Wrestling: Pay-Per-View Players #33 - January 1991

#1 Hulk Hogan [--] (15-3-1) (WWF)
[Royal Rumble 1990, 1991]

The road to Wrestlemania VII begins with a Heavyweight Championship shocker at Royal Rumble 1991! Last year's 30-man Royal Rumble winner Hulk Hogan went back-to-back, eliminating Earthquake from the #24 entry to become a 2-time winner! The victory delivers a Wrestlemania WWF Championship opportunity -- but the prospect of a rematch of last year's face-off would evaporate in a shocking change!

Amidst the turmoil of Operation Desert Storm: the once uncompromising American hero Sgt. Slaughter would rise as an Iraqi sympathizer! Professing his allegiance to real-world dictator Saddam Hussein -- Slaughter would ignite a tension unlike any national rival experienced in professional wrestling history! This genuine hatred would escalate to new heights with Slaughter's shock Royal Rumble Heavyweight Championship win over The Ultimate Warrior!

In the Rumble match itself, the customary sprawl of 29 other wrestlers would face defeat. Amongst the list: WWF's repackaged Road Warriors - The Legion of Doom! Elimination at the hands of Earthquake would bump Road Warrior Animal down to 5th in the singles rankings. Otherwise, no changes incur as a result of the Royal Rumble card! It's a symptom of the annual tradition, the choice of enduring talents, and the turnover of new stars.

In February, the now annual WrestleWar returns -- this time under the complete control of World Championship Wrestling! The Pay-Per-View Players rankings are about to say goodbye to NWA control and greet a new promotional struggle between WWF and WCW! It begins next month!

 

Top Ten Singles PPV Players

#1 [--] Hulk Hogan (15-3-1) (WWF) [Royal Rumble '91]
#2 [--] Randy Savage (13-9-0) (WWF)
#3 [--] Road Warrior Hawk (12-4-0) (WWF)
#4 [+1] Rick Steiner (11-5-1) (NWA)
#5 [-1] Road Warrior Animal (11-5-0) (WWF)
#6 [--] Sting (10-1-2) (NWA) [World Heavyweight Champion]
#7 [--] "Black Scorpion" Ric Flair (10-6-3) (NWA)
#8 [--] Ultimate Warrior (9-3-0) (WWF)
#9 [--] Scott Steiner (9-4-0) (NWA)
#10 [--] Brutus Beefcake (8-2-3) (WWF)
 

Top Ten Tag Team PPV Players

#1 [--] Road Warrior Hawk & Animal (11-3-0) (WWF)
#2 [--] Rick & Scott Steiner (9-3-0) (NWA)
#3 [--] Bobby Eaton & Stan Lane (6-3-0) (NWA)
#4 [--] Ax & Smash (6-4-0) (WWF)
#5 [--] Bret Hart & Jim Neidhart (6-4-0) (WWF) [Tag Team Champions]
#6 [--] Ricky Morton & Robert Gibson (5-1-0) (NWA)
#7 [--] The Samoan Savage & Fatu (4-1-0) (NWA)
#8 [--] Arn Anderson & Tully Blanchard (3-1-1) (WWF)
#9 [--] Bushwacker Luke & Butch (3-1-0) (WWF)
#10 [--] Davey Boy Smith & Dynamite Kid (3-2-1) (WWF)

Top Womens PPV Players
#1 [--] The Fabulous Moolah (2-0-0) (WWF)
#2 [--] Rockin' Robin (2-0-0) (WWF) [Women's Champion]
#3 [--] Wendi Richter (1-0-0) (WWF)
#4 [--] Itsuki Yamazaki (1-0-0) (WWF)
#5 [--] Noriyo Tateno (1-0-0) (WWF)

 

Recent Pay-Per-View Event Results
- WWF Royal Rumble (January 19, 1991)
- NWA Starrcade '90 (December 16, 1990)
- WWF Survivor Series (November 22, 1990)
- WCW Halloween Havoc (October 27, 1990)
- WWF Summerslam (August 27, 1990)
- NWA The Great American Bash (July 7, 1990)

 

The Pay-Per-View Players rankings intend to take into account pay-per-view events promoted by NWA, WWF, WCW, ECW, WWE & TNA wrestling organizations. Only broadcast results contribute to the cumulative tally of win/loss record of wrestlers. Pre-show matches will not be included.

