. -[Mr. Perfect] Who didn't?
[Vince] I'm sure he feels good for Shawn Michaels, but still…
All right, ladies and gentlemen,
if you wanna be more a part of action coming here tonight,
there's one way to do it. That's… Take a look at this.
[music concludes]
-[bell ringing] -[Vince] Ladies and gentlemen,
-now is the time. -[Howard] Ladies and gentlemen,
the following contest, scheduled for one fall,
is for the World Wrestling Entertainment Championship!
-["Rest In Peace" playing] -[crowd cheers]
[Vince] Here we go!
[Howard] Introducing first, the challenger,
accompanied down the aisle by Paul Bearer!
From Death Valley, weighing 328 pounds,
The Undertaker!
[Vince] Well, you wonder whether or not The Undertaker will be
the next World Wrestling Entertainment Champion.
Will it be Shawn Michaels versus The Undertaker at WrestleMania?
And there he is, the man from the dark side.
Or will Shawn Michaels face Bret "The Hitman" Hart
in what unquestionably would prove to be one of the great matches of all time…
or will it be some other combination?
Who knows? Only time will tell.
Wait a minute, that's "Big Daddy Cool" Diesel
on his way back to the locker room.
And again, you can bet he's in a bad, bad mood.
Wait a minute, as we remember, at our last pay-per-view, In Your House,
-these two had words… Oh, no! -[Mr. Perfect] Wait a minute here.
[Vince] I think… Don't tell… We said anything can happen!
[Mr. Perfect] Diesel just made a big mistake.
[Vince] And Diesel charging! Now The Undertaker!
-Look at that, what a shot! -[Mr. Perfect] See what I told you?
[Vince] The Undertaker backing up "Big Daddy Cool" Diesel,
the big seven footer.
Officials coming up, trying to break this up now.
And this match is supposed to be with Bret Hart.
Wait a minute, The Undertaker spun around! A right hand! A hard right hand indeed.
The Undertaker is rocked by Diesel!
Diesel trying to get to The Undertaker.
Somebody has to give.
Get somebody back.
The WWE title, ladies and gentlemen, is supposed to be up for grabs.
The Undertaker will not move out of Diesel's way,
and Diesel not likely to move out of The Undertaker's way.
I ain't afraid of the dark.
[Vince] And I think we just heard something,
-that Diesel's-- -I ain't afraid of the dark.
-[Vince] Not afraid of the dark. -I ain't afraid of the dark.
[Vince] No, I don't suggest that he would be.
Nonetheless, this is supposed to be
the World Wrestling Entertainment Championship matchup.
[Mr. Perfect] A lot of sore losers here tonight.
[Vince] Diesel…
and The Undertaker having a go, as we take you back now.
Let's take a look at what we saw.
All right, here we go. Now wait a minute.
All right, Paul Bearer was shoved off to the side, and…
The kick there by The Undertaker.
I don't know who you're gonna blame, not that there's any blame necessary…
for any individual. But nonetheless, Diesel,
I think he wanted to go back to the locker room.
Certainly, The Undertaker had every right to come forward to the ring.
Ooh. Ooh, goodness.
All right, let's go back now.
The Undertaker in the squared circle awaiting the presence,
ladies and gentlemen, of the excellence of execution.
The best there is, the best there was, and perhaps the best there ever will be,
Bret "The Hitman" Hart, ladies and gentlemen, here we go!
-["Heart Attack" playing] -[crowd cheers]
[Howard] His opponent,
from Calgary, Alberta, Canada, weighing 234 pounds,
the World Wrestling Entertainment Champion,
Bret "Hitman" Hart!
[Vince] What an ovation for the Hitman!
[Mr. Perfect] And why not? He's done it all here, McMahon.
[Vince] We're talking about the great competitors
here in World Wrestling Entertainment.
Shawn Michaels with an unbelievable story told here tonight.
And we're about to tell another one.
Bret "The Hitman" Hart, against, perhaps all odds,
against The Undertaker.
Oh, yeah! Fireworks ready to explode here tonight,
live on pay-per-view,
as only World Wrestling Entertainment can bring you, the 1996 Royal Rumble!
[Mr. Perfect] It's the sharpshooter against the tombstone piledriver.
What a contest.
[Vince] "The Hitman" Bret Hart, giving up considerable size,
obviously, to The Undertaker.
[Mr. Perfect] He might not be the biggest, McMahon, but he's the best right now.
[Vince] And that's what obviously proves it.
Is he kissing it goodbye?
The World Wrestling Entertainment title in the hands…
Now out of the hands of Bret "The Hitman" Hart.
He has been the WWE Champion on three occasions.
And typical, Bret "Hitman" Hart's now on the outside.
Bret… And look at this. Aw.
[Mr. Perfect] Now there's a real cute scene.
[Vince chuckles]
That's-- Oh, that's what it's all about,
and only in World Wrestling Entertainment.
Congratulations, young man.
This is Bret "The Hitman" Hart's, I believe,
some 43rd pay-per-view appearance.
-Will it be his last as the WWE Champion? -[bell ringing]
[Mr. Perfect] Eight of those appearances right here at the Royal Rumbles.
[Vince] Bret "The Hitman" Hart against The Undertaker.
You have to wonder just who will the fans,
here in this capacity crowd in Fresno, California, the Selland Arena,
-who will they be rooting for? -[Mr. Perfect] I don't really know,
I'm sitting here in the same position.
[Vince] And as far as maneuverability is concerned,
I think we obviously would have to give
the advantage there to Bret "The Hitman" Hart.
[Mr. Perfect] I usually always go with the wrestler, McMahon.
But in this case, the way The Undertaker…
He doesn't feel pain. I don't know understand it.
[Vince] You wonder whether or not Bret "The Hitman" Hart will use
the same strategy that he did against "Big Daddy Cool" Diesel.
