With This Ring #76

With This Ring #76: Royal Rumble 2001 Cindy and Ryan are back in the saddle and looking at 2001. We look at an all-time show, starting off a hot streak of great shows. We talk about how the Trish Stratus/Vince McMahon relationship as it continues to dominate the World title scene. We talk about the re-boot the WWE would do in early January, usually the first Raw after Monday Night Football, setting the course for the Royal Rumble after a typically slow Christmas and New Year shows. Topics we talk about include:  Kurt Angle and Steve Austin having a damn good wrestling match as the main event of Raw until, we all have to remember how important Triple H is. We start with the show proper with a rarity for this era: a straight-up, non-gimmick, really strong tag team match between the Dudleys and Edge and Christian.  We talk quite a bit about Drew Carey and the Drew Carey show and Drew Carey’s Improv All Stars and how Drew gets involved in this show, with such an impressive showing where he would be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame.  We talk about the Canadian Chrisses having a good, but now in hindsight kind of squeamish match. A ridiculous Chyna/Ivory “match” where doing a flip and making minimal contact with 120 pound Ivory somehow breaks Chyna’s neck.   Triple H/Kurt Angle having a pretty good match, which is split into a Trish/Stephanie/Vince segment and then follows with their strong World title match.  A great Rumble, featuring an all-time performance by Kane, Drew Carey, the Rock going 40 minute, Big Show’s unsuccessful fat farm stay, Stone Cold getting bloodied before he even enters and the return of HAKU! All this and much more. Enjoy!