[announcer 1] The winner of The Royal Rumble,
-"Hacksaw" Jim Duggan. -[crowd cheering]
[commentator 1] I can't believe this. What kind of power
the Hulkster possesses.
It's Flair from behind. Oh, yes, yes.
[announcer 1] Only one of Shawn Michaels' feet hit the floor.
[Ross] Bret Hart eliminated Stone Cold and the referees didn't see it.
[commentator 2] Stone Cold is down and The Rock is gone.
-Stone Cold! Stone Cold! -[bell ringing]
[dramatic music playing]
[announcer 2] Mr. McMahon has won The Royal Rumble match.
-[commentator 3] This is over. The Rock. -[commentator 4] What?
[commentator 3] The Rock has won The Rumble.
[Rock] At The Royal Rumble, I'll be the only dog
standing in the middle of the ring.
[Ross] Val Venis, Goldust, Mr. Perfect
and The Godfather are back in the Rumble as well.
[Stone Cold] Stone Cold Steve Austin is throwing 20 men
just over the top rope and he's going to WrestleMania.
[Kurt] And I, Kurt Angle will also enter The Royal Rumble.
[Ross] Who's gonna dominate… [shrieks] …29 other men?
[Triple H] I am the Game.
[Ross] The Game is back, The Game is here to play
-and he's here to win The Royal Rumble. -[music concludes]
[narrator] And now the WWE presents…
[upbeat rock music playing]
…30 men…
one winner.
-The WWE Royal Rumble. -[crowd cheering]
[Ross] Welcome, ladies and gentlemen, to the 15th Royal Rumble,
from the sold-out Philips Arena in Atlanta, Georgia.
Sixteen thousand, one hundred and six have sold out
this beautiful new arena weeks and weeks ago
in anticipation for tonight's regal extravaganza.
Hello, everybody, I'm Jim Ross, alongside Jerry "The King" Lawler.
The fans in Atlanta, King.
And that right there, jacked up and sold-out in New York as well.
[Jerry] Oh, yeah. WWE in New York, they're going crazy.
As well they should be. This is gonna be great.
[crowd cheering]
[Ross] World championships decided, the Flair McMahon Street Fight,
-The Royal Rumble match and here we go. -[bell ringing]
[announcer] The following contest scheduled for one fall,
is for the World Wrestling Entertainment Tag Team Championship.
Introducing first accompanied by Stacy Keibler, the challengers,
at a combined weight of 556 pounds,
-D-Von, Bubba Ray, the Dudley Boyz. -[crowd cheering]
[Ross] You know, King, earlier today, the Dudleys said,
in this match their strategy would be to seek and destroy,
to isolate and destroy either Spike or Tazz.
-Are you listening to the word I say? -I'm just trying to isolate Stacy Keibler.
Oh, J.R., her with all those curves and me with no brakes.
-Whoo! Look at that. Huh? -[Ross] You're old enough to be her uncle.
[dramatic music playing]
-[Ross] You got crowns all over her. -[Jerry] Come here, Stacy.
[heart monitor beeping, flat lining]
[crowd cheering]
[announcer] At a combined weight of 398 pounds,
the World Wrestling Entertainment Tag Team champions,
-Tazz and Spike Dudley. -[crowd cheering]
[Jerry] Hey, look out.
And the Dudleys not wasting any time here.
Again, they said their strategy will be to isolate
and destroy either Spike or Tazz.
And right now, with D-Von on the outside with Tazz,
-the WWE tag team titles on the line here. -[Jerry chuckles]
-[Ross] The Dudleys. -[Jerry] Oh, look at this.
[crowd cheering]
[Jerry] I think they just are well on their way to isolating
and destroying poor, little Tazz right there, wow.
[Ross] Tazz may be a tough one to hurt here,
and you know what that's gonna mean, that gonna mean that D-Von and Bubba's
150-pound half-brother, Spike, is gonna be a man isolated.
-[Jerry] Oh, look out here. -[crowd cheering]
[Ross] This one may be over in a record amount of time.
-[Jerry] No. -[Ross] Spike with that collar
-on his neck from that beating… -[Jerry] Hang on.
-…parking lot beating. -[Jerry] Hang on,
Bubba Ray, stretch it out.
If this is over in a record amount of time,
that means Stacy Keibler won't be out here very long.
[Ross] After the 3D on the pavement last week on SmackDown,
that parking lot attempt
the Dudleys, D-Von and Bubba Ray
perpetrated on the champions, Spike and Tazz.
-You see them ripping into Spike. -[Jerry] Oh, look!
[Ross] And now, Bubba Ray has just pulled that protective collar
from the neck of little Spike Dudley.
-Ooh! What a neckbreaker. -[groans]
[Jerry] That was probably a prescribed neck brace, don't you think?
-[Ross] I wanna think so. -Get up and fight!
[Jerry] Well, I think Bubba Ray's gonna play a little doctor here himself.
He's gonna-- Oh, my goodness,
I'd like to play doctor with Stacy Keibler. [chuckles]
Ooh! You think she-- Do they have a pre-match physical?
-[Ross] But you're not a doctor. -[Jerry] I could play one on TV.
[Ross] Tag mate, here comes the D-Von. And Tazz still trying to recuperate.
-Tazz is down on the outside. -[screams]
[Ross] Trying make his way back up on the apron as I speak.
[Jerry] And then Tazz was dropped on his head outside on the floor there,
right in the first 30 seconds of this match. Look out.
-[groans] -[Ross] Well, then, Spike Dudley
bent over in pain.
-[Jerry] You could lift him up, J.R. -[Ross] A hundred and fifty pounds?
[Jerry] I got refrigerator magnets bigger than him.
[Ross] I know you do.
Tazz and Spike won the tag titles from these very Dudleys,
these damned Dudleys on January the 7th, at Madison Square Garden in New York City.
-[Jerry groans] -[Ross] That was a Dick Murdoch,
God bless his soul, brainbuster-like maneuver
by Bubba Ray Dudley
dropping his little brother, Spike, right on Spike's head.
-Oh, my goodness. -[Bubba] This next one's for you.
I'm breaking your partner's neck!
[Ross] "Isolate and destroy," the motto of the Dudleys here tonight
-and they are doing just well. -[Jerry] Uh-oh. Look out. Here we go.
[crowd cheering]
[Ross] And Spike, looking for the… From the top! And he got it.
Spike's banged up.
-[Jerry] Can you imagine… -[Ross] He can't take a lot.
[Jerry] He's not only banged up-- Oh, keep banging.
He's not only banged up, he's an ingrate. I mean, let's face it.
Bubba Ray and D-Von taught that little Spike that move
and now, they used-- He's using it against them.
[Ross] Over 50 countries enjoying The Royal Rumble here tonight live.
First, hello to our fans in the United Kingdom and Ireland,
-who are watching on Sky Box Office-- -[Jerry] Look at this! Look!
[Ross] Hey, wait a minute.
The referee did not see the tag there.
[Jerry] We didn't see it either, we were looking at Stacy Keibler. Wow!
-[Ross] What a flapjack. -[Jerry chuckles]
How high was Spike then?
[Ross] And where's the Midnight Express when you need it?
-That was a hellacious flapjack. -[Jerry] That's gotta be it for him.
[Ross] Spike has been unable to make a tag to Tazz and now, D-Von.
-It may just be a matter of time now. -[Jerry] I would think.
-Look out! -[crowd cheering]
[Ross] D-Von hit with a headbutt.
Luckily for Spike, Spike able to avoid the contact.
-[referee] Get out! -Let's go, D-Von!
[Jerry] Look at Stacy Keibler's outfit. Look out!
-[crowd cheering] -[Ross] Bubba in the ring illegally.
And that came back and backfired on him.
[Jerry] Let's-- Can we take one more look at that original double team on Spike?
Watch the height there. Look at that! Man!
-But look! Oh, no. -[Ross] And there's a tag.
[crowd cheering]
[Ross] Tazz got the tag. Look at Tazz.
[Jerry] Yeah, look at those clotheslines and that…
[Ross] The thug from Brooklyn.
-[crowd cheering] -[Jerry] Whoa!
-[Ross] And they're tearing in red hot. -[Jerry] Look out!
[Ross] Tazz suplexing the Dudleys right out of their boots.
[Jerry] Oh.
-Going to a leg suplex to cover… -One, two, three.
-[Ross] And a near call. -[Jerry] How close was that?
[Ross] And that was a less than a half a count away.
Well, the Spike and Tazz tag title's on the line.
The Dudleys, Bubba Ray and D-Von, want this title back--
[Jerry] Whoa!
[Ross] High crossbody by Spike, putting his own body on the line.
Hard kick to the face by Tazz, down goes the 300 plus pound Bubba Ray,
-and-- The Dudley Dog! -[Jerry] Oh! He got him.
-[Ross] The Dudley Dog-- -[Jerry] Hey, hey, look at this.
[Ross] And what is that jezebel doing up on the apron?
[Jerry] I don't know but she can do anything she wants up there. Watch it.
-No! Look out! -[screams]
-[Ross] The Tazzmission. -[Jerry] You can't do that-- Oh!
[Ross] Tazz with the Tazzmission on Stacy momentarily.
[Jerry] You're gonna have to excuse me, I got to go check out Stacy's condition.
-[crowd cheering] -[Ross] Spike trying a Dudley Dog
that got countered in a vile, aggressive way.
-There's the Tazzmission again. -[crowd cheering]
-[Ross] Tazz has got a lock-- -[bell ringing]
-[Ross] And D-Von taps out. -[Jerry] Wait a minute.
[crowd cheering]
[Jerry] What happened? Where's Bubba Ray?
Where is Stacy? Oh, come here, sweetheart, are you all right?
-[announcer] Tazz and Spike Dudley. -[crowd cheering]
-[Ross] They're doing just fine-- -[Jerry] No, I'm talk…
[crowd cheering]
[Ross] Tazz and Spike Dudley.
It did not look good, but they were resilient.
You don't have to be the biggest dog in the fight,
you just gotta have the biggest fight in you.
That's exactly what Spike and Tazz have. They've got big hearts.
-They got great desire to win. -[crowd cheering]
[Jerry] I'm worried about Stacy Keibler. She might need a heart massage.
Let me go down there.
[Ross] Well, ladies and gentlemen, last Monday night,
William Regal had used those brass knucks in his tag team matchup.
Edge and RVD, the victims.
The left hand of Regal fully loaded with those brass knucks,
Regal sticking them back in his tights
and gets the one, two, three over the Intercontinental Champion.
[bell ringing]
[Ross] I guarantee Edge has had enough, ladies and gentlemen,
by SmackDown just a few days ago.
Edge getting up very, very aggressive
and looked like he was gonna try to re-break the nose of Regal
-after he retrieves a steel chair. -[crowd cheering]
[Jerry] Yeah, and everybody complains about William Regal
using a foreign object. What about this, J.R.? Look at Edge.
-He wasn't done yet. -[bell ringing]
[Ross] And then boom, here comes the shot to the referee.
-Watch this. -[Jerry] This is vile. This is heinous.
This is inexcusable. What is Edge thinking?
-[Ross] Edge is like… -[Jerry] Look out. He's got to be stopped.
Edge, as we just saw, you and William Regal have been fighting
with each other for quite some time and it's actually gotten to the point--
Whoa, whoa, whoa. Let me cut you off right there,
because Regal talks a great game.
How he's been fighting on the streets since he was a teenager.
How the blood of the English flows through his veins. [scoffs]
And we can have a hell of a fight if he wanted it that way,
but he doesn't want to. He wants to play dirty, and you know what?
That's fine with me. You wanna know why? Check this out.
You see that? That's a steel chair.
That's what I Edgecuted Regal's face onto when I broke his nose.
That's what I used to lay him out last week on SmackDown.
Regal wants to play dirty. I can play with the best of them.
And he always asks, "Don't wanna gamble with the devil?"
Well, tonight, sunshine, I say the devil gets burnt.
[Ross] Oh.
["Regality" playing]
[Jerry] I guess it's easy to talk tough when you got a steel chair in your hand.
[Ross] Yeah, and brass knuck.
-[Jerry] I don't see any brass knuckles. -[bell ringing]
[announcer] The following contest, scheduled for one fall,
is for the World Wrestling Entertainment Intercontinental Championship.
Introducing first, the challenger from Blackpool, England,
weighing 240 pounds, William Regal.
[Ross] A former European champion, the former commissioner of the WWE,
the brass knuckles wielding challenger,
who recently had three nose surgeries, thanks to Edge.
-Regal is now 100 percent. -[Jerry] Hey, I wanna ask this.
What is that referee looking for?
Did he lose something?
[Ross] I would assume, King, it might be brass knuckles.
[Jerry] Oh, I know this referee.
Of all the things he's lost, he misses his mind the most.
-["Never Gonna Stop" playing] -[crowd cheering]
[Ross] Intercontinental championship has changed hands five times
here at The Royal Rumble.
[announcer] From Toronto, Canada, weighing 242 pounds,
the World Wrestling Entertainment Intercontinental Champion, Edge.
[crowd cheering]
[Ross] Rob Zombie's Sinister Urge brings Edge to the ring.
The man who unified the Intercontinental United States titles
back in November at the Survivor Series.
[Jerry] I'm telling you, he's sinister, all right. Watch it.
He'll hit you with a chair, anything he can get his hands on.
[Ross] You know, Regal has certainly had done a good job in provoking Edge
with the illegal use of the brass knuckles.
[Jerry] I'll tell you who's done a good job, J.R.
The surgeons. The many surgeons and the plastic surgeons
that have had to labor, and work, and reshape
poor William Regal's nose after it was misfigured and deformed by Edge.
[Ross] He had more surgeries than Michael Jackson.
[Jerry] Huh?
[Ross] Michael Jackson's nose. I think I read somewhere the tip fell off.
[Jerry] Hang on, wait a minute. Now, get out of the man's tights.
[Ross] You little pervert.
-[Jerry] Look out. Watch it. -[Ross] All right. There you go.
Right there you go.
Regal brings the knuckles to the ring and he got busted.
[bell ringing]
[Ross] Well, maybe we'll have a fair fight here,
and the brass knuckles being given…
[Jerry] What's fair about another man putting his hand down your pants?
That's got to throw William Regal way off his game now.
-Look out. -[Ross] Unless you're saying
it's pretty heroic, it could be a little disconcerting.
Nice back body drop by Edge, taking down the challenger
for the intercontinental title here at The Royal Rumble.
-[Jerry] I like… -No, no, no, bring it up! One, two…
[Jerry] What's this now?
-Why is cheating condoned by Edge? -[Ross] Edge is certainly up.
-[Jerry] Why is cheating by Edge condoned? -[screams]
[Ross] Well, that's another good question. A better question. Exactly right.
It should not be condoned,
but certainly, Edge has had a great deal of motivation now,
Edge slamming Regal's face right into that canvas
perhaps intending to bust that nose open again.
[Jerry] You know, this could be a giant conspiracy against Mr. Regal.
[Ross] Oh, what makes you think that?
[Jerry] That referee could have planted
those brass knuckles in Mr. Regal's tights.
[Ross] His name is Nick Patrick, not David Copperfield.
He's not an illusionist. He's a referee.
[Jerry] So, you're all over with magicians, right, RJ?
Siegfried and Roy, David Copperfield?
-[Ross] That's all we got left. -[Jerry] That's it.
[crowd cheering]
[Ross] Oh. Regal. Oh, look at Regal doing that uppercut.
A back slide by the Intercontinental Champion
-and got a near fall-- -[Jerry] There you go.
[Ross] Up very quickly and comes from the left side, the southpaw,
-from Blackpool, England. -[Jerry] And what a punch he has
with that big left hand of his.
I mean, Mike Tyson would be envious of that punch.
-[grunts] -[referee] One, two, three, four.
[Ross] A face lock applied by Regal with Edge in the ropes.
-[Jerry] How tall is Edge? -[Ross] He's about six-three or four.
[Jerry] He used to only be five-nine
until William Regal hit him with an uppercut. Whoa, look out.
[Ross] Enzuigiri by Edge, second down to Regal.
Edge, the Intercontinental Champion
certainly has really been gaining momentum in my view
since the Survivor Series back in November.
[Jerry] Oh, that Edge, he's a man of the world, isn't he?
And you know what sad shape the world is-- And oh, man.
What a suplex, and Edge landed right on his face.
Maybe you'll feel what it's like to have a broken nose.
[Ross] Regal jerked Edge up and down, face first,
and the young man from Toronto,
here at The Royal Rumble, defending his Intercontinental title,
he may be out right here, there's a lateral press,
and Edge reaching down and kicking out. Regal relentless here,
-in his attempt for the cover. -One, two…
[Jerry] You can tell that William Regal is--
Well, he is tired of being besmirched, had enough of it.
-[William grunts] -[Jerry] Ooh!
[Ross] Both knees to the face of the Intercontinental Champion.
-[Jerry] Go for the nose. -[grunts]
[Ross] Regal got that right forearm in the face of Edge,
look at there, positioning.
Lateral press has taken a lot of energy and strength out of the man underneath
that happens to be the Intercontinental Champion.
-[grunts] -Come on, Edge…
[Jerry] It's just adding a little bit of insult to injury
when William Regal covers him,
when he grinds that…
well, his forearm right into your face.
Right into Edge's nose.
The nose is very-- It's very tender.
It hurts to have your nose broken, J.R.
[Ross] I would imagine that it does.
[Jerry] Well, then, you know, I can't blame William Regal
for anything he does to get revenge on the fact
that Edge smashed his nose all over his face. Look out.
-[Ross] Oh, look at this. -[Jerry] What the heck?
-[crowd cheering] -[Ross] What a backdrop that was.
And Regal held on.
[Jerry] Edge tried to fall on William Regal's nose.
[grunts]
[Ross] Double arm powerbomb by Regal.
Regal with a-- That was a strange cover.
Got there as fast as he could there, Regal.
The only position that he could get in at the point in time.
[Jerry] Go ahead, call it a Siegfried and Roy cover.
[Ross chuckles]
-[Jerry] You wanted to. Oh, my God! -[grunts]
[Ross] Left hand by Regal taking down Edge.
Regal, very unorthodox.
The WWE superstar's style is unusual.
[Jerry] I think he still got some swelling in his nose as well.
Look at it. He used to have a great profile.
[Ross] Right now he don't.
[Jerry] Now he's got a prominent proboscis.
-[Ross] Flip silver dollars up there. -[Jerry] Hey.
[Ross] Regal got a handful of Edge's hair,
bringing the Intercontinental Champion back up on the apron.
-[crowd cheering] -[Ross] Oh, wait a minute.
His side. Arms are hooked.
-[Jerry] Uh-oh, look out. Oh, my gosh. -[Ross] DDT.
Regal's face bounced right off the ring apron.
[Jerry] There goes his nose again.
[Ross] That's not gonna do that nose job any favors.
-[crowd cheering] -[Jerry] You're calling it a nose job?
-That was major surgery. -[Ross] Three of them.
-[referee] Three! -[Ross] Regal lying motionless.
Edge gets back in the ring, he may win this one by count-out.
[Jerry] Not only did William Regal's face smash into that edge of the ring,
his ribs did as well.
Seven!
[Ross] And Edge now, body's on the outside.
[Jerry] Wait, he's outside. Hold it. Look at this referee.
Your legs are under. His leg is on the rope.
Your legs are under.
[Ross] Referee may be counting instinctively there,
with the-- Edge's legs certainly were on the bottom rope.
Regal's too close to the bottom rope as well.
You got it, Regal.
[Jerry] William Regal's in a lot of trouble here, J.R.
This is not looking good. Uh-oh, wait a minute.
-[grunts] -[grunts]
[Jerry] And both men cracked heads there.
[Ross] Regal and Edge both down and again the championship advantage
goes to Edge because Edge has got to lose this match
by pinfall or submission to lose the Intercontinental title.
[referee] Three.
-[crowd clamors] -Four!
[Jerry] It means a disqualification or a count-out
and Edge retains his Intercontinental Championship.
[Jerry] Yeah, that was quite an impact. You know, the old saying,
"Some days you're the bug and some days you're the windshield."