Succession of right hands, now going upstairs.
And Bret "The Hitman" Hart… Look at this. Look at The Undertaker.
Now Bret Hart against The Undertaker.
The Undertaker moving right in, and Bret Hart, the buckle.
Oh! To the midsection. The Undertaker pouring it on now.
The Undertaker with a shot, look at that! Right up on the throat.
[Mr. Perfect] I'll tell you right now, McMahon,
Bret Hart cannot win a street fight against The Undertaker.
He's gotta wrestle him down on the mat.
[Vince] And the official cannot be intimidated by The Undertaker.
The Hitman trying to… Oh, my goodness. Come back to his senses,
and that's not gonna occur. Not too soon anyhow.
[Mr. Perfect] I've never seen anybody take the punishment
that Bret Hart has taken over the years here in World Wrestling Entertainment.
I'll tell you what, he's the toughest man here.
Bret Hart… And the grasp by The Undertaker.
One!
[Vince] "The Hitman" Bret Hart, down to the canvas,
-and The Undertaker, again. -[Mr. Perfect] His head just bouncing
-off the canvas. -[Vince] Certainly did.
The Undertaker, obviously, making some sort of move
toward the official
in an effort of intimidation.
Most any individual would be intimidated by The Undertaker.
Although, before the match began, I think we saw one who was not,
-"Big Daddy Cool" Diesel. -[referee] Come on!
[Vince] Showing some class there, "Big Daddy Cool" Diesel,
at the end of that Royal Rumble.
Thought for sure he was gonna go in there and do a number on Shawn Michaels.
-He did not. Oh, my goodness. -[Mr. Perfect] I know I would've.
-[Vince] Well, that's you. Nonetheless… -[Mr. Perfect] That's why I'm perfect.
…Diesel and The Undertaker having a go at it out in the aisle way.
Didn't seem to be slowing The Undertaker down.
[Mr. Perfect] And Bret has to pick the pace up right now,
and take it to The Undertaker, make his wrestle,
make him know you're in there with someone, Bret.
[Vince] And "The Hitman" Bret Hart takes another severe shot
by The Undertaker.
The Undertaker… Oh, my goodness! Whipped to the buckle.
I would suggest The Undertaker has the odds on favorite
to win this match.
[Mr. Perfect] Depends on what view you're looking at from, McMahon.
I'll tell you right now, Bret Hart is the greatest mat wrestler.
Undertaker doesn't feel pain. I don't know how to score it.
[Vince] "The Hitman" Bret Hart again in the grasp of The Undertaker,
up around the jaw area.
[Mr. Perfect] He's got him on the temples.
[Vince] Just enough. Almost a claw hold of some sort.
Tremendous pressure exerted by The Undertaker.
The Undertaker wearing that facial appliance.
Everyone will remember that The Undertaker's face was crushed
by Yokozuna and by Mabel.
[Mr. Perfect] You got see what it looks like underneath that mask.
[Vince] I'm not so sure I want to.
The Undertaker…
taking his time,
very, very methodical pace by The Undertaker.
And The Hitman's shoulders are down on the canvas.
It's not a pinning combination.
Nonetheless, the official begins the count!
And Bret must do something to counter this maneuver.
And that must be a very painful hold as only The Undertaker could apply.
[Mr. Perfect] I hate to keep saying it, but if Hart doesn't pick the pace up,
it's gonna be over fast.
[Vince] And Bret "The Hitman" Hart… Wait a minute.
You see Paul Bearer shove the ankle a moment ago of Bret Hart.
And again.
Bret Hart knowing full well at all time where he is in the squared circle.
And unfortunately,
Paul Bearer's not gonna be able to do anything about this.
The urn, a moment ago, right into kisser of The Undertaker.
The Hitman hanging on to the ropes, and why not?
What must Bret Hart do to successfully retain the WWE title?
[Mr. Perfect] I've been telling you all long.
He's got to pick the pace up, take the big man down,
take the legs out like he did Diesel.
Took him down to the mat and wrestled him, hurt the leg area.
[Vince] And here we go now, from the top rope.
The Undertaker could very well make short work out of this.
-Oh, my goodness! -[Mr. Perfect] Unbelievable agility.
And The Undertaker, obviously with the advantage
against Bret "The Hitman" Hart.
Bret hart again on the receiving end of that claw,
I guess you would have to call it.
The Undertaker, very methodically, wearing down Bret "The Hitman" Hart.
Bret Hart, who has exemplified athleticism,
and exemplified what a WWE Champion should be
for so many years. And Bret Hart now, with his shoulders on the canvas again.
Or at least from our vantage point it would look as though that they are,
but not to the referee's.
[Mr. Perfect] This is how it's been, McMahon.
This has always been kind of Bret Hart's game plan.
He takes punishment, takes punishment, and he just keeps on coming back.
They oughta to tape a Timex watch to his face.
[Vince] Undertaker, nonetheless, maintaining control of the matchup,
maintaining the tempo.
This is The Undertaker's game plan.
-This is not Bret Hart's. -[Mr. Perfect] No, it's not.
[Vince] And Bret Hart back to the corner.
The Undertaker dominating Bret Hart, make no mistake about that,
thus far in the matchup. Oh! What a shot!
Congratulations, ladies and gentlemen, to Shawn Michaels.
Oh, my goodness, to the buckle.
-[Mr. Perfect] Did you hear that? -[Vince] Yes, indeed.
Oh! Wait a minute now! Bret Hart able to get up.
Bret Hart! Bret Hart with a clothesline!
And The Undertaker is rocked.
Bret Hart coming off the rope and The Undertaker over the top rope!
But landing on his feet, is The Undertaker.
Bret Hart over the top! Look at that. Taking The Undertaker down now.
Bret "The Hitman" Hart taking The Undertaker at--
Look at this. Bret pummeling The Undertaker.
