20 Greatest WWE Royal Rumble Undercard Matches

2. The Rockers Vs. The Orient Express (1991)

Matt Hardy Powerbombed through a table Royal Rumble 2000
WWE.com

Simultaneously wowing the crowd and shaming the remainder of the roster back in WWE's Land of the Giants, The Rockers and Orient Express looked light-years ahead of their time in their frantic 1991 opener.

Comfortably improving on their above-average match at WrestleMania VI, the replacement of Akio Sato with Paul 'Kato' Diamond in the Express added much to the chemistry, reuniting Diamond with former 'Badd Company' partner Pat Tanaka and pitching the former AWA Tag Team title rivals against one another for the first time in three years.

Dazzling with their dynamic double team offence, The Rockers were quick off the mark after an Express sneak attack, sending both heels to floor and nailing stunning stereo suicide dives to the shock and awe of the Florida crowd.

After several more beautiful tandem attacks, both Michaels and Jannetty would sustain extended beatings from the Express, but with each comeback came another spoiler from the Japanese duo, who continued to expertly stifle all Rocker momentum.

In a finish as clinical as the match itself, the Express attempted their double team slingshot once too often, allowing Jannetty to follow through with a sunset flip for the pin on Tanaka whilst Michaels smartly kept Kato subdued.

Contributor
Contributor

Michael is a writer, editor, podcaster and presenter for WhatCulture Wrestling, and has been with the organisation nearly 8 years. He primarily produces written, audio and video content on WWE and AEW, but also provides knowledge and insights on all aspects of the wrestling industry thanks to a passion for it dating back over 35 years. As one third of "The Dadley Boyz" Michael has contributed to the huge rise in popularity of the WhatCulture Wrestling Podcast and its accompanying YouTube channel, earning it top spot in the UK's wrestling podcast charts with well over 62,000,000 total downloads. He has been featured as a wrestling analyst for the Tampa Bay Times, GRAPPL, GCP, Poisonrana and Sports Guys Talking Wrestling, and has covered milestone events in New York, Dallas, Las Vegas, Philadelphia, London and Cardiff. Michael's background in media stretches beyond wrestling coverage, with a degree in Journalism from the University Of Sunderland (2:1) and a series of published articles in sports, music and culture magazines The Crack, A Love Supreme and Pilot. When not offering his voice up for daily wrestling podcasts, he can be found losing it singing far too loud watching his favourite bands play live. Follow him on X/Twitter - @MichaelHamflett