They were both bugs on that one. They both got smashed.
-[Ross] Both men now back up. -[both grunt]
Who's gonna blink first here? Regal is rocking.
-[grunts] -[grunts]
[Ross] Knocked down by Edge. Edge constantly-- Another heel kick.
[Jerry] Blink blink there.
-[both groan] -[Jerry] Oh!
[Ross] Back suplex by Edge, hooks the leg.
And a press and Regal barely in with a kick out.
That took a lot out of Regal…
-on that kick out, King. -[Jerry] I realized that.
-[Regal groans] -[Ross] Waist lock.
[Jerry] Oh, man.
[Ross] Another suplex by Regal on Edge.
I don't know if he landed on his head or on his face.
Edge out of desperation, comes back with a clothesline.
[Jerry] How did he do that after getting thrown
on the back of his head? How did he turn a complete flip?
-One! Two! -[Ross] Edge rolls over. Here we go.
And Regal shoots that left shoulder off the canvas.
[Jerry] Man, this is back and forth. Regal flipped Edge like a cheese omelette
and Edge comes right up with a huge clothesline.
Uh-oh. And now, he's talking smack.
[Ross] Edge, looking at that Edgecution. But it's countered.
[Jerry] This is it. What a move.
-[Ross] Into the Regal Stretch. -Come on!
His version of the STF submission hold.
-[Jerry] Tap out, it's over. -[Ross] Regal looking for a tap out.
And looking for the Intercontinental Championship.
-And Edge is looking for the ropes. -[groans]
[Jerry] I don't blame you, but I don't think you're going to get there.
-[referee] What do you say? -[Jerry] Well, wait a minute.
[referee] What do you say, Edge? Come on.
[Ross] Edge is trying to-- He sees the ropes.
He sees his sanctuary.
-[Jerry] Pull! Pull, Regal! -[referee] Come on, Edge, what do you say?
[Ross] And Edge, a six-foot-four inch frame reaching out.
Grabbing the bottom rope which would break the hold.
-[Jerry] Uh-oh. Look out. -[Ross] Oh, nice little--
-There's a counter. -[Jerry] What the heck?
-[crowd cheering] -[Ross] And now, Edge.
[Jerry] What's he trying to do?
[Ross] Edge trying to beat Regal and he's--
Regal's trying to make that rope.
[Jerry] That would be the ultimate besmirchment.
[referee] Come on, back it up.
[Jerry] You can't do that.
That's also finish infringement, I think.
-Look out! -[yelps]
[Ross] Dropkick and a roll up.
A roll up, two-- Down and-- For a two count.
Edge would like to work on that nose of Regal.
And he's scattered, covered, smothered, chunked
before it's all said and done.
[Jerry] What? "Smothered, chunked"?
-Come on, back it up. -[Ross] That's a Waffle House reference.
-[Jerry] I know you didn't say that. -[Ross] Uh-oh. Look at this.
-[crowd member] Break his neck, Regal! -[Ross] Regal…
[Jerry] Oh!
[Ross] Regal, trying to go to the top rope and was shoved right off of it.
And now, Edge, who is on the top…
Another heel kick by Edge, coming off the top rope,
-that found its mark-- -[Jerry] What's Regal doing here?
Uh-oh.
-[Jerry] Well, he had to adjust himself. -[Ross] No, I think it was--
The way he landed, it was very awkward and where he…
[all grunt]
[Ross] And Regal has shoved the referee in front of him and Edge.
[Jerry] Why would Edge spear the ref? He can be disqualified.
[Ross] Regal shoved the referee there, what's Regal got in his hand?
His left hand, there's something in that left hand.
[Jerry] I don't know. But let's talk about the way
Edge tried to purposely get disqualified just in order to save his title.
-Ooh! -[Ross] Oh, there he is.
The left hand, that big punch.
And Regal put something back in his tights.
-[crowd cheering] -[Jerry] Man, Clark Kent?
I guess you got x-ray vision.
[Ross] No, I just got vision.
I mean, Regal have-- I could swear, he had something on that left hand.
Edge, just lying motionless.
[Jerry] Well, if you got such vision, can you see into the future?
You know who's about to win this match?
-[chuckles] -[Ross] Hey, come on.
-[Jerry] What? Count him. -[Ross] Edge is not moving.
This is not-- This isn't the intercontinental title.
-[referee] Three! -[Ross] And it's over.
-[bell ringing] -[crowd cheering]
[Jerry] We have a new Intercontinental Champion.
[announcer] The winner of this bout, and new World Wrestling Entertainment
-Intercontinental Champion, William Regal. -[crowd cheering]
[Ross] Well, would a nose by any other name still smell as sweet?
And Regal's nose smells
the Intercontinental title, now in his possession.
[Jerry] Well, let's take a look at this, J.R.
If you ask me, it was desperation right here.
Edge purposely spearing the referee, trying to get disqualified,
-he knew he had lost this thing. -[Ross] Come on, King.
-[Jerry] He knew. -[Ross] Regal saw the referee there.
[Jerry] And then, watch this. Hard left hand punch out of nowhere.
[Ross] Oh, yeah. There you go.
-[Jerry] What? -[Ross] He had the knucks.
Regal used the damn knucks, it was obvious as hell.
God.
William Regal, how can you possibly justify your actions
in winning the Intercontinental title that way?
Michael…
I've been blessed with a gift. The power of the punch,
and it is a gift, Michael. It's a blessing. Thank you. Thank you.
-[Jerry] Did you hear that, J.R.? -[Ross] Oh, that was very--
Now, that man not only is a cheat, he's a liar.
-[Jerry] What? -[Ross] He used the brass knucks, King.
You saw him put them back in his tights.
All I know is I heard… I heard him look to the heavens
and thank the good lord above for the power of the punch, J.R.
The good lord had nothing to do with that.
The man that invented brass knucks
can take credit for that Intercontinental title victory.
I'm gonna use the power of the punch on you.
-[Ross] No. -[Jerry] I can't maybe not hit
like William Regal, but come on, let's face it.
-Look at the damage he did. -[upbeat music playing]
[Ross] We are in Atlanta, Georgia.
Sold out here, the Philips Arena, just over 16,000 fans
have packed this beautiful, new arena.
The new home of the Atlanta Hawks and the Atlanta Thrashers.
-[crowd cheering] -[funk music playing]
[announcer] Ladies and gentlemen, at this time, may I introduce
the special referee for the following women's championship match.
She, herself a former women's champion, Jacqueline.
[Jerry] I know one thing,
she's a lot better looking than Nick Patrick.
Wow.
[Ross] Yeah, she kind of puts old Timmy White to shame, doesn't she?
[Jerry] Why can't all the referees dress like that, J.R.?
[Ross] Well, that'd be kinda silly, wouldn't it?
You want to see Earl Hebner in a midriff top?
I don't. I'm not that lonely.
[Jerry] Yeah. You're right. I must be dreaming.
[upbeat rock music playing]
[bell ringing]
[announcer] The following contest scheduled for one fall
is for the World Wrestling Entertainment Women's Championship.
Introducing first the challenger, from New Orleans, Louisiana, Jazz.
[Ross] A very tough brass disco challenger, Jazz.
And I certainly will not forget what happened recently,
on SmackDown as a matter of fact, when Lilian Garcia was interviewing Trish.
…competitive as she is
-at The Royal Rumble. -[Trish gasps]
[Ross] And you see the damage done and it wasn't--
-[screams] -[Ross] It didn't stop there, King,
as Jazz would end up really busting up the women's champion.
Oh, Trish's hand in that equipment case.
[Jerry] Yeah. That was bad. I thought…
I thought Jazz… Ooh! …messing up that wet t-shirt contest was bad,
but she did some serious damage to Trish's hand.
[Ross] I understand Ric Flair assigned Jackie to officiate this matchup.
Jackie and Jazz were involved in a Number One Contender's Match
last week on Raw that Jazz won.
-[upbeat rock music playing] -[crowd cheering]
-[Ross] Here we go. -[announcer] From Toronto, Canada,
the World Wrestling Entertainment Women's Champion,
Trish Stratus.
[Jerry] Oh, baby.
Come on, J.R., let me say it one time.
Purple puppies! Oh, puppies look great in purple!
[Ross] Purple puppies indeed.
[Jerry] Oh, wait a minute. Look at Trish's hand.
You think that's gonna be all right?
[Ross] That left hand is damaged and she quite frankly
was encouraged by WWE trainers
-not to compete tonight. -[Jerry] Look out.
-[Ross] She did not hear of that. -[bell ringing]
-And I don't like Trish's chances here. -[Jerry] Look at this Jazz.
She's picked right up where she left off on SmackDown. Come on.
Hey, Jackie, do your job. Look out. Don't try to do it now.
[Ross] Jazz, a very intimidating, physical woman
and seemingly, just a little bit obsessed and making a name for herself--
-[Jerry] No, no, no. -…by winning the WWE women's title.
[Jerry] No.
[Ross] Jazz, with more experience than Trish…
-[Jerry] No! -[Ross] And a big splash,
right on the purple puppies and a near fall.
[Jerry] Hey, that's my line. Right on the purple puppies.
-I mean, this is… -[grunts]
-[Ross] Trish fighting back. -[Jerry] I just don't like this Jazz.
[Ross] Well, Trish-- Oh, nice sunset. There you go.
-What a sunset flip. -[Jerry] Oh, my God.
[Ross] Counter, counter. As Trish counters Jazz.
[Jerry] She sittin' on Trish's face? Wait a minute.
-[Ross] Come back. -[Jerry] What?
-[Ross] A series of-- Oh, man. -[Jerry] Watch out.
[Ross] And Jazz measuring Trish with a stiff form.
[Jerry] There's a line there but I'm not gonna touch it.
-Look out! -[Ross groans]
[Jerry] I just don't like to see Trish's beautiful body being mistreated like that.
-I mean… -[Ross] Gotta hand it to Trish.
-She could've got out of this match. -[groans]
[Ross] Knew the condition of her hand, but she wouldn't hear of it.
And right now, that hand has just gotta be hurting like crazy.
And a leg drop across the chest, the float over,
the hook of the leg, and referee Jackie down
in perfect position to count-- Oh!
[Trish groans]
[Jerry] I mean, I just don't think Trish should subject that beautiful body
to this kind of punishment. I mean, let's face it.
-If you got a Mercedes, you don't key it. -[Trish screams]
-One, two, three, four, come on! -[Jerry] Oh, look at this.
-[Ross] Jazz is… -[Jerry] Come on, ref.
[Ross] …basically disregarding the referee Jackie here,
as Jazz focusing on that injured hand of Trish.
-One, two… -[screams]
[Ross] And Jazz in danger of being disqualified.
And Jackie trying to break it up here.
[Jerry] That Jazz doesn't take directions very well, does she?
Now, she's gonna try to get in the face of Jackie.
-Don't punch her in the chest. Look out. -[crowd cheering]
[Ross] I don't think that Jackie is…
-[Jerry] Hey! Whoa! -[Ross] …being intimidated.
-[Jerry] Oh. Look at this! -[crowd cheering]
[Ross] Oh!
Jackie, hesitating a little bit. Jackie, wait a minute,
trying to get the count and got a near fall.
I think Jackie may have thought that she's responsible
for the predicament that Trish was in.
[Jerry] I think Jazz thought that was a little bit of a slow count.
And I think you're right. Jackie hesitated.
Trish tries to fight back. Here comes Trish.
-[Jerry] Puppy power, puppy power. -[Trish groans]
[Ross] Her facelock countered out by Jazz
as Trish looked like she was gonna attempt a DDT perhaps.
[Jerry] Uh-oh, her hand's hurt, J.R. Her hand is hurt.
[Ross] That hand has gotta be throbbing.
[Jerry] There's another line that I'm not gonna touch.
-Look out. -[crowd cheering]
[Jerry] Springboard bulldog.
Stratusfaction, leg is hooked and Jazz countered.
-It'll be over here. -[Ross] No. No, Trish.
That was two.
[Ross] Trish barely able to get her shoulders up.
[Jerry] Oh, if she'd have hit that. Uh-oh. Oh, no, a big bulldog.
-[Ross] A hard DDT. -[Jerry] It's not a bulldog, it's a DDT.
-[Ross] A hard DDT. -[grunts]
[Ross] The lateral press, and the champion…
-[Jerry] That's it. -…able to barely kick out.
[Jerry] Look at Jazz and that smirk on her face.
[Ross] Jazz looking very confident about now.
[Jerry] Oh!
[Ross] Ain't nothing to finesse about that.
Trish barely able to stay upright.
[Jerry] And Jazz even giving herself a round of applause.
Oh.
-[Ross] What a hard whip and… -[Jerry] Oh.
[Ross] And this time, Trish was running for Jazz.
-[Jerry] Look out. -[Ross] And there's a bulldog,
-taking Jazz face down. -[crowd cheering]
-[Jerry] Stratusfaction. Stratusfaction. -[bell ringing]
-[Ross] Guaranteed. -[Jerry] Yes!
[announcer] The winner of this bout and still
World Wrestling Entertainment Women's Champion, Trish Stratus.
-[Jerry] Trish won, despite all odds! -[upbeat rock music playing]
[Ross] Trish Stratus came to play here at The Royal Rumble.
Injured hand or not, the champion won.
[Jerry] She needs to be nursed back to health,
and I'm just the man that can nurse her. Oh!
[Ross] Trish would not be denied here tonight.
And I'll tell you what.
[Jerry] Oh, that's where I thought Jazz had this thing won.
I mean that did some serious damage to Trish's hand.
She was in some major pain, but then look,
big boot to the face of Jazz and the Stratusfaction.
[Ross] The shot to the jaw. The Stratusfaction to the jaw.
And earlier tonight, ladies and gentlemen,
let's take you back to what occurred earlier tonight.
-Excuse me, Mr. Flair. -Oh, my daughter, Megan, and my son, Reid.
They're here to see me take McMahon to school tonight, man.
-Whoo! -But Mr. Flair… Mr. Flair.
[upbeat rock music playing]
[Ross] Ric Flair with two of his children here tonight.
And we are moments away from what will be a slobberknocker, a Street Fight.
No disqualification, no count-outs. There must be a winner.
And this whole thing got started on November the 19th
when Ric Flair became Mr. McMahon's business partner.
[Vince] November 19th will forever be embedded in my mind
as one of the worst days of my life.
-[Jerry] What? -[Ross] There's the Nature Boy.
[Jerry] What's he doing here?
[Ric] Do you know that when Shane and Stephanie
sold their stock to that consortium… Whoo!
…the consortium was me and now, you and I are partners.
Ric Flair is an underhanded businessman.
[Ric] I'm 50 percent owner here, we're partners. We'll work together.
I went through all the contracts
and I happened to pull one that reads,
"Vince McMahon, owner slash wrestler."
That means that you're gonna wrestle at The Royal Rumble.
Then who's got the [bleep] to step into the ring with me?
The Nature Boy, Ric Flair!
[Vince] I've got no problems accepting his challenge.
He had no call to bust me in the mouth.
[Jerry] Flair has made the biggest mistake of his life.
[Vince] You know, I'm the kind of guy,
just when you think you know them a little bit,
you find out…
you don't know a damn thing about him or his family.
And I want the whole world to see what I do to Ric Flair.
[Ric] Who the hell do you think you are, McMahon?
Take off my damn robe right now.
[Ross] God almighty. For the love of God.
McMahon just hit Flair in the head with a pipe.
I enjoy destroying lives.
[Ross] Ric Flair, one of the greatest of the game, in the game's history.
It turns me on.
Especially an icon like Ric Flair.
[Ross] Ric Flair has bled and sweat and worked as hard
for this business as Vince McMahon or anybody living or dead.
[Ric] I actually have been brought to my knees
and left in the middle of the ring by the great Vince McMahon.
But the Nature Boy… Whoo! …is about to make history again.
McMahon, now I'm gonna take my power by making our match
at The Royal Rumble on Street Fight. No rules, no count-out,
no disqualification, nothing stops that match.
[Vince] Street Fight, huh?
What I'm gonna to do Ric Flair at The Royal Rumble?
Embarrass Ric Flair, annihilate Ric Flair at The Royal Rumble.
Beat Ric Flair beyond recognition at The Royal Rumble.
And I guarantee you folks, it's not gonna be pretty.
[Ric] Now, you've got to walk that aisle. Whoo!
You got the style and profile. We're gonna bleed, we're gonna sweat
or we're gonna pay the price until one of us walks out a winner.
To be the man, you have to beat the man.
[Vince] I'm already the man and I'm gonna prove it.
I enjoy destroying lives.
It turns me on, especially an icon like Ric Flair.
-[Ric] Whoo! -[crowd cheering]
["Also Sprach Zarathustra" playing]
[Jerry chuckles]
[bell ringing]
[announcer] The following contest is the Street Fight.
No rules, anything goes.
Approaching the ring, from Charlotte, North Carolina,
the current owner of the World Wrestling Entertainment,
-Ric Flair! -[crowd cheering]
-[Jerry chuckles] Wow. -[Ross] What a moment.
[Jerry] There's his son and his daughter…
taking pictures of their dad.
This has got to be an emotional moment for Ric Flair without a doubt,
especially here in Atlanta, Georgia, J.R.
[Ross] It wasn't that long ago that Ric Flair probably thought
he would never get the opportunity for this kind of ovation
-one more time in his illustrious career. -Whoo!
[Ross] And I, for one, am very proud
that he's getting that opportunity here tonight,
but I hope that he fully realizes what he's in for.
[Jerry] You got that right. Some of the things he's done.
I think he's playing right into the hands of Vince McMahon.
[Ross] A former 16-time world champion has been contested,
he has been lacerated, he has been humiliated,
all by Mr. McMahon.
[Jerry] And then what'd he do? He made this match a Street Fight. Uh-oh.
["No Chance In Hell" playing]
-[announcer] From Greenwich, Connecticut… -[Jerry] Wow!
…the current owner of the World Wrestling Entertainment,
-Mr. McMahon. -[Jerry] Holy mackerel, J.R. He is jacked!
[Ross] Mr. McMahon is ripped. No doubt he has trained like a Trojan.
-[Jerry] "Chicken," what's that mean? -[Ross] A Trojan.
[Jerry] What a stud!
[Ross] Both of these men, McMahon and Flair,
are both former WWE champions.
Both have won The Royal Rumble.
Two of the biggest icons in the history of sports entertainment.
[Jerry] I would have never thought this-- Look at this.
Vince McMahon has got muscles in places Ric Flair don't even have places.
Look at his arms.
[Ross] Flair won the '92 Rumble along with the WWE title.
-McMahon won the Rumble in '99. -[Jerry] Uh-oh. Wait a minute.
[crowd cheering]
[Jerry] A lot of pride in that ring right now, and it's all on the line, J.R.
One man says to beat the man.
Well, to be the man, you got to beat the man
and Vince McMahon says he is the man.
We'll find out who's the man, aren't we, J.R.?
-[bell ringing] -[Ross] We certainly are.
These men are co-owners of the World Wrestling Entertainment.
Flair with a huge advantage as far as CAT scan skills,
but this is not that sort of match. Boy, this is a Street Fight.
[Jerry] You've been around a long time.
Did you ever think in your life you'd see this match?
-[Ross] Absolutely not, King. -[Jerry] Did you see that look?
-[Ross] We all did. -[Jerry] Whoo! He's gonna pop.
[chuckles] Look at the chest.
[Ross] Body building pose by Mr. McMahon, who quite frankly,
as you can see, has trained like a…
[Jerry] How many hours a day does he spend in the gym?
[Ross] I don't have any idea, obviously a great deal.
[Ross] Side headlock applied by Mr. McMahon.
-[Ric groans] -[Ross] Two legends of our business,
meeting for the first time in history in a match that many people
less than a year ago would say that would never ever be able to occur.
[Jerry] Hey, watch it now.
Oh, look at the power.
[Ross] Hard shoulder block by Mr. McMahon.
[Jerry] Look at the pose.
-[crowd cheering] -[Jerry chuckles] Good grief.
-Oh, man. -[Ross] And the strut.
