No More Mr Nice Guy! Shawn Michaels has a new attitude and tonight he gets a shot at WWF champion Sycho Sid. Michaels was given his rematch again Sid following the controversial way that he lost the belt. Sid defeated Bret Hart at In Your House: It’s Time and so the match was set. Over the last month Sid has shown his true colous and even powerbombed Jose Lotharios son. This is set to be the last time Jose Lothario will be in Michaels corner, could shawn win the gold in his hometown?

Also tonight is the annual Royal Rumble match. There are plenty of favourites in this one like former WWF champion Bret Hart, up and comer and current King Of The Ring, “Stone Cold” Steve Austin. How about the man the last PPV was named after Vader or somebody like The Undertaker who has to be a favourite in any match he’s in or even Mankind. Those are the 5 for me but at Wrestlemania that gives us options of Sid vs. Bret Hart, Sid vs. The Undertaker, Shawn Michaels vs. Vader, Shawn Michaels vs. Steve Austin or Shawn Michaels vs. Mankind. The only match we haven’t seen on PPV before is Austin vs. Michaels so that’s my prediction for tonight.

Also tonight Hunter Hearst Helmsley takes on Goldust, the man who has recently turned into a fan favourite. Helmsley tried it on with Goldusts valet Marlena before Goldust revealed that he isn’t “queer” in an interview with Jerry Lawler. Ahmed Johnson also returns tonight and faces the man that put him on the shelf, Faarooq. Plenty of history between those two men, it should be a great contest.

The red and gold sting comes up celebrating WWF for over 50 years. Then we get a video package about Shawn Michaels and Sid. Michaels was on top of the world but then lost his title to Sid. Shawn wants revenge for what Sid did to his long time friend Jose Lothario. Michaels returns wiser with his innocence loss. Tonight he returns a man!

Vince McMahon welcomes everyone to the 1997 Royal Rumble event. Coming at you from San Antonio, Texas, home of Shawn Michaels. McMahon is joined by Jim Ross and Jerry Lawler. Spanish and French commentators are also at ringside.

Hunter Hearst Helmsley (c) vs. Goldust – Intercontinental Title Match

Goldust is very much a babyface now and he has had his problems with Hunter Hearst Helmsley. Helmsley made a pass at Marlena and Goldust didn’t like it. Jerry Lawler asked Goldust if he was queer on Raw, turns out he’s not. We get a video package after Goldusts entrance. Does Helmsley really want a piece of Marlena or is it just to distract Goldust? Helmsley comes out with none other than Mr Hughes! Goldust attacks Hunter in the aisle and we’re right at it. Ross asks if Hughes is a butler. Hunter and Goldust were of course on the same team at Survivor Series, a match none of them won. In the ring and Goldust hammers away at the champion. The Intercontinental title changed hands at the 1992 Royal Rumble event went “Rowdy” Roddy Piper beat The Mountie. On the outside of the ring Goldust drops the ring steps on Helmsley! Apparently that’s not a disqualification. There’s only been one Intercontinental title match on PPV since Summerslam 1992 that hasn’t featured either Goldust, Shawn Michaels or Razor Ramon. And that was the match between Helmsley and Marc Mero at In Your House: It’s Time.

Helmsley gets the advantage now and chops away at Goldust but the challenger comes out the corner with a clothesline and gets a near fall. This is Goldust’ first PPV match as a babyface. On the outside Helmsley misses Goldust and goes knee first into the security railing. Goldust goes back to the steps and throws them at Hunter again. This is the first ever pay per view match between these two. At this event last year Goldust won the IC title for the first time, beating Razor Ramon. Goldust continues to work the knee and locks on a figure four. Both of these men are scheduled to be in the Royal Rumble match later. A lot of the action in this match has been on the outside of the ring. Goldust has been working Helmsleys knee well, he drops Hunter on the ring steps once again. I don’t think Hunter has won a PPV match since In Your House 6 last February, nearly a year ago, when he beat Duke “The Dumpster” Droese. He ducks a cross body and Goldust goes flying to the outside. Hunter grabs Marlena’s director chair but the referee won’t let him use it as a weapon. Goldust is looking for his first win sin Summerslam where he beat Marc Mero. Todd Pettingill interviews some country singer at ringside whiulst the match is going. In the ring Goldust takes the advantage with a clothesline.

The crowd seem somewhat behind Goldust, he hits a back body drop and then goes to the top but Helmsley pushes the referee into the ropes. We’ve seen that move from Helmsley before. Helmsley fails in his attempt to hit a superplex but Goldust then misses an elbow off the top. r Hughes tosses Helmsley the Intercontinental title but Marlena hops up onto the apron. She looks like she enjoyed that. Goldust attacks Helmsley fro behind, grabs the title and smashes the champ with it! Goldust makes the cover but Hughes drags Helmsley out to break it up. Goldust goes after Hughes, attacking him with a cigar! From behind comes Helmsley who hits a clothesline, then The Pedigree for the win! Hunter Hearst Helmsley retains the belt. Marlena’s nipples are on end, bless her. This three way issue between Helmsley, Goldust and Marc Mero looks far from over. Really good way to start the show.

Rating: 7/10

Now to some words from two of the favourites in the Royal Rumble match, Bret Hart and Mankind.

Faarooq vs. Ahmed Johnson

Faarooq has quite the entourage now. God knows who most of these people are. PG-13 lead the way and Clarence Mason and Crush are in there. No idea who anybody else is. This match has been a long time coming. I’m surprised they haven’t saved it for Wrestlemania. Faarooq attacked Johnson on his debut, injuring his kidneys and Ahmed hasn’t been in action since. This is Ahmeds first PPV match since In Your House: International Incident last July. Johnson runs down and takes it straight to Faarooq. This is only Faarooqs second PPV match. He’s yet to win or lose after drawing at Survivor Series. Johnson beat Jeff Jarrett at last years Royal Rumble. Ahmed hits some big kicks to Faarooq before pulling off his leather trousers. A rake in the face gives Faarooq the advantage. Faarooq gets a belt from somewhere but Johnson take him down with a weak clothesline. Johnson then grabs the belt and whips Faarooq with it! No sign of a disqualification. To the outside now and Faarooq slams Ahmed down on a steel chair. Faarooq then nails Johnson with the chair! Why are there no disqualifications tonight?! D-lo Brown is out with the Nation. Faarooq goes to town on Ahmeds kidneys now. I’m cringing every time.

Faarooq locks on a camel clutch now. Ahmed picks Faarooq up on his shoulders and drops him back! Faarooq is first up and goes to the top but Ahmed catches him and powerslams him. The former Intercontinental champion then throws Faarooq into the ropes but gets caught with a spinebuster! Johnson is up and hits a spinebuster of his own! In comes Crush and the rest of the Nation but Ahmed fights them all off! The bell rings for a disqualification, Ahmed has won this one but Faarooq has scarpered! Faarooq continues to look for his first PPV victory, meanwhile Ahmed Johnson hits a Pearl River Plunge on one of the Nation members through the French announce table! This match was a bit of a brawl. Nothing special, it keeps the feud going.

Rating: 4.5/10

Some words from Terry Funk who will be in the Royal Rumble tonight. His first PPV match since Wrestlemania 2.

Now backstage to Faarooq who isn’t happy with two of his Nation members. Probably fired, nobody cares though, I don’t think I’ve seen them before.

Vader vs. The Undertaker

This is a big match between two big men. This match has always been in the making. There hasn’t been a lot of build but Undertaker did Tombstone Jim Cornette on an episode of Superstars. Cornette is nowhere to be seen tonight. I’m looking forward to this one actually, it’s a first time match between the two. Undertaker has been on a good roll as of late, he hasn’t look on pay per view since Summerslam. There’s a strange flying saucer hovering over the ring for Undertakers entrance. Vader hasn’t won a match on PPV since International Incident last July. Vader tries to attack Undertaker before the bell but fails. It’s back and forth, lefts and rights in the early going. Every match so far tonight has started before the bell. Vader knocks Undertaker down but the dead man sits right back up. Vader heads to the outside but Undertaker follows him. Every match so far has had a good chunk of it spent outside. Vader gets the advantage but not for long, Undertaker nails a legdrop. Undertaker then powerslam Vader and drops a leg. Into a cover, two. Undertaker twists the arm then heads to the top but Vader shakes him off!

Both of these men will feature in the Royal Rumble later and you’d consider them two of the favourites. Vader hammers away at Undertaker whilst Todd Pettingill interviews a girl on the outside who follows Shawn Michaels everywhere. Vader squashes Undertaker in the corner and knocks him down with a clothesline. Vader comes off the middle rope with a big clothesline before pinning Undertaker for a two. Vader debuted at this event last year. He locks a nerve hold on Undertaker. He tries for a headlock but Undertaker takes him down with a suplex. Vader goes to the middle rope but Undertaker catches him and hits a slam. Vader hits the Vaderbomb from nowhere! But the Undertaker kicks out at two. Undertaker has the momentum now, he hits a clothesline then twists the arm and comes off the top. Paul Bearer then comes out from the back just in time to see Undertaker hit a chokeslam. He motions for The Tombstone but Undertaker sees Bearer.

Undertaker exits the ring and knocks his former manager down before throwing him into the ring. Undertaker grabs him round the throat but Vader comes back into the ring. Undertaker lets go of Bearer and clotheslines Vader out of the ring, going out with him. They go over by the French announce team where it looks like they’ve set up the table again. Undertaker then goes to take out Vader but Bearer moves Vader out of the way and Undertaker goes into the railing. Vader gets back into the ring and Bearer nails Undertaker with the urn! Vader then goes to the middle rope and nails The Vader Bomb! He covers Undertaker and that’s enough for the three! Vader defeats The Undertaker! A bit of a surprise in some ways but a much needed win for Vader! Vader leaves with Paul Bearer arm in arm. Undertaker gets up and doesn’t look happy. Nope he’s not, he chokeslams the referee! Has Vader joined forces with Paul Bearer?

Rating: 6/10

some comments with “Stone Cold” Steve Austin now. Austin tells the cameraman to stick his camera. He’s confident he’ll win the Rumble and so is The British Bulldog. I think Bulldog just said he’ll be winning the Royal Rumble because he’s bizarre.

Fuerza Guerrera, Heavy Metal & Jerry Estrada vs. Perro Aguayo, Canek & Hector Garza

You’ll have to bear with me in this one as I have no idea who these guys are. This is obviously on the card because of the WWF’s current working relationship with AAA. I hope this is over closely. Estrada starts off with Garza. Or is that Heavy Metal? No idea. I think it’s Heavy Metal. Metal locks on an arm bar. Back suplex from Garza. both men tag out, in come Perro Aguayo and Jerry Estrada. The crowd are dead for this one. Estrada is old. Canek is in the ring with Guerrera. Hiptoss from Canek. Powerslam from Guerrera. Guerrera misses with a move from the top and Canek flies off the top. Back in comes Heavy Metal and Garza. Heavy Metal backflips around the ring. He’s got a lot more to him than the other guys. Garza has some good moves too. He hits a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker. They shake hands. The crowd continue not to care. Aguayo is dressed like Randy Savage. In comes Canek. Test of strength. It’s a test of strength watching this match. Canek hits a monkey flip, arm drag and dropkick. These guys are now Caneking with the crowd. You can hear a pin drop. Gurerra and Aguaya tagged in.

Aguayo is so old. There is no psychology in this match whatsoever. It’s like an exhibition. Canek and Heavy Metal in now. canek takes down Metal and tags in Garza. Garza locks on an STF. Garza tags Aguayo. Aguayo hits a Samoan Drop and a standing senton. Canek tagged back in. In comes Guerrera. Canek lifts him up and drops him back in. No idea who is the legal man now. Aguayo hits a double stomp on Heavy Metal. Well, he misses him but pins him anyway. Absolutely god awful. Thank god that’s over, it was painful. I’ve never wanted a match to end so badly.

Rating: 1/10

Howard Finkel is in the ring telling us the attendance. Thank god it’s Rumble time.

The 1997 Royal Rumble match

Here we go. Royal Rumble time. Bloody love this match. Numbers one and two are…Crush and Ahmed Johnson! No love lost between these two guys. Crush actually made the last 3 in the 1995 Royal Rumble. This is a Royal Rumble match debut for Ahmed Johnson. Crush takes it straight to Ahmed. Not long before Johnson soon turns it around though and hits a big clothesline. I’m pretty sure Crush has only ever won one match on PPV and that was over Repo Man at Summerslam 1992. This is the fourth coming of Crush following Demolition, Kona and Evil Crush. He has Ahmed on the top rope and here we go, here comes The Fake Razor Ramon. No clock, they’re having difficulties with it. The number three entrant is always cursed and it is in this case, Johnson throws Razor straight out! And then Ahmed Johnson eliminates himself! He chases after Faarooq who has appeared in the entrance way! So Crush is in there on his own. Time for #4 and it’s Phineas Godwinn who is still looking for his first PPV win. Don’t think it’ll come tonight. Phineas and Crush are two scruffy bastards going at it. I like Crush’s outfit though. It wouldn’t look out of place in 2015. No clock but “Stone Cold” Steve Austin’s music hits and presumably he’s number 5. Austin is one of the favourites in my opinion. Phineas takes austin down with a clothesline.

Crush goes back to Phineas and asks for Stone Colds assistance. Austin comes off the second rope and accidentally hits Crush! Phineas then eliminates Crush! We have a clock! Meanwhile Steve Austin hits the Stunner on Phineas then throws him out of the match. #6 now and it’s Bart Gunn. He doesn’t last long though as Steve clothesline Bart out of there! Steve is all on his own now. He looks at his wrist and just as he does, the clock comes up. #7 is Jake “The Snake” Roberts. This is his 6th Royal Rumble. He has the record but he’s not won any. Roberts throws the snake in the ring then hits some jabs on Austin. Jake is back to black tights which look better than his usual bright green ones. Both of these men were in last years Rumble. Jake twists the arm of Austin and keeps him grounded as #8 The British Bulldog makes his entrance. Austin then eliminates Jake Roberts. Austin and Bulldog have had their problems as of late! Bulldog was runner up in 1995 and in the final 4 last year. Bulldog hits the Running Powerslam on Austin! I can’t see Bulldog winning this but he’ll be good to stay in it for a while. #9 is Piroth some champion of champions from AAA. No idea why he’s in this match. Get rid. He goes to pin Bulldog, nice one. Austin and Bulldog go to work on Piroth. No idea if that’s how you spell his name. #10 is The Sultan who comes out with the Iron Sheik. This is the Sultans PPV debut. He’s been around for a while. He’s managed by The Iron Sheik and Bob Backlund. Don’t expect him to win this one though.

Austin and Bulldog keep going at it as #11 Mil Mascaras comes out. He’s a Mexican legend. Mascaras hits a running forearm on The Sultan Mascaras lays in some chops to The Sultan and they’re coming thick and fast. Next in is Hunter Hearst Helmsley. Not the first time we’ve seen him tonight. He continues to sell the leg. Mascaras goes after Helmsley whilst Bulldog hits a big clothesline on The Sultan then eliminates him from the match! Bulldog is almost a semi-face at the moment. Austin goes after Helmsley now, hitting his elbow from the second rope. Unlucky #13 is Owen Hart who comes out with his slammy. Owen goes right after Austin. Bulldog then has Austin teetering on the ropes and Owen Hart comes over and eliminates The British Bulldog. Bulldog screams at Owen but Owen says it was an accident. That’s the first big elimination of the match. #14 is Goldust who goes after Helmsley until Austin cuts him off. This is Goldusts first Royal Rumble match. There are 4 decent WWE superstars in there, and two Mexicans. Mascaras tries to eliminate Owen bit can’t. #15 now, half way through and it’s Cibernetico. He’s only 20 and probably my favourite after this Mexicans. He and Mil Mascaras get into it. Owen Hart has never had much success in Royal Rumbles. Goldust chucks Helmsley out but Helmsley manages to not touch the floor.

#16 is Marc Mero and in the ring Cibernetico is eliminated, then Mascaras eliminates Piroth before eliminating himself! Goldust then clotheslines Hunter Hearst Helmsley out of there. So we’ve got Steve Austin, Marc Mero, Owen Hart and Goldust and they are joined by #17 Latin Lover. Latin Lover nails Owen Hart and slams him down. Goldust throws Owen Hart over the top but Hart skins the cat and eliminates Goldust! #18 is Faarooq. Faarooq lays the boots into Latin Lover. Then back body drops him over the ropes and out of the match! Steve Austin and Faarooq go at it, I like this match but here comes Ahmed Johnson with a 2×4! And he eliminates Faarooq from the match! Then Austin eliminates both Owen Hart and Marc Mero! Steve Austin is on his own until #19 Savio Vega comes out. Vega hits a big spinning heel kick on Austin. But Austin hits the Stun Gun on Savio then clotheslines him out of there! Austin is once again on his own. #20 is The Roadie, Double J “Jesse James”. He doesn’t last long though, Austin throws him straight out of there. With 10 to go, Austin is in the ring alone. Stone Cold seems popular. #21 is Bret Hart and business has just picked up. Austin cannot believe it.

Austin and Hart go toe to toe and Bret takes the advantage with a clothesline. It’s all Hart now as he takes it to Austin who has been there over 20 minutes now. Austin then locks The Sharpshooter on Austin as Jerry Lawlers music hits. Lawler sneaks in from behind, Hart breaks the Sharpshooter and knocks Lawler straight out of there! We’re back to two of the favourites, Bret Hart and Steve Austin. #23 is The Fake Diesel. Imagine if he won it. I can’t. Glenn Jacobs who once played Isaac Yankem and now The Fake Diesel is still looking for his first PPV victory. Won’t be tonight. #24 is Terry Funk a Texas legend making his PPV return and Royal Rumble debut tonight. Funk goes after Austin whilst Bret and Diesel fight it out. It’s been nearly ten years since Terry Funks last PPV appearance. He takes a shot at Bret Hart now. #25 Rocky Maivia comes out as Funk hits a piledriver of sorts on Hart. Maivia goes after Steve Austin then Diesel with big right hands. Maivia has Austin on the ropes and then Hart nearly eliminates Funk. Maivia is undefeated on PPV as it stands. Would be a shocker if he won tonight. #26 Mankind is out next. Mankind is one of my five favourites to win this one. Mankind goes after Terry Funk. These two men have a lot of history. Austin and Bret go at it in one corner, Diesel and Maivia in the other.

Just to refresh we have Rocky Maivia, The Fake Diesel, Bret Hart, Steve Austin, Mankind and Terry Funk in there. And now #27 Flash Funk. Flash Funk is also undefeated on PPV. Don’t think Flash Funk is related to Terry Funk in case you’re wondering. Hart hits a piledriver on Austin. Funk hits a high cross body off the top on Diesel and Terry Funk. Jim Ross points out what I just did with Flash and Terry Funk. #28 Vader is the next man out. He beat The Undertaker earlier. Vader is another strong favourite. Vader goes after Bret Hart then Flash Funk attacks Vader. We then get Austin and Vader. Two tough guys there. Vader knocks him down. It’s so difficult to call the winner of this one. #29 is Henry Godwinn who stands no chance of winning. He goes after Vader. Flash Funk and Rocky Maivia go at it, Bret and Diesel are paired off. Vader goes after Funk now whilst Mankind and Henry Godwinn battle it out. #30 the last man is The Undertaker. His first Royal Rumble since 1993. There’ll be no Giant Gonzalez to take him out this time. One of these men will win the Royal Rumble. Undertaker goes after Vader then Mankind. Undertaker then chokeslams Austin! Then he chokeslams Vader!

