10 Fascinating WWE Royal Rumble 1989 Facts
Friction builds within The Mega Powers.
The 1989 Royal Rumble feels like a parent to a latter-day WWE pay-per-view, in that nothing was great, but nothing was garbage. It's a benign, middle-of-the-road event whose biggest match had a peculiar victor (40-year-old Big John Studd, fresh from a two-year sabbatical), and no real impact on future events, with one notable exception.
About two-thirds of the way into the match, Hulk Hogan facilitated the elimination of Mega Powers partner Macho Man Randy Savage, leading to a brief skirmish among the two after the fact. Although shared valet Miss Elizabeth quelled the situation quickly enough, Savage's subtle paranoia and discontent that had been brewing in Hogan's midst saw its first true outburst in that moment. The troubles would manifest themselves further three weeks later, when Savage famously severed their bond on a live edition of The Main Event, in one of the most well-executed heel turns in WWE history.
Even with that moment of genuine drama, the 1989 Royal Rumble remains one of the most forgettable Big Four pay-per-views that WWE ever produced. Of course, in 1989, times were different, and the sheer novelty of simply seeing so many name-brand stars on one show was still lofty. In a time where the big stars are on TV every week, fans would expect more.
Here are ten facts about Royal Rumble 1989 you may not have known.
10. It Had The Rumble's Last Women's Title Match For Ten Years
Things are certainly different headed into 2018, what with a separate Royal Rumble match for females, showing just how far WWE has gone in embracing women's wrestling. Three decades ago, the company's Women's division was hooked up to a respirator, and appearances from even champion Rockin' Robin became more and more scarce.
Robin's successful title defense over former Glamour Girl Judy Martin was the last time the Women's title would be contested for at the Rumble until 1999, when Sable defended the gold against Luna Vachon. There was reportedly a Women's title match in the works for the 1994 event, but WWE was supposedly unable to secure Bull Nakano in time for a match with rival Alundra Blayze.
As for the '89 women's scene, all you need to know is that Robin, while still champion, vanished with Martin and the other women after June of that year, shelving the division for more than four years. The lone exception was Sensational Sherri, who put away the tights and boots, and began managing Randy Savage after WrestleMania 5 in April.