[Ross] He's doing it all better than Flair.
The pose, the strut, another attempt to humiliate Ric Flair
here in Atlanta, with Ric's children, two of his children, here at ringside.
[Jerry] That's right. That's what Mr. McMahon said.
He loves to destroy lives. It turns him on.
[Ross] How perverse is that?
-[Jerry] What do you mean? -[Ross] Turns him on.
[Jerry] If you look like Mr. McMahon, if you had a body like that,
you'd get turned on just looking in the mirror, wouldn't you?
-[Ross] I don't think so. -[Jerry] Huh?
-Do you look that good, J.R.? -[Ross] Uh-oh. Oh!
-[Jerry] Hey! -[Ross] Backing McMahon in that corner.
[Jerry] And the dirty player in the game there,
-using fists. -[Ross] No disqualifications here.
There will be no count-outs in this Street Fight.
[crowd cheering]
[Jerry] Flair, don't get too cocky. Yeah, and there you go.
[Ross] McMahon catching Flair coming in with that kick to the midsection.
[Jerry] Now, look at this.
-[groans] -[Ross] Taking Flair into the corner.
-[Ric groans] -[Jerry] There you go.
-[Ross] Another shoulder block. -[Jerry] A huge shoulder. Man!
[Ross] And a knockdown by the reverse elbow by Mr. McMahon
in this first-ever meeting of two of the business' biggest icons.
[Jerry] Well, you got that right, J.R. Oh, hey, look at that. [chuckles]
-[Ross] Ric Flair chopped. -[crowd cheering]
-[Vince] Whoo! -[Jerry] Now…
-[Ross] And a whoo. -[Jerry] Who exactly is the man?
-[Ross] Uh-oh, wait a minute. -[Jerry] Oh, oh!
-[crowd cheering] -[Jerry] Oh!
[Ross] Oh, Mr. McMahon being lit up by the Nature Boy
and there's that Nature Boy strut.
McMahon does-- Right to the eyes.
He doesn't want any more of those hard chops to that massive chest
[Jerry] And you saw that? That's right out of Ric Flair's book.
I've seen him do that a couple of times before, haven't you, J.R.?
-[Ross] Absolutely. -[Jerry] Look at this.
-[groans] -[Ross] Flair knocked down by Mr. McMahon.
This is not a wrestling match. This is a Street Fight.
[Jerry] Man, look at those veins in his arms.
I mean, they're protruding. They're bulging.
-Man, oh, man. -[Ric groans]
[Ross] You're a little bit too excited about his body.
-I'll give him a-- -[Jerry] Well, I'm just-- I'm telling you,
I'm absolutely amazed. Oh, look at Flair.
I've seen him do that a time or two too.
-[pants] -[Jerry] Oh, losing the Band-Aid.
-[crowd cheering] -[Ric groans]
-[Ross] McMahon again going downstairs. -[groans]
[Jerry] I think Flair has got to be a little bit,
I think in shock, might be the term right now.
He would've never thought he'd get-- Look out!
-[crowd cheering] -[Jerry] Oh, my goodness.
-[Ross] Flair upside down. -[Jerry] Say it, J.R.
[Ross] From the velocity of Mr. McMahon's strength.
[Jerry] Vince is the man.
He is the man right now. Look out.
-[grunts] -[groans]
[Jerry] Flair knocked off the apron by Mr. McMahon.
[crowd cheering]
[Jerry] Walking the walk, he's talking the talk.
I guess Flair has finally met his match right here in Atlanta.
[Ross] Flair has had many challenges in front and behind the camera
here in Atlanta, but none perhaps is as deadly as this one here tonight.
-[Jerry groans] -[crowd cheering]
[Ross] Shot to the head.
Remember, this is a Street Fight, with no disqualification.
And look at Flair's head print in that sign.
-[Jerry] All right, man, he's just going… -[crowd cheering]
[Jerry] Ric throwing out there like yesterday's trash.
-Let's get it on with The Royal Rumble. -[referee yelling]
[Ross] McMahon thinks once he beats Flair,
once McMahon humiliates Flair here at The Royal Rumble,
that Flair will never wanna show his face in public again and Mr. McMahon…
-[crowd cheering] -[Jerry] Oh God!
That's not exactly the only reason he's doing it.
You know why he's doing it, J.R.?
-[Ross] I'm sure you're gonna tell me. -[Jerry] Yeah! Because he gets off on it.
[chuckles] Vince is getting off on this right now.
[Ross] Well, that's not a vision I need to conjure up.
-[Jerry] Uh-oh. -[Ross] So? So what?
-[Jerry] I love it. -[crowd cheering]
[Jerry] Don't you love a guy that gets off on humiliating others?
[crowd clamors]
[Ross] This conversation is going down the wrong road.
[Jerry] Watch it. [groans, laughs] Hey!
[Ross] Trash can right to the head of Flair.
-[Jerry] He's bleeding. -[Ross] Flair has been lacerated.
-[Jerry] Oh, my goodness. -[Ross] Flair has been busted wide open
by Mr. McMahon in those trash can shots, the sign shots.
[Jerry] I think that may be the same cut
that Vince opened up with that pipe a couple of weeks ago,
-re-opened. -[groans]
-[crowd cheering] -[Ross] Great right hand.
-[groans] -[Ross] And a knee to the abdomen.
Right now, Mr. McMahon is owning the Nature Boy.
-[crowd cheering] -[Jerry] Yeah! [groans]
[Ross] Ric Flair, his face bouncing off that ring post.
[Jerry] Let me ask you a question. Do you think maybe the icon Ric Flair
might have just underestimated Mr. McMahon a little bit?
[Ross] Well, that's a good question, I can't answer…
-[groans] -…and McMahon now, measuring Flair.
-[Jerry] Well, watch it. Oh, boy. -[Ross] He's bleeding profusely here.
-[groans] -[Jerry] Now, give me a camera,
-this is a Kodak moment. -What do you say?
-[Jerry] I never would have thought this. -What do you say, Flair, huh?
[Jerry] He's trying to measure the width of Vince's shoulders.
-A slam. -[grunts]
[Ross] Flair being slammed right here on the ringside.
-There are his children. -[Jerry] Hey!
[Ross] Vince just took the camera.
[Jerry] That's what I just said. It's a great idea.
You want a record of this. Take a picture.
We're gonna take a picture.
[Jerry] Oh, wait, Vince is gonna take a picture of himself.
-Get up. Get up. -[Ric groans]
-[Jerry] That's a very-- -I feel sorry for your kids.
-How about this? -[groans]
-How about this, huh? -[Jerry] What a great picture right there.
-[chuckles] -[crowd cheering]
[Ross] Right in front of the man's children.
[Jerry] Can I get an eight by ten of that?
Now, the fun's really gonna begin, Ric.
[Ross] It's totally disrespectful.
[Jerry] There's no damage done to the camera.
[Ross] Ric Flair is falling. We've talked about that crimson mask.
[Jerry] Megan, get that film to Fotomat, quick.
I'd like to see those before The Rumble's over tonight.
You know how long Vince had been thinking about this, J.R.?
Just salivating about this? Now, what?
-You don't think… -[crowd cheering]
-[Jerry] Oh! -[Ric screams]
[Ross] McMahon, now breaking those legs of Ric Flair.
I tell you what, King, that's pretty smart strategy
because if he incapacitates Flair's legs, Flair's gonna have a hell of a time
utilizing his wanted figure-four leglock.
-[Jerry] Right. -[Ross] Ric Flair is known for it.
[Jerry] Hey, hey, hey, watch this.
I'd love to see Mr. McMahon snap that figure-four on Flair.
Wouldn't that be fantastic?
[Ross] McMahon driving that knee right into the ankle of Ric Flair.
-[Jerry] Oh, man. -[Ross] Between the knee and the cap
-right across his shin as well. -[groans]
[Jerry] He's like, doing a combination, the knee drop on the ankle
and right hand right across Flair's head.
-[groans] -[Ross] Bad as I hate to admit it,
there is a method to Mr. McMahon's madness.
And incapacitating Flair's legs,
it'll render Flair's figure-four meaningless.
[groans]
[Ross] And now what?
[Jerry] What a great strategy, what a match.
-Now what? -Come on, Vince. Keep it inside.
-[crowd cheering] -[groans]
[Ross] McMahon working on Flair, standing on the outside,
reaching that knee.
[Jerry] J.R., you would have never dreamed that this match
-would unfold like this, but… -[groans]
[Ross] I would not. You're absolutely right.
[Jerry] That's what training does for you.
I bet half of the time Mr. McMahon spends running this company,
-he's actually done from the gym. -[crowd cheering]
-[groans] -[Ross] Wait a minute. Wait a minute here.
-[Jerry] What now? What? -[Ross] Wait a second.
-[Jerry] It's a Street Fight, J.R. -[Ross] I know it is.
[Jerry] Hey, that means anything goes from the nose to the toes.
-[groans] Look at that. -[Ross] What a right hand!
[Jerry] I am so impressed.
-Look at this. -[screams]
[Ross] I never thought I'd say that
Mr. McMahon is beating the hell out of Ric Flair.
[Jerry] He's relentless. You know what? He's turned on right now. [chuckles]
-[crowd cheering] -[Jerry] He said this turns him on.
[Ross] Flair gets beaten like a government mule here
by his 50 percent business partner, Mr. McMahon.
[Jerry] I don't think even a government mule
could take this much punishment.
Now, what?
[Ross] McMahon has worked on Flair's legs unmercifully.
[Jerry] Why don't you just tap-- Look at this.
-[Ross] Oh, wait a minute. -[Jerry] He is gonna do it.
-[Ross] Oh, how humiliating. -[Jerry] Oh, the final insult. [chuckles]
[Ross] How humiliating. This would ruin Flair's,
his whole professional life, the man with a submission loss against McMahon.
[Jerry] Mr. McMahon really went to school for this. Come on, Flair.
[Ross] This is not the wrestling icon like Ric Flair looked to go in.
-And he almost did there for the pin. -[groans]
[Jerry] Sometimes, you don't always get what you want.
I'm afraid this is the way
Ric Flair is gonna go out, just go and tap out.
That figure-four is locked in. Look at these people here in Atlanta.
[crowd cheering]
[Ross] Over 16,000 getting behind the Nature Boy here.
[Jerry] Wait a minute. Don't let him turn you over.
Keep the pressure on.
-[groans] -[Ross] Another near-fall.
-[crowd cheering] -[Jerry] More pressure, more pressure.
[Ross] Flair is trying to turn McMahon,
-to… counter the figure-four. -[Jerry] Hey, hey!
-Wait a minute, Vince. Turn him back! -[Ross] That's an Indian deathlock here.
-Vince, that's gonna hurt. -[screams]
[Ross] And now, McMahon is feeling it.
And McMahon, like the scalded dog he can be,
-scurried to the outside. -[Jerry] Well, you talked about--
You talked about magicians. That was a great escape right there.
Vince McMahon, the escape artist.
-[crowd cheering] -[Jerry] Come on, wrap it up.
[Ross] And noticeably limping.
[Jerry] What do you think he should be doing?
[Ross] Not criticizing him, I'm just reporting on it,
but he's hurt in that knee, that leg, and now…
[Jerry] You're doing a great job, Mr. McMahon. Keep it up.
-Hey, look at that lead pipe. -[Ross] Oh, wait a damn minute.
-[Jerry] This is match is about-- -[Ross] Wait a damn minute.
That's a lead pipe that he broke-- He busted Flair open with.
[overlapping chatter]
[Jerry] You've got to give Vince credit. He's really prepared for this match.
This match is about to become a lead pipe cinch.
-[Ross] I know it's legal, but it's… -[Jerry] Well.
[Ross] …not very damn ethical.
-[Jerry] If it's legal, what's your point? -Oh, yeah. Oh, yeah.
-[Ross] I guess I've gotten… -[Jerry] Oh!
-[crowd cheering] -[Ross] A low blow.
Just as McMahon started to hit Flair right between the eyes
with that lead pipe, Mr. McMahon got a low blow.
[Jerry] Yeah. Well, how ethical was that, J.R.?
[Ross] And I suspect that I get turned off and he's not wearing a cup.
[Jerry] That was just about as ethical as the way Ric Flair
stole half of this company from Mr. McMahon. Look out.
-[crowd cheering] -[groans]
[Ross] He's lighting McMahon up
-and McMahon can't stand that. -[Jerry] No. Oh!
[Ross] Big right hand from the bloody and blood-battered "Nature Boy" Ric Flair.
[Jerry] Oh, watch it. Those chops could stop your heart.
[Ross] I don't think McMahon has any heart.
If he does, it's blacker than sin.
[Jerry] You might pay for that remark, J.R. Watch it. [groans]
[Ross] McMahon, hung up over that security railing.
[Jerry] I mean literally pay. He could dock your pay, you know?
What is this Flair doing now?
-Wait, those are expensive monitors. -[Ross] Oh, wait a minute.
[Jerry] You're gonna have to pay for that yourself, Flair.
-You got to… -[Ross] God!
-[Jerry] He hit Mr. McMahon in the head! -[Ross] God almighty.
-I can't believe that. -[Jerry] What are you thinking?
[Ross] He hit McMahon right in the face with that television monitor.
[Jerry] You can't do that.
He snapped, J.R. Call security. Look he's trying to look at himself.
Egomaniac. Watch this again.
-That metal monitor. -[crowd chattering]
[Ross] We'll see how he measures it right.
-[Jerry] Oh, yeah. -[Ross] Right there in Mr. McMahon's face.
[Jerry] He knocked poor Vince clear over and up under the table.
[Ross] And now, McMahon has been busted open.
[Jerry] What do you expect with that monitor?
-[growls] -[Jerry] Oh, watch it.
[Ross] Good God almighty, this has become barbaric.
-Flair has gone crazy. -[crowd cheers]
[Jerry] Oh, look out, Vince.
-[Ross] Both men are-- -[Jerry] Oh, no.
[Ross] The claret is flowing on both men in this Street Fight
here at The Royal Rumble.
Two of the biggest icons in the history of sports entertainment
have literally beaten up, headlocking each other.
[Jerry] I can't believe that we're seeing billionaire blood there.
-Vince… -[Ross] Now, now…
[Jerry] Maybe you should think twice, Vince.
[Ross] The dirtiest player in the game, "Nature Boy" Ric Flair.
[Jerry] Have medical attention stand by.
-[Ross] Throwing his skull-- -[Jerry] Oh, he's biting Vince.
-[Ross] Good God almighty. -[Jerry] Flair is like an animal.
-[Ross] He's snapped. -[Jerry] He's a rabid dog.
[Ross] Ric Flair has snapped and my God, what a chop.
[Jerry] And look at these sick kids of Ric Flair's taking pictures of this.
[Ross] Oh, it was all right when McMahon tried to humiliate their own daddy
-right in front of them, that was okay. -[Jerry] Those pictures of…
Poor McMahon. Look again. Just look at this. This is awful.
[Ross] Oh, look at Mr. McMahon. He's begging off.
He doesn't want any more of Ric Flair.
McMahon kicked down.
Now, Vince McMahon is a bloody mess but so is Ric Flair.
-[growls] -[groans]
[Jerry] See, Mr. McMahon was never ready for a dirty player like this.
He never agreed that somebody would stoop to these lows.
-[groans] -[Jerry] Oh, no, a new low.
[Ross] Another low blow and down goes McMahon.
[crowd cheering]
[Ross] He may have the biggest grapefruits in sports entertainment,
but they've both been rattled.
[Jerry] Those grapefruits just turned into tangerines. Now, what?
-[Ross] Oh, my God. -[Jerry] You dirty cheater.
[Ross] McMahon brought that pipe in the ring.
-[Jerry] You can't do this. -[Ross] And Flair is gonna use it,
-it looks like… Oh, God! -[Jerry] Vince!
He broke his skull.
-[Ross] Sweet mother of pearl. -Whoo!
[Jerry] I heard it.
-[crowd cheering] -[Jerry] Crushed his skull!
[growls]
[Ross] He got cracked in the head and now, you know what's coming next.
-[Jerry] Yeah! -[Ross] You can feel it. You can sense it.
-[Jerry] Is Vince even conscious? -[Ross] And you can see it.
Ric Flair is-- Figure-four!
-McMahon in the middle of the ring! -[Jerry] That brought him back!
The pain brought Vince back. Look at his face.
[Ross] The pain etched on the face of Mr. McMahon.
-[Jerry] Withstand it. -[Ross] Flair is gonna break that leg.
-[bell ringing] -[Ross] McMahon taps. McMahon taps.
-[Jerry] What? -[Ross] McMahon taps.
-[crowd cheering] -[announcer] New champion, Ric Flair.
[Ross] Ric Flair came back to pay-per-view.
He came back as the warrior he is. Ric Flair came back to Atlanta
and he has defeated Mr. McMahon in a bloody Street Fight.
[Jerry] Oh, they're proud of their papa tonight, aren't they?
I cannot believe this.
[Ross] And I'm simply proud of him.
[Jerry] Somehow, Flair reached out when I thought he was finished for sure.
[Ross] Boy, what a hellacious board meeting.
Where else but the WWE would you have a board meeting
on a pay-per-view between the two owners of the company
and then end up like this?
[Jerry] How can these men be partners, co-business owners?
I've never seen anything like this.
[Ross] Flair looking down at Mr. McMahon, but you've got to wonder,
will there be any retaliation?
Will there be a price to pay down the road for Ric Flair?
Nick Patrick, have you had the opportunity to review the tape yet
of a William Regal's controversial victory over Edge
for the Intercontinental title earlier tonight?
-Well… -Hi, Nick.
-Hello, Ms. McMahon. How are you? -Good, thank you.
I'm sure you don't mind if I take over here a little bit?
-Oh, not at all. Thank you. -You're excused.
-Hi, Michael. -Hi, Steph.
I just wanted to say that the beating Ric Flair just gave my father
is nothing compared to what Triple H, my husband,
is going to give 29 other men in The Royal Rumble.
Triple H is going to destroy Kurt Angle.
Triple H is going to destroy The Undertaker.
And Triple H is going to destroy "Stone Cold" Steve Austin.
[crowd cheering]
I just wish that Stone Cold's little wife, Debra,
was going to be at ringside because I would like to destroy her.
[crowd cheering]
-Debra thinks she's all mean and tough. -[Jerry] Uh-oh. Steph…
Well, Triple H has taught me a thing or two.
-[Jerry] Steph! Stephanie! -Because you see,
Triple H and I, we're a team. I mean, he's here.
-He's in The Roy… -What?
[crowd cheering]
What?
-What? What? -Um… um…
You're gonna flap your gums about what Triple H is gonna do to me?
-Yeah, I-- -Over the top rope?
-I-- -Twenty-nine people?
-[crowd] What? -You're gonna kick Debra's ass?
-[crowd] What? -What? Go ahead, talk.
-What? What? -[splutters]
-What, what, what, what, what, what, what? -[screams]
[crowd cheering]
You got something to say to me? You wanna talk about The Royal Rumble?
-Yeah. I'd love to ask you about the-- -What?
-I'd love to ask you about-- -What?
You wanna ask Stone Cold who's going to win The Royal Rumble?
-Yeah. Who's gonna-- -Stone Cold.
-[crowd] What? -I said Stone Cold.
-[crowd] What? What? -Stone Cold.
What part of Stone Cold do you not understand?
-[crowd] What? -Twenty-nine pieces of trash.
-[crowd] What? -Over the top rope.
-[crowd] What? -That includes Triple H.
-[crowd] What? -Kurt Angle.
-What? -[Stone Cold] The Undertaker.
-[crowd] What? -The bottom line…
-[crowd] What? What? -The bottom line…
The bottom line is "Stone Cold" Steve Austin
is gonna win The Royal Rumble
and go to WrestleMania and that's the bottom line.
-What? Because Stone Cold said so. -[crowd cheering]
The bottom line is one word?
-What? -[crowd cheering]
[upbeat rock music playing]
-[Ross] "Stone Cold" Steve Austin. -[Jerry] Look at this.
The only three-time winner in Royal Rumble history
seems to be in rare form here, King.
