The Royal Albert Hall in London, England has been home to a multitude of events since its construction in 1871 -- including music concerts, film premieres, sporting events, and even the ballet. On October 3, 1991 the Royal Albert Hall welcomed a new sport to its hallowed halls, as the World Wrestling Federation brought its superstars to London. Battle Royal at the Albert Hall was a UK-only pay-per-view that featured, as its name implies, a 20-man battle royal in its main event. The contest saw every wrestler on the card compete, as well as the addition of Typhoon and Roddy Piper. The last two men in the ring were the colossal Typhoon and Britains own Davey Boy Smith. Ultimately, the British Bulldog would throw the near 400 pound Typhoon over the top, and would leave with the prestigious Royal Samovar trophy -- essentially a large urn used to make tea. After the conclusion of the match, Typhoon and Earthquake would gang up on Davey Boy, laying waste to the Bulldog. Then, to the shock of everyone, Andre the Giant would come to the rescue. He slammed the two behemoth mens heads together, sending them packing. The Giant congratulated the Bulldog before leaving him to bask in the adoration of his countrymen. Beyond the enormity of the main event, the card was stacked with high-profile names and exciting match-ups. In the opening contest the Nasty Boys would steal a victory over the Rockers -- who would only last a few more months before Shawn Michaels would famously throw his partner through a glass window. Another exciting tag team bout saw the Legion of Doom defend and retain their tag team titles over the duo of Power and Glory -- Hercules and Paul Roma. Conspicuous by his absence was WWF Champion Hulk Hogan, but it was of no matter, as the self-proclaimed REAL Worlds Champion was on hand. Ric Flair and Tito Santana battled in an excellent contest that saw Santana take Flair to his limit. Ultimately, Tito would be outsmarted by the Nature Boy and his underhanded tactics -- using a handful of Titos tights to secure the win. The Royal Albert Hall event was a fun and entertaining show. Further, it had a very unique look to it, due to the arenas size and design. There were only 5,000 fans in attendance, but the room was undoubtedly full. It was a show reminiscent of the Federations later Raw tapings from the Manhattan Center -- another unique and intimate environment. While the show was released on Coliseum home video, it has not made any further appearances. Its never been officially released on DVD and has yet to make its presence known online. Its a puzzling matter that should be rectified.
Douglas Scarpa is a freelance writer, independent filmmaker, art school graduate, and pro wrestling aficionado -- all of which mean he is in financial ruin. He has no backup plan to speak of, yet maintains his abnormally high spirits. If he had only listened to the scorn of his childhood teachers, he wouldn't be in this situation.
Conspicuous by his absence was WWF Champion Hulk Hogan, but it was of no matter, as the self-proclaimed REAL Worlds Champion was on hand. Ric Flair and Tito Santana battled in an excellent contest that saw Santana take Flair to his limit. Ultimately, Tito would be outsmarted by the Nature Boy and his underhanded tactics -- using a handful of Titos tights to secure the win. The Royal Albert Hall event was a fun and entertaining show. Further, it had a very unique look to it, due to the arenas size and design. There were only 5,000 fans in attendance, but the room was undoubtedly full. It was a show reminiscent of the Federations later Raw tapings from the Manhattan Center -- another unique and intimate environment. While the show was released on Coliseum home video, it has not made any further appearances. Its never been officially released on DVD and has yet to make its presence known online. Its a puzzling matter that should be rectified.