The 1990 Royal Rumble was a professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) event produced by the World Wrestling Federation (WWF, now WWE). It was the third annual Royal Rumble event and took place on January 21, 1990, at the Orlando Arena in Orlando, Florida. It centered on the men's Royal Rumble match, a modified 30-man battle royal in which the participants enter at timed intervals instead of all beginning in the ring at the same time.
Six matches were contested at the event, including one dark match. The main event was the 1990 Royal Rumble match, which was won by WWF Champion Hulk Hogan, who last eliminated Mr. Perfect. The undercard matches saw Jim Duggan defeat Big Boss Man by disqualification, Ronnie Garvin defeat Greg "The Hammer" Valentine in a submission match, and The Bushwhackers defeat the Fabulous Rougeaus.
Production Background
The Royal Rumble is an annual professional wrestling event, produced every January by the World Wrestling Federation (WWF, now WWE) since 1988; that first event was a television special before it became an annual pay-per-view (PPV) beginning in 1989. It is one of the promotion's original four pay-per-views, along with WrestleMania, SummerSlam, and Survivor Series, which were dubbed the "Big Four". It is named after and centered on the men's Royal Rumble match, a modified battle royal in which the participants enter at timed intervals instead of all beginning in the ring at the same time. The previous year's event established the tradition of the match generally featuring 30 wrestlers. The third Royal Rumble event was scheduled to be held on January 21, 1990, at the Orlando Arena in Orlando, Florida.
Storylines The Bushwhackers (Bushwhacker Butch and Bushwhacker Luke) made their World Wrestling Federation debut in Madison Square Garden on December 30, 1988, defeating The Bolsheviks (Nikolai Volkoff and Boris Zhukov). They got involved in a feud with The Bolsheviks, which was to be settled at WrestleMania V. Bolsheviks missed the event, however, so they were replaced by The Fabulous Rougeaus (Jacques Rougeau and Raymond Rougeau), whom Bushwhackers beat. Bushwhackers and Rougeaus continued to feud with each other for the rest of the year, culminating in a tag team match at Royal Rumble 1990.
Greg Valentine and Ronnie Garvin had been feuding since a match on December 30, 1988, in Madison Square Garden (MSG) which Valentine won by grabbing the tights for leverage. On the April 22, 1989 episode of Superstars, Garvin defeated Valentine in a match. On the following edition of Superstars, they both faced each other in a retirement match where the loser could not wrestle anymore in WWF. Valentine won the match, sending Garvin into retirement. In retirement, Garvin took up other positions in the WWF; first he became a referee but he was suspended after disqualifying Valentine in a match against Jimmy Snuka, and later a ring announcer at SummerSlam 1989, a position he used to berate and belittle his erstwhile rival. Valentine was so irate that he demanded for Garvin to be re-instated as a professional wrestler and his request was accepted. At Survivor Series, they both battled in a match on opposing teams.
Other wrestlers in World Wrestling Federation – including WWF World Heavyweight Champion Hulk Hogan and the other champions – were prepared to participate in the 1990 Royal Rumble match. Many tag team wrestlers, mid-card wrestlers and main event wrestlers were allotted their entry numbers to participate in this match. Prior to the match, it was mentioned that WWF President Jack Tunney had allotted "extra security" to the drawing process. Ted Dibiase, who had cheated to obtain a late number in the previous year's event, eventually revealed to Gene Okerlund that he had drawn #1. By contrast, Mr. Perfect revealed that he had obtained the "perfect draw" - #30.
Event
Preliminary matches Before the event aired live on pay-per-view (PPV), Paul Roma defeated The Brooklyn Brawler in a dark match. The first match was a tag team match between The Bushwhackers (Bushwhacker Butch and Bushwhacker Luke) and The Fabulous Rougeaus (Jacques Rougeau and Raymond Rougeau). Raymond applied a sleeper hold on Butch but Butch dropped him in the corner. Raymond tagged Jacques. Butch and Luke both clotheslined Raymond and went for a battering ram on Jacques but Jacques slipped out. Jacques and Luke traded punches with each other until Luke bit him. Jacques ducked a clothesline by Luke and Raymond was instead hit with the move. Jacques began posing until Butch attacked him from behind. The Rougeaus did illegal double-teaming on Luke. Raymond tagged in and got a near-fall on Luke. Luke tried to get a tag but Raymond attacked Butch. The Rougeaus double-teamed Luke again. Raymond Irish whipped Luke into a forearm smash by Jacques to get another near-fall. Jacques tagged in and hit a back elbow on Luke. He hit Luke with two Hotshots. Raymond applied a chinlock but Luke bit out. Jacques applied an abdominal stretch on Luke and grabbed the ropes for leverage. Raymond tagged in and applied a chinlock on Luke again. Jacques tagged in and went for a diving splash but Luke hit Jacques with his knees. Butch got tagged in. Rougeaus tried to hit Butch but he sidestepped and they got Irish whipped into each other. The Bushwhackers went for a battering ram on Raymond but the Rougeaus' manager Jimmy Hart grabbed Luke's foot. Luke pulled Hart into the ring, causing the distraction. The Rougeaus took advantage and nailed the Bushwhackers with double dropkicks. Jacques rolled up Butch for a near-fall. Raymond slapped the Boston crab on Butch for Jacques to hit a knee drop on Butch. Luke tripped Jacques. Raymond tried to help his brother but the Bushwhackers hit the Rougeaus with the Battering ram and Butch pinned Jacques to win the match.