Well, ladies and gentlemen, time has come
for the undisputed WWE Championship.
Chris Jericho set to defend against the people's champion.
And ladies and gentlemen, let's take you back to Vengeance,
where we were shocked by a huge upset.
[dramatic music playing]
[Ross] Jericho got a leglock. My God, don't tell me…
-My God, this can't be happening. -[bell ringing]
-[Ross] Jericho is… -[Jerry] Look at this celebration.
Chris Jericho has become the undisputed champion.
[Jericho] I am Chris Jericho,
and I am the undisputed champion of the World Wrestling Entertainment.
And quite honestly, I am better than all the rest.
The living legend, larger than life, undisputed WWE Champion, Chris Jericho.
That means the entire world revolves around me.
[commentator] The winner of this matchup, King,
will face the undisputed WWE Champion at The Royal Rumble.
-[Jerry] Hey, look at this. Wow. Wow. -[crowd cheering]
[commentator] Rock, oh! A cover. Rock is number one contender.
The Rock's going to the Rumble to beat the undisputed champion.
[Rock] Chris Jericho, you call yourself larger than life?
Well, the fact of the matter is, Chris Jericho, is you don't know large.
The Rock has something that's enormous.
What The Rock was referring to is this size 14 boot.
The Rock is gonna take a size 14 boot,
turn it sideways and shove it straight up your candy ass.
-If you smell-- -No!
This is not a joke. I am not a joke. I am serious.
And you will not look past me, you stupid son of a [bleep].
The Rock does not think that this is a joke.
The Rock is taking you very serious, Chris Jericho,
dead serious, Chris Jericho, the countdown is on.
Tick-tock, tick-tock.
If you smell
-what The Rock is cooking. -[crowd cheering]
["If You Smell…" playing]
[Ross] Oh, my God, can you hear it? Can you feel it, folks?
[bell ringing]
[announcer] The following contest, scheduled for one fall,
is for the undisputed World Wrestling Entertainment Championship.
About to enter the ring, the challenger, from Miami, Florida,
weighing 275 pounds, The Rock.
[Ross] Oh, King, let me tell you
that the World Wrestling Entertainment Championship
in the 15-year history of The Royal Rumble
has changed hands four times at Rumble events.
And the last man to do it was three years ago
and there you see him, The Rock.
[Jerry] Oh, J.R., just when you thought it couldn't get any bigger
than Vince McMahon against Ric Flair. Then you got this.
The WWE title, The Rock against Y2J. Man, oh, man.
It don't get any bigger than that.
[Ross] The Rock going for his seventh WWE Championship here tonight.
-["Break The Walls Down" playing] -[crowd cheering]
[announcer] From Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, weighing 227 pounds,
the undisputed World Wrestling Entertainment Champion,
-Chris Jericho. -[crowd cheering]
[Ross] Chris Jericho defeated The Rock and "Stone Cold" Steve Austin
in the same night. Chris Jericho became the man.
Chris Jericho truly won the big one.
And now, Jericho putting it all on the line
against The Rock and, King,
you and I have worked a lot of WWE title matches.
I don't ever recall a champion coming into a match,
where seemingly the champion was the underdog.
[Jerry] Well, Y2J has been given very little respect,
by not only The Rock, but by the rest of the WWE superstars, as of late.
I mean, everybody was coming up to The Rock and saying
that when they win The Royal Rumble, they're gonna be facing The Rock
at WrestleMania. They're just assuming
that The Rock is gonna walk over Y2J, just like a walk in the park.
-Well, I don't think it's gonna happen. -[Ross] Jericho's third Royal Rumble.
He has yet to lose at this event.
[Jerry] Just think what's going through Jericho's mind right now.
I mean, there's no way that you or I or anyone else
in wrestling can feel what he's feeling because you know what,
nobody has ever felt what he's feeling.
He is the only, the first ever undisputed champion.
[crowd cheering]
[Ross] Jericho has won gold at the last two Royal Rumbles.
This is his third Royal Rumble,
but he has never been in a bigger match,
I'd suggest in his career, that we are about to witness.
[Jerry] Oh, you got that right.
It is a very important part of the match right here.
Now, if Y2J can intimidate The Rock
or even show The Rock that he's not intimidated,
-this could be very, very big. -[crowd cheering]
[Ross] I can tell you, ladies and gentlemen,
The Rock is not taking this for granted
and Jericho talking some trash to The Rock.
He got a PhD in trash talking from the University of Miami.
-[Jerry] Uh-oh. I think… -[bell ringing]
[Jerry] I think Jericho just may have said something about The Rock's mother.
[Ross] Man, oh, man.
[Jerry] And now he's telling The Rock, "Just bring it." Whoa.
-[Ross] And The Rock obliges. -[crowd cheering]
[Ross] The Rock starting off the brawl here,
knocking down the undisputed WWE Champion,
follows it with the Samoan drop. Could it be over?
The leg is hooked here and Jericho…
[Jerry] Yeah. The Rock is definitely bringing it.
I think Jericho might have left out that remark about The Rock's mom.
[Ross] And Jericho making a U-turn there.
A little malfunction at the junction.
[Jerry] Very smart there-- Oh, look out. Rock is coming.
Let him have no rest.
[Ross] And Jericho, squirming around the ring.
-[Jerry] Oh! What a collision. -[Ross] The Rock.
What a tackle, what a takedown. And The Rock follows it up with some more.
-Those people's fists. -[Jerry] Oh!
[Ross] The Rock looking to regain the most coveted prize
in all of sports entertainment, the undisputed WWE Championship.
And Chris Jericho looking to beat The Rock for an unprecedented fifth time,
according to Jericho's own records.
[Jerry] But more important than beating The Rock tonight,
to Chris Jericho, is staying the undisputed champion.
-That's the most important thing. -[Ross] Oh, look at this.
Jericho has become a very egotistical, self-centered human being.
-[Jerry] Quite the potty-mouth too. Oh! -[crowd cheering]
[Ross] Jericho, left shoulder cracking the ring post,
that's not gonna do the champion any favors.
And Jericho quickly reverses,
Jericho realizes he's in trouble as he's taken down face first
by the challenger for the undisputed title.
[Jerry] Talk about what-- Oh, look at this.
[Ross] Rock's down.
[Jerry] Talking about what Jericho has become
since becoming the undisputed champion.
Let's take a look here and see how Jericho hit his shoulder.
-Oh, man, hear that impact. -[crowd cheering]
[Jerry] Did you see all the changes
that have come about since he's been the champion? Oh!
Can't really say anything about it because he can do what he wants to.
He is the undisputed champion.
Jericho measuring The Rock,
that kick right to the ribs of the people's champion.
[Jerry] Remember when rock stars could just do anything?
They got so big, they can just do anything they wanted to,
trash their hotel rooms, I mean, you know, have all the groupies they wanted.
Well, that's the way Jericho is now. He's got big, bigger than any rock star.
He's the undisputed champion. Oh!
-[Ross] Jericho is the man… -Come on, Rock!
…in the World Wrestling Entertainment. Make no mistake about it.
[Jerry] He can do whatever he wants and get away with it.
[Ross] But that could come to an end here tonight
if Rock can stop his streak against Jericho and win number seven.
[crowd cheering]
-[Jericho grunts] -[Jerry groans]
[Ross] Rock hitting Jericho with a punch that time.
Jericho retaliates with a spinning heel kick.
The cover, the lateral press
-got him a two count. -Come on, ref!
-I'm the champ. -No, you're not.
[Ross] Jericho over that championship advantage.
[Jerry] Did Earl Hebner just say "No, you're not the champ"?
-Yes, he is the champ, you moron. -Come on, Rocky.
[Ross] Rock has got to beat Jericho by pinfall or submission.
[grunts]
[Jerry] Earl Hebner said he's not the champ.
[Ross] I didn't detect that. You've got great hearing.
-[Ross] You do have great hearing. -[Jerry] I can read lips.
[Ross] A little arrogant cover, to say the least, by Chris Jericho.
[Jerry] Speaking of hearing, have you heard anything
about the condition of Mr. McMahon? Do we have any update on how he's doing?
[crowd clamors]
-[Jerry] Anything, J.R.? -[Ross] No, I don't.
And although I'm captivated by Jericho
exposing-- Look at them hype him.
That's a dangerous situation.
The turnbuckle exposed is not a good piece of business,
-for these two men and contenders. -[Jerry] Solid steel.
-Oh, boy. -[Ross] Double leg takedown by Y2J.
He's gonna turn The Rock over into the Walls of Jericho.
[Jerry] Oh!
[Ross] The Rock using his leg strength
to takedown the champion, but Jericho, so quick.
There are times he can be quicker than a hiccup.
-[Jericho] Come on, Rock. -[Ross] Able to beat The Rock back up
to his vertical base. And Jericho now, in the mount position.
Here's the results, straight right hand.
-[crowd cheering] -One, two.
[crowd cheering]
[Ross] He could be very illusive.
I see him trying to pour smoke
-through a keyhole. -One!
-Two! -[Ross] Look at the arrogance.
the conceit of Y2J, sometimes, is overbearing.
And that missile dropkick was a piece of art. It could be all here.
And The Rock. Jericho was reaching back,
couldn't secure that leg as well as I'm sure he would have liked.
[Jerry] It's like another Rock said, Kid Rock, in that song "Cocky."
It's not being cocky if you can back it up.
And Jericho is not being conceited or cocky because he can back it up.
He's backing it up right now.
[Ross] More still to come here tonight is the 30-man Royal Rumble match.
-[Jerry] Oh, what a match it's gonna be. -[Ross] The winner is gonna get
a shot at the undisputed championship at WrestleMania.
[Jerry] And this only happens once a year, J.R.
And it's tonight. That's tonight.
But who is gonna be the undisputed champion
at WrestleMania? Which one of these men is it gonna be?
[Ross] I tell you what, looking back at some of the winners of The Royal Rumble.
Winning this event has made careers.
Look back at guys that have won it more than once.
There's only been three, Hulk Hogan, Shawn Michaels,
and Stone Cold, and Austin is the only three-time winner.
[Jerry] And all of those names are huge in the world of wrestling.
Look at The Rock, though. He's in lot of trouble right now, J.R.
[Ross] Rock with those eyes shut. He's trying to-- Look at his lips.
He's trying to crawl that breath into those lungs,
and Jericho gripping the neck using his body weight,
-to collapse Rock's chest. -[Jerry] It's obviously working.
Two.
[Ross] Pretty hard for Rock to exhale fully
with Jericho in this position.
-[Jerry] Whoa! -[Ross] It is so effective,
but The Rock is still in this fight.
[Jerry] Yeah, but so is the undisputed champion.
[Ross] Both men back up. Something's got to give here tonight.
Will it be Jericho's winning streak in The Royal Rumble
or The Rock's quest to be the WWE Champion for an unprecedented seventh time.
-[Jerry] Uh-oh. -[Ross] And down goes the challenger.
[crowd cheering]
[Jerry] Boy, Y2J loves these high risk maneuvers,
but this is putting all your eggs in one basket.
Oh! Literally, eggs broken.
-[Ross] Jericho, a gambler… -[groans]
…threw some deuces that the time.
[Jerry] Deuces? Where's the wild?
[Ross] Pair of deuces don't beat anything.
A hard chop.
Looks like what Nature Boy gave Mr. McMahon
earlier tonight here at The Royal Rumble.
And Jericho holding on for dear life here.
[Jerry] Speaking of that, have you heard anything yet
about Mr. McMahon's condition?
[Ross] Oh, somebody will help him, King, he's upset.
-[Jerry] Look out! -[Ross] What about Ric Flair's condition?
And what a suplex that was.
And unfortunately for The Rock,
he cannot capitalize on that superplex off the top.
[Jerry] I hear, in the back right now,
some of the WWE superstars are actually lining up to donate
a pint of blood to Mr. McMahon.
[Ross] Oh, stop. Did you really hear that?
Or are you making it up?
Is that speculation or one of your sources?
-[Jerry] Sources. -[crowd cheering]
[Ross] And Jericho now pulls himself up.
And Jericho, he's back up, but Rock is not in good shape here.
Like that scene with The Rock. He blocked that right hand
and blocks him again, and stars with the overhand right.
A succession of right hands and Jericho countering
-out of desperation perhaps. -[Jerry] Look at this! Oh, my God.
A throw by The Rock and Jericho bouncing, leg hook.
And Jericho, he kicked out.
-[Jerry] Wow! -[Ross] At the very last moment,
kicked out.
-Irish whip is reversed. -[Jerry] There he goes.
As did Y2J there.
-[Ross] Jericho taking The Rock down. -[Jerry] Want to see a little Lionsault?
Bingo. Oh, he did it.
[Ross] Oh, perfect.
Now the relentless judge gave that a ten.
[Jerry] Hit him. Cover him. He got him.
[Ross] And, Jerry, this would come back and bite Jericho in his behind.
[Jerry] Another one. That's two in a row.
-[Ross] Maybe not. I guess not. -[Jerry chuckles] There's the cover.
-[Ross] It's all-- No, it's not. -[crowd cheering]
[Ross] And Jericho cannot believe it.
The two Lionsaults would not beat The Rock down for a three count.
That's the bottom line there.
-[indistinct chatter] -[Jerry] Poor little Y2J.
You know what? You think he's cocky now, J.R.?
You think he's conceited now?
Just imagine if he goes on, beats The Rock, wins this match.
[crowd cheering]
[overlapping chatter]
[Jerry] What in the world does Earl Hebner think he's doing?
He actually put his hands on the undisputed champion.
[Jerry] Yeah, but Jericho put his hands on the referee first.
[Jerry] You know, Hebner, you're not as bad as people say,
-you're worse. -[crowd cheering]
[Ross] The Rock barely able to stand, but he is.
Jericho measures-- And The Rock stepped back.
-[Ross] And The Rock, look out here. -[Jerry] Oh, no.
[Ross] The Rock has got the sharpshooter on Y2J in the center of the ring.
[Jerry] Look at that Earl Hebner, boy, you give a guy a little dirt.
He's right down there in Y2J's face saying,
-"Come on. Give it up." -[Ross] That's exactly where it should be.
-It can be over. -[Jerry] What is this?
[Ross] And then Lance Storm.
-[Jerry] And look at that. -[Ross] And now, Jericho's tapping.
-Jericho is tapping out. Oh! -[Jerry] Where do you see that?
I was looking over here in front of us.
-It's Christian in the ring. -[Ross] And Christian and Lance Storm,
a little back up for Jericho.
[Jerry] I think this is like a Canadian reunion. Whoa!
[crowd cheering]
[Ross] Jericho, his buddies save his backside.
And there's a Rock Bottom. Oh, my God.
Don't tell me Jericho is gonna beat The Rock with a Rock Bottom.
-[Jerry] He held his hand up. -[crowd cheering]
[Ross] He is not.
We got another referee out here
chasing Christian and Lance Storm out of the arena.
[indistinct clamor]
[Ross] This is American wrestling.
And those two young men from-- Those two young Canucks
had no business in the ring.
[Jerry] Is that Nick Patrick, he's Irish, isn't he?
[crowd cheering]
[Ross] Crowd chanting for The Rock to get back in it,
but Jericho was tapping out. The Rock had that match won, King,
with the sharpshooter.
[Jerry] How about that little move right there?
All of the weight of Y2J just blasting right down the chest of…
[Ross] Oh, no, wait a minute. Chris Jericho trashing in on The Rock.
[Jerry] Wait a minute. This is my call.
Ladies and gentlemen, we may be about to witness
the most electrifying move
-in sports entertainment today. Y2J out. -[crowd cheering]
-[Jerry] Oh! -[Ross] The Rock is up!
[Jerry] We got a flying Y2J.
[Ross] And the champion went for the ride.
[crowd cheering]
[Jerry] He's right here in front of us, J.R.
[Ross] I see it. And Jericho's eyes, a little glazed over.
[Jerry] And look at The Rock, he's ready to-- Oh, way to smack down now.
He's ready to check-- Oh, look at that. What did The Rock…
No. Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait.
[crowd cheering]
[Jerry] Now, wait, Rock…
[Ross] Think about this, Rock, think about what you're doing.
[Jerry] Rock, over there.
That's the Spanish announce table over there, Rock.
[Ross] You don't want to get disqualified here.
-[Jerry] What are you doing? -[referee speaks indistinctly]
Rock, we gotta work here. You're gonna get yourself disqualified.
Rock, this is not the time!
[Jerry] You might wanna help him, J.R. I think he wants to clean our table off.
-Oh, look out! [Ross] And now, Jericho retaliates.
And now, they're fighting at the Spanish announce table
and Rock bounced up face-first at the Spanish announce table.
[Jerry] I think Rock was confused.
I think that's where he meant to be anyway.
[Ross] This damned thing is getting out of hand.
-[Jerry] There you go. -[Ross] That's all I know.
It is getting out of hand.
[Jerry] Leave it to the undisputed champion to get things right.
Come on! Get in the ring!
[Jerry] Rummage through the Spanish announce table.
This match has degenerated all the way to hell.
If you ask me, our referee is sure as heck lenient
to let this baby go.
[crowd chattering]
[Ross] Wait a minute. Look out here, King.
[Jerry] What do you mean "look out"?
[Ross] I'll tell the people in front of us.
Yeah. They're the ones, who need to look out.
See Rock. This is what will happen.
Because he was so desperate to win back the title.
Oh, my God. Jericho is gonna Rock Bottom The Rock on that table.
[indistinct clamor]
[Jerry] Wait a minute. [groans]
[Ross] What a car wreck, what a crash.
He's mangled, spines cracked, Jericho down, The Rock down.
[crowd chattering]
[Jerry] Our table down.
[Ross] Both of these men
for the richest prize in our game at stake.
[Jerry] I don't think they're gonna be able to get up.
-[Ross] Here's another look. -[Jerry] Check this out.
[Ross] From one table to the next.
From the Spanish announce table over to ours.
[crowd chattering]
[Ross] The Rock is getting up, King, but Jericho ain't moving yet.
[Jerry] Jericho is hurt at the back of his head, driven through that table.
[Ross] Jericho may have a concussion. His eyes look glazed over to me.
[Jerry] I just barely got out of the way in time.
Are you okay, J.R.?
It doesn't matter if you're okay.
The Rock has got him now.
There's gonna be some smack laid down now.
[Ross] The Rock reaching down, getting a handful of Jericho's tights
and now pushing the undisputed champion back in the ring.
We may be a People's Elbow away from this one being over.
[Jerry] I don't think Jericho's moved since being driven through our table.
[Ross] Rock going for number seven, the leg is hooked.
-There's the count. -[Jerry screams]
-[crowd cheering] -[Ross] How close was that?
[Jerry] Boy, what a champion this Chris Jericho is.
Come on, admit how resilient he is, J.R.
[Ross] Oh, Jericho's hellaciously resilient.
-No doubt about that, King. -[Jerry] You admitted it.
Can we get some help? We need some carpenters out here.
[Ross] We need a construction crew out here.
The Rock and Jericho have destroyed their bodies and our table.
[crowd cheering]
-[Jerry] Uh-oh. Jericho. -[Ross] And The Rock now poised.
-He's coiled. He's ready. -[Jerry] Look out. Don't turn around.
[crowd cheering]
[Ross] He couldn't put Jericho up in that Rock Bottom.
[Jerry] He's resilient. Look at this.
-[Ross] And now, Jericho… -[Jerry] Oh, Jericho's got him.
-[Ross] The Rock has turned. -[Jerry] He's counting.
-[Ross] Jericho is sitting back. -[Jerry] Go for tap.
-[Ross] The Walls of Jericho… -[Jerry] He'll break your back.
[Ross] The Rock may be moments away from tapping out.
[Jerry] Save yourself, Rock, just tap down. There he goes.
[Ross] The Rock's dream for number seven
-may be coming to an end. -[Jerry] Just let that hand come down.
Just one tap. One tap.
-[Ross] Jericho is in panic mode here. -[crowd cheering]
[Jerry] Just tap once.
One tap means it's over.
[Ross] The Rock cannot last much longer.
No human being would have lasted this long.
-[Jerry] Look at The Rock. -[Ross] But the Brahma Bull is doing it.
