Royal Rumble 2004 Review

Royal Rumble 2004 Review 


When I first got into wrestling, this was one of the first PPVs that I ever watched, so it's pretty nostalgic for me. This event is mainly remembered for who won the Rumble match, but what else did the show contain? Let's find out.



Batista & Ric Flair vs The Dudley Boyz : Tables Match
Tag Titles are on the line. Batista and Flair won the titles unfairly at the Armageddon PPV, and the Dudleys wanted them back in their favourite kind of match. The match was very short and seemed very sloppy at times. It didn't help that the Coach got himself involved. Not the best opener for a show that's for sure. 1/2*



Rey Mysterio vs Jamie Noble
Cruiserweight title is on the line. Noble's girlfriend, Nidia, was still in her 'blind' stage where she kept costing Noble matches due to her 'blindness'. These two deserved more than just three minutes for this match. They've had great matches in the past and I'm certain that, with more time, they would have had a great match. *



So far the show hasn't been good.



Eddie Guerrero vs Chavo Guerrero
What is it with matches not getting enough time? It's a shame they were only given eight minutes to work, and with another ten I'm sure they would have had a classic. This was the start of Eddie's singles run that led to his WWE Championship win a month later. Match was enjoyable while it lasted, but the finish was pretty anticlimactic, with Eddie easily beating his nephew. **




Brock Lesnar vs Hardcore Holly
Holly? Seriously? There was no one else? I mean the guy's a good wrestler but he's not WWE Title material. Holly didn't have a chance in hell here, and of course, Brock gets the decisive win. The match wasn't bad, even with Brock's long restholds, but it was another one that had to deal with time constraints. Luckily this is the last match that'll have that problem. *1/2



Triple H vs Shawn Michaels : Last Man Standing Match
Check out the blade job for the match :

Yeah it was pretty gruesome. This one had a hard time living up to the classic match that these guys had on Raw in December, but that didn't stop it from being a great match. Usually when these two have a match involving no DQ (aside from their dull 3 Stages of Hell match) it ends up being great and this was no exception.  Even the double count-out finish was fine, since that ended up leading to the five star, Triple Threat match at Mania 20. It's not the best match they've ever had, but to me, it was a lot of fun. ***1/2



Finally a good match on this show!


And now for the match we've all been waiting for.




The 2004 Royal Rumble Match
The best rumble ever? If you can get over the fact that Benoit won the match, then, arguably, it is. It's easily my favourite Rumble match ever. The 1992 Rumble comes close, but 2004 just beats it. For its one hour run time, it's entertaining all the way through, and, unlike most other Rumble matches, it doesn't have a dull moment. Benoit winning was also an amazing moment at the time, which has obviously been extinguished now. Amazing match that I would say is must-see. *****



6/10. This show was awful up until the Last Man Standing match. That match and the Rumble match absolutely saved the show. If you can't stomach Benoit I definitely wouldn't recommend this show, but if you can, get the DVD and skip everything except for the World Title match and the Royal Rumble match.