Royal Rumble (1998)

Infobox Wrestling event
name=Royal Rumble (1998)


tagline="Pain! Just a 4 Letter Word."
theme=
promotion=World Wrestling Federation
date=January 18 1998
venue=San Jose Arena
city=San Jose, California
attendance=18,500
lastevent=
nextevent=
event=Royal Rumble
lastevent2=Royal Rumble (1997)
nextevent2=Royal Rumble (1999)

Royal Rumble (1998) was the eleventh annual Royal Rumble professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by the World Wrestling Federation (WWF). It took place on January 18 1998 at the San Jose Arena in San Jose, California.

Background

In the weeks leading up to the pay-per-view, Ken Shamrock had been facing various members of the Nation of Domination ahead of his booked match against Intercontinental champion Rocky Maivia, defeating Kama Mustafa and Faarooqcite web|url=http://www.onlineworldofwrestling.com/results/raw/_1998/|title=Raw is War 1998 Results|publisher=Online World of Wrestling|accessdate=2008-07-21] with his ankle lock despite interference from other Nation members. The Raw is War before the Rumble saw Shamrock tag up with Mark Henry against Maivia and D'Lo Brown but just as Shamrock looked set to lock his submission on The Rock, Henry turned on him, joining the Nation in giving him a post-match beat down.

After winning their first tag team title, the New Age Outlaws further humiliated the erstwhile champions, Legion of Doom by shaving one of Hawk's mohawks and, with the help of D-Generation X, powerbombed Animal through the announce table damaging his back. Although he was advised not to compete by doctors, Animal rested through the first few weeks of the year while the Outlaws ran roughshod through the tag division before this pay-per-view.

The build up to the Royal Rumble match itself focused almost entirely on Stone Cold Steve Austin. He declared that before the match he would be living by the motto "Do unto others, before they do unto me" interfering in matches regularly on Raw is War, or appearing just as matches finished, delivering the stunner to anyone in sight as well leaving other wrestlers back stage buried under tables and chairs. In the final segment of the Raw preceding the event, all competitors of the Royal Rumble were in the ring, waiting to draw their number of entry when Austin ran in through the crowd and began throw punches all over the ring, sparking a brawl between the various wrestlers fueding in the ring, and kicking the number generator out of the ring.

The main event for the WWF Championship was a rematch between champion Shawn Michaels and challenger The Undertaker, who had previously fought at Badd Blood in the first Hell in a Cell match which ended with the debut of Undertaker's (kayfabe) brother, Kane, giving Michaels the unfair win by delivering a tombstone piledriver on Undertaker, allowing the almost beaten Michaels to steal the match.cite web|url= http://slam.canoe.ca/SlamWrestlingArchive/oct6_badd.html|title=Undertaker Gets Cain-ed at Badd Blood|accessdate=2008-07-13|publisher=SLAM! Sports] To mock his opponent, Triple H and Chyna brought a casket to the match only for Michaels to appear from inside and spray paint it in D-Generation X slogans. The following week, while Michaels was delivering a promo, the same casket appeared again but this time Undertaker appeared from inside, grabbing the champion by the throat and dragging him into the coffin. Undertaker made his full presence known the following week, interrupting an interview in which Michaels was claiming to introduce the newest DX member: Kane. Undertaker told his opponent to leave his family out of the feud, before attacking the stable and being outnumbered. Kane made a surprise appearance and helped Undertaker, fighting DX up to the ramp before turning and reaching his hand out in an Undertaker-like salute which his brother returned.

Event

The opening match began with Artist Formerly Known as Goldust attacking Vader as he entered the ring. Vader soon recovered and threw Goldust into the turnbuckle before he eventually fell out of the ring where, in making an attack for the Artist, Vader also shoves Luna Vachon to the ground. After a suplex and a big splash, Goldust was dragged to the corner to be finished but a referee distraction allows a low blow which only stalled the end of the match as Vader soon gained momentum again and when attempting a Vader Bomb for the second time, Vachon jumps on his back to stop him, but it had little effect as Vader delivered the finisher, Luna's head inadvertently slamming into the mat and Vader picked up the three count.

A backstage segment showed Michael Cole unsuccesfully interviewing Stone Cold, who pulled up in his truck and walked right past him only for The Godwinns to follow Austin. With Sunny as the special guest referee, a six-man tag match of lucha libre midget wrestling took place. The face team took most of the early advantage, tagging frequently while the heel team were regularly thrown under the bottom rope and replaced with a fresh member. Max Mini used Sunny to help him dropkick Battallion, Tarantula and then El Dorito in order and then delivers a top rope hurricarana to Dorito, and winning the match with a backslide pin.

Backstage the Nation of Domination stormed Austin's locker room only to find a foam finger on a chair giving them the salute.