[Jerry] He looks like the Scorpion King.
-[Ross] Will he get to them? -[Jerry] He made it.
-[Ross] He got to the ropes. -[crowd cheering]
[Ross] The hold's got to be broken. Come on, break the hold.
[Jerry] Uh-oh.
-[Ross] And Jericho putting The Rock out. -[crowd cheering]
[Ross] Inside cradle.
-[Jerry] He got it! Oh! -[Ross] That's a close one.
[Jerry] Oh, it would have been awful
to win the-- Or to lose the undisputed championship like that.
[Ross] Rock reaching out from that inside cradle
and a kick to the head by Jericho.
These two men-- Uh-oh. For destroying our table
to the wood, to concrete.
[Jerry] Yeah, but Jericho now-- I think Jericho is getting a second wind.
He's got that determination.
-[Ross] Nothing in our business. -[Jerry screams]
-[crowd cheering] -[Jerry] Whoa.
[Ross] About 16,000 standing up. Jericho…
[crowd cheering]
[Ross] He just slammed one of those championship belts
that nailed The Rock between the eyes with the referee down.
The Rock is down,
and now Jericho waving to someone.
[Jerry] Look at the referee. Nick Patrick.
[Ross] Oh, come on. Oh, damn.
-This is over. -[crowd cheering]
[Ross] The Rock kicked out again.
[Jerry] And Jericho cannot believe it. I can't believe it either.
[Ross] The people's champion refuses to stay down.
[Jerry] What are you gonna have to do, Y2J?
-Think of something. -[crowd cheering]
[Ross] Jericho has used the Lionsault twice.
He's used the Walls of Jericho. He's already tapped out once,
but the referee was down and didn't see it.
And senior referee, Earl Hebner, is still down.
And now, Nick Patrick is in there.
-And The Rock-- DDT. -[crowd cheering]
[Ross] Oh, my, a DDT storm.
-And The Rock-- -[Jerry] Look around this arena.
Everyone is standing on their feet.
-[Ross] What the hell is this? -[crowd groaning]
[Ross] Count down, Nick Patrick.
[Jerry] He's not the official referee anyway.
He can't count it, as long as--
[Ross] Why the hell he can't?
[Jerry] He's not-- Hey.
[Ross] That is-- Oh, wait a minute. Maybe he-- Maybe he should count.
[Ross] What an unscrupulous human being is Nick Patrick.
[Jerry] Well, it's like-- Oh, no. Wait a minute.
-[Ross] No. -[crowd cheering]
[Ross] Hell yes.
[Jerry] What do you mean, "Hell yes"? He can't do that to the official.
Even if he's not the official referee.
[Ross] And stunned on the prime.
[Jerry] Here it comes, J.R.!
-Here it comes. -[crowd cheering]
[Jerry] 16,000 and millions around the world are gonna witness
the most electrifying moment in sports entertainment.
-Here it goes. -[crowd cheering]
[Ross] Right to the heart of the champion.
[Jerry] The Rock won. Count it.
-Here it is. One, two… -[Jerry] What are you counting for?
-…three. -[Jerry] There's no referee.
-[Ross] But this should be over. -[crowd cheering]
[Jerry] The ref has got brain damage.
[Ross] And The Rock is on-- He Rock Bottomed the other referee.
[Jerry] See? See what you did, Rock?
[Ross] Rock trying to revive Earl Hebner as--
-[Jerry] Oh. -[crowd cheering]
[Ross] What a-- what a low blow by Jericho.
-[Jerry] Oh, there-- -[Ross] He's taking Rock
-to that exposed turnbuckle. -[crowd cheering]
[Jerry] Wait a minute.
-Wait a damn minute. -[Jerry] What?
-[Ross] Hey. Wait. -[bell ringing]
-[Ross] Oh, come on. -[Jerry] He's done it.
[announcer] The winner of this match and still undisputed
World Wrestling Entertainment Champion, Chris Jericho.
[Jerry] He's done it, J.R. Y2J has done the impossible.
[Ross] Jericho with a low blow.
And Rock's head bounced off the exposed turnbuckle.
And then Jericho used
the ropes and the groggy referee did the testing.
-[Jerry] Okay. We'll show it off to you. [Ross] That's a low blow, right?
[Jerry] The low blow you're talking about and then that exposed turnbuckle.
Yeah, and then the ropes,
he used them all, J.R. But the main thing is
-he got the one, two, three. -[crowd cheering]
[Ross] And then, Jericho gets out of the ring like a scalded dog.
Jericho is still the undisputed champion.
Chris Jericho has beaten The Rock at The Royal Rumble, unreal.
[narrator] Some call these men the greatest entertainers on earth.
Flying without wings, defying physical limitations.
But the risks these men take are great. Bodies have been battered.
Necks broken. Careers ended in an instant.
Yes. This is entertainment. But the hazards are real.
No matter who you are,
whatever you do, please, don't try this at home.
Well, this is a hell of a mess here, huh.
I mean, that-- how does Jericho gonna-- How is he gonna sleep tonight?
What do you mean how is he gonna sleep?
Sure, he'll be sore. He'll be bruised.
He'll be battered. But he'll sleep with those two
championship title belts. And he'll sleep knowing
that he is still the undisputed champion.
Well, The Rock is still the people's champion.
Jericho, the luckiest man in town.
Ladies and gentlemen, as we take you live to New York City,
of course, the sold-out crowd in WWE New York.
And there, one of the greatest WWE champions of all time.
A guy whose record at The Royal Rumble has been unmatched.
-[Jerry] Check it out. -[Ross] Shawn Michaels,
you won two of them. You won the title here.
What have you thought about the event itself thus far
and what's your prediction for The Royal Rumble match tonight?
Well, I have to tell you J.R., it was quite an honor
to be a wrestling fan once again, to sit there and watch,
in my opinion, the two most influential men
in my professional career, Ric Flair and Vince McMahon, go at it
was surely a treat for this wrestling fan right here.
And I tell you, as far as predictions are concerned,
it's tough with The Royal Rumble because anything can happen.
So, as President Bush would say, "You don't mess with Texas."
So, I'm gonna have to go with the two guys from my home state.
That being The Undertaker and, of course, the man himself,
"Stone Cold" Steve Austin.
[Ross] Okay. Shawn, thanks very much. I wish you were here.
And enjoy yourself from the Big Apple.
-["Sexy Boy" playing] -[Ross] Folks, 30 men
are gonna fight for the right to be in the main event at WrestleMania.
Let's go back and show you how we got here tonight.
[Ross] The time is now!
Thirty men!
Thirty men will be in The Royal Rumble.
[Jerry] It's gonna be every man for himself.
[Ross] The only way to be eliminated is to be thrown over the top rope.
-[Jerry] You got no friends. -[Ross] And both feet touch the ground.
[Jerry] No allies in this match.
The last man standing gets a first-class ticket to WrestleMania.
A title shot against the World Wrestling Entertainment Champion.
[Ross] The stakes cannot be higher.
Thirty men, one prize. Who's going to WrestleMania?
-[Jerry shrieks] -[Ross] My God.
It's all about The Royal Rumble. It's all about playing the game.
-[crowd cheering] -[Triple H] Just in case you've forgotten,
let me tell you just who the hell I am.
I am The Game.
-[Jerry] He's back. -[Triple H] And I am the guy that tonight
officially enters The Royal Rumble.
[Ross] The Game is here to win The Royal Rumble.
Now, wait a second. My God, there's The Undertaker.
-[Jerry] Uh-oh. -[Ross] And Triple H is standing
in The Undertaker's yard.
What?
[dramatic rock music playing]
What?
[Ross] Both these men are driven to be the best at what they do.
Two brave gladiators, each one wanting to excel,
each one wanting to be-- And there they go.
Triple H and Austin hammering each other.
-[Jerry] I knew it was gonna happen. -[Ross] Oh, what an impromptu brawl here.
[Jerry] Oh, look out. We're gonna see a Pedigree.
Oh, look out.
[Ross] And Austin, he countered it.
He backdropped the Game. Hey, wait a minute.
There's The Undertaker with a chair.
-[Ross] Where the hell did he come from? -[Jerry] And a stunner.
-Oh. -[Ross] The Undertaker with that weapon.
Serving the damage in his yard.
Will it be his Royal Rumble?
[dramatic rock music continues]
What?
[Jerry] Who's going to WrestleMania?
-[crowd cheering] -[announcer] Ladies and gentlemen,
it is now time for The Royal Rumble match.
And here are the rules. In just a few moments,
the superstars who drew numbers one and two respectively will enter
the ring and the match will begin.
Then, every two minutes thereafter, another superstar will enter the ring
based on the numbers that he drew.
Now, in this contest, it is every man for himself
and elimination occurs when a superstar is thrown
over the top rope and both feet must touch the floor.
The one superstar remaining in this ring after all 30 participants have entered
will be the winner and will meet the undisputed
World Wrestling Entertainment Champion at WrestleMania.
[Jerry] All right. Howard, it's only an hour a match.
-Wrap it up. -["U Look Fly Today" playing]
[Ross] And here comes the number one apparently.
-[Jerry] What? -[bell ringing]
[announcer] Ladies and gentlemen, here is the individual
who drew number one, Rikishi.
[Jerry] You know what this means J.R., we may see 29 stink faces tonight.
Whoo-hoo!
[Ross] I'm sure that's what Rikishi has on his mind.
[Jerry] People will be hurling left and right.
-Is that a new shirt you got on? -[Ross] Well, yeah, as a matter of fact.
[Jerry] Whoo-hoo! You ever been puked on, J.R.?
-[Ross] Well, one time in the… -[Jerry] Okay.
-I don't wanna-- -[Ross] …ninth grade.
[Jerry chuckles] Please.
[Ross] Rikishi about-- somewhere around the 400-pound mark.
-His weight is in parts unknown. -[Jerry] Yeah.
[Ross] Remember you got to be thrown over the top rope,
both feet got to land on the floor.
We call that the Shawn Michaels rule.
-["Gold-Lust" playing] -[Jerry] Uh-oh. Look at this.
[crowd cheering]
[Jerry] Shattered Dreams Productions, J.R.
-That brings them back some… -[announcer] Introducing the individual
that drew number two, Goldust.
[Jerry] Bring back some eerie memories. There he is.
[crowd cheering]
[Ross] This son of a gun is weird. He is bizarre.
Totally different from anybody
that I think I've ever been around in this business.
[Jerry] Get out. Really?
-[Ross chuckling] Yeah, really. -[Jerry] Oh, man.
[Ross] I can only wonder.
I can only shudder to think what this man has been doing
since leaving the World Wrestling Entertainment
quite some time ago.
And, man, what a way to re-enter this--
the WWE, what a way to re-enter competition here,
entering The Royal Rumble, that's one big step.
[Jerry] He'll have an Oscar winning performance tonight,
starting out with Rikishi
well, you know, can't go wrong
by eliminating all 29 other WWE superstars.
[Ross] He'd love to get his hand over that little gold man.
-The Oscar. -[Jerry] Oh, that little gold man.
He's still got the moves, J.R.
[Ross] Well, he's-- he could be described in a lot of ways.
But unique perhaps is the most…
-[Jerry] And look at that. Look at that. -…correct way I can think of.
[Jerry] How does he do this?
-[Ross] It looks gold. -[Jerry] Yeah.
[Ross] Rikishi must be thinking,
"What in Samoa's name am I about to encounter here?"
And look at Goldust.
[Jerry] And Goldust has to be looking at Rikishi's butt thinking,
"Lord, I hope I don't encounter that."
Whoa.
I don't know, you know…
-[bell ringing] -[Ross] Goldust is a little intimidating
in some of his antics.
No doubt about that, but don't let the packaging fool you.
This guy is a former Intercontinental Champion.
[Jerry] And J.R., the 2002 Royal Rumble is officially underway.
[crowd cheering]
[Ross] This is Goldust's third Royal Rumble appearance.
[Jerry] Yikes.
[Ross] And Rikishi has seen enough here.
Now, these two men are gonna start.
We'll have our third entrant in a-- in about two minutes
Maybe less now, the clock has been running I supposed.
[Jerry] Yeah. Wow.
[Ross] And Goldust peel off on Rikishi.
And rocking the big man from the island of Samoa.
-[crowd cheering] -[Jerry] Oh, no.
[Jerry] There you go. [chuckles]
-[Ross] And Goldust quickly up. -[Jerry] That's one double feature
-Goldust don't wanna see. -[Ross] Goldust lacing Rikishi
-with those right hands. -[Jerry] Look out.
-[Ross] And Goldust… -[crowd exclaiming]
[Ross] Goldust, he landed on the apron.
He did not go the-- he went over the top but he didn't go to the floor.
[Jerry] Not eliminated.
You gotta have both feet touch the floor. You gotta be thrown over the top rope.
But I don't need to say that. Howard Finkel said it for about an hour.
[Ross] You know, there's no referee in the ring.
There are three officials on my count here
that are stationed on the outside, who make sure that
when an athlete is thrown over the top, that both feet do touch the floor.
As we said, that's the Shawn Michaels rule,
that really came in '95.
-And look at Goldust. -[Jerry] Not even one foot.
[Ross] No. Exactly right. That was a close call,
one of those bang-bang plays.
And Goldust teetering here on the apron.
He needs to get back in the ring
or he's not gonna get to the Promised Land.
[Jerry] Now if he's knocked down off the apron now, he's eliminated, right?
He was thrown over the top rope already.
[Ross] That's the way I see it.
[crowd cheering]
[Jerry] Yeah. But sometimes you have both contact lenses in the same eye.
[Ross] Goldust looks to be in great shape.
Leaner than the last time we saw him.
-The countdown from our fans. -[crowd] …three, two, one.
-[Ross] Number three on his way. -[buzzer blaring]
-[Jerry] Hey. -[crowd cheering]
["Guard" playing]
[Jerry] Well, it is the Big Boss Man,
from just up the road in Cobb County, Georgia.
Former Cobb County correctional officer.
[Ross] Goldust has slid on the outside.
That's not a bad move, leaving Rikishi in there with--
Goldust slipped outside to avoid, I think, the Boss Man. But,
-Goldust is still in this match-- -[Jerry] Yeah, because he didn't--
-He wasn't thrown over the top rope. -[Ross] He was not.
-Oh, no. -[crowd exclaiming]
[Ross] And Goldust…
hanging on there. Oh, my.
Rikishi moving that 400 plus around.
And now Goldust is not in a-- can't be in a comfortable position
straddling that top turnbuckle.
Rikishi fighting Boss Man to get Boss Man over.
-[yells] -[Jerry] Watch it.
Man, did you see that, J.R.?
[Ross] Boss Man turned Rikishi inside out.
[Jerry] What a clothesline.
[Ross] And Goldust straddled the top rope. He may be hurt.
-Go check on him, will you? -[Jerry] Are you… Yeah.
[Ross] And then Boss Man going downstairs with his right hand.
[Jerry] He might just like straddling the top rope.
Oh.
[Ross] And now the double team on Rikishi.
Remember the concept here is every man for himself.
And now the double team as these two men are straining
to get over 400 pounds over the top rope
all the way to the floor.
-[Jerry] And that is quite a strain. -[crowd cheering]
[Jerry] But Rikishi…
Rikishi at 400 pounds…
-[Ross] At least. -[Jerry] He doesn't wanna go over.
[Ross] Rikishi wants to get in that main event at WrestleMania.
-[Jerry] Hey. -[Ross] And then Goldust
just nailing the Boss Man, as we said,
it is supposed to be every man for himself.
And I think that's exactly what we're seeing here.
[Jerry] Yeah, but I think that they would have been wise
to double team Rikishi and try to get rid of him first.
-[Ross] Who's next, J.R.? -[crowd] …four, three…
[Jerry] I have no idea. We'll find out in a second.
[buzzer blaring]
["Protection" playing]
-[crowd cheering] -[Jerry] Uh-oh.
It's that Big Bad Bradshaw!
-[Ross] And Bradshaw is the fourth. -[Jerry] No!
Oh, he's playing no favorites is he?
[Ross] Certainly isn't.
Bradshaw now going right for Goldust.
[Jerry] Bradshaw comes in here like one of those Texas bull-- Oh.
[crowd cheering]
[Ross] Bradshaw snorting, ready to fight here.
Man, can you imagine what it would mean to any of the 30 here
to be guaranteed a spot
in the main event at the biggest sports entertainment spectacular
-of all time. -[Jerry] You know, the Heartbreak Kid
said that because he was from Texas, he-- Hey, wait a minute.
-J.R… -[Ross] Oh, this ain't gonna be pretty.
[Jerry] It ain't gonna smell good either. Oh, no, Boss Man.
-Yeah. -[Ross] Oh, he had the ribs.
-He had the corn. -[Jerry] And one.
[Ross] And two pieces of cornbread.
[Jerry] Twenty-eight stink faces to go, J.R.
[Ross] Oh, that will-- That's gonna stain your nose hair.
And Bradshaw about to-- about to take Goldust over the top.
Goldust hanging on like an orangutan.
[Jerry] Boss Man, don't come over here and hurl.
-Oh! -[Ross] Oh!
-Did you hear that? -[Jerry] Yes, I did.
He's gone. He's gone.
[Ross] Rikishi just eliminated the Big Boss Man.
Now back down to three.
Boss Man, he can take a shower and disinfect his face.
Samoan drop by Rikishi on Bradshaw. And look at the wily Goldust.
-He's a strategist. -[Jerry] I started to say earlier,
Heartbreak Kid picked the two Texans in this Royal Rumble,
The Undertaker and "Stone Cold" Steve Austin.
But he forgot about Bradshaw.
He's one of the biggest Texans in this Rumble.
[Ross] And proud to be a Texan.
And Goldust now hammering down at Bradshaw.
-[crowd counting] -[Jerry] No.
[Ross] And Bradshaw, the powerbomb on the gold one.
-[crowd] …two, one. -[Jerry] I told you this,
-Bradshaw could be reckoned with. -[buzzer blaring]
-[Jerry] Who's next? -[upbeat music playing]
[Ross] It's Mr. Personality, Lance Storm.
It's about to be serious for just a moment.
[Jerry] He can win this thing, you know.
[Ross] He's a great athlete, and a hell of a wrestler.
But man, it's the luck of the draw, the--
and who comes out right after you, who's there before you,
have a lot to do with it.
And Goldust hanging Storm face first on that top turnbuckle.
[Jerry] Well, Storm may not be the biggest guy in this Rumble,
but he's probably got as much or more stamina than anybody else
-that will be in this Rumble. -[Ross] Bradshaw holding on…
for all he's worth as Rikishi, underneath Bradshaw,
trying to power Bradshaw over the top.
Lance Storm, certainly in my view, one of the most…
underrated competitors in the entire WWE.
And now Storm trying to hoist Goldust over the top.
No pinfalls.
No submissions. No count-outs.
[Jerry] And Rikishi…
[Ross] And really no time limit.
[Jerry] Rikishi about to get Bradshaw out of here.
You know, Rikishi is so big. This could turn out to be
survival of the fattest.
I mean, nobody may be able to lift him and get him over that top rope.
He's about to…
-Lance Storm is back in. -[Ross] Lance Storm, now, again,
getting underneath Goldust. And Rikishi there to help Storm.
Goldust-- Now he's holding on for what-- with what he's got left
and Goldust able to get out of that predicament.
Here comes Bradshaw again.
And this-- winning this match is a career maker.
[Jerry] To be the main event at WrestleMania, you got that right.
-[grunts] -[Jerry] Oh, look at that hammer.
[Ross] Bradshaw put on the brakes and then lowered the boom on--
-on Storm as we are under ten… -[crowd counting]
…from our sixth competitor.
[crowd] …three, two, one.
-[Jerry] Six of thirty. -[buzzer blaring]
["What Does Everybody Want?" playing]
[Jerry] Oh! Oh, no.
[Ross] From the Tough Enough show, here comes the lead instructor,
Al Snow.
And what an opportunity it would be for Al Snow
at this stage in his career,
to survive and win The Royal Rumble for the 18-year veteran.
