10 Fascinating WWE Royal Rumble 1988 Facts

9. The Event Was Programmed Against NWA's Bunkhouse Stampede

hacksaw jim duggan
WWE.com

You may recall how WWE muscled NWA's Starrcade out of significant pay-per-view space by booking the inaugural Survivor Series on the same night in 1987. NWA's second attempt at a pay-per-view, Bunkhouse Stampede, wasn't going to be strong-armed by another McMahon pay-per-view hijack. This time, McMahon brought his opposition to basic cable, making it even more accessible than a pay-per-view.

Stampede was a battle royal variation in its own right, and took place inside of a steel cage. Dusty Rhodes was victorious, reportedly to the disdain of his fellow wrestlers (most notably Tully Blanchard), and the event was largely considered a major flop. The fact that such a southern-fried "rasslin'" concept was booked to take place in Long Island, New York (Are there any bunkhouses in New York?) may have been a factor. Going up against the Rumble didn't help either.

Contributor
Contributor

Justin has been a wrestling fan since 1989, and has been writing about it since 2009. Since 2014, Justin has been a features writer and interviewer for Fighting Spirit Magazine. Justin also writes for History of Wrestling, and is a contributing author to James Dixon's Titan series.