It was a transitional period for WWE in 1996 as they really started to put the focus on Bret Hart, Shawn Michaels and The Undertaker as the cornerstones of the company. In addition to them, they were rebuilding the roster with new talent. There were four key wrestlers that started in WWE by late 1995 and 1996. Hunter Hearst Helmsley started in WWE in 1995 after WrestleMania. Steve Austin debuted as "The Ringmaster" in early 1996 and was a part of this Rumble match. During the summer, we also saw Mankind show up to feud with The Undertaker right away. Rocky Maivia debuted later in 1996. It took a few years for those four guys to really get going, but once they did that's when business really started to pick up. That's why it's cool to watch some of the PPVs from WWE in 1996 to see how they were trying to build to something great. Nobody knew at the time that two or three years later the company would reach all time highs, but that's exactly what happened. With all of that said, this wasn't a great PPV and the Rumble match was very obvious in terms of the winner. There were still some fun moments, though. The ninth Royal Rumble event took place in Fresno, California on January 21, 1996. Here are the results from that show. 1. Ahmed Johnson d. Jeff Jarrett by disqualification 2. Tag Team Titles: The Smoking Gunns (Billy & Bart) d. The Bodydonnas (Skip & Zip w/Sunny) 3. Intercontinental Title: Goldust d. Razor Ramon to win the IC Title 4. Shawn Michaels won the Royal Rumble 5. WWE Title: The Undertaker d. Bret Hart by disqualification (Bret was still WWE Champion) Here are seven things you should know about the 1996 Royal Rumble.
John wrote at WhatCulture from December 2013 to December 2015. It was fun, but it's over for now. Follow him on Twitter @johnreport. You can also send an email to mrjohncanton@gmail.com with any questions or comments as well.