-[Jerry] Al Snow is the freshest… -[Ross] Oh!
My God, the clothesline all the way from hell
and Goldust puts the exclamation point on Lance Storm.
Go in there, J.R., even you can throw Lance Storm out now.
Take a look at this.
-First that and then… -[Ross] Boom! Slobber knocker silly.
[Jerry] Wow.
How many-- Lance Storm's just like dead weight,
can't even pick him up and throw him out.
[Ross] Fans chanting, "We want Head," at Al Snow.
Al Snow and his former mannequin head.
-Whatever happened to that. -[Jerry] I'll get in on that chant,
but not at Al Snow.
-[Ross] Will you behave? -[Jerry] What?
[Ross] Low blow by Storm. That'll slow Bradshaw down for a minute.
Goldust and Rikishi-- Rikishi came in number one.
[Jerry] And you know, I knew-- when I saw Rikishi coming in
at number one, I said that don't bode too well for him
just because of the stamina factor
and the length of time he'd have to stay in to win this thing
but his weight is gonna work so much in his favor.
Who's gonna be able to lift him and throw him out?
[Ross] It could if Rikishi can pace himself and thus far,
that has happened. This match is gonna be one hour
until we get all 30 of them coming out in two minute intervals.
-They're about… -[Jerry] Look at those--
Both men trading in the center of the ring.
[Ross] Bradshaw with that low blow may not have the zing on those punches
that he would like, but Al Snow may disagree with that analogy.
[crowd counting]
[Jerry] About to have a new entrant in The Royal Rumble.
[buzzer blaring]
["I've Got It All" playing]
[crowd cheering]
[Ross] It's "The One" Billy Gunn or Billy.
[Jerry] It's Billy, sliding in the center.
[Ross] His partner, Chuck, is in it too.
Billy Gunn quickening the pace here.
-Oh! -[Jerry] That'll slow the pace down.
-[Ross] Big-- In a big way. -[Jerry] May need a pacemaker after that.
[crowd cheering]
[Ross] And this is-- The ring beginning to fill up here a little bit.
[Jerry] Nobody been eliminated in quite a while.
Oh, and still, I thought Lance Storm was gone but cat-like agility.
Hey.
Lance Storm and there's Al Snow out on the…
-[Ross] Exactly. -…on the ring apron…
[Ross] Al Snow and Lance Storm on the apron.
And both of them fighting to stay alive here.
[Jerry] Neither one of these guys go to the floor, they both--
They've gone over the top rope. Oh, that's it.
[Ross] And Al Snow just eliminated Lance Storm.
Al Snow leaping back over that top rope.
[Jerry] And back to the great white north for Lance Storm.
[Ross] Al Snow, the lead instructor on Tough Enough II on MTV
and he's about to…
[Jerry] He may be tough enough but does he weigh enough?
[Ross] Tough Enough II coming at the end of February on MTV and…
-[Jerry] Goldust. -[Ross] And Goldust.
-Oh! -[Jerry] Oh!
[Ross] And Bradshaw gets the exit.
Goldust stays alive.
[Jerry] Bradshaw can't believe this. He thought he had Goldust eliminated.
Next thing you know, somebody from behind,
-I didn't even see who it was. -[Ross] You know, King,
this is a good environment or was a good environment for a--
for a brawler like Bradshaw, but he's gonna fight another night here.
And I'm impressed with the resiliency,
-of Rikishi and Goldust thus far. -[crowd counting]
[Jerry] Well, can you imagine if Rikishi
lasted this entire hour and won this thing.
-They'd be talking about that from now on. -[buzzer blaring]
["Rollin'" playing]
[Ross] Oh, my.
Well, I think business is about to pick up here
because this yard belongs to one of the most evil, sinister,
uncaring individuals in the history of the WWE.
And yes, you better take notice because The Undertaker is here
to protect his real estate.
And it don't look like he's in a very positive mood.
[Jerry] You're right, The Undertaker made that clear last week.
And if you don't believe him, just ask Triple H.
[Ross] Oh, my, look at that chokeslam.
[Jerry] Or ask "Stone Cold" Steve Austin.
You don't play in The Undertaker's yard.
[Ross] Undertaker striking whatever is breathing.
Knocked down Al Snow.
Goldust is knocked down.
[Jerry] Look out, Goldust.
[Ross] And Goldust, chokeslammed inside out.
Goldust eliminated by the evil Undertaker here.
[Jerry] Did you see that? Chokeslammed out of the ring.
[Ross] With one arm. And the headbutt takes down Al Snow
and then a right-hand on the 400-pound Rikishi.
-[Jerry] Wait a minute. Look out Al Snow. -[crowd cheering]
[Ross] Al Snow can return to the Tough Enough II kids.
[Jerry] See you in February, Al.
[Ross] The Undertaker has never won a Royal Rumble match.
[Jerry] I think he's got his sight set on this one.
J.R., look at this. Oh, no!
[Ross] As The Undertaker is living, folks.
[Jerry] I didn't think that was possible, J.R., but look at this.
-[Ross] Oh, no, look at that one, folks. -[Jerry] Well, wait a minute. That's it.
Nobody else to eliminate.
[Ross] You don't need RE/MAX or Century 21
to tell you whose yard this belongs to and I don't think it's for sale.
[Jerry] You know what, J.R.,
there's one thing I wouldn't wanna be.
-[Ross] What's that, King? -[Jerry] Next.
[Ross] Well, whoever is next, has got less than ten seconds
to think about it.
[crowd] …four, three, two, one.
-[Jerry] Who is it? -[buzzer blaring]
["Loaded" playing]
-[Jerry] Who's the victim? -[crowd cheering]
[Jerry] Oh, no.
[Ross] It's Matt Hardy accompanied by Lita.
Can The Undertaker put up Matt, Jeff, and Lita all on the shelf?
And Matt Hardy has come to fight The Undertaker.
[Jerry] I think Lita just kissed Matt goodbye. [chuckling]
Oh, what did I tell you…
[Ross] Oh, look at the evilness on The Undertaker's face.
Lita up high, oh, my God, Lita caught,
Matt Hardy caught.
[Jerry] Didn't she learn her lesson the first time, J.R.?
[Ross] This demon of destruction, The Undertaker, more than 11 years.
-Oh, hello. -[Jerry] What in the world?
-Look out. -[Ross] Twist-- The Twist of Fate
after the low blow.
-Lita is not in The Royal Rumble. -[Jerry] It looks like she is.
-[Ross] The Undertaker did to Lita… -[Jerry] What?
…and did to Matt.
[Jerry] Is this to be allowed?
-Is Lita in this thing or what? -[Ross] No disqualifications.
The three referees on the outside can only standby and watch this.
[Jerry] I can't believe my eyes. I can't believe what I'm watching.
[Ross] The Undertaker got that low blow, that really slowed him down but--
Ooh!
6'10.5'', over 300 pounds.
[Jerry] And I think he's about to get his wits about him again.
[Ross] And The Undertaker came very, very close in ending the careers
of three fine, outstanding young superstars
in the Hardys and Lita.
And Matt Hardy in a very unenviable situation here,
one-on-one with The Undertaker.
But to Matt Hardy's credit, he has not showed any fear,
he has not shown any intimidation.
[Jerry] Well, that could just be chunked up to stupidity.
[Ross] Matt Hardy trying to hoist The Undertaker over.
Matt Hardy now trying to get underneath.
And The Undertaker, the American Badass showing why he's called that.
[crowd counting]
[Jerry] Matt Hardy could certainly use some help out here, couldn't he?
-[Ross] Yeah, and he's not gonna get it. -[Jerry chuckles] Right.
-[Ross] Every man for himself. -[buzzer blaring]
["Loaded" playing]
-[crowd cheering] -But maybe-- But maybe some teams.
[Jerry] What?
[Ross] Here comes Jeff Hardy.
-[Jerry] Now, wait a minute. -[Ross] The Undertaker drops a suplex,
Matt to the outside. Jeff Hardy blocked that.
And now both the Hardys…
[Jerry] I got a question, who picked these numbers?
[Ross] They're drawn randomly.
The numbers are drawn randomly and now look…
-[Jerry] What? -…the Hardys and Lita
getting some retribution for their near career-ending injuries.
[Jerry] Get her out of there, she didn't have a number.
[Ross] And look at the reunion of the Hardys.
They're back on the same page. Lita's on the same page.
[Jerry] Now, Lita's off the page.
She don't even have a number. She's out here kicking and stomping.
[Ross] Undertaker, double team-- and almost beheads Team Xtreme,
Matt and Jeff Hardy.
And you could hear that one
all the way down in-- or up in North Carolina.
Lita, I think you forgot whose yard you're in.
The baddest dog in the yard. And look at Jeff Hardy.
[Jerry] He didn't go nowhere, he's still in it.
[Ross] He went over the top but he didn't go to the floor.
[Jerry] Did The Undertaker know that? Maybe not. [chuckles]
[Ross] I think now he got the idea.
-[Jerry] Look at Twist of Fate. -[Ross] Twist of Fate by Matt Hardy.
-Jeff Hardy on top. -[Jerry] Look out.
[Ross] Oh, on top with a Swanton Bomb.
And now can the Hardys join forces and eliminate The Undertaker?
[Jerry] This would be some earth-shattering news right here, J.R.
[Ross] Well, the Hardys got a break on that brawl,
with consecutive numbers here.
And the Hardys are poetry in motion.
But The Undertaker caught Jeff and eliminated--
The Undertaker caught Jeff Hardy in midair.
[Jerry] Well, Matt, you're on your own, kid.
-[Ross] Oh, my God, this isn't it… -[Jerry] We're all counting on you.
-[Ross] Oh, no. -[Jerry] Good luck.
[Ross] Last ride time, see you later.
Can you just imagine what that does to a human being's spine?
[Jerry] I'd rather not think about it right now.
It could turn your spine into a slinky.
Look out. That's it.
[Ross] And the Hardys eliminated by The Undertaker,
who takes back over his yard.
And Undertaker, he may beat people now one at a time, King.
[Jerry] Yeah, once again, I wouldn't wanna be next.
[buzzer blaring]
["Behind the Stars" playing]
-[Ross] Oh, man. -[Jerry] What?
Wait a minute. [chuckles] Oh, no.
[Ross] Now, this is Maven, this first male Tough Enough winner,
-getting in The Royal Rumble. -[Jerry] J.R., do you have a watch on?
-Does it have a second hand on it? -[Ross] Yeah, I know what you're saying.
[Jerry] Put a clock on this one.
[Ross] Well, he's not gonna beat the Bushwhacker record, but…
-And Lita is still up on the apron. -[Jerry] Lita, what is your problem?
[Ross] Didn't like what The Undertaker did to Matt and Jeff and…
And Jeff Hardy and Matt Hardy had both been eliminated.
They're back in now.
[Jerry] Have we had another random drawing or something?
[Ross] Oh, well, the Hardys just trying to get some retribution
-from The Undertaker. -[Jerry] Don't we have three referees?
-Get them out of there. -[Ross] But there's no disqualification.
[Jerry] Whoa!
[Ross] The Undertaker and Maven are the only two legal men here.
Right. So, get the rest of the men out of the ring.
[Ross] There went Jeff Hardy.
[Jerry] Referees, make yourselves useful.
Try to contribute here tonight.
[Ross] And look at-- Oh, my God. My God!
Maven from Tough Enough just eliminated The Undertaker.
[Jerry] What?
[Ross] My God, my God, I don't believe it.
And that is the biggest-- that is the biggest shocker
-I've ever seen at The Royal Rumble. -[Jerry] What?
[Ross] You heard me right.
-[Jerry] Let me do it again. What? -[Ross] Maven just eliminated
The Undertaker and Maven cannot believe it.
-[Jerry] Maven. -[Ross] Not to say what The Undertaker
-must be thinking right now. -[Jerry] Maybe you don't wanna believe it
because you may have made the biggest mistake of your young life.
The Undertaker in his own yard, by a very raw rookie.
And now The Undertaker gonna--
He's gonna try to extract some revenge here on Maven.
[Jerry] He may extract some teeth first.
[Ross] Maven, the young kid who won the first male Tough Enough
competition this past year.
Maven went through the ropes, not over the ropes.
Let's point that out.
And man, this is bad.
[Jerry] I don't think Maven is gonna wanna continue onto this Royal Rumble anyway
when The Undertaker gets through with him.
He may wanna seek professional medical attention.
-[Ross] Oh, wait a minute. -[Jerry] What?
[Ross] Wait--
God Almighty, pulls out the chair on the kid's skull.
Oh, God, look at that chair. Look at that chair, King.
-The savage animal… -Get out of here!
[Ross] The Undertaker may have just ended this young kid's career.
[Jerry] And look at our cameraman.
[Ross] My God, this is enough. The Undertaker just hit Maven
with as vile a chair shot as I have ever seen or ever heard.
[Jerry] Why don't you go over there and put a stop to it, J.R.?
Why don't you go ask The Undertaker politely to please stop?
[Ross] Undertaker like a vulture,
-hovering over the mangled body of Maven. -[crowd counting]
-[Ross] I think Maven is… -[buzzer blaring]
-["Bangin' It" playing] -[Ross] Maven is just-- I'm not sure
if he's bleeding or what over there, I couldn't see…
[Jerry] Well, if he's out, he missed a good opportunity to.
Scotty, if I were you, I wouldn't dance out here right now.
[Ross] There ain't no comedy thinking about a worm, I'll tell you.
Maven thrown back to the ring like a piece of garbage.
[Jerry] Uh-oh, look at The Undertaker, he's seen Scotty doing his thing. Oh!
[Ross] The Undertaker, a right hand on Scotty 2 Hotty.
-[Jerry] I don't The Undertaker… -[Ross] Now, my God, enough is enough.
[Jerry] I don't think The Undertaker believes in dancing.
[Ross] And Maven is bleeding, thanks to The Undertaker.
And Undertaker throwing Maven over the top but The Undertaker,
he's not in this match officially, and knocked downstairs.
He busted his head internally, punching his head wide open.
[Jerry] I'm surprised Maven's still got a head attached from the chair shot.
[Jerry] This is sick and vile from one of the most uncaring,
sadistic human beings that our good lord ever created.
[crowd cheers]
[Ross] And poor Maven just gettin' the hell beat out of him
after eliminating The Undertaker.
[Jerry] Maven still in The Royal Rumble or what?
[Ross] He hasn't been thrown over the top rope
by anyone that's in the Rumble.
Scotty 2 Hotty, the next guy up, he's been hammered.
[Jerry] And I tell you what, worse than being thrown over the top rope
is being thrown to the wolves, this crowd right now.
[Ross] The Undertaker has just turned absolutely psychotic
after being eliminated from his own yard.
[Jerry] Look like The Undertaker may be looking for an alley
to finish this kid up, man.
You know, that could be The Undertaker's style.
[Ross] One thing not to care about your opposition,
but for The Undertaker not to care about the fans that have supported him
for about 11 years, in my view, is not right.
[Jerry] Well, if these are the fans that supported the Undertaker for 11 years,
and he don't mind getting in there a monster.
[Ross] Well, Maven, has just--
-He has absolutely been pulverized. -[Jerry] Where are they going now?
[Ross] Right there at the concession area.
[buzzer blaring]
[Jerry] Up there in the concession area of the Philips arena.
[upbeat music playing]
[Jerry] We got our next entrant.
We wanna keep an update on Maven and The Undertaker too now.
-Oh, look! He got over the… -[indistinct clamor]
[Ross] And I tell you this-- This is sad,
what The Undertaker has done to this young man
in his first opportunity in The Royal Rumble.
What The Undertaker has done to this kid is absolutely reprehensible.
[Jerry] Hey, look at-- You want some butter on that?
[Ross] Ladies and gentlemen,
I'll show you what we had just moments ago.
[Jerry] Oh, my gosh. He smashed him right through glass
of that popcorn machine.
I didn't realize that.
[Ross] Well, Scotty 2 Hotty has not been eliminated,
at least officially eliminated.
This is a great opportunity and a big break
for the reigning European champion,
Christian who we saw earlier with Lance Storm trying to help Y2J.
[Jerry] I don't know if Maven's been officially eliminated
but Maven's been eliminated.
-[Ross] Oh, look at this. Here it is. -[Jerry] What?
What would you do, J.R.? This is time to relax.
[Ross] Well, there ain't no lazy boy sittin' in.
[Jerry] Well, you know, you got a big match facing you
in about a minute and a half so what you want to do is
get a little rest.
[Ross] Oh, there's Scotty 2 Hotty back in.
Scotty 2 Hotty and Christian are both still in it.
Maven has never been eliminated,
but to say that Maven is gonna be physically able to
even get back to the ring area is an understatement and…
[Jerry] Popcorn smell good, didn't it?
[Ross] Brought a popcorn out for Scotty 2 Hotty.
Pretty hungry and after that beating of Maven…
Cost me my appetite and…
-that's a rare thing. -[Jerry] That's done something there.
[crowd counting]
[Ross] Scotty and Christian.
-Who's next? -[buzzer blaring]
["Diamond In The Rough" playing]
[Jerry] This might be a good thing but I'm not sure.
[Ross] No stranger to the Atlantans here.
[Jerry] Look, look, look, look, Maven is still-- And he's still laid out.
[Ross] And he's gotta have a concussion, he's lost a lot of blood.
I think we can write Maven off for this night
and DDP who beat the Big Boss Man last week on television,
and earned the right to get into The Royal Rumble.
-[Ross] DDP… -[Jerry] Oh…
Look at this.
[Ross] Christian taking down Page.
This is Page, DDP's, first Royal Rumble.
And he was intent on making sure with Christian, he was--
[Jerry] And then Christian up on his shoulders was ready to run him
right through the ropes, but he put the chokes on him.
Scotty trying to recuperate here.
[Ross] And these guys can come from nowhere,
and win this match and be in the main event at WrestleMania--
-[Jerry] Whoa-- -[Ross] And nice Diamond Cutter by Page,
and Scotty 2 Hotty now.
[Jerry] And one of the men that we certainly thought
was a pre-match favorite.
Many, many people picked The Undertaker.
[Ross] Page went through the ropes, not over the top.
-Page is still alive in this contest. -[Jerry] Look at Scotty.
Look at that look on his face.
J.R., you know what he's thinking about, don't you?
-[Ross] I think he's feeling wormy. -[Jerry] Oh, he's feeling wormy.
-[cheers] -[crowd cheering]
[Jerry] I think we're gonna see it. And here it goes.
-W-O-R-M. -[crowd] W-O-R-M.
-[Jerry] Oh, here comes the Worm, J.R. -[crowd cheering]
-[Ross cheers] -[Jerry] Bang.
-[Ross] Scotty with the Worm. -[Jerry] Hey.
-[Ross] And Scotty, eliminated by DDP. -[Jerry] Oh!
Back to the cocoon.
[crowd counting]
[Ross] And he's stomping away at Christian as we await yet another competitor,
-here in the 30-man Royal Rumble. -[buzzer blaring]
-[upbeat rock music playing] -[Ross] Well, earlier we saw Billy
and now his tag team partner, Chuck.
[Jerry] Chucky and Billy.
[Ross] I ain't talking about Raiders coach, Jon Gruden.
Not that Chucky, this is Chucky Palumbo.
Chucky.
[Jerry] What's wrong with that name? It's a good name.
-[Ross] It's yucky. -[Jerry] I…Oh, boy.
I used to have a next door neighbor named Chucky.
-[Ross] I'm sure you did. -[Jerry] What does that mean?
-[Ross] Reverse elbow by DDP. -[Jerry] Look out.
[Ross] And a neckbreaker by Page on Chucky.
[Jerry] Are you gonna-- are you gonna say his name like that
every time you pronounce it now?
[Ross] I don't-- You mean with total disdain and disgust?
-[Jerry] Yeah. -[Ross] Like I don't like him?
-[Jerry] Yeah. Are you gonna do that? -[Ross] No. No.
[Jerry] That would not be very objective of you.
[Ross] And Chuck or Chucky stomping away at DDP, three men now.
Going on earlier, I think again, we could pretty much safely say
Maven is not going to rejoin us tonight.
