Nickrj’s rant for Royal Rumble 2001
Live from the New Orleans Arena in New Orleans, Louisiana on January 21, 2001
Man I wish Coliseum Video had released all of their videos to retailers everywhere (as WWF/E Home Video did) so that I can enjoy the older history of the WWF more from 1997 and before.
Your hosts are Jim Ross and Jerry Lawler
The Dudleys suffered concussions at the hands of E&C earlier in the week. The Dudleys pound on E&C to start and E&C slide out of the ring. The Dudleys chase them however and they brawl on the aisleway. D-Von hits a neckbreaker on Edge for 2. Christian gets the tag and is handled by D-Von. Bubba Ray gets the tag and they hit a double elbow for 2. Bubba hits a face first drop on Christian. Christian gets a head scissors but takes a sidewalk slam for 2. D-Von comes in as does Edge who is powerslammed for 2. Christian nails D-Von from behind however and Edge takes control and hits a back suplex. Christian comes in and hits a Russian leg sweep. E&C do some double teaming in the corner and Edge gets an illegal tag. Edge gets a neckbreaker for 2. Edge comes back in and goes to the chinlock. D-Von gets up and tags another leg sweep for 2. Christian comes back in and hammers on D-Von as the crowd chants “We want tables!” Edge tries a piledriver but is slingshotted headfirst into the crotch of Christian. Double clothesline spot occurs. Buh Buh gets the tag but the ref doesn’t see it. E&C grab chairs but they hit each others chairs instead and D-Von hits a double clothesline. Buh Buh gets the hot tag and hits a backdrop on Christian and a stun gun on Edge followed by a Bubba bomb. D-Von hits the WHAZZUP CROTCH HEADBUTT OF DOOM on Edge and Bubba yells “GET THE TABLE!!” D-Von pulls out a table and Bubba rolls up Edge for 2. The Dudley’s try the 3-D but Bubba is speared by Edge for 2. Edge tries the WHAZZUP but it backfires and he headbutts Christian. The Dudleys hit the 3-D on Edge for the pin at 9:59 to regain the tag team titles! Big pop for that one and a good match to boot! ***1/2
Drew Carey is shown coming into the arena.
Vince McMahon says that Stone Cold will compete in the Royal Rumble tonight despite the actions of Triple H. Triple H will go for the title against Kurt Angle tonight. Their seconds Stephanie and Trish Status hate each other though.
Drew visits the dressing room of Triple H and Stephanie and he says that he ran into Kamala. Stephanie takes her to Trish’s dressing room
The APA (Farooq and Bradshaw) look at each others numbers for the Royal Rumble. Crash Holly comes in and reminds the APA that it’s every man for himself.
This was a great rivalry as there are many things similar about both these men. They both named Chris, and they’re both from Canada and they’re both great wrestlers. They hammer each other to start and Jericho gets some chops. Benoit hooks an armbar on the injured right arm of Jericho. He rams it into the post and hits a shoulderbreaker. Jericho comes back and hits a flying forearm. He misses a springboard dropkick however. Benoit goes to the ladder in the aisleway but is nailed by Jericho. Jericho is send full speed into the post. Benoit grabs the ladder. Jericho misses a baseball slide and is thrown into the steps. Benoit sets up the ladder underneath the IC title hanging from a rung but Jericho catches and backslams him. Jericho takes the ladder and rams it in the face of Benoit. He rams it in the stomach now. He sets up the ladder in the corner but he is thrown into it himself. Benoit tries a toupee but is hit in the head with a chair! Jericho sets Benoit into the audience and takes the ladder and drives it but misses Benoit. Jericho is hit in the face with the ladder. Benoit grabs