Wrestling: Pay-Per-View Players #24 - January 1990

#1 Randy Savage [--] (12-7-0) (WWF)

For the first time in quite a while there's no change in the Pay-Per-View Players rankings! 1990 kicks off with the Royal Rumble -- a match that affords only one victory to the thirty participants seeking to eliminate their 29 foes. In years to come we would know the event as a ticket to the Heavyweight Championship match at Wrestlemania. In 1990, it's the WWF Champion himself who emerges victorious: Hulk Hogan entering at 25 to claim the final win by eliminating "Mr. Perfect" Curt Hennig!

Hogan personally handed defeat to: Hennig, Honky Tonk Man, Haku & Jimmy Snuka. He teamed with Rick Rude & The Barbarian to take out his arch-rival in the elimination stakes: Intercontinental Champion - The Ultimate Warrior! Warrior was responsible for removing an equal 5 opponents: Rick Martel, Shawn Michaels, Ted DiBiase, Dino Bravo & Tito Santana (with Rick Martel). #1 ranked Randy Savage sees a decline in stats: entering 5th to be eliminated 4th courtesy of Dusty Rhodes.

A lone tag team bout on the undercard grants The Bushwackers a pay-per-view win. The Fabulous Rougeaus take the lumps, but remain guardians of the pay-per-view tag team rankings entry point. Demolition were not able to win the Royal Rumble itself, but got the rub with a two-man elimination of one half of the Tag Team Champions (and a battle royal legend) - Andre the Giant!

As February rolls in, the Pay-Per-View Players rankings are the NWA's for the taking! With no changes, the door is wide open for WrestleWar to distribute wins evenly across a more traditional card than the WWF's gimmicked November & January offerings. 

 

Top Ten Singles PPV Players

#1 [--] Randy Savage (12-7-0) (WWF)
#2 [--] Hulk Hogan (11-2-1) (WWF) [World Heavyweight Champion, Royal Rumble 1990]
#3 [--] Road Warrior Hawk (9-3-0) (NWA)
#4 [--] Ric Flair (9-4-2) (NWA)
#5 [--] Road Warrior Animal (8-4-0) (NWA)
#6 [--] Sting (7-1-2) (NWA)
#7 [--] Brutus Beefcake (7-2-3) (WWF)
#8 [--] Smash (7-4-0) (WWF)
#9 [--] Ricky Steamboat (7-5-0) (NWA)
#10 [--] Dusty Rhodes (6-4-0) (WWF)
 

Top Ten Tag Team PPV Players

#1 [--] Road Warrior Hawk & Animal (8-3-0) (NWA)
#2 [--] Ax & Smash (5-2-0) (WWF)
#3 [--] Bobby Eaton & Stan Lane (4-1-0) (NWA)
#4 [--] Bret Hart & Jim Neidhart (4-3-0) (WWF)
#5 [--] Ricky Morton & Robert Gibson (3-0-0) (NWA)
#6 [--] Arn Anderson & Tully Blanchard (3-1-1) (WWF)
#7 [--] The Samoan Savage & Fatu (3-1-0) (NWA)
#8 [--] Davey Boy Smith & Dynamite Kid (3-2-1) (WWF)
#9 [--] Rick & Scott Steiner (3-2-0) (NWA)
#10 [--] Jacques & Raymond Rougeau (3-5-1) (WWF)

Top Womens PPV Players
#1 [--] The Fabulous Moolah (2-0-0) (WWF)
#2 [--] Rockin' Robin (2-0-0) (WWF) [Women's Champion]
#3 [--] Wendi Richter (1-0-0) (WWF)
#4 [--] Itsuki Yamazaki (1-0-0) (WWF)
#5 [--] Noriyo Tateno (1-0-0) (WWF)

 

Recent Pay-Per-View Event Results
- WWF Royal Rumble (January 21, 1990)
- WWF No Holds Barred: The Match/The Movie (December 27, 1989)
- NWA Starrcade '89 (December 13, 1989)
- WWF Survivor Series (November 23, 1989)
- WCW Halloween Havoc (October 28, 1989)
- WWF Summerslam (August 28, 1989)

 

The Pay-Per-View Players rankings intend to take into account pay-per-view events promoted by NWA, WWF, WCW, ECW, WWE & TNA wrestling organizations. Only broadcast results contribute to the cumulative tally of win/loss record of wrestlers. Pre-show matches will not be included.

