10 Fascinating WWE Royal Rumble 1988 Facts
2. It Was The Only Rumble That Ended With A Tag Team Match
From 1989 onward, the Royal Rumble ended with either the Rumble match itself, or (in five instances) a World title match. The 1988 edition finished with neither, and it was a rather peculiar exception.
The 1988 Royal Rumble ended with a two-out-of-three falls match pitting the Islanders, Haku and Tama, taking on the Young Stallions of Paul Roma and Jim Powers. The Islanders won two straight falls, giving the event something of a middling, non-frenzied finish.
Back in the Saturday Night's Main Event era, it was common for the shows to end with a basic filler match, while the main attraction went on earlier in the night. The first Rumble followed that formula somewhat, but it wasn't something that was attempted on any pay-per-view versions.