[Jerry] Are you just jealous of Chucky's hair? Look how long it is.
-Naturally blonde. -[Ross] Natural, sure, yeah.
-[Jerry] Uh-oh. -[Ross] Yeah, natural.
And Page lassoing Chucky and taking Chucky back to the corner.
[Ross speaking indistinctly]
Little bit of teamwork, inadvertent or not, I don't know, but…
[Jerry] I don't know if it's teamwork.
I don't think Christian really cared who he hit with the clothesline.
[Ross] You're probably right.
Chuck stomping away on DDP. And these guys, all three long shots,
in all honesty, to win The Royal Rumble,
-but it can be done. -[Jerry] Right now, they're favorites,
they're the only three in The Royal Rumble.
-[grunts] -[grunts]
[Ross] Stomping away on DDP, as is Chucky,
Page trying to hold on
as yet another competitor about to make his way out here.
-[crowd] …three, two… -[Jerry] See, it looks like
if Christian and Chucky were smart, they'd turn around
and just spread whoever's coming up.
-[funky music playing] -[Jerry] Oh, wait a minute!
-[crowd cheering] -[Jerry] J.R., are you ready for this?
My new hero. He's gone legit.
It's The Godfather.
[Ross] The Godfather, new and improved, is back.
-Where's he going? -[Jerry] Hey, come on, Godfather,
don't be afraid of The Royal Rumble.
[Ross] It is said The Godfather has gone legit.
[Jerry] Hey! More ladies.
[Ross] Oh, my God, there's, one, two--
-[Ross] Eight of them. -[Jerry] Eight. Eight of them.
Yeah, but wait a minute.
-[Ross] Oh, you gotta be kidding me. -[Jerry chuckling]
J.R.!
[Ross] I think you just found a new favorite, didn't you?
[Jerry] There may be an endless stream of these ladies
because The Godfather now owns an escort service.
-[laughing] -[Ross] There's twelve of them.
-[Jerry] Whoo-hoo! -[Ross] Twelve ladies.
[Jerry] J.R., don't you know?
If you had all the money you've spend on escort services over the years,
you'd be a rich man right now. Now, Godfather may give you a discount.
Well, they did give me a coupon earlier to-- [mumbles]
-[Jerry] Whoo-hoo! -[Ross] The Godfather.
-[Jerry] He's got coupons! -[Ross] I talked to him earlier,
-he's in great shape. -[Jerry] And so are those lovely ladies.
[Ross] He's down from about 320 to around 265.
[Jerry] Are you talking about wrestling, J.R., at a time like this?
[Ross] I'm just introducing him.
[Jerry] Well, let's talk about the condition of those lovely ladies.
[Ross] Well, this is about winning The Royal Rumble.
[Jerry] Some of the finest women that ever walked the streets of Atlanta.
-Look at them. -[Ross] Great man.
-And DDP just got eliminated. -[Jerry] Wait! Don't go, girls.
Yeah, bring them back.
[Ross] Chucky and Christian just eliminated DDP.
[Jerry] Oh. Hey, that one's waving to me.
Hello. Can I buy you a car?
-[Ross] Again? -[Jerry] Come here.
-[Ross] How about a condo? -[Jerry] Yeah!
[Ross] How about a condo down in-- One of them Fort Myers condos.
[Jerry] Look at this. Look at this.
[Ross] The Godfather has got twelve of his business associates.
[Jerry] Well, there's mine right there, the one with the blonde hair…
[Ross] Here's how DDP got the shower just moments ago.
[Jerry] Give me a coupon, Godfather.
[Ross] And now, Chucky, turning his attention to Christian
-who barely escapes the elimination. -[grunts]
[Jerry] Imagine what two blonde guys,
like The Godfather just brings over what he likes.
[Ross] The Godfather, look at those right hands.
-[buzzer blaring] -[Ross] He's 6'8.
-[upbeat music playing] -[Jerry] We got another entrant already?
[Ross] Well, Godfather was with the ladies for a couple of minutes
and here comes that big 350-pound, Hip Hop Hippo.
-Albert, 6'8, 350. -[Jerry] Phat Albert. P-H-A-T.
Hey, can we do a instant replay on Godfather's entrance again?
[Ross] And now Albert teeing off on Chucky.
-[Jerry] The Godfather now. -[grunts]
[Ross] Boy, Albert like a great explosive, that big first step.
He is an amazing athlete, 6'8, 350…
-[Jerry] J.R… -…unbelievably strong.
…let's got our hair cut like The Godfather.
[Ross] And now scissors kick right to the face of The Godfather.
I beg your pardon?
[Jerry] I said let's get our hair cut like The Godfather.
[Ross] I'll take that under advisement.
And The Godfather may be returning to the ladies--
But no, it's Albert that got peeled off and eliminated.
The Godfather, Chucky and Christian still remain alive in The Royal Rumble.
[Jerry] Look at this.
-[grunts] -[Jerry] Oh, man.
[Jerry] You think The Godfather needs any business partners
in the escort service? That's a business I always wanted to be in.
[Ross] You're willing to invest?
[Jerry] Oh, I've already invested many times.
-Look out! -[crowd cheering]
[Ross] Oh, Godfather.
Oh, that's the train.
[Jerry] Is the train about to leave the tracks?
-[crowd cheering] -[Jerry imitating train chugging]
-Whoo-hoo! Oh, no! -[Ross] Oh!
And he might as well been headed for Hooterville.
[Jerry] Amtrak. Look out!
-[crowd cheering] -[Ross] And double team.
It took two, but Christian and Chucky got it done.
-[crowd booing] -[Ross] The fans are not very pleased
that The Godfather has been eliminated.
[Jerry] And then his girls, come get your boss.
-[crowd] Five, four, three… -[Jerry] Girls, get your boss back.
You're an escort service, aren't you?
-[Ross] Great to see The Godfather back. -[buzzer blaring]
[upbeat rock music playing]
[Jerry] It's Perry Saturn.
[Ross] Perry Saturn, the former Army Ranger.
[Jerry] Now, the illustrated man. Look at his tattoos.
[Ross] And Saturn, very, very unorthodox, very unusual is this man.
[Jerry] Speaking of unusual, look at those…
look at those trunks he's wearing, from Elsie the cow.
[Ross] We could have a five-minute conversation, if you know what I mean.
-[crowd cheering] -[Jerry] Got milk, J.R.?
-[Ross] I beg your pardon. -[Jerry] I said, "Got milk?"
Look at his trunks.
-[grunts] -[grunts]
[Ross] Now, it's Saturn and Chucky
hammering each other with those right hands.
[crowd cheering]
[Ross] I know King hated to see The Godfather leave but--
[Jerry] Well, I just wanted him to be escorted by his escort service girls.
[Ross] And look at Saturn taking down Christian.
And making no bones about it, Christian was gonna go down.
Christian didn't want it but he got it.
And Chucky and Christian are kind of in the same page here.
-That's a-- -[Jerry] What are you implying?
[Ross] I mean, it's--
Well, it's supposed to be every man for himself.
[Jerry] Don't ask, don't tell.
-[crowd cheering] -[Saturn groans]
[Jerry] Perry Saturn here.
[Ross] And now, Christian trying to get Chucky over.
-[Jerry] Oh! -[Ross] And a deep--
Got him deep in the crotch there, trying to get him over the top
while Christian and Chucky make strange effort here.
-[Jerry] What are you-- -[Ross] What?
[Jerry] Look at Perry Saturn here. Look at Perry Saturn.
[Ross] Saturn with that modified suplex taking down Chucky.
[Jerry] Perry Saturn, you know, he doesn't look all that big
but his strength is-- He's deceptively strong.
-Oh, wait. -[Ross] He is and he has
a low center of gravity.
It's kind of hard to handle, it's hard to get underneath him.
-Christian's still in this thing. -[grunts]
[Ross] Like you said, Saturn, a former Army Ranger.
He knows what it's like to survive in unique environments.
-[crowd counting] -[Jerry] You can say what you want to
about Chucky Palumbo, but that guy's tough.
[Ross] You're absolutely right about that.
-[crowd] …one. -[buzzer blaring]
[Jerry] Who's this?
["I Won't Do What You Tell Me" playing]
-[crowd cheering] -[Ross] Oh, my God.
[Jerry] Uh-oh!
[Ross] Are you ready for some Rattlesnake?
-[Jerry] What? -[crowd cheering]
[Ross] He's the only three-time winner of The Royal Rumble in WWE history.
[Jerry] What?
[Ross] And remember the winner goes to WrestleMania
-to meet the undisputed WWE champion. -[Jerry] What?
J.R., I think a can of whoop ass is about to be opened.
[Ross] And Austin-- Oh, man.
Austin coming here to fight and bringing some hell.
-[crowd cheering] -[Ross] And listen to this crowd,
over 16,000 selling out the Philips Arena.
-[Jerry] Watch it, Christian. -[Ross] Christian, gone.
[crowd cheering]
[Jerry] Stunner.
[Ross] Saturn stunned, a knockdown on Chucky.
-Austin is on fire. -[Jerry] This rattlesnake's biting.
[Ross] Goodbye, Chuck. Goodnight, sweet prince.
-He's over the top. -[Jerry] Oh!
-[Ross] Saturn, bye-bye. -[crowd cheering]
[Ross] And the Rattlesnake didn't waste any time
establishing who's the man to beat now in The Royal Rumble.
[Jerry] "Stone Cold" Steve Austin waving goodbye to Perry Saturn
with one of two free fingers. Hey, wait!
[Ross] Austin looking at that watch. I guess he said I got a little time left.
-[Jerry chuckling] Yeah. -[Ross] I'll just beat your ass twice.
[Jerry] Right.
So, there he goes. He did it.
[Ross] And then Christian, he just got manhandled.
-[Jerry] What time is it? -[Ross] And wait a minute, Chuck.
-[Jerry] He's still got more time. -[Ross] Don't leave, Chuck.
There's something in your future.
There's the stunner.
[Jerry] But the future ain't exactly what it used to be.
-He's checking the time. -[crowd cheering]
[Ross] This guy is wearing a watch. Forget that one.
[Jerry] Use a body clock.
Whoa!
[Ross] Austin with greetings of salutations to Chucky.
And the Rattlesnake has done his work.
He has eliminated every man in the ring and now awaits the next one.
-[Jerry] What does the clock say, J.R.? -[crowd cheering]
[Ross] I think his clock says it's time.
-[Jerry] Seven… -What?
-…six… -What?
-…five, four… -What?
-[Jerry] …three, two, one.
-[buzzer blaring] -[crowd cheering]
["Hello Ladies" playing]
[Jerry] Oh!
-[Ross] And the returning Val Venis. -[Jerry] Hey-hey!
[Ross] Man, is Val Venis looking to be in magnificent condition.
[Jerry] Well, good news, Val, you're back,
but the bad news is, look who's in the ring waiting for you.
[Ross] Val Venis, I'll say this for him, maybe he should be,
but he won't be intimidated by "Stone Cold" Steve Austin.
Val Venis, a former European and Intercontinental Champion
in his fourth Royal Rumble.
And the ladies kind of take a shine to ol' Val.
[Jerry] Yeah, but I'm afraid the Rattlesnake ain't gonna be impressed
by all of these gyrations from Val Venis.
-[Ross] No, this ain't the dating game. -[Jerry chuckling]
What does your watch say? Tick tock, tick tock?
[Ross] And the clock is running.
Stone Cold will have to make sure it works for Val Venis.
And Val Venis-- Hey, listen to this crowd.
We talked about stomping a mudhole on somebody and walking it dry.
[Jerry] Forget the big what.
[Ross] King, as you said tonight on Heat, some men have to win this match.
For some men in their own minds, in their own psyche,
deep down in their hearts, they have to win this match.
[Jerry] This is a must-win match.
-[Ross] And Austin is one of those. -[Jerry] Right.
[grunts]
[Ross] Val Venis showing no fear or intimidation
of the Texas Rattlesnake, right in Austin's face.
[Jerry] I think this was, oh, a must-win match for The Undertaker
and look what happened to him, he got eliminated by Maven.
[Ross] Undertaker may never live that down
and Maven may never recover from that beating
that he received from The Undertaker.
[Jerry] Oh, I got some big news for you and Maven.
Undertaker ain't through with him by a long shot.
Undertaker will never forget that young man.
[Ross] I'm afraid you're probably right on that one.
[Jerry] I would think that every time
Undertaker gets within arms' reach of Maven,
something bad is gonna happen to that boy.
-[Ross] Hard top by Val Venis. -[Jerry] Oh, God!
[Ross] Austin with a little fast press, hammering down on Val.
-[buzzer ringing] -[Jerry] Who is it?
[“This Is a Test” playing]
[Jerry] Test?
[Ross] Test has immunity from winning the Immunity Battle Royal
back at Survivor Series in November,
but he can still be eliminated from this match,
by being thrown over the top, both feet touching the floor.
That man with a feather in Test's cap, if he had one, to be the man
that eliminates Austin from The Royal Rumble.
[Jerry] But he had that immunity from being fired,
but is he immune from rattlesnake venom?
[Ross] I don't know if there's any antidote for that.
There may be, I haven't seen it yet.
-[Jerry] Well-- -[Ross] And now Val Venis and Test.
[Jerry] Test and Val Venis together could create the antidote, couldn't they?
I mean, let's give the devil his due,
the Rattlesnake, there ain't nobody like him,
but one man against the likes of Test and Val Venis,
-that's a tall hill to climb. -[Ross] I'll tell you what, King.
Since the Survivor Series in November,
Test has really been on fire from where I sit.
He has gained momentum, has won match after match.
The guy almost 6'8, 280-285,
and he and Val Venis are taking their liberties
on that Texas Rattlesnake right now.
[Jerry] And they don't seem to be in any hurry either.
It's like, if I were these two guys, I'd try to hurry up and eliminate Austin
before that next entrant comes down the line.
[Ross] Austin being physically dissected.
Until he comes back with what brought him to the dance.
That's those good old right hands.
[crowd chanting] What? What? What
[Jerry] He missed. He missed Austin!
[Ross] Austin dodged the bullet, but Val didn't,
and got Test's big boot right in the face.
Austin, full head of steam. Val Venis is gone.
-[Jerry] Stunner! -[Ross] The stunner on Test.
And Austin is a stunning machine here tonight.
[Jerry] I'm afraid Test may be gone!
[Ross] A stunner and elimination.
And Austin again finds himself commandeering this very ring.
[crowd cheering]
[Jerry] He's the man, he's the man in the Rumble right now,
and look at that smile on the face of Austin.
He's still checking his tape wristwatch.
Wait a minute, I think it stopped running.
[Ross] Again, Austin, the only man to win this Royal Rumble match
three times in the history of the World Wrestling Entertainment.
[Jerry] And it's a must-win for him tonight.
-He must win this thing four times. -[crowd] …six, five, four, three,
-two, one. -[buzzer blaring]
["The Game" playing]
-[Ross] Oh, my God. -[crowd cheering]
[Jerry] Speaking of must-wins! Oh, my God, J.R.!
Is even the Rattlesnake ready for this?
[Ross] Man, this is an ovation.
There is the man
that was out of action for almost eight months.
His past pay-per-view extravaganza was last May.
And Austin knows this ain't gonna be pretty.
Because The Game is as focused
on winning the Royal Rumble as the Texas Rattlesnake.
Both men have got to have it, both men down deep in their souls
have got to have a victory here tonight, but only one can win.
[Jerry] Oh, my God, look at Triple H.
He's as impressive a specimen as I've ever seen in wrestling.
[crowd cheering]
[Ross] And look at-- Austin and The Game have locked eyes.
They know what awaits them.
The winner goes to WrestleMania.
And we're still about eight guys away from our 30.
Both men are driven, both men are proud,
both men consummate students of the game.
And The Game has got to win it. It is game time in his mind.
Eight months of hellacious rehabilitation
for his torn quadriceps muscle that was torn completely from its tendon,
but folks, the son of a gun continued the match.
-[Jerry] J.R., can you feel this tension? -[Ross] You're damn right.
-[Jerry] You can cut it with a knife. -[Ross] I love it!
This is what the WWE is all about.
The raw emotion of two great gladiators about to lock up
and see who's the better man in this Royal Rumble.
[Jerry] Triple H very tentative, he's not gonna rush into anything.
[crowd cheering]
[Ross] Man, has business picked up here tonight in Atlanta.
What is Triple H saying to "Stone Cold" Steve Austin?
[Jerry] No love lost here, we all know.
But there is great deal of respect in my view
-that these men have for each other. -[crowd cheering]
[Jerry] Well, I'll tell you one thing,
they ain't gonna talk each other over the top rope.
Here we go!
[Ross] Austin and Triple H with the right hands.
Both men looking for the other to blink.
It's Austin now with the upper hand on Triple H,
but Triple H fights right back down the corner.
Triple H with a vengeance with those hard right hands,
putting their mark on the Texas Rattlesnake,
threatening "Stone Cold" Steve Austin.
-[buzzer blaring] -[Ross] Oh.
[male voice] Stand back,
-there's a Hurricane coming through. -[dramatic music playing]
[Ross] Oh, I don't like this weather report for young Hurricane Helms.
[Jerry] Well, you know what, let me just say this J.R.
If Hurricane Helms gets in the ring and bides his time,
-and lets Triple H and… -[Ross] Midair collision.
Austin and Triple H are both down.
[Jerry] If he can let Triple H and the Rattlesnake just battle it out
and stand idly by over the corner.
[Ross] I think I'd have made my way to the nearest phone booth.
[Jerry] Wait a minute. Does Hurricane think
that he knocked these two guys down?
[Ross] I don't know what Hurricane's thinking.
I don't know what superheroes think these day quite frankly.
It's a long way from an Oklahoman with a black hat, I'll tell you.
-And wait a minute. -[Jerry] Wait a minute.
[Ross] I mean, Hurricane must think he's The Undertaker.
Now, look at Austin and Triple H saying, "Are you believing this?"
[Jerry] Wait a minute. He's flying.
[Ross] Oh, he had his cape on, of course he's gonna fly.
And Austin and Triple H now,
they eliminated Hurricane and go back to work
-at beating the hell out of each other. -[crowd cheering]
[Jerry] I told you Hurricane should've just stood idly by for a while.
[Ross] This thing may come down, King, to where Austin and Triple H
eliminate every other man that comes out here
and let it come down to just those two gladiators.
[Jerry] That's a very good possibility.
[Ross] But how's any one man gonna eliminate
both Stone Cold Steve Austin and Triple H?
I don't know if it's possible.
[Jerry] You're right, and that looks like their mentality.
[Ross] And then Triple H, man, that was a thunderous right-hand
that bent Austin over in pain just moments ago.
Oh, the spinebuster! The spine on the pine by the Rattlesnake.
-[buzzer blaring] -[Jerry] Who's next?
["Protection" playing]
[Jerry] Oh!
[Ross] It's Faarooq for the APA.
And Faarooq is another one that's as tough as they come.
He will not walk away from this or any fight, I'll tell you.
And what will this mean for Faarooq's career,
to win The Royal Rumble?
[Jerry] If I were Faarooq, I think I would've picked
one of these guys and try to buddy up with him.
Make an ally instead of making two enemies right off the bat.
[Ross] He's trying to take Austin over the top.
Here comes Triple H, retaliation on Faarooq.
[Jerry] Yeah, but Faarooq is still fresh-- Oh!
-[Ross] Oh, a stunner. -[crowd cheering]
[Ross] Faarooq got the stunner.
And then Triple H with a thunderous clothesline.
And out goes Faarooq, and Austin and Triple H again
directly or indirectly have eliminated the opposition,
and then go right back to work at beating the hell out of each other.
[Jerry] J.R., this does not bode well
for the rest of the entrants in The Royal Rumble.
These two men team up, they just put their business…
their personal business on pause for a second.
They team up, beat the heck out of you, throw you out of the ring
and then they go back to fighting each other tooth and nail.
[Ross] Folks, if you had Triple H or Austin in your office pool,
I think you're gonna win.
Unless they just beat each other down
and hammer each other so much there's nothing left of them.