Wrestling: Pay-Per-View Players #15 - January 1989

#1 Randy Savage [--] (11-3-0) (WWF)
(World Heavyweight Champion)

Densely packed multi-man matches have been key to elevating WWF stars to the upper ranks of the Pay-Per-View Players countdown. The annual 30-man Royal Rumble plays it both ways, delivering a guaranteed mass of humanity in the main event, but affording only one victory between them. In 1989 the winner would be Big John Studd -- the #27 entrant who outlasted a massive list that included Top 2 Mega Powers: Randy Savage & Hulk Hogan!

The share of defeat offers some default elevation to a couple of names in the Top 10. Davey Boy Smith joins his partner thanks to Brutus Beefcake's unsuccessful Rumble participation. NWA mainstay Dusty Rhodes benefits from the #1 elimination: Smash. Singles stars weren't the only ones benefitting from Demolition's participation in the Rumble! Bret Hart & Jim Neidhart emerge from a 6-man best 2 of 3 falls tag match to forge a foundation in the tag team Top 3!

With the blokes busy tossing each other over the top rope -- the women return to WWF pay-per-view! Rockin' Robin enjoyed a successful defense of the WWF Women's Championship against Judy Martin. Will the NWA finally fire back in the lady's division? Or will tag team supremacy be theirs once again? Chi-Town Rumble is coming in February!

 

Top Ten Singles PPV Players

#1 [--] Randy Savage (11-3-0) (WWF) [World Heavyweight Champion]
#2 [--] Hulk Hogan (6-2-1) (WWF)
#3 [--] Ricky Steamboat (6-3-0) (WWF)
#4 [--] Ric Flair (5-2-1) (NWA) [World Heavyweight Champion]
#5 [--] Dynamite Kid (5-3-1) (WWF)
#6 [+1] Davey Boy Smith (4-2-1) (WWF)
#7 [-1] Brutus Beefcake (4-2-1) (WWF)
#8 [--] Andre the Giant (4-3-1) (WWF)
#9 [+1] Dusty Rhodes (4-3-0) (NWA)
#10 [-1] Smash (4-3-0) (WWF)
 

Top Ten Tag Team PPV Players

#1 [--] Ricky Morton & Robert Gibson (3-0-0) (NWA)
#2 [--] Davey Boy Smith & Dynamite Kid (3-2-1) (WWF)
#3 [RE] Bret Hart & Jim Neidhart (3-2-0) (WWF)
#4 [-1] Nikolai Volkoff & The Iron Sheik (2-0-0) (WWF)
#5 [-1] Bobby Eaton & Stan Lane (2-0-0) (NWA)
#6 [-1] The Barbarian & The Warlord (2-0-0) (WWF)
#7 [-1] Paul Roma & Jim Powers (2-0-0) (WWF)
#8 [-1] Andre the Giant & Rick Rude (2-0-0) (WWF)
#9 [-1] Hulk Hogan & Randy Savage (2-0-0) (WWF)
#10 [-1] Ax & Smash (2-2-0) (WWF) [Tag Team Champions]

Top Womens PPV Players
#1 [--] The Fabulous Moolah (2-0-0) (WWF)
#2 [+1] Rockin' Robin (2-0-0) (WWF) [Women's Champion]
#3 [-1] Wendi Richter (1-0-0) (WWF)
#4 [--] Itsuki Yamazaki (1-0-0) (WWF)
#5 [--] Noriyo Tateno (1-0-0) (WWF)

 

Recent Pay-Per-View Event Results
- WWF Royal Rumble (January 15, 1989)
- NWA Starrcade '88 (December 26, 1988)
- WWF Survivor Series (November 24, 1988)
- WWF Summerslam (August 29, 1988)
- NWA The Great American Bash (July 10, 1988)
- WWF Wrestlemania IV (March 27, 1988)

 

The Pay-Per-View Players rankings intend to take into account pay-per-view events promoted by NWA, WWF, WCW, ECW, WWE & TNA wrestling organizations. Only broadcast results contribute to the cumulative tally of win/loss record of wrestlers. Pre-show matches will not be included.

