After the initial USA Network special in 1988, WWF decided to put the Royal Rumble on pay per-view in 1989. They increased the number of entrants to 30 and upped the star power, meaning the match was destined to be an improvement on the initial 20-man bout. 1989 was the time for the WWF to lay down a marker on what the Royal Rumble match meant within the company, with millions watching on PPV around the world. It started off well, with Ax and Smash of Demolition drawing 1 and 2 and battling it out until Andre The Giant came out as number 3. There was story progression for the Mega Powers exploding, too, as Randy Savage was eliminated by Hulk Hogan. But once the second half of the entrants came out (Bushwhacker Luke, The Warlord, Koko B Ware and The Barbarian do not a good Rumble make), the match slowed down, and lost it's excitement. Did it build to an exciting ending? Not really. Big John Studd, who had been a top heel in the mid 80's, was back as a babyface and he was painfully bland in the role, yet he ended up throwing out Ted DiBiase to win the Royal Rumble. After a unique and fun start to the Rumble, the 1989 edition got blander and less exciting as the match wore on. Ultimately, giving the win to Big John Studd was a waste and it's become a forgettable Rumble that pretty much nobody talks about. It makes the list based on how good the first half was and the potential for what they could have done with it.
Kenny is a successful podcast host with Inside The Ropes, promotes exciting Q&A events in the UK with the likes of Sting and DDP, has interviewed the big guns like Foley, Jericho, Bruno and Austin and enjoys cheese a great deal.