a chair and whacks Jericho with it. Back in the ring Chris hits a clothesline. Benoit puts the ladder in the corner and torpedoes Jericho’s face in it. He tries it again but he is rammed himself. Baseball slide by Jericho and he sets up the ladder in the corner and he sets Benoit on the ladder with his leg stuck in it. Benoit takes Jericho down but his leg is wrapped around the ladder however. Jericho grabs the ladder but Benoit drop kicks it in his own face. Benoit hits a back suplex. He sets the ladder in another corner and he’s thrown face first into it. Jericho snaps the ladder on the ropes and nails Benoit in the process. He hits a missle dropkick into the ladder and Benoit. Jericho now sets up the ladder underneath the rung and he climbs it but is caught by Benoit and back suplexed all the way to the outside! Benoit now climbs the ladder and Jericho catches him. Jericho hooks the Walls of Jericho on top of the ladder and he dumps him off. Benoit has presence of mind to trip the ladder and Jericho is clotheslined on the top rope. Jericho rams Benoit with the ladder and he climbs it and he tries to stop Benoit by jumping him but is caught in the Crippler Crossface and Jericho is tapping out but that’s not how the match ends. Benoit lets it go and he shoulders Jericho into the post. Jericho throws him face first into the ladder. He crushes the ladder in the corner with Benoit. They punch each other with the ladder and Benoit punches Jericho off. Benoit is on top of the ladder and he misses a flying headbutt. Jericho has the ladder trapped under Benoit but Benoit pushes it taking Jericho to the outside. Benoit climbs the ladder but is nailed twice in the chair by Jericho and Jericho knocks the ladder over sending Benoit to the outside. Jericho climbs the ladder and grabs the title to win the match and title at 18:43! A usual great ladder match but it can’t match up the Wrestlemania X ladder match. ****1/4
Drew is with Trish Stratus now and Trish says that he’s involved with someone. Vince comes in the room and Drew wants to advertise in his PPV which airs one week from this night and Vince allows him to compete in the Royal Rumble match.
Chyna prepares for her match against Ivory for the title and Billy Gunn warns her about wrestling with a bad neck but Chyna is confident that she’ll take the title from Ivory.
Ivory injures Chyna’s neck on Raw with a spike piledriver. Chyna wants revenge. BTW this was during the Right To Censor period. I thought it was a good gimmick and group. Chyna pounds on Ivory to start and she swings her around. She slams Ivory off the top rope and kicks her in the corner. She nails her and Ivory goes to the top rope to the floor. Ivory tries to go thru the audience but is caught by Chyna. Chyna press slams her back into the ring area. They go back in the ring and she hits a slam and sends Richards into the ring and tosses him out. Chyna does her handspring elbow but she reinjures her neck and Ivory gets the pin at 3:32. DUD Chyna cannot move at all and she has to be stretchered out. JR and King are into their serious thing like when Owen Hart died after falling 70 feet into the turnbuckle a year and a half ago. Did anybody think that Chyna was ready to come back into the ring? Neither did I.
Stephanie goes into Trish’s dressing room and says that there’s not gonna to be a fight between them.
Drew Carey is handed his wresling gear and then he meets Kane.
Lo Down is arguing about who’s going to win the Royal Rumble but Vince comes in and tells them that they’ve been replaced by Drew Carey.
Some fans in WWF New York talk about who’s going to win the title match 4 people say that Triple H will win and 3 for Kurt Angle.
