The 1989Royal Rumblewas the second annualRoyal Rumbleprofessional wrestlingeventproduced by theWorld Wrestling Federation(WWF, now WWE). After theinaugural eventaired as atelevision special,the 1989 event aired onpay-per-view(PPV), thus becoming one of the WWF's original four annual PPV events, along withWrestleMania,SummerSlam,andSurvivor Series,which would become recognized as the "Big Four". It took place on January 15, 1989, atThe SummitinHouston, Texas.It centered on theRoyal Rumble match,a modifiedbattle royalin which participants enter at timed intervals instead of all beginning in the ring at the same time.
| Royal Rumble | |||
|---|---|---|---|
 Promotional poster featuring various WWF wrestlers | |||
| Promotion | World Wrestling Federation | ||
| Date | January 15, 1989 | ||
| City | Houston, Texas | ||
| Venue | The Summit | ||
| Attendance | 19,000 | ||
| Tagline(s) | No Partners...30 Opponents | ||
| Pay-per-view chronology | |||
| |||
| Royal Rumblechronology | |||
| |||
Six matches were contested at the event, including twodark matches.Themain eventwas the 1989 Royal Rumble match, which was won byBig John Studd,who last eliminatedTed DiBiase.Featured matches on theundercardwereJim Duggan,andThe Hart Foundation(Bret HartandJim Neidhart) defeatingDino Bravo,andThe Fabulous Rougeaus(JacquesandRaymond Rougeau) in a two-out-of-three falls match,Rockin' RobindefeatingJudy Martinto retain theWWF Women's Championship,andKing HakudefeatingHarley Raceto retain hisKing of the Ringcrown and cape.
Production
editBackground
editIn 1988, theWorld Wrestling Federation(WWF, now WWE) debuted theRoyal Rumble match,although a non-televised version had been tested in 1987. The match was a modifiedbattle royalin which the participants entered at timed intervals instead of all beginning in the ring at the same time. The inaugural match featured 20 wrestlers, and theinaugural eventwas named after the match. A second event was scheduled to be held on January 15, 1989, atThe SummitinHouston, Texas,thus establishing theRoyal Rumbleas an annual January event. The previous year's event had been shown as atelevision specialon theUSA Network.The 1989 event was instead aired onpay-per-view(PPV), being the first Royal Rumble to be broadcast on PPV, in turn becoming one of the promotion's original four pay-per-views, along withWrestleMania,SummerSlam,andSurvivor Series,which would be dubbed the "Big Four".[1]It was also the first to feature 30 wrestlers in the titular match, which is now the traditional number of participants.[2][3]
Storylines
editThe mainfeudheading into the Royal Rumble was between the 30 superstars from the entireWorld Wrestling Federation(WWF) who were selected to participate in the first-ever 30 man Royal Rumble match.Big John Studdreturned to WWF in late 1988, andturnedbabyfaceafter not siding with formermanagerBobby Heenan,and began a feud with Heenan's clientAndré the Giant.[4]Both men signed to participate in the Royal Rumble match.Mr. Perfect,who joined WWF in the summer of 1988, waspushedas an undefeatedheelwrestler, entering his name into the match.[5]Bad News Brownwaspushedas an arrogant powerfulheelwho was an enemy of face andheelwrestlers. As a result, he also entered his name into the match.[6]Manytag teamwrestlers also selected to participate in the match and selected their entry numbers.The Mega Powers(Hulk HoganandWWF ChampionRandy Savage) were involved in a feud with The Twin Towers (AkeemandThe Big Boss Man) since November 1988. AtSurvivor Series,Mega Powers became the survivors for their team in aSurvivor Series matchagainst Twin Towers.[7]Since then, Mega Powers and Twin Towers had been at odds and both teams signed to participate in the Royal Rumble.
