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Submitted by Sheepster on Friday, January 11, 2008 at 2:48 PM EST 
 Welcome to another episode of “Under The Fleece”, and welcome to Royal Rumble Month.  We here at UTF hold the Royal Rumble in high regard. It is one of the greatest PPVs ever devised, perhaps even greater than Wrestlemania itself. We get so much hype and build-up, so much action, so much drama… all from one single match. And for the statistically-minded (like myself) there’s a whole other front to enjoying this spectacle. All the records and statistics to look through are enough to keep me happy for hours. I once uncovered a spooky curse attached to the Rumble match itself (more on that next week!). It’s almost like another holiday season for me; just like another Christmas. It’s The Most Wonderful Time Of The Year Wonderful time, indeed. Commonly referred to as the start of the road to Wrestlemania, this is the time of year when WWE’s hype machine starts churning into overload. All of the feuds and stories start twisting together and rolling into the big climax in March. It makes it a fun time to be watching WWE. What better way to hype them all up then threading them straight through the Royal Rumble? The biggest of the feuds all start with the winner of the match itself, of course. The winner gets a shot at any of the 3 World titles. Everyone knows this. It has been a tradition since 1993. But once that happens, all the other feuds can start to fall into place. The guys who beat the heck out of each other right through the month of January finally know who they’ll be matching up with as we head towards the big one. It’s Beginning To Look A Lot Like Vincemas From the very end of the previous pay-per-view (usually Armageddon), all the fun precursors to the Rumble begin. In the past we’ve had mini-tournaments where wrestlers compete for better entrance numbers and even feuds over who gets to participate. These often persist until the very night itself. The Big Show and Brock Lesnar were still fighting over a spot as the 2003 event started. Then we get the usual lottery. Wrestlers appear backstage to pick their numbers out of the tombola, which has lately been flanked by various divas. The tombola moments always lead to comedy; whether it’s the APA comparing notes, Khali trying to take 3 balls instead of 1 or Eddie Guerrero stealing Ric Flair’s number. I love that tombola machine. And of course, there’s usually at least one mid-card match that makes viewing a pleasure. Lately, what with there being 3 World titles instead of one, it’s less likely. But in the past, we’ve had ladder matches, table matches and ‘I Quit’ matches that nearly stole the show. With 30 wrestlers unavailable thanks to the Rumble match, they still find a few to put on a 5-star effort. They really seem to step it up a notch this time of year. Various special guests sometimes turn up. Wrestlers use the match to stage a comeback. Bob Backlund turned up in 2000 to get some election buzz. The Honky Tonk Man (greatest Intercontinental Champion ever) came back for a one-time deal in 2001, while Kane petrified Drew Carey. 2004 brought Mick Foley back to us as he started a memorable feud with Randy Orton. In 2006, Tatanka and Goldust made their re-debuts at the event, though they didn’t stay too long. All these aspects add up to make a great night almost every time. Want some examples? Violent Night Some of my favourite moments from WWE history have happened at the Royal Rumble. I only started watching wrestling at the turn of the century but there’s already a catalogue of fantastic moments that I’ll always enjoy. Let me share a few. 2000 - We start well. This event showcased the first ever Tables match; a vicious affair between the Hardy Boyz and the Dudleys. If that wasn’t enough, we had one hell of a street fight between Triple H and Cactus Jack. And finally, Big Show won the Royal Rumble match to earn a spot in the main event at Wrestlemania. Don’t try to tell me otherwise. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AEF1z7aIx98 2001 - In the main match, Kane broke a record by eliminating 11 people in a dominating display. But my favourite moment of all time comes from the ladder match between Chris Jericho and Chris Benoit. Benoit attempts a suicide dive to the outside when Jericho holds a chair in the way (at about 5:20 in the video below). The whole match is a joy to watch. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F4ZenIkNbSA 2002 - Undertaker expects an easy couple of minutes when Maven enters the ring. Maven holds on and dropkicks Undertaker out of the Rumble. Undertaker shows his slight displeasure by throwing Maven's head through a popcorn machine. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=htRNt4t_YXw 2004 - This was the famous incident where Brock Lesnar decapitated Hardcore Holly. Lesnar attempted a powerbomb, but Holly tried to show the rookie up by going limp on the way up making it almost impossible to complete the move. Lesnar tried his best to carry Holly up, but the dead weight was too much and he dropped Holly on his head. Benoit then won an exciting Rumble after choking Big Show in the ropes for at least 10 minutes. What a finish. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mIQgpA7Uahw 2005 - Possibly the greatest finish to a Rumble match. Both Dave “The Chimp” Batista and John Cena fall out of the ring at the same time. The referees are arguing. Then poor Mr McMahon rushes to the ring to sort the mess out but breaks his leg on the way in, so he has to sit down on the floor. Then the madness ensues. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nkGKQ5dx8uQ 2007 – This is more for comedy value than anything else. Cena vs. Umaga in a Last Man Standing match. Cena goes crazy and literally uses the ring rope as a last resort to choke out Umaga. I mean, seriously… who uses the ring rope as a weapon? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fUNS1wufZHI I Wish It Could Be Vincemas Every Day I really wish it could happen every day… or every week, at the very least. But Mr. McMahon is wise as he is old. If you eat turkey every day for 6 weeks, you start hating turkey. Heck, I’ve still got left over turkey in the fridge. I don’t care if I never see another turkey sandwich, so I understand his logic. Mr. McMahon knows that we would all grow tired of his turkey soon enough. And so, I watch and wait every year. I watch Summerslam and hardly ever think of it. I watch Survivor Series as I realise it’s getting closer. I watch Armageddon as Christmas passes and I begin to get excited. Royal Rumble is just around the corner. Vincemas is here and I feel like a 6-year-old waiting for presents again. Merry Vincemas, everyone.  This was just a little “memory lane” piece, showing why the Rumble is the greatest. Remember to tune in next week when I let you all in on the Secret of the Rumble Curse. Is it fate? Is it coincidence? Is it WWE messing with our heads? Do I have too much time on my hands? Find out next week. A quick congratulations should be roared in the direction of romans_3:23, who has joined us up here on the main page. He’s got a strange but interesting take on this wrestling business. Go read him now. Also, go to the Columns Forum and see all the people who’ll be up here soon. It’s fun times at the moment in the Columns Forum. Now I’ll shut up. If you’d like to contact me for any reason, reach me at the UTF Mailbox: underthefleece@yahoo.co.uk. Everything should be labelled something like “Feedback” or my spam-filter tries to eat it. Have a good week, everyone. This is Under the Fleece… over and out. DISCLAIMER: This article has been created using nothing more than subjective opinions and wild accusations, and any conclusions reached in this column are purely for entertainment purposes. No purchase necessary. Your statutory rights are not affected. She's Doing It AGAIN! Must See New Karen Angle Shots!
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