Wrestling: The Kayfabe Countdown - 01/27

#1 Sheamus [--] (6-2-1)
#2 Randy Orton [--] (6-2-1)
Posted Retroactively Without Commentary

#3 [+5] Alberto Del Rio (5-0-0) [World Champion]
#4 [+1] Kane (5-2-0) [Tag Team Champion]
#5 [+1] Bryan Danielson (5-2-0) [Tag Team Champion]
#6 [-2] Kaitlyn (4-0-0) [Divas Champion]
#7 [-4] Wade Barrett (4-4-1) [Intercontinental Champion]
#8 [+2] John Cena (3-0-0) [Royal Rumble Winner]
#9 [RE] The Miz (3-2-0)
#10 [-3] Antonio Cesaro (3-5-1) [United States Champion]

#1 [--] Kane & Bryan Danielson (3-1-0) [Tag Team Champions]
#2 [+8] Cody Rhodes & Damien Sandow (2-2-0)
#3 [-1] Sheamus & Randy Orton (1-0-0)
#4 [-1] The Great Khali & Hornswoggle (1-0-0)
#5 [-1] Hornswoggle & Natalya Neidhart (1-0-0)
#6 [-1] Dolph Ziggler & AJ Lee (1-0-0)
#7 [--] Randy Orton & Kane (1-0-0)
#8 [--] Randy Orton & Bryan Danielson (1-0-0)
#9 [--] Alberto Del Rio & Sheamus (1-0-0)
#10 [new] Alberto Del Rio & Kane (1-0-0)

The Kayfabe Countdown is based on the cumulative tally of wrestler win/loss records. Tallied results only include matches broadcast during WWE 2013 programming. At present, this includes RAW (Mondays), Main Event (Wednesdays), Smackdown (Friday), and monthly Pay-Per-View events.

Wrestling: The Kayfabe Countdown - 01/30

#1 Alberto Del Rio [--] (6-2-0) (WWE) [Royal Rumble]
As of today, Alberto Del Rio is going to Wrestlemania to challenge the Champion of his choosing... but you already knew that. I had my doubts, but Del Rio's 2011 push has carried him all the way to victory in the first ever forty-man Royal Rumble! As phenomenal an achievement as it is, it comes bittersweet for the rising star. His entry was late, number thirty-eight, with the final elimination being an utterly unconvincing Santino Marella (#60). While that finish might've been very weak, Del Rio did have the honor of eliminating title contender, Randy Orton (#6)!

Del Rio's Wrestlemania opponent remains to be seen, as does the likelihood of WWE honoring the tradition of Royal Rumble winners getting their shot in the biggest main event match of the calendar. The safe bet might be a bout with current World Champion, Edge (#2), who defeated Dolph Ziggler (#67) in a title defense at Royal Rumble. Keeping Del Rio on Smackdown would seem a benefit to his style as a wrestler, similarly to the strength of the show in Mexican markets, but you never know! Recent appearances on RAW may indicate more than an intent to promote Del Rio ahead of his Rumble win. Given that RAW's WWE Championship seems likely to be contended between a combination of current champ, The Miz (#30), John Cena (#86), and Randy Orton, a switch is long odds, though.

#2 [RE] Edge (5-1-0) (WWE) [World Heavyweight Champion]
#3 [-1] Robert Roode (4-0-0) (TNA) [Tag Team Champion]
#4 [-1] James Storm (4-0-0) (TNA) [Tag Team Champion]
#5 [+1] Kofi Kingston (4-2-0) (WWE) [Intercontinental Champion]
#6 [-2] Randy Orton (4-2-0) (WWE)
#7 [+1] Jeff Jarrett (3-0-1) (TNA)
#8 [new] Frankie Kazarian (3-1-0) (TNA) [X-Division Champion]
#9 [-4] Chris Masters (3-1-0) (WWE)
#10 [new] Primo Colon (3-1-0) (WWE)