[Mr. Perfect] Well, you can see Bret Hart, he's starting to take chances.
That's what he's gotta do to keep the title.
[Vince] That's what he did with Diesel. They were everywhere.
Again, it was the WWE Championship matchup.
No disqualification in that last match
with Bret Hart and "Big Daddy Cool" Diesel.
Oh, my goodness. And you wonder how much The British Bulldog
took out of Bret "The Hitman" Hart in their last encounter. No!
[Mr. Perfect] Look at the strength of The Undertaker.
[Vince] Undertaker… it's Bret Hart to that ring post.
[Mr. Perfect] Forget about it. Forget about it.
That was his spine right on the post.
[Vince] And this match is likely to be over after that.
[Mr. Perfect] Hey, Bret Hart maybe tough, but that was hitting the solid steel.
[Vince] The Undertaker driving Bret Hart, the Excellence of Execution
into that steel post moments ago.
And again, remember now,
a WWE Championship does not change hands on a count out.
The Undertaker right back in, breaks the count, comes right back out
with the advantage over Bret Hart.
[Mr. Perfect] And Bret Hart holding his ankle too.
Oh.
-[Vince] The Undertaker… -[Mr. Perfect] He's got to get him
back in the ring.
You're not gonna win any titles on the floor.
[Vince] The Hitman favoring either an ankle or a knee.
-I'm not certain… Oh, no. -[Mr. Perfect] Oh, on the floor.
[Vince] Oh, no. No. The Undertaker, look at that.
Bret Hart drove The Undertaker to the ring post.
-And the Hitman… -[Mr. Perfect] Oh, my God.
-[Vince] However, a huge boot to the face. -[Mr. Perfect] He just took his head off.
[Vince] Both men want more than anything else,
from a professional standpoint, obviously, to be of the WWE Champion.
[Mr. Perfect] And I'm sure Shawn Michaels is watching this match intensely.
[Vince] Everyone in World Wrestling Entertainment is.
Oh.
[Mr. Perfect] You'll get disqualified.
[Vince] And I would suggest with Gorilla Monsoon here
knowing how the rules.
Giving some degree of latitude in a WWE Championship matchup.
-[Mr. Perfect] Oh! -[Vince] What a shot?
[Mr. Perfect] Monsoon's been busy tonight.
[Vince] Yes, he certainly has been.
Oh!
Well, this is right down The Undertaker's alley.
[Mr. Perfect] Both these men are gonna get counted out if they don't watch it.
-[Earl] Five! -[Vince] That would be a shame.
Six.
[Vince] And- oh, no. Wait a minute. Oh, my God!
[Mr. Perfect] His knees hit right on the edge of that steel stairway.
[Vince] A reversal by Bret Hart.
And the official now,
who had an opportunity, I think, to count both men out
is trying to regain control of matchup.
[Mr. Perfect] Bret Hart's a smart wrestler, McMahon.
He saw his opportunity with the leg injury.
-He's staying right up on it. -[Vince] Uh-oh.
And Bret chasing Paul Bearer. And look at this.
Bret "The Hitman" Hart going to work on the left leg,
the knee area of The Undertaker.
And again, a bit of latitude… Oh, no…
…applied here by the officiating.
Here we go. Let's take another look at it
-on the left-hand side of your screen. -[Mr. Perfect] Watch the knee.
[Vince] The reversal there and… Oh, no.
Back to live action.
The left side of The Undertaker's leg, and not being able to support his weight.
Bret "The Hitman" Hart taking full advantage of it,
breaks the count, rolls right back out.
[Mr. Perfect] Can you say sharpshooter, McMahon? Can you say that?
I think we're gonna be seeing one here shortly.
[Vince] This is the same official who did not stop the match
when Bret Hart was bleeding profusely in a previous encounter
on pay-per-view in the In Your House with the British Bulldog.
Oh, my goodness. This official is working to let
this match go a bit in terms of rules and regulations.
[Mr. Perfect] And that's what I like about this referee, Earl Hebner,
he's a great athlete.
[Vince] And now, momentum has really shifted.
Bret "The Hitman" Hart trying to take out the leg of The Undertaker,
and doing a very good job of it.
[Mr. Perfect] The same thing he did with Diesel.
These big men, their knees are…
Their what? Their bone-- Look out. Look at this.
[Mr. Perfect] There's a medial collateral stretch.
[Vince] And The Undertaker trying to reach for the hair,
trying to reach for something of Bret "The Hitman" Hart, but, no.
It's the leg draped across that bottom rope.
And Bret Hart is all over The Undertaker.
-Down again. -Come on. Get off the rope.
[Mr. Perfect] Now, Bret Hart's just gonna punish that knee.
I've been in the ring with Bret Hart. Believe me, he doesn't let up.
Two!
[Vince] No, indeed. He does not and certainly will fight fire with fire.
If it's roughhouse tactics you want, he'll give you that.
[Mr. Perfect] Whatever it takes.
[Vince] But Bret is at his best when he's on his scientific game.
[Mr. Perfect] The Undertaker's got no strength left in his leg.
[Vince] Bret "The Hitman" Hart relentlessly
applying more and more pressure.
Will Bret successfully
defend the World Wrestling Entertainment title here tonight
or will The Undertaker be the new champion?
Almost a count of three.
Undertaker really in no danger of being pinned there.
[Mr. Perfect] I didn't catch the time limit in this match.
Do you know what the time limit is on?
[Vince] No, indeed. But nonetheless,
Bret "The Hitman" Hart has plenty of time
to successfully defend his title and likewise, The Undertaker
more than ample opportunity to defeat Bret Hart.
We're gonna stay with them as long as it takes as Bret Hart--
oh, my goodness, continue to pummel on the left leg of The Undertaker.