The Intercontinental bout began with an exchange of punches and a few kicks until Ken Shamrock mistimed a hurricarana, allowing Rocky Maivia to slam him down. After being kicked to the corner, Shamrock replied with a crossbody that only gains him a two-count, as does a fisherman suplex pin. Rock took control by reversing an irish whip into a DDT and then putting the challenger in a headlock. His next attempt at a DDT is reversed, however, into a powerslam prompting Nation members to storm the ring. With the referee distracted, The Rock used a brass knuckles to hit Shamrock and then disposed of the knuckleduster inside Shamrock's trunks. By the time the referee looked back to the ring, he could only make a two count and Shamrock pulled of a belly to belly suplex slam, winning the match. However, as Shamrock celebrated, Rock appealed to Mike Chioda who, upon discovering the foreign object, reversed the decision and took the belt from a bemused Shamrock.

Los Boricuas are then shown giving a locker room beating to a wrestler they think is Austin but turns out to be Disciples member Skull, whose team mates came to rescue him.

In the tag team match, New Age Outlaws prematurely began by attacking Legion of Doom before the bell rang but the Legion quickly turned the match in their favor, chasing the Outlaws up the ramp as the champions try to lose by count out. Still holding control, the Legion took turns on Road Dogg who eventually handcuffed Hawk to the corner outside the ring. Regardless, Animal succesfully dominated both Road Dogg and Billy Gunn, powerslamming Gunn into a pin that is broken by a chair shot. The disqualification gives the victory to LOD while the New Age Outlaws retain the belts, double teaming Animal until Hawk broke free from the cuffs to save his partner.

The Royal Rumble began with Mick Foley's guise Cactus Jack as #1, bringing trash cans to the ring. The second contestant was Terry Funk's alter-ego Chainsaw Charlie who ran to the ring wielding his chainsaw before Cactus hit him with a chair and the two engaged in a hardcore battle briefly interrupted by Tom Brandi who they both quickly throw over the top rope. As The Rock entered, he was met with a trash can over the head, being bundled out of the ring under the bottom rope briefly. As the ring filled up Cactus Jack went to clothesline Charlie over the top rope but inadvertently threw himself over and eliminated himself. Owen Hart came out to #9 but before he can enter the ring, NWA North American Champion Jeff Jarret and ally Jim Cornette attack him and flee. Soon after, at #16, Mick Foley returned to the ring in his Mankind gimmick, returning the favour by eliminating Chainsaw Charlie while Ken Shamrock and The Rock resume their feud from earlier. Jeff Jarret officially comes out at #18 and is soon joined in the ring by Owen Hart, running out from the back and eliminating Jarret while he struts. Owen himself was soon distracted by the non-competing Triple H, who hit him with a crutch as Chyna yanked him out. When the clock counted down to #22, no contestant appeared with Jerry Lawler on commentary attributing the number to Stone Cold Steve Austin, who had reportedly been taken out backstage by Ken Shamrock. By #23, the Nation of Domination had four members (Rock, D'Lo Brown, Mark Henry and Kama Mustafa) in the ring although they seldom work together, regardless all fighting in the ring ceased when Austin's music played for #24 but after a lengthy wait, Stone Cold appeared from behind and tossed out Marc Mero and 8-Ball. Accompanying entrant #26, Savio Vega, is the rest of Los Boricuas who went straight after Austin. Faarooq completed the Nation stable in the ring but went straight after fellow team mate The Rock before Foley's third appearance as Dude Love appears. Soon only four men remain (Rock, Austin, Dude Love and Farooq) and the former tag team partners took on the Nation members, irish whipping them into themselves until Austin turned on Dude, allowing Faarooq to clothesline him out of the match. When Faarooq then turned to Austin, Rock tossed his teammate out of the ring leaving the former Intercontinental champion against the current champion. The Rock survives almost being thrown out only to be stunnered and tossed out again.

