7 Secret Versions Of Classic WWE Matches

5. The Osaka Royal Rumble

CM Punk Dolph Ziggler HIAC
WWE

On May 9, 1994, the WWF presented an 18-man house show Royal Rumble in Osaka, Japan. Bootleg camera footage of the match exists on the pirated fringes of the Internet.

Rick Martel and Bob Backlund kicked things off, working a more frantic pace bespoke to the Japanese audience, before Backlund attempted a roll-up, the batsh*t geezer, and the commentators pissed themselves laughing - whether at the botch, or the idea of bringing him back and deeming Randy Savage too old to wrestle full-time, isn't entirely clear.

The footage isn't, either; it is at times an unwatchable snowstorm of static (still preferable to Kevin Dunn's HD camera cuts). Jinsei Shinzaki (who became Hakushi) entered the fray in the #3 slot, and did absolutely nothing but wait for either Martel or Backlund to eliminate the other, unhelpfully digging a plot hole in the process. Shinzaki and the 1-2-3 Kid provided much of the entertainment as the resulting field idled by the ropes, and it is Shinzaki who provided the high spot of the match with his psycho bump to the outside. He missed the Kid by a fraction of a second in a mad elimination as perfectly timed as it was courageous and or stupid. The crowd reacted to that, but to little else, for this was a tedious Rumble match.

The Undertaker, killed off in January only to return at SummerSlam, descended from heaven for the night to emerge victorious. He proved, even all those years ago, that his battered body never stopped him from bagging a handsome payday.

Contributor
Contributor

Michael Sidgwick is an editor, writer and podcaster for WhatCulture Wrestling. With over seven years of experience in wrestling analysis, Michael was published in the influential institution that was Power Slam magazine, and specialises in providing insights into All Elite Wrestling - so much so that he wrote a book about the subject. You can order Becoming All Elite: The Rise Of AEW on Amazon. Possessing a deep knowledge also of WWE, WCW, ECW and New Japan Pro Wrestling, Michael’s work has been publicly praised by former AEW World Champions Kenny Omega and MJF, and current Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes. When he isn’t putting your finger on why things are the way they are in the endlessly fascinating world of professional wrestling, Michael wraps his own around a hand grinder to explore the world of specialty coffee. Follow Michael on X (formerly known as Twitter) @MSidgwick for more!