[Mr. Perfect] This is the most pain I've ever seen The Undertaker…
[Vince] Wait a minute. What's going on? Here we go! Figure-four!
[Mr. Perfect] This may be it right here.
[Vince] Bret Hart with the figure-four applied on The Undertaker.
[Vince] I just can't imagine The Undertaker
submitting to any hold, no matter how painful.
But you never know what could happen in World Wrestling Entertainment.
We've said many times before, anything can happen.
[Mr. Perfect] Deadmen, they don't feel pain. I don't think.
[Vince] Hanging on, Bret "The Hitman" Hart.
Bret trying to weaken the legs of The Undertaker.
[crowd cheering]
[Vince] And, no. The Undertaker better pay attention to the count.
And The Undertaker…
-and right back up on two again. -[Mr. Perfect] Oh, those long legs.
They make it nice for figure-four, McMahon.
[Vince] I suppose so. Paul Bearer
melting down the remnants of the urn into what we see now.
A brand new urn for The Undertaker.
Paul Bearer…
bringing the power of the urn back to The Undertaker.
And The Undertaker trying to get Bret Hart over,
trying to reverse the hold…
like we saw earlier on the Double J match and he does it!
[Mr. Perfect] Well, that's the advantage of having long legs.
[Vince] But you said that it was disadvantage.
-[Mr. Perfect] Well, it is sometimes. -[Vince] I see.
The Undertaker, ladies and gentlemen, reversing the hold.
And Bret is trying to reverse it back.
No, Bret, I believe, trying to reach the rope.
[Mr. Perfect] Reach out and grab the ropes.
What's wrong with that? It's part of the ring.
You bet.
[Vince] And the hold must be broken.
So now we're gonna see if The Undertaker can support his weight.
-Yes. Undertaker back up on his feet. -[Mr. Perfect] No.
[Vince] Partially.
The Undertaker with that gruesome looking facial appliance
continuing to move in.
-[Mr. Perfect] Walking like a monster now. -[Vince] You wonder whether or not
The Undertaker uses that facial appliance for intimidation purposes
or whether or not he really needs it.
[Mr. Perfect] He's one ugly sucker, you know that?
[Vince] It doesn't matter how you look.
Not a beauty contest at all here in World Wrestling Entertainment.
And what a Royal Rumble we have seen thus far.
Bret "The Hitman" Hart…
continuing to focus on this left leg.
[Mr. Perfect] He won't let up on that leg. He will not.
[Vince] He is so focused.
And The Undertaker reaching back now and… got him in the chest!
Solar plexus area a moment ago, The Undertaker
trying to pummel his way out of this, and does.
Bret "The Hitman" Hart…
the World Wrestling Entertainment Champion at the moment.
Bret from Calgary, Alberta, Canada.
You can bet his mom and dad, Stu and Helen
along with the whole Hart clan-- Oh, my goodness,
are watching on pay-per-view in Calgary, Alberta
supporting their son.
And Bret has just done so much for World Wrestling Entertainment.
They're probably watching it with George Burns.
[Vince] I beg your pardon?
[Mr. Perfect] You know, Helen's older than George Burns.
[Mr. Perfect] Think he just turned a hundred?
[Vince] George just turned 100, yes.
Congratulations and happy birthday to George Burns.
I'm not so sure if George is still watching us though.
-[Mr. Perfect] Why not? -[Vince] Well, he might be.
The Undertaker
trying to find what he had earlier on.
The Undertaker had all the momentum earlier on in the matchup with Bret Hart.
And, boy, have things ever turned around.
-[grunts] -[Vince] Ooh!
[grunts]
[Vince] And The Undertaker
trying to hammer his way out of this. And look at Bret Hart go!
Bret's trying to get that facial appliance off.
The Hitman, Bret Hart his right hands might have,
I would suggest a little a little momentum behind them
if, in fact, he would get that facial appliance off The Undertaker.
[Mr. Perfect] The longer they go, the better for Bret.
And do you know why, McMahon?
-Why? -[Mr. Perfect] Actually, he's carrying
less body weight. Bret Hart's in great condition,
as a champion should be.
[Vince] Yes. But The Undertaker is in extraordinary condition as well.
I don't think The Undertaker ever gets tired.
He doesn't feel anything as you said before.
[Mr. Perfect] Well, I don't know about that.
But I think the longer it goes, the better for Bret Hart.
If he changes this into an Indian deathlock, it might be over.
[Vince] And The Hitman, Bret Hart continuing to apply pressure
on the left knee and ankle at the moment.
And he must be quite intense.
The Undertaker, again, almost forgetting that his shoulders
are down on the canvas a moment ago.
[crowd chanting] Rest in peace! Rest in peace! Rest in peace!
[Vince] The Hitman, Bret Hart hearing the chant of, "Rest in peace."
And Bret right back in control.
[Mr. Perfect] He's not gonna get anything for riding time, McMahon.
He's got to take it to him more.
[Vince] The Hitman, Bret Hart wearing down The Undertaker.
That's his strategy.
Again, you wondered what sort of a match we would see
with two fan-favorites here in World Wrestling Entertainment
-with The Undertaker-- Oh, no! -[Mr. Perfect] Oh, boy.
-[Vince] And again! -[Mr. Perfect] Oh, he's hammering him.
And Bret Hart's gonna need that facial appliance after that.
The Undertaker rolling off of Bret "The Hitman" Hart.
Let's see what The Undertaker can do now.
[Mr. Perfect] Another momentum swing coming up.
Perhaps it's time for The Undertaker.
[Vince] The Undertaker…
I think some degree of mobility problem moving in on Bret Hart.
And Bret back up on his feet, maybe not for long,
and through the ropes to the outside.
[Mr. Perfect] Well, he must need a rest, McMahon,
otherwise he wouldn't have thrown him out of the ring.
