WWF Royal Rumble (Jan 1997)
from 1 Year in Wrestling Hosted by Matt & Chris
The first PPV of 1997 is a doozy! WWF kicks the attitude up a few gears in the start of 97 - lots of "rule-bending" matches here (ie lots of outside brawling, stairs usage, chairs and tables) which is even commented on by Jim Ross. Goldust has turned good-guy and is feuding with Hunter-Hearst Helmsley...Ahmed Johnson finally gets his chance at "extracting revenge" with his match with Farooq, months after his kidneys burst like a balloon...and, in the main event, Sid defends the Heavyweight Championship against the hometown hero, Shawn Michaels. Michaels had a strong fever and was ill all day leading into the match. This is the culmination of close to 16 months of HBK push, thru WM12 and the Boyhood Dream; we are now weeks away from him loosing his smile. An up and coming Steve Austin really shines in the Rumble match itself, throwing numerous pieces of trash over the top rope and then cheatingly coming back into the ring at the end to toss over Bret Hart - who, by all intents and purposes, should have won. Great PPV! Welcome to 1997!
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