#1 [--] Robert Roode & James Storm (4-0-0) (TNA) [Tag Team Champions]
#2 [new] Zack Ryder & Primo Colon (2-0-0) (WWE)
#3 [-1] Eve Torres & Brie Bella (1-0-0) (WWE)
#4 [--] Natalya Neidhart & Eve Torres (1-0-0) (WWE)
#5 [--] Natalya Neidhart & Brie Bella (1-0-0) (WWE)
#6 [--] Randy Orton & Jerry Lawler (1-0-0) (WWE)
#7 [--] Angelina Love & Winter (1-0-0) (TNA) [Knockouts Tag Team Champions]
#8 [--] Jeff Hardy & Matt Hardy (1-0-0) (TNA)
#9 [--] Chris Masters & JTG (1-0-0) (WWE)
#10 [new] Yoshi Tatsu & Primo Colon (1-0-0) (WWE)

Superstar Spotlight:
#80 Booker T (0-1-0) (WWE)
Historically, the Royal Rumble is a match built on the excitement of the unknown. The potential for multiple would-be contenders to win, along with the random draw of wrestlers, is a certain draw, but there's something extra special about the potential for surprise entrants! In 2011, the biggest surprises came in the form of Booker T and Kevin Nash (#84) -- two WCW alumnists who'd left the company, joining opposition TV promotion, Total Non-Stop Action, since.

Booker T, having departed from TNA in 2008, seemed to be heading toward retirement, but with days to go, semi-confirmation of terms met between he and WWE created a new buzz about the first ever forty-man Royal Rumble. It put an end to speculation about TNA's plans for a resurrection of the Main Event Mafia stable, who were tipped to be the most likely party responsibe for "THEY" -- a second incarnation of a teased organization.

Booker (and Nash's) unavailability for the TNA angle appears to have given way to standing plans to return AJ Styles (#70) and members of Fortune to TNA favourite status, creating a silver lining of a situation that would only have been made worse by the return of tiring WCW/WWE retirees. That said, this is no slight to Booker T and Kevin Nash, as they head towards the possibility of a wrestling role in WWE.

Booker T remains a respectable talent, who never truly received the dues he earned in WWE. The prospect of his return garnering some sort of main event situation would be potentially quite joyous in WWE, where RAW remains bogged down in a mix of unworthy champions, aborted prospects, and the usual suspects (Orton, Cena). There's plenty of room for Booker to energize the top title divisions on RAW, or even Smackdown, where he would be forced to compete with Alberto Del Rio's momentum, but would be a pleasant change of pace as a challenger, as opposed to someone like Edge. On Smackdown, he would potentially arrive alongside Nash, who took a moment to stare down Big Show (#22) during the Rumble -- possible build for a feud, or a union against Wade Barrett (#91) and his Corre, who currently have beef with Big Show. Perhaps an opposing trio could form?

It's impossible not to speculate about the these returning WCW alumnists without mentioning 2011's Hall of Fame inductions, which will coincide with Wrestlemania's arrival in Atlanta -- the home of the now defunct WCW. Booker and Nash could easily have been brought in with a view to induct them into the HOF as representing WCW/WWE stars. Speculation persists that Sting might also join them, despite "The Icon's" long history of refusing offers from the company. Diamond Dallas Page has to be considered another outsider prospect, with Bill Goldberg always on the WCW-noted periphery. Also on a Wrestlemania note is the potential for wrestling The Undertaker in his famed Wrestlemania slot, but there's plenty of time for that...

Special Note: This week's Countdown includes results from the WWE: Royal Rumble Pay-Per-View event (Jan. 30). On the show, Eve Torres (#14) defeated Natalya Neidhart (#18) to win the Divas Championship in a fatal four-way match also involving Layla (#48) and Michelle McCool (#23).

The Kayfabe Countdown is based on the cumulative tally of wrestler win/loss records, based on televised matches from WWE and TNA 2010 broadcasts. At present, they includes TNA: Impact!, WWE: RAW, WWE: Superstars, WWE: Smackdown, and monthly Pay-Per-View events.

AdVantage Point: WWF Royal Rumble (1993)

Give an idiot a scanner and a comic book and let him pick out all the advertisements for video games.
This is AdVantage Point -- a chance to document the winding timeline of comics/gaming history as it was canonized by the adverts. Musings, rantings, observations, stream of consciousness.