That makes no sense to me. If you wanna win the title,
-you gotta pin the man. -[Vince] Wait a minute.
I think maybe The Undertaker has something in store for Bret Hart.
I think we're gonna find out why he threw Bret Hart out.
-Oh, my God. Bret hits the steps. -[Mr. Perfect] Oh, his hip.
[Vince] And of course The Undertaker was…
Wait a minute.
[Mr. Perfect] He's gonna get disqualified. Forget about it.
[Vince] And that certainly is a reason to disqualify The Undertaker right there.
[Mr. Perfect] Where's the ref?
Where is the official? Oh, wait a minute. Now, we see what's going on.
Paul Bearer with the official. And now, The Undertaker with Bret Hart.
Bret Hart in the clutches of The Undertaker.
Uh-oh. Oh, no. Oh, my…
[Mr. Perfect] How much can Bret Hart take?
-[Vince] I don't know. -[Mr. Perfect] Over his career,
I'm telling you, I've never seen anybody take a beating like Bret Hart.
[Vince] Bret Hart up-- Oh, no!
How badly does The Undertaker wanna win
this World Wrestling Entertainment Championship?
And Paul Bearer still distracting the official
while all of this is going on.
Look at this. Behind their backs.
And now is the time for The Undertaker to finish off
Bret "The Hitman" Hart.
[Mr. Perfect] If that's a premeditated plan, McMahon,
that's pretty smart by Paul Bearer.
[Vince] We saw Bret Hart
being pummeled by The Undertaker.
And of course the last time we saw Bret Hart on pay-per-view
he went to that table. Oh, my goodness!
And…
Bret Hart being set up now,
coming off and missing with the boot and down again!
[Mr. Perfect] Back to the leg.
[Vince] Oh!
Now, the sharpshooter can be applied.
Is Bret gonna go for it?
-[Mr. Perfect] You bet he is. -[Vince] Bret Hart with The Undertaker.
[Mr. Perfect] Mixed emotions here, McMahon.
[Vince] And you might suspect we'd have lots of mixed emotions
with two fan-favorites here in World Wrestling Entertainment.
Both men have legions of fans all over the world.
The Undertaker unquestionably,
however, on the outside earlier on, clearly the aggressor.
Although Bret "The Hitman" Hart, likewise, can very much be the same.
Uh-oh. And Bret now with the… Uh-oh.
Bret with the leg of The Undertaker, pulls him out,
separates the legs, trying to get it pulled.
Bret now shoves that… Look at that. What is Bret gonna do?
Oh!
[crown cheering, booing]
[Vince] And you hear the cheers and the boos.
Bret Hart with the leg, and again.
Both men knowing full well coming into this matchup
this was going to be an experience
that they would both remember for a long time.
And Paul Bearer has been quite an asset to The Undertaker on the outside.
Bret "The Hitman" Hart snapping the leg of The Undertaker.
[Mr. Perfect] Bret Hart's gonna beat him, McMahon. I can feel it.
-[Vince] Sharpshooter? -[Mr. Perfect] You bet.
[Vince] I can't see it. Again, I just can't ever see The Undertaker
submitting to a painful hold, you might be right.
-Anything can happen. -[Mr. Perfect] Yeah.
There's a first time for everything.
[Vince] Bret Hart slowing the pace down again, but continuing to apply
more pressure on the left leg.
The Undertaker…
with pretty obvious strategy,
in cahoots with Paul Bearer, earlier on as Paul Bearer distracted
the official. Yes, we are live, ladies and gentlemen.
Hanging in the balance, and this capacity crowd,
the WWE Championship. And… wait a minute.
Undertaker
able to reverse things,
and now back to his feet. So is The Hitman, Bret Hart.
And again, Bret goes right after the leg.
[Mr. Perfect] What a bout, back and forth, back and forth.
[Vince] Neither individual likely to be the same after this matchup.
[Mr. Perfect] Their bodies just got to be aching.
-It's unbelievable. -[Vince] Well, at least Bret Hart's body
-would be aching. -[Mr. Perfect] Undertaker doesn't
-look too-- -[Vince] Oh! Leg drop.
Can The Undertaker
polish off Bret Hart?
Can The Undertaker bring to a brusque halt
this WWE Championship reign
of Bret "The Hitman" Hart? Being set up to the ropes now,
coming off from the other side. Clothesline.
[crowd cheering, booing]
[Mr. Perfect] Well, The Undertaker's back in control.
Back and forth again.
[Vince] And again, you hear boos and you hear cheers.
I'm not so sure the crowd can make up their mind who they're rooting for.
-Oh, no. Forget it! -[Mr. Perfect] Oh, his leg went--
[Vince] His leg went right out from under him.
Bret Hart… Oh! What a shot.
I thought for sure we're gonna see the tombstone there.
Bret Hart able to go right on over on the other side of The Undertaker
as his leg gave way.
-Uh-oh, wide open. -[Mr. Perfect] Oh! Nice counter.
[Vince] Bret Hart set The Undertaker up for that move.
[Mr. Perfect] That's the experience of Bret Hart.
That's right, experience, Bret Hart has it.
[Vince] However, The Undertaker with a kick to the midsection.
And that has to take something out of Bret "The Hitman" Hart as well.
-[Vince] Back body drop. -[Mr. Perfect] No, it isn't. DDT.
[Vince] Shades of Jake "The Snake" Roberts,
ladies and gentlemen.
Jake "The Snake" may have whispered in Bret Hart's ear.
Cover, two, and a kick out by The Undertaker.
[Mr. Perfect] Uh-oh.
The Undertaker back up on his feet.
Bret "The Hitman" Hart is gonna take him right back down again if he possibly can.
-[Mr. Perfect] Russian leg sweep. -[Vince] Nicely done.
-[Mr. Perfect] And Bret Hart… -[Vince] Uh-oh.