They start with a wristlock sequence. Takedown by Angle. Triple H with a tackle and Angle with a hiptoss and clotheslines H to the outside. “Kurt Angle sucks!” chant gets going. H starts to hammer on Angle now. Backdrop by Angle and he goes to an armbar and a takedown. Angle hits a suplex and another one and another for 2. Angle hammers on the Game outside the ring but is thrown into the rail and dropped onto it. Angle is thrown into the steps and they go back in. Angle starts to hammer but takes a drop toe hold. A leg grapevine by Triple H. H starts to go to work on the right leg of Kurt Angle. Angle hits an enzuguri though for 2. H works on the right leg of Angle and is thrown to the outside. H tries to ram the leg into the post but is rammed himself to the post. H is thrown into the steps. Angle misses a charge in the corner and H rams the leg into the post this time. He grabs a chair and hits it on the leg. Shades of Bret Hart on Diesel in the 1995 Rumble. H rams Angle’s injured leg into the steps now. Chopblock by H and he does another one. H continues to work on the right leg and goes to an Indian death lock. Angle punches out of it but H hits a face smasher for 2. H chops Angle in the corner and lands on the right knee. Triple H hooks the Figure Four and uses the ropes for leverage as Trish comes in the ring but is caught by Stephanie. They start to fight each other on top of the announce table. Vince comes out and tries to separate it but the two women just really hate each other. Vince has to carry Trish but Stephanie continues to go after her. They take it all the way back to the locker room. Triple H watches the whole thing and it gives Angle a breather and Angle gets a small package for 2. Triple H continues to go back to work on the right knee but is kicked into the post. Angle starts to fight back and hits a DDT for 2. Inverted Atomic Drop and a German suplex for 2. Russian leg sweep by Angle but he’s limping around. He goes to the 2nd rope but Triple H gets a low blow and hits a Razor’s Edge (and even JR calls it that) from the 2nd rope for 2. H sets up the Pedigree but Angle counters and inadvertanly headbutt’s H’s crotch. Angle goes to the top rope and hits a beautiful moonsault but hurts his knee. The extra time allows H to kick out. Angle is thrown over the top rope. H tries to go after him but he hits the ref instead outside. Angle is thrown into the post and is back in the ring. H goes to the top but Angle hits a top rope armdrag! Cover but there’s no ref. Angle goes out and tries to wake up the ref and he drags H outside. Angle is thrown into the ref and to the steps again. H grabs the WWF title and Angle blocks it and hits a belly to belly. Angle grabs the belt and Triple H blocks it and hits the Pedigree! But there’s still no ref. Triple H has to go out and wake up the ref but Steve Austin comes out and hammers on Triple H and he KO’s Triple H with the title busting him open. Austin throws the ref back in the ring but sees that H is getting up so he gives Triple H the Stunner and leaves and Angle covers H for the slow 3 count at 24:14. Triple H cost Austin the WWF title a few weeks ago on Raw but Austin gets some revenge here. Good drama in this title match. ***1/2
We get a video package of some of the favorites in the Royal Rumble. As usual the winner gets a title shot at Wrestlemania. Rikishi who has automatically drawn #30 for this rumble. The Undertaker, The Rock, Kane, and Steve Austin. Good field this year! Also 2 minute intervals which makes it even better!
Jeff Hardy is #1 and Bull Buchanan of RTC is #2. Bull pounds on Jeff to start it off but Jeff comes back with a head scisscor take over. Bull almost press slams Jeff out of the ring. Bull hammers some punchs but Jeff fights back. Bull tries to get Jeff out but no such luck. Matt Hardy is #3 so now the Hardys double team Bull and they hit some double team maneuvers and they clothesline Bull out. The Hardys now fight each other and Matt tries to get his brother out. He hits a back suplex and a face smasher or whatever. Jeff almost gets Matt out now. #4 is Farooq who clotheslines both Hardys and pounds on Matt. Jeff hits a springboard elbow on Farooq and is almost out. Farooq goes for the Dominator but Jeff saves his brother and Matt hits a neckbreaker and Jeff hits a Swanton bomb and they throw out Farooq. Jeff is almost thrown out and they take off their shirts