The second feud heading into the event featuredJim DugganagainstDino Bravo,andThe Fabulous Rougeaus(JacquesandRaymond Rougeau). Since joining the WWF in early 1987, Duggan used anAmericanpatriotgimmick,coming to the ring with anAmerican flag,and feuding with non-American wrestlers in the WWF roster (such asNikolai Volkoff). In early 1989, Duggan began feuding with the French-Canadians, Bravo, and the Rougeau brothers, battling them with different partners. At alive eventon January 6 inMontreal,Duggan teamed withHulk HoganandRon Garvinto defeat Bravo and the Rougeaus.[8]He was scheduled to battle Bravo and Rougeaus in atwo out of three falls matchat Royal Rumble, so he found partners inThe Hart Foundation(Bret HartandJim Neidhart). Hart Foundation and Rougeau Brothers had been feuding with each other since 1987. Rougeaus unsuccessfully challenged Harts several times for theWWF Tag Team Championshipin summer of 1987, but did not become champions.[9]They were in opposite teams against each other atSurvivor Series 1988,where Bret eliminated Rougeau in the first place.[10]
Event
edit
Before the event aired live onpay-per-view(PPV),Jim PowersdefeatedBarry Horowitz,andSam HoustondefeatedSteve Lombardiindark matches.[11]
Premilinary matches
editThe first televised match was atwo out of three falls matchbetweenJim Duggan,andThe Hart Foundation(Bret HartandJim Neidhart) vs.Dino Bravo,andThe Fabulous Rougeaus(Jacques RougeauandRaymond Rougeau). The powerful Neidhart and Bravo started the match. Duggan tagged in and Bravo ran to tag in Raymond. Duggan caught Raymond and connected with ascoop slamand anOld Glory.Duggan tagged in Bret Hart, who pinned Raymond with aninside cradlefor anear-fall.He got Raymond with asunset flip pinfalland then he hit adiving crossbodyfor another near-fall. Jacques tagged in and got a near-fall with a sunset flip on Hart, but HartclotheslinedJacques and took him to the corner. Jacques' partners did try to help, but Neidhart ground Bravo and Raymond by ashoulder block.Raymond pulled the rope down causing Hart to fall on the floor. Bravo hit aside suplexin the ring but didn't cover and instead tagged in Raymond who hit Hart with aBombe de Rougeauand pinned him to get the first fall. Rougeau brothers continued to beat Hart, who was caught in Jacques'Boston crab.Hart managed to reach his corner. Jacques tried to hit abulldogon Hart, but Hart countered it into aninverted atomic drop.Duggan tagged in and hit a scoop slam on Raymond, followed by aforearm smashby Neidhart. He hit Bravo with a shoulder block and DugganslingshottedHart on Raymond and hit anelbow dropon Raymond and pinned him, getting the second fall. Bravo tagged in and hit Duggan with anatomic drop,sending Duggan into the corner who tagged Hart. Hart followed it up with abackbreakeron Bravo, but Raymond shoved him from the ropes when Hart tried to hit an elbow drop. All the six men began brawling. Therefereewas distracted. Duggan took advantage and hit Bravo with his2x4.Hart pinned Bravo to get the third fall and the victory.[12][13][14]
The second match was for theWWF Women's Championshipbetween defending championRockin' RobinandJudy Martin.Before the match began, former championSensational Sherriwas in the ring and challenged the winner to a future championship match, claiming neither was as much woman as she was, before joiningGorilla MonsoonandJesse "The Body" Venturaat the announcers' table. Robin and Martin had a lot ofnear-fallsduring the match. However, in the end, Robin hit Martin with adiving crossbodyand pinned her to win the match and retain the title.
Next was aposedownbetweenWWF Intercontinental Heavyweight ChampionUltimate WarriorandRick Rude.The winner had to be decided by fan reaction. There were four categories: "Double Biceps", "Best Abs", "Most Muscular", and "Medley of Poses". Warrior won in every posedown. Rude, however, attacked Warrior with his metal workout bar. This posedown was so successful, and so well-received by the audience that it led to the launch of the World Bodybuilding Federation the following year.