What do you do with a man like that?
What do you do? What does Bret "The Hitman" Hart have to do?
[Mr. Perfect] Yeah, perfect question.
-How do you beat Frankenstein, McMahon? -[Vince] I don't know.
[Mr. Perfect] It'd be like wrestling Frankenstein.
-And… Oh! That could do it. -[Mr. Perfect] Maybe that's what you do.
-[Vince] That could do it. -[Mr. Perfect] Yup.
[Vince] And Bret "The Hitman" Hart paced himself.
And The Undertaker coming right back up.
[Mr. Perfect] What do you got to do to beat this guy?
[Vince] The Undertaker back up on his feet.
Bret Hart is gonna have to reach down. He's gonna have to reach way down
ladies and gentlemen and-- Oh, drives the knee
-to the back of The Undertaker. -[Mr. Perfect] I'm not sure if he's got
a lot of strength left enough to lift up that 300 pounds.
[Vince] Well, make no mistake. Bret "The Hitman" Hart has it all.
The Hitman now…
No. The Undertaker could not sit up!
Bret Hart now with an opportunity and, oh!
-Cover him! -[Mr. Perfect] This could be it!
[Vince] Cover him. Bret with an elbow to the jaw.
And listen to this capacity crowd now.
[crowd cheering, booing]
[Vince] Some are cheering. Some are booing. Here we go.
Here we go. The sharpshooter is coming in, stepping over, yes.
Bret Hart
trying to get The Undertaker… No! The Undertaker has Bret Hart
by the throat!
And The Undertaker blocking the sharpshooter.
Uh-oh. Oh, no!
And a knee right in the abdominal area.
[Mr. Perfect] It will take the wind out of you.
[Vince] What a matchup.
What a grueling matchup this has been thus far.
Underneath and from the other side, both men down!
[Mr. Perfect] Roll over on him.
[Vince] And The Undertaker not sitting up after this.
And The Hitman, Bret Hart paying his dues as well.
Bret knew full well what he was getting into
when he signed on for this match. Give credit to Bret Hart,
who has been the fightingest WWE Champion in history,
taking on all comers. And here we go! Bret's up!
[Mr. Perfect] He's tough. No doubt about it.
[Vince] Now, what's Bret Hart gonna do? The Hitman now… Uh-oh.
Bret Hart over to the corner.
The official looking down at The Undertaker.
Bret Hart removes the corner pad. Look at that exposed ring,
the metal ring exposed.
And The Hitman, Bret Hart now with The Undertaker,
trying to set him up, hammering away. Look at Bret Hart.
And that's hammering down with tremendous momentum.
The Undertaker… wait. Bret Hart's going for that facial appliance again,
trying to get it off.
[Mr. Perfect] He's gonna take it off of him, he's gonna run his face
into that steel ring in the corner.
[Vince] Will he? Oh, no. And The Undertaker--
Bret Hart hanging onto the hair.
-[Mr. Perfect] He's got it. -[Vince] He has it off!
Bret Hart has it off. Let's look at him.
What's Bret Hart looking at? Look at the look on Bret Hart's face
looking up to The Undertaker.
Look at him going after Bret "The Hitman" Hart.
-[Mr. Perfect] Bret's trying to run. -[Vince] The facial appliance
has come off! Bret Hart ducking another right hand.
The Hitman, Bret Hart now, hammering away to the midsection,
back upstairs. These blows now will have more effect for sure.
-Undertaker now, reversing, yes. -[Mr. Perfect] Oh!
[Vince] Devastating maneuver.
Here comes The Undertaker! Receiving an elbow.
Bret Hart and The Undertaker going at it.
Here we go to that exposed corner.
[Mr. Perfect] Forget about it now, McMahon. Forget about it.
[Vince] Bret Hart trying to capitalize, yes!
To the exposed corner again.
[crowd booing]
[Mr. Perfect] The people don't like it but I like it.
You got to do what you got to do.
[Vince] But The Hitman Bret Hart must do what he has to do
to retain the WWE Championship.
Remember what The Undertaker was doing to The Hitman, Bret Hart
outside the ring earlier on.
[Mr. Perfect] A speaker cord around his neck.
I don't blame Bret Hart.
[Vince] Bret Hart with The Undertaker.
Both men giving it their all for sure here live at the Royal Rumble,
live from Fresno, California.
The WWE Championship hanging in the balance.
Who will face Shawn Michaels at WrestleMania?
We may know at the conclusion of this matchup.
Perhaps not, but we may know!
Coming off in… oh, no! Oh, no! Here it comes.
[Mr. Perfect] It's over, McMahon, if he… Oh, forget it!
[Vince] The Hitman has been tombstoned just like that.
[Mr. Perfect] Where did he pull that out of?
[Vince] The official sliding down for the count.
-One-- -[Mr. Perfect] Oh!
[Vince] Wait a minute.
[Mr. Perfect] Diesel pulled the referee out.
[Vince] Wait a minute. Diesel just pulled the official
-out of the ring. -[bell ringing]
[Vince] And the official is over to at the ring announcer's table
-explaining to… -[Mr. Perfect] No, I--
-Wait a minute. -[Mr. Perfect] The Undertaker…
[Howard] Ladies and gentlemen, Bret "The Hitman" Hart
-has been disqualified… -[Vince] Oh, come on.
…as a result of outside interference by Diesel.
Therefore, the winner of this match, The Undertaker.
[crowd cheering]
[Vince] Diesel coming in, blatantly interfering. And The Undertaker
wants the WWE Championship around his waist.
Look at that steely cold look
-in that man's eyes. -[Howard] However,
the World Wrestling Entertainment Championship
cannot change hands on a disqualification.
-[Mr. Perfect] Oh, boy. -[crowd cheering]
[Vince] And no one knows it better than that man right there.