The second match was between Brutus Beefcake and The Genius. Genius became serious as the bell rang and he hit Beefcake with an eye rake. Beefcake got up and hit Genius an inverted atomic drop. Genius went down to the floor to recover. As he got back into the ring, he pounded on Beefcake but missed a charge. Beefcake hit Genius an Irish whip. Genius went to the floor but came back into the ring with a dropkick for a near-fall. A crucifix pin on Beefcake got another near-fall for Genius. Beefcake nailed Genius back and applied a Barber's Chair but Genius elbowed out of it. Genius applied a headlock but Beefcake pushed him into the referee. Genius tried to hit an Irish whip on Beefcake but Beefcake reversed it into a Barber's Chair. Genius fell to the mat, but the referee was knocked out, so Beefcake could not be awarded with the win. He got his scissors and tried to cut Genius' hair with it, until Mr. Perfect came out and hit Beefcake with a Perfectplex. The referee got up and disqualified both Beefcake and Genius. Perfect brought a chair into the ring and nailed Beefcake in the ribs with it.
The third match was a Submission match between Ronnie Garvin and Greg Valentine. Garvin began hitting Valentine with chops. Valentine hit a headbutt low blow on Garvin. They both exchanged blows with each other before Garvin went for a piledriver but Valentine backdropped out of it. Valentine used a Heart Breaker on Garvin and went for a figure four leglock but Garvin kicked out of it. Garvin did a roll-up but due to pinfalls were not counted in this match. Valentine hit an elbow drop on Garvin and applied the figure four leglock. Valentine hit a Canadian backbreaker rack but Garvin didn't submit. Valentine hit another elbow drop and went for the figure four leglock again but Garvin kicked out and chopped him in the corner. Garvin applied the Indian deathlock on Valentine but Valentine caught the ropes. They battled each other on the floor where Garvin went for a piledriver but Valentine backdropped out of it. In the ring, Garvin reversed an Irish whip but missed a charge. Valentine applied Garvin's submission maneuver, Hammer Jammer on Garvin. Valentine pounded in the corner. Garvin fell near Valentine's manager Jimmy Hart. Valentine applied the figure four leglock on Garvin. Garvin released the hold but Valentine went for another figure four leglock, but Garvin blocked it with an inside cradle. Garvin slammed Valentine down on the mat. He untied the Heart Breaker but Valentine pulled him outside the ring. Garvin tied Valentine in the ropes and Hart tried to untangle him but got pulled by Garvin. Garvin threatened Hart with the Heart Breaker but instead hit Valentine with it and applied the Hammer Jammer on Valentine, who submitted.
The fourth match was Jim Duggan vs. Big Boss Man. Boss Man heavily pounded on Duggan in the beginning but Duggan countered with a clothesline to the floor. Boss Man caught Duggan and brought him to the floor. Duggan punched back but was thrown into the ringpost. Boss Man eventually missed a charge and got crashed into the ringpost. Duggan pounded on his hurt shoulder. They both went to the ring where Boss Man reversed an Irish whip by Duggan. He splashed Duggan in the corner. Boss Man followed it up with an enzuigiri. He soon began hitting Duggan's head into the turnbuckle but Duggan Irish whipped Boss Man into the corner. Duggan began to take control of the match until Slick interfered in the match, which gave Boss Man a comeback in the match. Boss Man got a near-fall on Duggan after a knee drop. He locked in a bear hug. Duggan tried to escape by hitting headbutts but Boss Man fell on top of him near the ropes. Boss Man pounded on Duggan in the corner but Duggan clotheslined him. Duggan drove Boss Man into the corner for a ten-count punch but missed a charge in the corner and was clotheslined by Boss Man. Boss Man went for a big splash but Duggan moved out of the way. Slick grabbed Duggan up against the ropes as Boss Man charged Duggan but Duggan moved out of the way and Boss Man accidentally nailed Slick. However, Slick was able to give Boss Man a nightstick. Slick tried to distract the referee, but the referee saw Boss Man hitting Duggan with a nightstick. Referee disqualified Boss Man and Duggan was announced the winner.
+Other on-screen personnelRole:Name:CommentatorTony SchiavoneJesse VenturaInterviewerGene OkerlundSean MooneyRing announcerHoward FinkelOfficialTony GareaPat PattersonRefereesDanny DavisEarl HebnerJoey MarellaShane Stevens
Main event The main event was the 30-man Royal Rumble match. Ted DiBiase entered at #1 and Koko B. Ware entered at #2. The two began beating each other until DiBiase got the best of Koko by backdropping him over the top rope, leading to Koko's elimination. Next was one half of The Rockers, Marty Jannetty but was immediately attacked by DiBiase. Jannetty hit with dropkicks but eventually ran into a boot to the head. DiBiase hit Jannetty with a clothesline. He then climbed the middle rope but was caught by Jannetty. Jannetty tried to roll-up DiBiase but DiBiase held on. Jannetty missed a crossbody on DiBiase, getting eliminated over the top rope. Jake Roberts entered at #4, leading to DiBiase and Roberts hurting each other, due to the hatred with one another. "Macho King" Randy Savage drew in #5 and attacked Roberts first. Savage and DiBiase double-teamed Roberts until #6 entrant Roddy Piper came out to help Roberts. Piper and Roberts both began attacking DiBiase and Savage and the two teams saved each other from getting eliminated until one half of The Powers of Pain, The Warlord entering at #7 attacked both Piper and Roberts. Warlord beat on Piper for a while until DiBiase and Savage tried to eliminate Roberts. Piper broke free of Warlord and saved Roberts from elimination.