wowing the crowd. They start chopping each other and Jeff hits a moonsault. Drew Carey is #5 and he gets a nice pop! He high fives everyone in the aisleway as the Hardy’s continue to battle each other as Matt is almost gone and they end up eliminating each other as Drew watches in the ring and he acts like he’s the winner. Pretty funny. #6 is Kane and Drew is in for it now! Drew wants out of there but the refs won’t let him out. Kane walks around the ring and takes his time out there. Kane gets in and nearly burns Drew’s head with the fire on the posts! Drew tries to bribe Kane but no such luck. He grabs Drew by the throat as Raven is #7 and he nails Kane from behind. Drew decides to eliminate himself and he goes back highfiving everyone. He’s happy he didn’t get beat up. Kane starts to beat up Kane with a sidewalk slam but Raven goes underneath the ropes and he sprays Kane with a fire extinguisher and throws a trash can in the ring but Al Snow comes out and pounds on Raven. The refs can’t allow Snow in the ring but then the buzzer goes off and Al Snow is actually #8. He whacks both Kane and Raven with the trash can lid. Snow throws another trash can with garbage in the ring and he brings out a bowling ball and he rolls it at Raven’s crotch. Kane catches Snow however but is nailed by a trash can by both Raven and Snow. They can’t knock Kane down however but he is drop toe holded onto it. #9 is Perry Saturn who works on the right leg of Kane before coming in. He goes to a leg lock. Raven hooks a sleeper on Kane but is thrown off. Saturn is press slammed and Snow hooks a sleeper now as does Raven. Snow uses a traffic sign to knock Kane down. #10 is Steve Blackman who was the Hardcore champ at this point. He brings his sticks and uses it in the ring on Snow and Raven. Steve hits a back suplex on Saturn. This is turning into a hardcore Royal Rumble now! #11 is Grandmaster Sexay who uses the trash can on everyone. He tries to get Snow out. Raven uses the trash can lid now. Kane goes under the ring and goes back in with a trash can and he hits Sexay with it knocking him out of the match. Kane throws Blackman over the top and hits his hands with the lid sending him out. Kane throws Snow, Raven and Saturn out! The Honky Tonk Man is #12 who brings his guitar. He takes the mike and says that he wants to sing his song and he starts singing it but Kane is not impressed and he smashes the guitar on Honky’s head and dumps him out leaving Kane all by himself. The Rock is #13 who gets a HUGE pop! He slugs it out with Kane now and hits a flying clothesline. He almost tosses Kane out. Kane hammers on the Rock now and hits a clothesline. Kane hits a big boot as #14 is the Goodfather of RTC. He goes for the Rock but is punched out immediately. The battle continues now with Kane and the Rock. Kane hits a suplex. Kane chokes Rock and Rock starts to fight back but takes a sidewalk slam. #15 is Tazz. He goes after Kane which is a mistake and he is knocked off the top rope and out. Kane chokes out Rock on the 2nd rope and tries to get him out. Rock fights back though and now tries to get Kane out with the crowd popping for it. Kane gets an eyerake though to get himself out of trouble. Rock hits a samoan drop. #16 is Bradshaw who goes after Kane and pounds on him. Rock clotheslines Kane but Bradshaw hits the Clothesline form Hell on Rock. Rock hits a spinebuster on Bradshaw but is knocked down by Kane. #17 is Albert who goes after Kane as well who’s been in there now for 20 minutes. He goes after Rock as well. Double clothesline on Albert. Albert tries to get Bradshaw out. Kane tries to get Rock out. Bradshaw is almost dumped out. Bradshaw hits his clothesline on Albert and a big boot. #18 is Hardcore Holly. He goes after Bradshaw but is nailed by Kane. Tiger bomb by Albert on Bradshaw. Hardcore and Bradshaw almost get the Rock out. Scissors kick by Albert on Kane. Rock hits a clothesline on Bradshaw and almost has Kane out but he holds on to the ropes. #19 is K-Kwik who goes after Albert but Albert returns the favor. The ring is starting to fill up now. Rock almost has Kwik out but is eyeraked. Powerslam by Kane on Holly and a Power Bomb on Kwik by Bradshaw. #20 is Val Venis of RTC who goes after Kane but he drops down Venis with a spinebuster. Rock is getting pummeled by Holly. Spear by Bradshaw on Kwik. Kane with some hard shots on Venis. Powerslam by Rock on poor Kwik. #21 