[Mr. Perfect] I guess that look says it all.
[Vince] It does. The Undertaker… wait.
-Look what Diesel just did. -[Mr. Perfect] Oh, come on.
[Mr. Perfect] Oh.
[Vince] Well, there's no question that "Big Daddy Cool" Diesel
is not afraid of the dark for sure.
Diesel coming in and intentionally
disqualifying Bret "The Hitman" Hart.
And The Undertaker, ladies and gentlemen, is on his way back.
No more facial appliance. Look at the look in that man's face.
Oh, my goodness. He was robbed of the WWE title.
He was robbed.
-The Undertaker had piledrived Bret Hart. -["Heart Attack" playing]
-[Mr. Perfect] He had him beat. -[Vince] You'll never know
whether or not Bret would've been pinned by The Undertaker.
[Mr. Perfect] Of course he'd have been pinned.
[Vince] Nonetheless, Bret Hart still remains
the World Wrestling Entertainment Champion.
[Mr. Perfect] He ought to be thanking Diesel.
[Vince] What an unbelievable Royal Rumble we have seen thus far,
ladies and gentlemen. There's going to be more coming.
As a matter of fact,
we were told we're gonna try to get word with The Undertaker.
He cannot be a happy man.
Hopefully we'll get a word with Shawn Michaels
and "Big Daddy Cool" Diesel as well,
and maybe even Bret "The Hitman" Hart.
Royal Rumble Plus is coming at you.
Nonetheless, Bret "The Hitman" Hart remains
the World Wrestling Entertainment Champion
live from Fresno, California. Standby for more Royal Rumble.
[theme music playing]
Fans, the interim president, Hall of Famer, Gorilla Monsoon.
Can you tell us, sir, any matches signed so far for In Your House, February?
Well, Todd, first of all, I just want to reflect a little bit
on tonight. What a tremendous event this Royal Rumble was.
-Well, you certainly were busy. -Well the president's job never ends.
However, I have sanctioned the feature match.
It'll be a World Wrestling Entertainment title defense
by the current reigning champion,
The Excellence of Execution, Bret "The Hitman" Hart.
He will face the man that he took the WWE title from at Survivor Series,
"Big Daddy Cool" Diesel, who is now the number challenger.
What a match that's gonna be.
Diesel and the Hitman, February, In Your House?
Absolutely.
Boy, what a matchup it's gonna to be. This is the WWE Royal Rumble Plus.
We understand standing by, Dok Hendrix
with the winner of the 1996 WWE Royal Rumble,
"The Heartbreak Kid," Shawn Michaels.
Thanks, Todd. I'll tell you. I'm standing here with the one,
the only, the charismatic Shawn Michaels.
Congratulations.
A lot of tense moments, but, Shawn, the one goal
that has eluded you is one step closer.
I have completed phase one, "The Heartbreak Kid" and his Kliq.
You know, back in medieval days,
back when the dinosaurs were running around,
lots of stuff used to run wild, but that don't happen anymore.
The coolness of The Kliq is gonna run, not wild, but rampant in the '90s.
HBK has completed phase one.
And next, The Kliq and HBK got a one-way to ticket to WrestleMania
and the World Wrestling Entertainment Championship.
I don't wanna say that I told you so, but I told you so.
It happened.
For the second time, The Heartbreak Kid went out there
outlasted every superstar
that the World Wrestling Entertainment has thrown in front of him.
Said I was gonna to do it, gosh darn it. And I did it.
Shawn, let me ask you this. What about the announcement
just by interim president, Gorilla Monsoon?
You will face whomever the WWE Champion is at WrestleMania.
We now know at February's In Your House,
it's "Big Daddy Cool" Diesel against Bret Hart.
What if Big Daddy Cool is successful and it's you and Big Daddy
at WrestleMania for the second time?
One more time, you know something, my big buddy has
cleaned my clock once before
and if I know Big Daddy Cool, he's gonna clean my clock again.
But this time, I'm telling you, The Kliq is gonna be behind me.
You know, he's changed, you know.
He's got a bad attitude, that big guy, but I still love him
anyway because he's my big buddy.
Whatever happens, whether it would be the Hitman,
whether it would Big Daddy Cool,
unfortunately, it just doesn't matter because The Heartbreak Kid,
Shawn Michaels is gonna be the man of '96. I guarantee it.
-[Todd] All right. Dok, Dok. Hey. -All right.
-[Todd] Excuse me, Dok. -Yeah!
[Todd] Let's come back here for just a second.
We're back in the locker room area with the interim president,
-Gorilla Monsoon. What is going on? -Obviously, Todd,
Shawn Michaels is ecstatic about his opportunity
that's gonna come at WrestleMania
to become the World Wrestling Entertainment Champion.
Of course he doesn't know at this point in time who he's gonna be facing.
-Right. -You know, but whomever
the champion is at WrestleMania,
Shawn will get his chance to become what he's always wanted to be,
the World Wrestling Entertainment Champion.
There's no question about it.
It's going to be an awesome matchup, that's for sure at…
They said he wouldn't be back.
-That's right. -Well, he's back
-and back 100%. -[laughs]
It's the WWE Royal Rumble Plus.
What's going on in World Wrestling Entertainment?
Certainly an awesome night here, a number of surprises,
interim president, Gorilla Monsoon getting involved and--
-What? -[Undertaker] Make the match,
but I tell you one thing, Gorilla Monsoon.
It'll be a cold day in hell before Diesel ever wears the world title
of World Wrestling Entertainment.
Well, obviously a very upset Undertaker.
And if I can read between the lines,
I don't wanna see, folks, what happened here tonight
happen in Louisville.
So I may have to make a little amendment to that match,
and that is, well, let's put the thing in a 15-foot high steel cage.
That way nobody can get out
and nobody can get in and we'll have a winner.
