Welcome to another edition of Triple Threat from Smark Out Moment, where three of us get together to discuss three questions based on one big topic going down in the week of professional wrestling.
This week, Dallas Allsopp, Matt Morgan and Greg Coleman share their greatest Royal Rumble moments!
Each year, the Royal Rumble match is one of the most hotly anticipated contests. But what do we consider as the greatest Royal Rumble moments?
Question 1: Which elimination do you consider to be the greatest of all time? Which save stands out most in your memory?
ALLSOPP: I cannot look past Brock Lesnar’s elimination at the hands of Drew McIntyre at the 2020 Royal Rumble. That moment made McIntyre, and the fact that Lesnar remained ringside to intimidate him for ages sealed the moment for me. In 20 years, I will still remember this elimination fondly.
The cheese ball in me really enjoys the Mandy Rose save by Otis during the 2020 Royal Rumble, but the real answer is Shawn Michaels from the 1995 Royal Rumble. This truly established the two feet must touch the floor for an elimination rule, whilst also coming across as a stunning visual.
MORGAN: This is kind of an oddball answer. For me, I love Paul London’s elimination from the 2005 Royal Rumble. The fact that London was able to flip himself inside out after receiving Snitsky’s clothesline was incredible.
As far as a favorite save, I appreciate how Xavier Woods and Big E saved Kofi Kingston during the 2018 Rumble match. That moment helped reiterate how tight the bond is between all three members of The New Day.
COLEMAN: Tough question, because there are so many memorable eliminations. However, I have to pick one, so I’ll pick Shawn Michaels eliminating Davey Boy Smith when it looked like he had been eliminated. This was the first Rumble where the rule of both feet needing to touch the floor to be eliminated was really a factor in the finish of the Rumble.
The best save would be Kofi Kingston's handstand to get back into the ring. A close second would be Kingston using Michael Cole’s chair to get back into the ring.
Question 2: Who do you consider to be ‘Mr. Royal Rumble’?
MORGAN: I consider Kofi Kingston to be Mr. Royal Rumble. I know that Kingston has never won a Rumble match. However, he has consistently, year after year, found a creative way to save himself from being eliminated. I personally think one of the highlights in every Rumble match each year is watching Kingston implement some creative move, or idea, to save himself.
COLEMAN: Mr. Royal Rumble is Stone Cold Steve Austin, the only wrestler to win the Rumble three times, so that’s my pick.
ALLSOPP: Shawn Michaels. I would select him every single time I’m asked, as he contributed to so many solid and entertaining moments. Winning in 1995 and 1996 cemented his place in history, but his contributions in 2003, 2005, 2006, and the memorable 2010 quest to face The Undertaker are not equalled by anyone in WWE history. Not only is The Heart Break Kid Mr. WrestleMania, but he is also Mr. Royal Rumble.
Question 3: Which Royal Rumble match do you consider the greatest of all time?
COLEMAN: The 1992 Royal Rumble is the greatest Rumble match ever. The star power that was featured in that match was second to none. The match was for the WWF Championship and Ric Flair won the match from the 3rd spot, going over an hour. To cap it off, Flair cuts one of the best promos of his career after the win.
ALLSOPP: My head says the 1992 iteration was stunning, but my heart says 2001. Stone Cold winning was a huge moment for me, but the match as a whole incorporated so many aspects of the Attitude Era, that I cannot fail to smile every time I watch it. The 2020 offering is perhaps the best recent example of how to correctly book a Royal Rumble match.
MORGAN: Growing up, I was a huge fan of women’s wrestling. I never thought I would see the day in WWE that women would have their own Royal Rumble match, let alone main event one of the biggest pay-per-views of the year. So for me, my “greatest Royal Rumble match of all time” has to be the 2018 Women’s Royal Rumble. To me, that match represented progress for the women’s division. The match also represented everything that I wish I could have seen as a young fan from the women’s division. I will never not remember the first Women’s Royal Rumble fondly.
Those are our thoughts on the issue, but where do you stand?
Let us know your answers to these questions in the comments below!
Subscribe to Smark Out Moment on YouTube, iTunes, Google Podcasts, Spotify, and more!
0 comments: