The Deceased Dozen Of The 1990 Royal Rumble
For Whom The Klaxon Tolls.
The Royal Rumble's ability to take a snapshot of an era's roster normally makes for a fun distraction when re-watching the January showpiece, but an altogether more morbid aspect of that is when a large number of the competitors have since passed away.
Wrestling is a punishing industry, and the broad range of phyiscal and mental side effects from a career between the ropes produced an accelerated death rate unlike any other profession.
The 1990 Royal Rumble has the biggest collection of wrestlers no longer with us, with a whopping 12 entrants from the Battle Royal dying in the twenty-seven years since the show.
With a tribute to each performer's contributions in the match itself, here are the deceased dozen of the 1990 Royal Rumble.
12. Andre The Giant (19 May 1946 – 27 January 1993)
Marking his penultimate in-ring appearance for WWE on pay-per-view, Andre entered in a spirited but predictably limited performance after limping to the ring at #11.
Despite easily dumping the useless Red Rooster and later hauling the equally large Warlord, Andre's biggest contribution to the match came in how selfless he was in taking a series of short beatings to the utter delight of the live crowd.
Initially swatting away attacks from the likes of Dusty Rhodes and Roddy Piper, Andre would enact his signature 'trapped-in-the-ropes' spot with 'The Dream' and Demolition's Ax to incredible fanfare, making his own save punches to the guts of his assailants.
Then one half of the Tag Team Champions with Haku, Andre was locked in conflict with Ax and Smash on television, and the two sides brought their war to the Royal Rumble with an exciting pair-off that would foreshadow Demolition's reclamation of the titles from the Colossal Connection at WrestleMania VI.
The Demos would eventually eliminate Andre to a thunderous response, but the physical wear that hamstrung their botched (but well-masked) first attempt at the spot gives a painful reminder of the Giant's rapidly weakening state.