If there is one iconic Royal Rumble match that, to most fans, stands alone amongst its peers, it would be 1992. And for good reason. Ric Flair's victory told us the original story of achieving victory despite near-impossible odds. When he entered at #3, he was justifiably written off as a potential winner by 99% of the audience. To that point in Rumble history, there was no precedent established that would make thinking otherwise logical. Bobby "The Brain" Heenan's words on commentary reflected that notion. He was so dejected that his client and friend had been dealt such a presumably lousy blow from Lady Luck. Of course, Heenan would provide a soundtrack to the match that has never been duplicated, as subjective as it may have been. He was superlatively outstanding, giving the '92 Rumble an intangible quality similar but not equal in scope to the previously mentioned "moments" of early entries. Flair finding a way to win was an outstanding way to stamp him with a seal of WWE approval. "The Dirtiest Player in the Game" had used any means necessary to gain underhanded victories galore in his NWA career, but WWE's audience was different. Flair was being pushed to the WrestleMania main-event in his first five months with the company. They needed to make him credible. Mission accomplished. WWE had never seen a heel quite like him in the early WrestleMania Era. Flair's performance is still amongst the greatest in Rumble match history, watching like a microcosm of his career as he worked with so many different styles of wrestlers during his hour long march to glory. "Star-studded" this match has often been named. Indeed, it was dotted from the outset with incredibly relevant talents. Shawn Michaels had one of his first great outings as a singles wrestler, perhaps inspired by sharing the ring with Flair. Jake Roberts and Randy Savage had a memorable encounter, with the enduring clip of Macho Man bursting through the curtain like he had been shot out of a canon as readily cued up in the mind as any in Rumble lore. Savage's gaffe of eliminating himself and then having to be reinstated by a technicality explained by Heenan and Monsoon aside, the Macho vs. Snake portion of the match was one of those feuds within the greater context of the match that separates '92 from the pack. Hulk Hogan and Sid Justice were favorites for a reason and they played their roles well in creating tension between them to open the door for Flair to squeak out the win. All in all, 1992 is considered the original standard for Rumble matches for a reason.
"The Doc" Chad Matthews has written wrestling columns for over a decade. A physician by trade, Matthews began writing about wrestling as a hobby, but it became a passion. After 30 years as a wrestling fan, "The Doc" gives an unmatched analytical perspective on pro wrestling in the modern era. He is a long-time columnist for Lordsofpain.net and hosts a weekly podcast on the LOP Radio Network called "The Doc Says." His first book - The WrestleMania Era: The Book of Sports Entertainment - ranks the Top 90 wrestlers from 1983 to present day, was originally published in December 2013, and is now in its third edition.
Matthews lives in North Carolina with his wife, two kids, and two dogs.