[Jerry] J.R., don't underestimate some of the other WWE superstars
that are still left to enter this Rumble.
[Ross] I don't intend to misrepresent that statement, King,
or underestimate those guys, but I mean, Triple H and Austin,
it's almost as if they want it just to be between those two men.
[Jerry] There are some very, very big names that I won't mention
that we have not seen yet.
[Ross] On the eye by Triple H, taking down Austin
as Austin was trying to elevate The Game over that top rope.
And here we go again. It's fast and furious.
The most intense 60 minutes in sports entertainment.
-[crowd] …one. -[buzzer blaring]
["Perfection" playing]
-[crowd cheering] -[Jerry] What did I tell you, J.R.?
There's still some big names to appear in this year's Royal Rumble.
[Ross] And here's one of the biggest in the world
of WWE, Mr. Perfect.
[Jerry] And if he's perfect tonight, he'll win this Royal Rumble.
[Ross] And he may have to be perfect to win this Royal Rumble.
Former Intercontinental Champion.
And Austin taking down The Game. And Perfect, a very savvy wrestler,
is taking his time. Why should he hurry to get to the ring
if Austin and Triple H are still just hammering each other.
[Jerry] Exactly. A very, very wise man, Mr. Perfect.
Always has been. He'll bide his time. Oh, look at this!
[Ross] Perfect made his first Rumble appearance in '93.
Going right for the Rattlesnake.
Perfect seems to be in great condition. No doubt about that.
And now Triple H hitting-- Oh!
Perfect knocking down The Game with a big right hand.
[Jerry] I told you don't underestimate the rest of these superstars
that haven't yet entered.
[Ross] And remember now the luck of the draw
really is coming into play
as they're coming down the home stretch here.
Another right hand by Perfect.
And what a way to come back and rejoin the WWE
by winning the Royal Rumble.
After being mired in almost obscurity since leaving the WWE,
Perfect is back in perfect condition and prepared to win The Royal Rumble.
[Jerry] And can you imagine that comeback? Win the Royal Rumble,
go straight to WrestleMania.
[Ross] Man, that is a storybook situation for Curt Hennig Mr. Perfect or anybody.
And now that downstairs goes The Game. Austin trying to grab a leg.
-[Jerry] Oh! Look at Curt Hennig. -[grunts]
[Jerry] About time to get rid of that gum.
[Ross] Curt Hennig's got Austin wrapped around the neck and holding on.
[crowd counting]
[Ross] He's going down for the third time.
-[crowd] …four, three, two, one. -[buzzer blaring]
[Jerry] Who is it?
["Medal" playing]
[Jerry] Oh, boy!
[Ross] And here comes the King's favorite to win it all.
-His first Royal Rumble, it's Kurt Angle. -[Jerry] Here comes the winner, J.R.
Business has picked up.
[Ross] Kurt Angle going right to The Game.
-[crowd chanting] You suck! -[Jerry] Look at this crowd.
[Ross] Angle had won a gold metal right here in Atlanta in 1996.
This being a "you suck" chant directed at Kurt Angle.
This sold-out crowd here in Atlanta, Georgia.
[Jerry] Now, it's just been changed to a "you suck what."
This is awful. Right here where Kurt won the gold medal for our country.
[Ross] I guess that's what it takes Kurt out of his game mentally.
[Jerry] What if I do that to you? What if I just sat here and said,
"What?" after every time you said anything.
[Ross] Well, that would be very disconcerting.
[Jerry] Right. Well, ask these people to stop.
[Ross] Kurt Angle in his first Royal Rumble
getting chopped and chopped by The Game,
now follows him with the right hand.
Mr. Perfect hammering the Rattlesnake in another corner of the ring.
Four men, all their sights set on one prize,
and that's to win The Royal Rumble match here tonight and go to WrestleMania
and meet the undisputed WWE champion.
[Jerry] Oh, look at this. Look at this!
[Ross] Angle blocked Triple H's intended suplex.
Got the suplex of his own.
And The Game who has not been on pay-per-view since last May,
real gut check for this hellacious gladiator.
Let me tell you, I'm impressed by Mr. Perfect.
He's in great shape and hammering Austin in the near corner where we are.
[Triple H groans]
[Ross] Perfect hasn't been on pay-per-view in forever.
-[Jerry] But he's back tonight. -[crowd cheering]
[Ross] And The Game about to be eliminated.
-And look at Austin. -[Jerry] What is that about?
[Ross] Austin, The Game teetered to the top rope,
pulls Angle off The Game
-and pays for it with an overhead suplex. -[buzzer blaring]
["Big" playing]
[Jerry] I guess you forgot about the Big Show, didn't you J.R.?
[Ross] How do you forget about a 500-pound monster.
Seven-feet-two, 500 pounds,
a size 22 on each shoe, a size-18 ring.
This is the biggest man in the history of sports entertainment.
The biggest athlete at least.
And you got-- Somebody's gotta throw him over the top rope.
-[Jerry] Look out! Oh! -[crowd cheering]
-[Ross] And what a chokeslam on Perfect. -[Jerry] Well, it was perfect.
-Oh! -[Ross] And now The Game.
-[Jerry] Oh! -[Ross] And here comes Austin.
Austin and The Game both going downstairs on the 500-pounder.
[Jerry] Well, The Hurricane couldn't double chokeslam them,
and now neither can the Big Show.
[Ross] Big Show, the last man eliminated in the 2000 Royal Rumble.
-[Jerry] Wow. -[Ross] That match mired in controversy
with a surprise entrant in this match last year.
No surprise this year.
And, man, if you get the luck of the draw, King.
-[grunts] -[Jerry] You got that right.
They don't have to stay in there all night. Oh!
[Ross] Kurt Angle there trying to get behind the Big Show
-with that waistlock and-- -[Jerry] Kurt! Kurt!
-[Ross] Oh, here's comes Angle. -[Jerry] Oh, don't do it.
[Ross] Big Show's gonna throw Angle out.
And Triple H downstairs to the Big Show's knee.
I think that maybe Triple H feels that the Big Show is a bigger threat
in this sort of match than Kurt Angle.
I don't know, that's only an assumption.
[Jerry] Well, I don't agree, but obviously,
Triple H thinks he's a big threat.
He's a big anything actually though.
-[Jerry] Oh, my goodness. -[Ross] And Austin almost…
He almost lost that bald head there. And a headbutt, down goes Perfect.
And Kurt Angle just headbutted right in the face.
Right across the nose.
And Triple H with a low blow on The Game-- or on the Big Show from The Game.
-[Jerry] Oh! -[Ross] He counters.
[buzzer blaring]
[Ross] Oh, God.
["Out of the Fire" playing]
[Ross] Well, are you ready for some hellfire and brimstone?
Are you ready for the Big Red Machine
who made a huge impact last year at The Royal Rumble?
He went almost 60 minutes last year. He eliminated 11 superstars last year.
[Jerry] We're not getting any smaller, J.R.
[Ross] And, man, look at these two bulls.
It's like two big Holstein bulls.
We're gonna see who's gonna control the pasture.
[Jerry] Boy, Kane walked right up to the Big Show.
Big Show said get off me and Kane got right on him.
Lighting him up!
[Ross] Both of them-- Who's gonna blink here?
You talk about lighting it in.
And the Big Show catches Kane coming off right in the face with that huge boot.
-And both men have the same idea. -[crowd cheering]
-[Ross] Something's gotta give here, King. -[Jerry] Yes, it is, J.R.
If I told you that Kane came in this Royal Rumble at number 28,
would you say he's gonna win?
[Ross] I'd say he had a hell of chance of winning.
And look at this!
-Kane! -[Jerry screams]
[Ross] Kane body slammed the Big Show over the top rope.
-[Jerry] What the hell? -[Ross] That is unbelievable!
That god-level strength. Austin with the stunner on Kane.
-A stunner on Kane. -[Jerry] Look out!
[Ross] Angle got that Olympic slam position, eliminates Kane.
[Jerry] This is unbelievable.
[Ross] And now the Big Show take, or-- Triple H taking down Kurt Angle.
That is ungodly.
The Big Show body slammed over the top,
-and then The Game eliminating Kane. -[Jerry] I still-- I wanna see that again.
I can't believe that Kane actually picked up the Big Show,
I just-- I can't say he just tossed him over but somehow…
[Ross] Five hundred pounds lifted and thrown over the top rope.
-[buzzer blaring] -[Jerry] Uh-oh.
[upbeat rock music playing]
[crowd cheering]
[Ross] And here comes Rob Van Dam.
The luck of the draw may be smiling on RVD.
Angle's down, look out-- Angle's got knocked down.
-Five star! My God, five star! -[Jerry] What an opportunistic idiot.
-[Ross] That just twisted the guts… -[Jerry] Look at this.
…of Kurt Angle.
[Jerry] Rob Van Dam, you gotta be the luckiest man in Atlanta, Georgia.
[Ross] RVD knocking down The Game, knocking down Austin.
RVD taking down Perfect.
RVD now with those educated feet.
[crowd cheering]
[Ross] Taking down whatever-- It might be freezing here.
[Jerry] But more important than having your feet educated
is having the luck of the draw in the Rumble, number 29.
[Ross] The Rolling Thunder by RVD, but here comes The Game.
The Game back up, The Game back up. Oh, Pedigree!
And Kurt Angle from behind knocking down The Game.
The Game got the pedigree on RVD. He had to slow down that runaway train.
[Jerry] Everybody's taking cheap shots. Look, they're all down, J.R.
[Ross] Man, this look like two trucks collided here.
Out here on I-75.
[Jerry] Kurt, are you all right? Just remember, I picked you.
-[Ross] Five men. -[Jerry] Don't let me down.
[Ross] A lot of carnage.
And Austin, Austin going back to Triple H.
[Jerry] You got a lot riding on ya, Kurt.
[Ross] Angle, now the right hand on Mr. Perfect.
The returning Mr. Perfect.
Can he make this a perfect Royal Rumble?
-[crowd cheering] -[Jerry] Hello! Still got something left.
[Ross] And the veteran from Minneapolis fighting back.
Angle, front face lock.
[Jerry] Here comes the final entrant, J.R.
-[Ross] Here comes number 30. -[crowd] …three, two, one.
[buzzer blaring]
-["Rap Sheet" playing] -[Jerry] Oh!
[Ross] Well, he's the luckiest man in the building,
to draw number 30, it's Booker T.
[Jerry] He's no sucker tonight. [laughs]
[Ross] Booker T in a very enviable situation.
He's fresh, he hasn't been beat on, and this is his first ever Royal Rumble.
[Jerry] Can you dig it, Booker T?
[Ross] And now we go until there's only one man left.
-[Jerry] Look at this! -[crowd cheering]
[Ross] And the Pedigree, RVD never recovered from the Pedigree
and Booker T just eliminated Rob Van Dam.
[Jerry] I don't think Rob Van Dam was even conscious-- Hey, look at this.
[Ross] I hope not.
[Jerry] A Spinaroonie right in the middle of the Royal Rumble,
-it's a royal Spinaroonie! [laughs] -[Ross] Be still, my beating heart.
And Booker T celebrating a little early.
-[Jerry] Look out! -[Ross] And stunned over the top rope.
And we're back down to this four, the final four here.
There are no more entrants.
One of these four men are going to go to WrestleMania.
[Jerry] Look at this, J.R.
[Ross] Austin, tucking right into Triple H.
[Jerry] He almost stunned Kurt Angle, but then he got--
And just had almost a Pedigree. And there goes Triple H. Ooh!
[Ross] And Triple H catapulted
head first to the top turnbuckle by Austin.
-[Jerry] Kurt Angle! -[Ross] Kurt Angle underneath
with the Angle Slam and Triple H drilled.
No pinfalls, no disqualifications, only one way to lose,
and that's to be thrown over the top rope all the way to the floor.
Austin and Perfect. You got to be impressed with Perfect.
[Jerry] Gotta be impressed, he has been perfect tonight.
-Look at this. -[Ross] Oh, German suplex by Kurt Angle,
locking those hands like a pit bull dog.
Oh, and drilling Austin, and again holding on.
[Jerry] Call it a German suplex if you want to,
I like call to it a good old US Olympic suplex.
[Ross] Reminiscent of the Rabid Wolverine,
the awesome Chris Benoit locking those hands and taking on Austin.
-[Jerry] Oh, no! -[Ross] And that was a low blow by Austin.
[Jerry] What Austin had to resort to. Oh, look out!
[Ross] That's a very un-Olympic way to counter.
And now Austin trying to get Perfect up and over.
One of these four men will go to WrestleMania
on March the 17th in the SkyDome in Toronto
-to meet the WWE champion. -[Jerry] Oh, look at this!
-Oh, look out! Look out! -[Ross] Angle from behind.
-[Jerry] Look out! -[Ross] Angle and Perfect,
-they're trying to remove Austin. -[Jerry] Only four men, so close.
[Ross] Austin being double teamed, but he didn't go to the floor.
[Jerry] Man.
Can you imagine being one of the final four
and then getting eliminated?
Being so close to being in the main event at WrestleMania
and then getting eliminated.
[Ross] Austin coming back up and lashing out.
The Texas Rattlesnake knows what's at stake here.
Austin's won it three times.
[Jerry] Three guys just beating on each other,
-just pounding away at each other. -[Ross] If you can get a place, smack it!
[Jerry] Kurt Angle, the first man to hit the deck.
[Ross] And again Austin trying to hoist Mr. Perfect over the top rope.
[Jerry] Oh, you now got him.
-[Ross] And-- Oh, Kurt Angle! -[Jerry] Look out!
[Ross] Kurt Angle just eliminated the Rattlesnake.
-[crowd cheering] -[Ross] Kurt Angle just eliminated Austin
as Austin was about to eliminate Mr. Perfect.
-[crowd cheering] -[Jerry] Unbelievable.
[Ross] Austin has been eliminated.
And now, wait a minute, Austin bringing Perfect on the outside.
Austin taking Perfect on the outside with a hard right hand.
And here comes Angle from behind to take Austin again.
[Jerry] What's Austin mad at Mr. Perfect for?
It was Kurt Angle that eliminated him.
Now, Kurt Angle puts the exclamation point on the Rattlesnake.
[Ross] Angle came from behind
and sent Austin for a ride in those steel steps.
And now there's three men left. Triple H, Kurt Angle, Mr. Perfect.
Who's going to WrestleMania to meet the champion?
[Jerry] Well, we got to figure now, you gotta take everything into account.
Who's the freshest?
Which one of these three was the last one to enter?
I think it's Kurt Angle.
And wait a minute, you gotta get the Rattlesnake out of here.
He's still walking around the ring, he's got a metal chair.
-[Ross] Austin, toughest SOB in the WWE. -[Jerry] He can't go back-- Referee!
-[Ross] He's got him a chair. -[Jerry] Referee!
-[Ross] Oh, God! Oh, Perfect down. -[Jerry] What the hell, referee?
[Ross] Angle is down.
But there's no disqualification, King.
There's nothing the referees-- Oh!
Austin just nailed Triple H, I guess for the hell of it.
-Because he's the Texas Rattlesnake. -[crowd cheering]
[Ross] Austin may have been eliminated, King,
but he's made his mark indelibly
on the head of his three adversaries.
[Jerry] He is the meanest rattlesnake you'll ever lay eyes on.
Don't trust anybody, especially that snake right there.
[Ross] The Bionic Redneck is pissed, you can count on that.
-[Jerry] Come on! You've done your damage. -[crowd cheering]
[Ross] Austin came to win, but it was not to be on this night,
thanks to Mr. Perfect and Kurt Angle.
But look at the carnage perpetrated by "Stone Cold" Steve Austin.
[Jerry] Who got hit first with the chair? He may be the first to revive.
-[Ross] I think that was Kurt Angle. -[Jerry] He's the freshest.
[Ross] If you wanna call that fresh. Angle, Perfect and Triple H
all got a chair shot to the head by Austin.
[Jerry] Who got hit the hardest? They're all woozy.
[Ross] Every man trying to--
Perfect's punches don't have the zing that they had earlier,
thanks to that chair shot, but still effective.
-Kurt Angle props himself up. -[Jerry] No, no, don't do it, Kurt. Oh!
[Ross] Triple H… Triple H and Kurt Angle. Triple H is down.
Kurt Angle missed Perfect, who very athletically held on.
[Jerry] Oh, see, Kurt, you should've just stood over there
and left it to Perfect and Triple H to beat each other up, bided your time,
and then when one of them was in a weakened condition--
-Oh, no! -[Ross] The Perfect-Plex!
[Jerry] Does he need a pin?
[Ross] What a grab in the air out of Kurt Angle, the Perfect-Plex.
And a snap on that neck.
-And Triple H exploded… -[Jerry] Oh!
…and eliminates Mr. Perfect. It's down to Triple H and Kurt Angle.
Let see who's gonna win The Royal Rumble match.
Let see who's gonna go to WrestleMania.
[Jerry] Boy, Curt Hennig really was 99% perfect,
-and now look at these two. -[crowd cheering]
[Ross] We started with 30, we are down to two.
The stakes are just as high as they were when we got here tonight.
One man will find himself in the main event at WrestleMania
in the SkyDome in Toronto. Will it be Kurt Angle?
-[Jerry] Here we go! -[Ross] Will it be The Game?
[crowd cheering]
[Ross] And Triple H with the right hands, taking down Kurt Angle.
[Jerry] Come on, Kurt.
[Ross] It ain't gonna be pretty the rest of the way.
[Jerry] It's a must-win for you, Kurt.
[Ross] It's a must-win for both these magnificent athletes,
there's no doubt about that.
[Jerry] Yeah, but this is Kurt Angle's first ever Royal Rumble.
We know he always wins the first time he ever enters anything.
[Ross] But it's Triple H's first match back since last May,
-[Jerry] Whoa! -[Ross] Big suplex!
Bit of a belly overhead suplex by Kurt Angle.
Almost taking Triple H out of the boots, The Game's boots.
[Jerry] Come on, Kurt, remember he had that torn quadricep--
Uh-oh, look at that.
[Ross] Look over here. It's gonna be over here.
Angle, relentlessly, desperately trying to put Kurt Angle over the top.
Angle wants to win it, he can taste it, he's close.
-[crowd cheering] -[Jerry] Kick him off!
-[Ross] And The Game holding on. -[Jerry] Kick hard! Fast, hit him.
[Ross] But The Game on that apron, he's in a dangerous position here.
Triple H is in no man's land on that apron.
Fighting back with a taped right hand.
[Jerry] Well, Triple H is back in it now, good as new!
[Ross] Choke takedown by The Game.
Again, no disqualification.
[crowd cheering]
[Ross] Kurt Angle somehow, as does The Game,
they both make their way back up.
They're gonna give you everything they've got
as if they haven't already, to win it.
-[Jerry] Here it this! -[Ross] Here we go! Triple H is out-- No!
His feet. There's the referee, Tim White, with a safe.
[Jerry] Kurt, turn around you didn't win yet.
Turn around, Kurt, you didn't win!
[Ross] Angle thinks he's won!
-[Jerry] Oh! -[Ross] Facebuster.
-Angle in trouble. Angle in trouble. -[Jerry] No, Kurt! No!
-[bell ringing] -[Ross] It's over! It's over!
The Game! The Game.
[announcer] Your winner of the Royal Rumble match, Triple H.
[Ross] He walked the wastelands of hell just to make it back
when many said he'll never make it.
And now Triple H is going to WrestleMania.
Triple H is going to meet the undisputed WWE champion
at WrestleMania.
["The Game" playing]
[Ross] My God, what an accomplishment.
Surviving 30 men.
And indeed The Game has begun.
Triple H entered the Royal Rumble with only one thought in mind,
-and that was to win it, King. -[Jerry] It was a must-win situation.
He said… he told the world that that was his goal
when we came back from that eight-month hiatus.
And he did it, J.R. He did it!
[Ross] Triple H has returned from a career threatening injury,
before a sellout crowd and a worldwide audience
to win The Royal Rumble.
Oh, it's gonna be an entertaining ride to WrestleMania.
♪ It's all about the game And how you play it ♪
♪ It's all about control… ♪
[music concludes] control… ♪