The steel cage match is now set for In Your House.
-It's official. -It is official.
Let's go over to Dok with Big Daddy Cool.
"Big Daddy Cool" Diesel. What a statement there by The Undertaker.
We've just found out that you will meet Bret Hart.
You get your return match for the title.
I guess you heard it. The Undertaker said…
First off… Shut up for a minute, all right.
-Okay. -First off,
you know, I got to say, Gorilla Monsoon, you're doing one hell of a job
since the lobotomy.
Anyway, you know, Bret Hart is the champion.
Furthermore, Bret Hart lives and breathes because I have allowed it.
Now, The Undertaker, all I was stating tonight was, Diesel's number one,
which he is.
Now, in the cage, it doesn't matter.
You know, you don't have to like me. You know what?
You don't have to like me, but the thing is, you know,
you got to love me because I'm the best thing going today.
What about the statement The Undertaker just made
that you'll never be WWE Champion again?
I'll do whatever what I wanna do, you know.
And number one, when I was a kid, for punishment,
my mom used to send us downstairs to the darkest part of the basement
and turn on a light because she thought I was scared of the dark.
I wasn't. You know, I fooled her.
Undertaker, I'm not afraid of the dark and I'm not afraid of you.
I'm not afraid of anybody? Because you know what,
you breakdown,
and you can pick anybody in World Wrestling Entertainment
to be sitting in the car next to you, who do you want? That's right.
You want Big Daddy sitting next to you
because he's going to take care of things. He's gonna get the job done.
You know, Shawn Michaels is going onto WrestleMania.
Hey. That's great.
You know, the kick hey, we told each other going into it,
"What happens, happens." But I'll tell you something right now.
You and me, you're throwing some kind of idle threats, I ain't buying it.
I'm not afraid of you.
The only thing I'm afraid of is the taxman. All right?
So, '96, it's no longer World Wrestling Entertainment.
It's now Diesel Wrestling Entertainment. All right?
I'm gonna have my hands in everything that goes on.
I'm gonna be doing my manipulation when I can put my hands into it.
Hey, it's still my show. We're still running on Diesel power.
You just might not like the way things are going.
Don't put nothing up to me. I'll get done when I say I'm done.
All right? You shut your mouth.
-Now, I'm done. -Okay. Well, if it's okay with you,
back to you Todd. Wow.
-All right, Dok, thank you very much. -[shouting]
Let me just explain this.
Don't overlook while you're having your lover's quarrels, boys,
that I'm responsible for the most dangerous power
that's ever been unleashed in World Wrestling Entertainment.
I'm taking about this man from the Rocky Mountains,
the real winner of the Royal Rumble.
And if you're talking title matches, you can't ignore him.
You can't stop him. You can't defeat him.
And you can't, under any circumstances, overlook him.
From now 'til the end of time, it is Vader Time.
[Todd] Folks, let's take a look back at the awesome Royal Rumble.
[Vince] Welcome, everyone, to the 1996 WWE Royal Rumble.
Ahmed, oh, way up there.
Climbing back-- Oh, boy. Oh, boy.
"Double J" Jeff Jarrett from the top and…
Oh!
I can't help it if they love me.
[Vince] Oh. She's blowing a kiss to the cowboys.
Oh, no. Wendy got dropped.
[theme music playing]
[Mr. Perfect] You can you see it in Razor's face.
He's uncomfortable, McMahon. No doubt about it.
-Oh, my God! -[Vince] Whoa, whoa, wait a minute.
[Mr. Perfect] Maybe Goldust got what he wanted out of this match already.
[Vince] And a clothesline.
[Mr. Perfect] Look at his hands, McMahon.
[Vince] What a maneuver that was.
The 1-2-3 Kid now. Whoa. He took his head off.
-It's over. -[bell ringing]
Now, Goldust has all the gold.
Elimination and-- Hey, wait a minute!
[Mr. Perfect] Look at the size of that snake, McMahon.
-Oh, my God. -[Vince] Oh, my God.
Jerry Lawler is hiding underneath the ring.
Razor Ramon trying to catch the 1-2-3 Kid.
[Mr. Perfect] What a hot-head Ramon is.
["Vader Time" playing]
[Mr. Perfect] Look at the size of this man.
[Vince] The mastodon of World Wrestling Entertainment perhaps.
Razor, oh!
And, oh, my goodness. Look at this.
[Mr. Perfect] Oh, my God.
[Vince] Oh! Look at that. Over the top to the outside.
And Vader with a clothesline… to the outside!
[shouting indistinctly]
-Yokozuna and the man they call Vader. -[Mr. Perfect] Oh, boy.
[Vince] Wait a minute. Wait a minute. Shawn Michaels oh, my God!
Shawn Michaels just eliminated Yokozuna.
-Vader and Yokozuna from… -[Mr. Perfect] Oh, my God!
Don't tell me Michaels has been eliminated?
[Vince] Vader must go.
Jerry "the King" Lawler is being pulled from the ring.
Look at him hanging onto the cable.
[Mr. Perfect] Uh-oh. They're best of friends.
[Vince] Even best friends go at it in the Royal Rumble.
Shawn Michaels is unconscious I think.
A clothesline. I don't believe this.
It's Diesel, it's Michaels, it's… No!
Shawn Michaels is going to WrestleMania.
-How does he do that? -[Howard] "The Heartbreak Kid,"
Shawn Michaels.
[Vince] Diesel trying to get to The Undertaker.
I ain't afraid of the dark.
[theme music playing]
[Vince] And, oh, no. Wait a minute. Oh, my God.
[Mr. Perfect] Oh, forget it.
[Vince] Oh. Wait a minute.
-Look what Diesel just did. -[Mr. Perfect] Oh, come on.
[theme music concludes] id. -[Mr. Perfect] Oh, come on.