There are nine men with a shot of winning this. Undertaker, Vader, Mankind, Bret Hart, Henry Godwinn, Steve Austin, Terry Funk, Rocky Maivia, Diesel and not Flash Funk because Vader just threw him out. I think it’s either be Bret Hart, Steve Austin or The Undertaker. Lawler predicts that if it comes down to Terry Funk and Vader then Vader will win. Rocky Maivia goes after Bret Hart and nearly eliminates him. Terry Funk and Austin go at it. Godwinn, Maivia, Funk and Diesel need to go out of there so we get down to the favourites. Godwinn smashes Bret Hart with a big right hand. Sid vs. Henry Godwinn at Wrestlemania? Unlikely. Shawn Michaels vs. The Fake Diesel? That would be hilarious. Undertaker eliminates Henry Godwinn. Vader hits Diesel with some big right hands. Mankind locks the Mandible claw on Rocky Maivia and eliminates him from the match. Final 7 now. Mankind and Terry Funk go over the top and to the apron then Mankind eliminates Terry Funk with a suplex! Undertaker then boots Mankind out of there!

Final 5 now as Mankind and Terry Funk go at it on the outside. The referee try to break it up. In the ring Bret Hart eliminates Steve Austin. But the referees don’t see it! Austin sneaks back in and eliminates Vader and The Undertaker! Hart then eliminates The Fake Diesel then Austin sneaks up behind and eliminates Bret Hart! “Stone Cold” Steve Austin wins the Royal Rumble but not without controversy! Bret Hart is fuming! he shoves referees as Austin escapes! hart gets up in Vince McMahons face! Lots of swearing from Hart now. Austin was eliminated from the match but then came back in and threw out Vader, Undertaker and Bret Hart. So Austin is going to Wrestlemania to take on either Sid or Shawn Michaels. Shawn Michaels vs. Steve Austin could be one hell of a main event! This wasn’t a bad Royal Rumble match. The Mexicans ruined it a bit. There’s a lot of controversy going forward. Will Austin get the Wrestlemania title shot?

Rating: 6/10

Now to a video package for Shawn Michaels and Sid. At Survivor Series, Sid attacked Jose Lothario and Shawn Michaels with a TV camera. Sid even powerbombed Jose Lothario’s son on Raw.

Shawn Michaels has the flu, he was interviewed on Superstars earlier tonight.

We then get a backstage camera of Shawn Michaels approaching the entrance curtain. There’s plenty of cheering for Michaels. His music hits and here we go.

Sid (c) vs. Shawn Michaels – WWF Title Match

The crowd go mental for Michaels who is the hometown hero tonight. This is nothing like Survivor Series where the crowd turned of Shawn and boo’d him. In San Antonio, Michaels is getting huge cheers. Sid is just a monster. He’s definitely the heel in this one. He is fist-bumping the fans though which is a bit of a face move. The winner of this one looks set to go one on one with Steve Austin at Wrestlemania. Sid and Michaels go face to face. Sid is a lot bigger though obviously. You’d have to go back to 1991 to find the last time the title changed hands at a royal Rumble. That night Sgt Slaughter defeated The Ultimate Warrior. Michaels sends Sid to the outside of the ring. The last time a new champion was crowned at a Royal Rumble event, Ric Flair took home the gold. Michaels throws Sid back into the ring and comes off the top but for the third time tonight this move fails. Sid slams him down and hooks him for a two. Sid now locks on a camel clutch. Shawn Michaels has a decent enough record at Royal Rumble PPVs as of late. He’s won the previous two Rumble match and got to the final 4 the year before in 1994. In 1993 he beat Marty Jannetty to retain the Intercontinental title. Jim Ross announces that this is the last time Jose Lothario will accompany Shawn to the ring. Sid throws Michaels into the corner and out of the ring!

