10 Fascinating WWE Royal Rumble 1991 Facts
WWE "goes there" on the road to WrestleMania 7.
Historically, WWE hasn't been one to shy away from paralleling their storylines with real-life drama, but this was more than pushing it. In 1991, the company cut rather close to the bone by having Sgt. Slaughter align himself with Iraq in the run-up to a major conflict. While Slaughter was condemning America in kayfabe, the UN Security Council had given Saddam Hussein and Iraq until January 15, 1991 to withdraw from its occupation of Kuwait. As the world waited to see what would come from this tense situation, WWE had its annual Royal Rumble slated for four nights after that deadline.
By now, you know that anti-American Slaughter triumphed over The Ultimate Warrior to become WWE Champion, while patriotic hero Hulk Hogan won the Royal Rumble match. Little more than 48 hours after Operation Desert Storm began, the airstrike bombardment already in progress, WWE was instituting its own US-vs-Iraq battle between two technicolor revolutionaries. Needless to say, the employment of real-life conflict into a rasslin' story didn't sit well with many.
Sadly, the decision to book "Gulf War Lite" overshadowed what was a damn fine Royal Rumble, from a must-see opener (The Rockers vs. The Orient Express) to a sleeper of a midcard match (Big Boss Man vs. The Barbarian) to an enjoyable Rumble match. Alas.
Here are ten facts about the 1991 Royal Rumble you may not have known.
10. It Was The First WWE PPV To Take Place On A Saturday
Through the years, the only day of the week that has never had a live WWE pay-per-view has been Friday. Sundays have had the lion's share of such events, while Thursdays (the first four Survivor Series) and Mondays (the first seven SummerSlams) have had their moments.
Saturday is responsible for only two American WWE pay-per-views: the 1991 and 1994 Royal Rumble events. The primary reason for this unusual scheduling is in regard to the National Football League.
In most years, the NFL would have a week off between the Conference Championships and the Super Bowl, and that open Sunday is when WWE would hold the Rumble, a scheduling that WWE (usually) adheres to to this day. In some years, however, the NFL would have no week off prior to the Super Bowl, with 1991 and 1994 being two such years. Since WWE didn't want to risk putting the Rumble up against the highly-rated playoff games if they didn't have to, they would simply hold the Rumble on a Saturday instead.