Ranking EVERY WWE Royal Rumble Match - From Worst To Best

12. 1990

Ultimate Warrior Hulk Hogan Royal Rumble 1990
WWE Network

Yes, yes, of course ‘Hogan Must Pose’, but away from the obvious Hulkster win and his usual nearly-but-not-quite-fully-tired schtick, there was so much to enjoy about the 1990 Royal Rumble.

Firstly, Ted DiBiase did a great job in the iron man spot, entering at #1, going 45 minutes, and brilliantly playing the cowering heel who’s forever waiting for the right moment to strike. Then there was the nicely brewing beef between Demolition and the Colossal Connection pairing of Andre the Giant and Haku, with Ax and Smash eliminating Andre, and Haku throwing out Smash as the two teams were in the midst of a WWF Tag Team Title feud that would culminate at WrestleMania VI. Plus, for a brief, brief moment, there appeared the slightest of chances that the company might - just might - pull the trigger on a surprise Mr. Perfect win.

As for the biggest talking point of the ‘90 Rumble, that was the electric face-to-face confrontation between WWF Champion Hulk Hogan and Intercontinental Champion Ultimate Warrior. Hogan had obviously long been the golden goose and poster boy of the promotion, while Warrior had been on an unstoppable tear and was chomping away for that top babyface spot. It was only brief - plenty of posturing, a few shoulder blocks, a double clothesline, and Hulk ‘accidentally’ eliminating the Ultimate One - but this was the perfect appetite-whetter ahead of the Ultimate Challenge less than three months later.

Senior Writer
Senior Writer

Once described as the Swiss Army Knife of WhatCulture, Andrew can usually be found writing, editing, or presenting on a wide range of topics. As a lifelong wrestling fan, horror obsessive, and comic book nerd, he's been covering those topics professionally as far back as 2010. In addition to his current WhatCulture role of Senior Content Producer, Andrew previously spent nearly a decade as Online Editor and Lead Writer for the world's longest-running genre publication, Starburst Magazine, and his work has also been featured on BBC, TechRadar, Tom's Guide, WhatToWatch, Sportkskeeda, and various other outlets, in addition to being a Rotten Tomatoes-approved film critic. Between his main day job, his role as the lead panel host of Wales Comic Con, and his gig as a pre-match host for Wrexham AFC games, Andrew has also carried out a hugely varied amount of interviews, from the likes of Robert Englund, Kane Hodder, Adrienne Barbeau, Rob Zombie, Katharine Isabelle, Leigh Whannell, Bruce Campbell, and Tony Todd, to Kevin Smith, Ron Perlman, Elijah Wood, Giancarlo Esposito, Simon Pegg, Charlie Cox, the Russo Brothers, and Brian Blessed, to Kevin Conroy, Paul Dini, Tara Strong, Will Friedle, Burt Ward, Andrea Romano, Frank Miller, and Rob Liefeld, to Bret Hart, Sting, Mick Foley, Ricky Starks/Saints, Jamie Hayter, Britt Baker, Eric Bischoff, and William Regal, to Mickey Thomas, Joey Jones, Phil Parkinson, Brian Flynn, Denis Smith, Gary Bennett, Karl Connolly, and Bryan Robson - and that's just the tip of an ever-expanding iceberg. Where his beloved Wrexham AFC is concerned, Andrew is co-host of the Fearless in Devotion podcast, which won the Club Podcast of the Year gong at the 2024 FSA Awards.