Outside the ring Sid rams Michaels into the ringpost twice then rolls him back into the ring. Cover for a two. Sid has won on the last thee WWF PPVs, beating Bret Hart, Shawn Michaels and Vader. Not bad at all. He takes Shawn down with a clothesline. Pin for a two count as the crowd boo Sid. He locks on a bearhug now. I think somebody is holding up an nWo poster. Michaels hammers his way out of the bear hug but Sid locks it back on. Michaels hits an inverted atomic drop to get out of it then goes up to the middle rope but gets caught. Back to the bear hug. Pete Lothario, son of Jose is at ringside cheering on Michaels. Sid covers Shawn for a two. Sid then goes to a chinlock. Michaels gets out of it and powerslams Sid! Michaels then hits a flying forearm and nips up. The former champion goes up to the top and hits a flying elbow! He then sets up for Sweet Chin Music but Sid catches it and manages to back body drop him to the outside. Outside the ring Sid powerbombs Michaels! He then goes after Jose Lothario but here comes his son! Sid pushes both away and he and Michaels get back into the ring.

Sid accidentally throws Michaels into the referee then chokeslams Michaels. He pins him but the referee is out. Another referee comes out but Shawn kicks out. Sid strikes the referee and Jose gets up on the apron. Sid turns his focus to Lothario then Michaels grabs a TV camera from a cameraman at ringside. He smashes Sid with the camera and covers him and the referee counts 2! Sid kicks out. Michaels then sets up for Sweet Chin Music and nails him! The referee counts 3 and Michaels wins! Shawn Michaels wins the WWF title for the second time! He gets revenge on Sid and the boyhood dream comes true once more! This looks to set up a Shawn Michaels vs. Steve Austin main event at Wrestlemania. Michaels milks his celebrations. Shawn is obviously a top man for the belt but I did enjoy Sids reign as champ.

Rating: 7/10

And that was the 1997 Royal Rumble event. A very mixed pay per view with some real stinkers in there. I enjoyed the opening contest between Helmsley and Goldust. A decent match between two top talents in the WWF. I like the Intercontinental title picture and the result of this one leave sit wide open. The following match between Ahmed Johnson and Faarooq was as you’d expect it. A brawl really with no real winner. That one should go all the way to Wrestlemania. Vader and The Undertaker put on an above average match with the story there being that Paul Bearer and Vader seem to be aligned. A lot of the matches tonight (barring the main event) have been left very open. Vader and Undertaker could definitely continue. The Mexicans match was awful. Myself and everybody in attendance could not care less about that one.

The Royal Rumble wasn’t the best one every but it was good fun. Ahmed Johnson continues to rage war with the Nation Of Domination. British Bulldog and Owen Hart seem to be having problems, Owen actually eliminated Bulldog in that one. The Mexicans were taking up spots that could have been used by the likes of Justin “Hawk” Bradshaw, Furnas, Lafon and The Stalker amongst others. There is a lot of controversy coming out of this one. Austin eliminated Vader, Undertaker and Bret Hart after he was eliminated. Stone Cold was the man of the night though, what a showing in the Royal Rumble. Then Shawn Michaels wins the WWF title from Sid in his hometown. Not the best Royal Rumble PPV of all time but some talking points that will go down in history.

Overall Rating: 52.5/100 (Ranked joint 34th out of 64)

Match Of The Night: Helmsley/Goldust & Sid/Michaels
Worst Match Of The Night: The Mexicans
Surprise Of The Night: Vader joins with Paul Bearer
Worst Booking Of The Night: None
Superstar Of The Night: Steve Austin & Shawn Michaels
Royal Rumble 97 Will Be Remembered For: Steve Austins controversial Royal Rumble win