The main event began with Undertaker mostly controlling Michaels. After walking on the top rope, Undertaker rolled Michaels into the casket but Michaels' hand grabbing the ring apron stopped it from being shut. As Undertaker went to smash the lid shut, Michaels threw it open and dazzled his opponent by throwing powder into his eyes, leaving him stunned. Despite a throat shot, Undertaker began to lose his dominance of the match as things moved outside of the ring, with Michaels delivering a piledriver on top of the steel steps, before fellow degenerate, Triple H, hit him with a crutch. Michaels, too, failed to close the coffin's lid on Undertaker, forcing the fight back into the ring where Shawn tried to submit his opponent, following with a high-flying elbow drop and Sweet Chin Music. So sure of the win, with Undertaker lying in the casket, rather than close it, Shawn straddled the tomb, giving a crotch-chop which Undertaker seized on, leading to a brief fight in the ring but going back into the casket when Undertaker mistimed an irish whip manouevre and ended up sliding into the box. Michaels climbed to the top rope and delivered an elbow drop into the casket and the two fought inside a closed coffin. After eventually climbing out, both made it back to the ring where Undertaker gave Shawn a chokeslam followed by a tombstone piledriver into the casket. Before Undertaker could close it, the New Age Outlaws and Los Boricuas ran in and collectively pummelled Undertaker until the lights went out in the arena. Kane's music played and the Big Red Monster singlehandedly took out everyone in the ring. In the mean time Chyna and Triple H helped a visibly hurt Shawn Michaels out of the casket. Kane suddenly turned on Undertaker, punching him and chokeslamming him into the casket, with D-Generation X closing it before Paul Bearer appeared, instructing Kane to padlock the coffin shut and setting it ablaze at the top of the ramp.cite web|url=http://slam.canoe.ca/SlamWrestlingArchive/jan19_rumble.html|title=Austin Wins Predictable Rumble|accessdate=2008-07-13|publisher=SLAM! Sports]

Aftermath

By winning the Royal Rumble match, Stone Cold Steve Austin won the right to face Shawn Michaels for the WWF Championship at WrestleMania XIV. Mike Tyson's presence in the director's box was revealed the following night to be because he was taking the role of special guest referee for the event. However, following an altercation with Austin he was changed to special enforcer and soon allied with D-Generation X.cite web|url=http://www.wwe.com/inside/listthis/ruggedroadstomania/roadstomania4|title=The Gloves Come Off|date=2007-03-27|last=McAvennie|first=Mike|accessdate=2008-04-15|publisher= WWE] At WrestleMania, though, Tyson showed his true colours and stepped in when the referee was knocked down making the three-count for Austincite web|url=http://www.wwe.com/shows/wrestlemania/history/wm14/results/|title=WrestleMania XIV Results|publisher=WWE|accessdate=2008-07-18] which many see as the genesis for the Attitude era and WWF's resurging dominance over chief rivals WCW.

Moreover, during the match with The Undertaker, Shawn Michaels suffered an injury to his back which would result in his ostensible retirement from wrestling at WrestleMania. As it transpired, during a one-off match with Triple H at SummerSlam 2002,cite web|url=http://www.wwe.com/shows/summerslam/history/2002/results/|title=SummerSlam 2002 Results|publisher=WWE|accessdate=2008-07-18] he realised his back no longer hampered him and made a full time return to wrestling. His back injury kept him out of all wrestling until the main event at WrestleMania, despite being billed on the card for the next PPV, No Way Out of Texas. His last-minute replacement was Savio Vega, who appeared in the main event eight-man tag team match which saw a number of high-profile feuds converge on the road to WrestleMania.cite web|url=http://www.wwe.com/shows/nowayout/history/1998/results/|title=No Way Out of Texas Results|accessdate=2008-07-12|publisher=WWE]

The New Age Outlaws would go on to take part in the eight-man main event at No Way Out of Texas, sparring opposite Cactus Jack and Chainsaw Charlie ahead of their WrestleMania title match. Their alliance with Triple H in this match saw them join the newly formed DX Army the day after WrestleMania. Legion of Doom went on to suffer a series of losses, ending in another loss against the Outlaws on February 23 after which they had an inring brawl and announced the dissolution of their team. They reappeared in a modified form as LOD 2000 in the opening WrestleMania match with Sunny as their valet.cite web|url=http://www.wwe.com/shows/wrestlemania/history/wm14/results/|title=WrestleMania XIV Results|publisher=WWE|accessdate=2008-07-18]

Rocky Maivia's feud with Ken Shamrock spilled out into a ten-man tag match between the Nation of Domination and Shamrock's team, teaming with Ahmed Johnsonn and the Disciples of Apocalypse. Shamrock won the match by pinning Rock name and faced him at WrestleMania once again for the Intercontintal title. He originally won the match but would not release his ankle lock and was thus disqualified.cite web|url=http://www.wwe.com/shows/wrestlemania/history/wm14/results/|title=WrestleMania XIV Results|publisher=WWE|accessdate=2008-07-18]

Results

References

External links

* [http://www.wwe.com/shows/royalrumble/history/198811511/ Official 1998 Royal Rumble website]
*cite news|title=2007 Wrestling Almanac & Book of Facts|work=Wrestling’s Historical Cards|publisher=Kappa Publishing|date= 2007|pages=100
* [http://www.twnpnews.com/information/rumble.shtml twnpnews.com - Royal Rumble]
* [http://www.hoffco-inc.com/wwe/ppv/ppv/rr98.html hoofco-inc.com - Royal Rumble '98 review]
* [http://www.oowrestling.com/columns/ooldtyme/20050824.shtml onlineonslaught.com - Royal Rumble '98 review]