10 Fascinating WWE Royal Rumble 1995 Facts
The Heartbreak Kid stands tall amidst celebrity company.
After Vince McMahon was found not guilty in his 1994 steroid distribution trial, he set upon attempting to rebuild WWE's cracked and weathered image. One way he worked to win back lapsed fans was through celebrity rubs. SummerSlam 1994 saw NFL great Walter Payton and deadpan comic actor Leslie Nielsen get involved. Survivor Series featured legendary martial artist Chuck Norris as a guest enforcer. As the calendar rolled to 1995, William Shatner was slated to get involved in a few television angles.
As far as the Royal Rumble goes, there would be two celebrities that would help build the bridge to WrestleMania. One was Baywatch beauty Pamela Anderson, who was set to escort the Royal Rumble match winner for his WrestleMania championship shot. The other was punishing All-Pro linebacker Lawrence Taylor, whose pre-ordained skirmish with a livid Bam Bam Bigelow was designed to grab as many headlines as possible.
If ever a wrestling show overachieved, it was the 1995 Royal Rumble. The roster lacked the depth that it had in previous years, but there was Shawn Michaels to power the body of the Rumble match, and an undercard boasting three good-to-great championship matches, with Diesel and Bret Hart leading the way. Even in middling, sub-standard times, WWE still possessed the elements to put together a winning show.
Here are ten facts about the 1995 Royal Rumble you may not have known.
10. McMahon Was Concerned About Diesel Coming Off As A Heel
Two months earlier, Vince McMahon put his eggs into the Kevin Nash basket, allowing him to defeat WWE Champion Bob Backlund in a mere eight seconds. McMahon wanted a new Hulk Hogan, and was banking on Diesel's looming frame, ass-kicking style, and natural personality to fill the red-and-yellow void.
WWE kind of painted themselves into a corner with the Rumble by booking Diesel against Bret Hart. Neither man could really lose the match, and Diesel needed to look strong, even in a non-victory. For McMahon's part, the worry was that fans would reject Diesel that night as a) Hart was wildly popular and established, and b) fans might sympathize with Hart if the much-larger Diesel dished out a beating upon him.
Hart understood this, and says he told Nash to let him be the aggressor in the match, to allow Hart more of the offense. This way, fans wouldn't have been tempted to cheer Hart back into the match if Diesel were beating him to a pulp, which would've made Diesel look like the bad guy.