 

The observant and thorough among you might recognise me from my brief tenure as a writer earlier in the decade for Prowrestling.com. If this revelation somehow startles you, it shouldn't. The appeal of professional wrestling isn't so different from any instance of comics, movies, or video games.
The latter, and principle concern of 1up.com, is particularly relevant since the mid-nineties, when gaming and wrestling become powerful allies. For me, this was never about the adolescent power fantasy, as much as it was the chance to download and interact with even more of the distinct characters and extravagant storylines that elevated pro wrestling to sports entertainment.

In that respect, American pro wrestling isn't so different to plonking down in front of Street Fighter II.
[Before the advent of UFC and MMA in the mainstream]; American wrestlers were instantly recognisable characters of limited, but vivid dimension, defined by their explosive friendships and rivalries, key concerns, and the trademarked moves through which they dispersed their passionate resolve for both.

Like a blue and yellow qipao, a battle earned chest scar, or an unmistakable rising dragon punch, prowrestlers wore their character boldly for all to see. Occasionally, they even did so with the same supernatural spirit of any hadou-ki wielding world warrior, defiantly shaking off the blows of a villainous rival, or striking down with a vengeful bolt of pulsating blue lightning.

Clearly I'm not the first person to realise this, past, or present.

In the early nineties, the power of pro wrestling was captured in sprites through a spate of 8 and 16 bit arcade-style brawlers. While Acclaim were rolling out the licensed smackdown of WWF Royal Rumble; Capcom took their Final Fight wrestler-turned-mayor, "Macho" Mike Haggar, and threw him back into his native environment as part of the line-up of the fictional CWA promotion in,  Saturday Night Slam Masters.

Slam Masters added a plane of movement akin to Final Fight's street roaming, confining the action to the squared circle, but with the extra illusion of depth absent from Street Fighter's side-to-side fisticuffs. The emphasis on styles of grappling (and lucha libre) also meant the action was more immediately engaging, speeding up the cumbersome balance of Zangief's lumbering holds to let the slams, bombs, and presses fly at rapid speed!

These days, the simulative emphasis of wrestling games is far more indepth.
Since their 2001 buy-out of competition, World Championship Wrestling; WWE have been the undisputed title holder of American pro wrestling games. Newest rivals, TNA Wrestling [Impact!], and the likes of legendary fan-favourite industry simulator, Fire Pro Wrestling, have taken shots at the top, but none have been able to dethrone the definitive grip of the annual Smackdown! (vs RAW) series [2009], or the recent nostalgia expansion, Legends of Wrestlemania.

Yes, there are other wrestling games out there. Some of them, probably pretty good, too.
None, however, have had the penetration of the examples listed, which is exactly why I think it's long overdue for Capcom to dust-off the early nineties classic and give it the old college puroresu ganbaru!

For me, a simple update to the classic 2D wrestler won't do.
Where Street Fighter IV was able to capitalize on conservative nostalgia, I want Slam Masters to be an opportunity to invent something fondly familiar, but new. I want the structure of the game to flirt with a hybrid of arcade fighters and pro wrestling simulators, whilst more boldly drawing upon the history of the company to truly represent a "Capcom Wrestling Association" (CWA).

The trick would be to never lose sight of the directive of the game.
Like the original Slam Masters; a retro revival should recapture the over-the-top action that made the series individual at the time, following on from the same exaggerated ethic that made Street Fighter's martial artists household names. Yet -- it would be imperative that it not veer too far from the basic structure of a professional wrestling organization, employing only suitable fighters, and applying that to a setting and context familiar to the sport (and entertainment).

Since I wasn't able to find an advert for Slam Masters from the time, I might cut it off here.
Taking (further) inspiration from "BigMex," perhaps we'll come back tomorrow to talk more about how Capcom's extensive history with pro wrestling could facilitate such a game. Characters, concepts, gameplay, and whatever else tickles the fancy.

If you haven't already, you simply must check out his series of Based on a True Story... reposts, discussing and detailing some of the real-life inspirations for Capcom characters, and how they've come to adapt to twenty years of gaming, wrestling, and MMA. Parts 1 & 2, 3 & 4, 5 & 6, 7 & 8, 9 & 10, and Final, are required reading for any fans of indulging in the fiction of these classic games.

Original Post: http://www.1up.com/do/blogEntry?bId=8992512