is William Regal who goes after Kwik. He hits a back suplex and then goes after Bradshaw. Rock hits a spinebuster on Venis. Kane hits a short clothesline on Regal. Venis almost has Rock out but is saved by Bradshaw who hits his clothesline on Val and almost has him out but he gets out of it. #22 is Test who goes after Regal and dumps him out. Test kicks away at Albert. Holly tries to get the Rock out but can’t do it. Kane has been in there now for 30 minutes and Rock’s been in there for 20. #23 is The Big Show who makes his return to the WWF. He goes after Test and dumps him out. He press slams Kwik out. Show chokeslams Albert and then he chokeslams Bradshaw! Venis gets one as well and Holly! He does the same to Kane!! All that’s left is the Rock and he hooks it but the Rock hits a low blow and he clotheslines Show out!!! The Rock is the only man out of 7 standing in the ring. Show starts to take apart the English Announce Table as Crash Holly is #24 who goes after Bradshaw. Show pulls Rock under the bottom rope and he chokeslams him thru the table in a wicked bump before leaving!! Everyone in the ring goes after Kane now and they are pounding Kane into a pulp as the Rock is out. #25 is the Undertaker who gets a big pop and he comes out on his motorcycle. He comes in the ring and he hammers on everyone trying to get his brother out. He throws Bradshaw out and he and Kane clear the ring of everyone leaving the 2 brothers in the ring. Kane has been in the match now for 36 minutes and he and UT stare down. Scotty 2 Hotty is #26 and he is reluctant to go in the ring with the 2 monsters. He gets in and the brothers pound on him and they hit a dooble chokeslam before dumping him out. The Rock is starting to move around now. #27 is Steve Austin who gets a huge pop but he is attacked from behind by Triple H as the Rock gets back in the ring. H really pounds on Austin who rams him to the back and busts him open as Rock is getting beat up by UT and Kane. #28 is Billy Gunn who goes after Kane and UT. Officals come out to get the Game off Austin and Austin is down with a bloody mess. Kane chokes out Gunn with his boot. Rock starts pounding on UT now but he takes a wicked DDT by UT! #29 is Haku who has made his return to the WWF as well. He goes after UT and hammers on him and Kane. Kane and UT double team Haku though but he starts fighting back. UT with a sleeper hold and a choke by Kane as Gunn nails Kane from behind. Kane is almost out. Rikishi is #30 who is a heel now but he decides to go after the man he ran over in a car but Austin fights back and they get in the ring. 7 men are left and Austin is killing everybody now including Billy Gunn. He eliminates Haku. UT chokeslams Rikishi but is caught by Rock. UT almost throws Rock out but he lands on the apron. Rikishi superkicks UT out! Rock goes after Rikishi but takes a reverse avalanche and a clothesline. Rikishi goes for the Banzai drop on Rock but Rock low blows Rikishi and dumps him out. Down to four men. Steve Austin, Billy Gunn, Kane and The Rock. Gunn hits his Fameasser on Austin but is thrown out by Austin. Down to Kane Rock and Austin. Great booking here! You can’t tell who’s winning. Rock hits a DDT on an exhausted Kane. Austin and Rock now eye each other and the crowd is popping here. They slug it out and Austin is winning it as Kane is dead in the corner. Rock knocks down Stone Cold and he sets up the Rock Bottom but Austin comes out and hits the Stunner. Kane gets up and Austin hits a Lou Thesz press. Rock hammers on Steve and hits the Rock Bottom!! Kane is thrown thru the 2nd rope by Rock so he’s still in. Rock and Austin slug it out now and Rock is almost out but he rakes the eyes. Rock almost has Austin out but Kane is back in and he dumps Rock out!! Down to Austin and Kane! Austin hammers on Kane but Kane hits the Chokeslam!! Kane picks Austin up and hits a low blow. Kane goes to the outside and grabs a chair. Austin blocks the chairshot and Kane almost hits the Tombstone and Austin comes out and hits the Stunner. Austin grabs the chair and he whacks Kane with it 3 times and one more clothesline sends Kane out and Austin wins the match at 61:53!! His 3rd Royal Rumble win! This was a great Royal Rumble. One of the best out there. ****1/2
Summary: Man does every PPV I have from 2000 or 2001
kick ass or what? This one is no exception. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED