WWF Royal Rumble was a 1997 professional wrestling event put on by the World Wrestling Federation. It was the 11th annual Royal Rumble event, the 1st event of 1996, and the 85th event overall in the alternate WWF timeline. Taking place in the Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas, the main event was a WWF title match between Vader and the man he defeated for the title at Survivor Series, Shawn Michaels, in front of Michaels' hometown crowd. The other key match was the annual Royal Rumble match, a 30-Man Battle Royal in which the winner received a title shot at Wrestlemania. Other matches on the card included Alundra Blayze defending the Women's Title against the returning former champion Tina Ferrari, Ahmed Johnson facing Faarooq in a non-title Strap Match, and Chris Jericho defending the Lightheavyweight Championship against Hector Garza.
Prelude[]
The two big feuds going into the Royal Rumble were the WWF title feud between Vader and Shawn Michaels and the ongoing issues between Bret Hart and Stone Cold Steve Austin. The former champion was hellbent on recapturing the WWF Title from Vader, attacking him during his match with Bret Hart at In Your House and continuing to assault him whenever he could get the drop on him. However, Vader's strength made HBK look like a man on a suicide mission, as more than once the champion fended off the challenger with sheer power and brutality. To solve their issues, Commissioner Slaughter made the match at Royal Rumble a no disqualification match with Jim Cornette and Jose Lothario both agreeing to be handcuffed at ringside, to keep interference to a minimum.
The feud between Austin and the Hitman spilled over into the Royal Rumble match itself, as both men had entered it. Austin had gotten himself reinstated due to the actions of Bret Hart at the previous month's In Your House (when Bret attacked Austin when he was in the crowd as a "fan", leading to Austin pressing charges unless he was reinstated) while the Hitman was bent on entering the match to ensure that not only he went on to Wrestlemania, but that he also stopped Austin from becoming WWF Champion "for the good of the title and the company." Outside the two's feud, the Royal Rumble was loaded with talent, including Ahmed Johnson, Faarooq (the first two men to compete in a one on one match and the Rumble match itself on the same night), Mankind, Undertaker, Sycho Sid and plenty more. The Rumble also saw the return of two stars from the past in The Honky Tonk Man and Terry Funk.
Ahmed Johnson and Faarooq were in the Rumble, but it should have appeared obvious to anyone that there issues were largely with each other. Since before Summerslam the two had been in each other's orbit, and the long running feud between the leader of the Nation and the current TV Champion wasn't likely to be solved anytime soon. They finally met one on one for the first time in months at the Alamodome, with the match being made a Strap Match due to the added heat of the feud.
Since regaining the Women's Title for the unprecedented sixth time, Alundra Blayze had said she was ready to once again take on all comers. However this challenge was answered by a woman who had dominated the division in her years long absence in the form of Tina Ferrari. The two had squared off years earlier, but this was their first one on one encounter in five years, with many questioning who the real star of the Women's division would be now.
Event[]
Coming Soon...
Results[]
| No. | Results | Stipulations | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| FFA | Owen Hart d. "Wildman" Marc Mero w/Sable | Singles Match to Determine #30 Entrant in Rumble Match | 9:56 |
| 1 | Faarooq d. Ahmed Johnson by Pinfall | No Disqualification Strap Match | 13:37 |
| 2 | Hector Garza d. Chris Jericho w/Lance Storm (c) by Pinfall | Singles Match for the WWF Lightheavyweight Title | 15:28 |
| 3 | Ken Shamrock d. Bob Holly by Submission | Singles Match | 8:00 |
| 4 | Alundra Blayze (c) & Tina Ferrari Wrestled to a No Contest | Singles Match for the WWF Women's Title | 9:25 |
| 5 | The Undertaker Won the Royal Rumble | 30-Man Royal Rumble Match | 67:59 |
| 6 | "The Heartbreak Kid" Shawn Michaels w/Jose Lothario d. Vader w/Jim Cornette (c) by Pinfall | No Disqualification Match for the WWF Championship | 14:23 |
Royal Rumble Order[]
| No. | Entrant | Eliminated by |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Rocky Maivia | Stone Cold Steve Austin |
| 2 | The Honky Tonk Man | Rocky Maivia |
| 3 | John Hawk Bradshaw | Sycho Sid |
| 4 | Thrasher | Rocky Maivia |
| 5 | Mosh | Stone Cold Steve Austin |
| 6 | D'Lo Brown | Rocky Maivia |
| 7 | Phineas I. Godwinn | Stone Cold Steve Austin |
| 8 | The British Bulldog | Owen Hart |
| 9 | "Wildman" Marc Mero | Hunter Hearst Helmsley |
| 10 | Stone Cold Steve Austin | The Undertaker |
| 11 | Billy Gunn | "Wildman" Marc Mero |
| 12 | Brian Christopher | Rocky Maivia |
| 13 | Sycho Sid | The Undertaker |
| 14 | Savio Vega | Ahmed Johnson |
| 15 | "The Franchise" Shane Douglas | Bret "The Hitman" Hart |
| 16 | Bret "The Hitman" Hart | Stone Cold Steve Austin* |
| 17 | Kama | The Undertaker |
| 18 | Henry O. Godwinn | Stone Cold Steve Austin |
| 19 | Mankind | The Undertaker |
| 20 | Hunter Hearst Helmsley | Bret "The Hitman" Hart |
| 21 | The Undertaker | WINNER |
| 22 | Faarooq | Stone Cold Steve Austin* |
| 23 | Leif Cassidy | Bret "The Hitman" Hart |
| 24 | Goldust | The British Bulldog |
| 25 | Terry Funk | Mankind |
| 26 | Ahmed Johnson | Stone Cold Steve Austin* |
| 27 | Flash Funk | The British Bulldog |
| 28 | Scott "Too Hot" Taylor | Bret "The Hitman" Hart |
| 29 | Jake "The Snake" Roberts | Stone Cold Steve Austin |
| 30 | Owen Hart | The Undertaker |
*=Bret Hart, Ahmed Johnson & Faarooq were all eliminated by Austin after Austin had seemingly been eliminated by Bret Hart, but snuck back into the match due to referee's distraction. These eliminations were later deemed official due to the referee's decisions standing.
Aftermath[]
While The Undertaker secured his spot in the main event of Wrestlemania, the title would be vacated by Michaels weeks after winning it due to a supposed knee injury. This would lead to a match at In Your House: Zero Hour as Vader (exercising his rematch clause) would face Bret Hart, Faarooq, Ahmed Johnson & Steve Austin in a Five-Way Match to determine the new champion. In addition, Owen Hart's elimination of his tag partner The British Bulldog led to tension between the tag team champions that would spill over in coming weeks. The debuting Chyna (who interfered in the Blayze/Ferrari match) would not only be an active female competitor, but also be the valet of Hunter Hearst Helmsley in the coming months, as he continued his feud with Marc Mero.