The third match was betweenKing HakuandHarley Race.The winner of that match would win the "King of Wrestling" crown, held by Haku. Race began the match by hitting Haku withknee liftsandsuplexes.Hakuno-soldRaceheadbutts.Race hit Haku with apiledriverfor a near-fall. Haku suplexed Race for a near-fall. He missed anelbow dropon Race and both men went to the floor. Hakubackdroppeda piledriver attempt by Race. Race hit aswinging neckbreakerfor another near-fall. Haku made a comeback by hitting Race withchops,but missed aflying splash.Race missed adiving headbutt.Both men got up and Race ran through the ropes, but Haku hit him with athrust kickto win the match. This match was edited off the Coliseum Video release but included in the Royal Rumble Anthology DVD edition,[12][13][14]as well as the version on theWWE Network.
| Role: | Name: |
|---|---|
| Commentator | Gorilla Monsoon |
| Jesse Ventura | |
| Sensational Sherri (Women's Championship match) | |
| Interviewer | Gene Okerlund |
| Sean Mooney | |
| Ring announcer | Howard Finkel |
| Official | Chief Jay Strongbow |
| Referee | Earl Hebner |
| Joey Marella |
Main event
editThemain eventwas the1989 Royal Rumble match.The first Royal Rumble occurred in1988,but it consisted of 20 men. The 1989 Royal Rumble was the second Royal Rumble, but the first to have 30 men and the first to air onpay-per-view.WWF Tag Team ChampionsDemolition(AxandSmash) drew Nos. 1 and 2 in the match. The two tag team championship partners battled with each other until the #3 entrantAndré the Giantcame in. They battled André untilMr. Perfectentered at #4. André eliminated Smash, while Perfect and Ax began working on him.Ron Garvinentered at #5 and he also assisted Perfect and Ax in triple-teaming André, who was the largest person in the match.Greg Valentineentered at #6, while André eliminated Garvin. Perfect, Ax and Valentine triple-teamed André untilJake Robertsentered at #7. This made Roberts the first man to participate in two Royal Rumble events. The other participants left André and Roberts worked on him alone. AndrechokedRoberts and threw him over the top rope.Ron Bassentered at #8. Ax and Bass battled each other while Perfect and Valentine restarted double-teaming André; André eventually got the upper hand and, after beating back Perfect, began choking Valentine until he was unconscious. One half ofThe Rockers,Shawn Michaelsentered at #9. Perfect hit aback body dropon Ax over the top rope, eliminating him. He tried to eliminate Michaels too, but Michaels used askin the catto come back into the ring and almost tossed Perfect.Butch Miller,one half ofThe Bushwhackers,entered at #10. Jake Roberts came back and tossed his snake Damien inside the ring. André saw the snake, freaked out, and eliminated himself from the match. Roberts took his snake and went back.The Honky Tonk Manentered at #11. Honky and Valentine both tried to eliminate Michaels but failed. One-half ofStrike Force,Tito Santanaentered at #12 and beat out Perfect before focusing on Valentine. Bass and Perfectdouble suplexedMichaels.Bad News Brownentered at #13. Santana and Butch eliminated Honky while Brown messed around with Michaels until Michaels' tag team partnerMarty Jannettyentered at #14. They both got together anddouble dropkickedRon Bass over the top rope. Santana hit Valentine with aflying forearm smash.
One-half ofThe Mega Powers,WWF World Heavyweight ChampionRandy Savageentered at #15 and went after Brown. Valentine hit Savage with aHammer Dropand tried to eliminate him, but Savage stayed in. Santana aided Savage in beating Valentine until one-half ofThe Brain Busters,Arn Andersonentered at #16. Savage backdropped Valentine over the top rope. Anderson and SavageclotheslinedMichaels over the top rope, eliminating him. Jannetty pounded on Anderson. Anderson's tag team partnerTully Blanchardentered at #17. Jannetty and Blanchard beat each other. Perfect and Savage nicely exchanged each other's moves. Anderson aided Blanchard in hitting Jannetty with aspinning spinebuster.Blanchard dumped Jannetty over the top rope, but Jannetty grabbed the second rope to stay in the match, only to be eliminated by Blanchard anyway. Savage's tag team partnerHulk Hoganentered at #18 and dumped out Perfect. However, Perfect broke the longevity record, lasting 27:58. Anderson dumped Santana. Brown and Hogan had near-eliminations with each other. Butch's tag team partnerLuke Williamsentered at #19. Hogan and Brown eliminated Butch, leaving six men in the ring. Hogan and Savage were double-teamed by the other four men: Brown, Anderson, Blanchard, and Luke.Koko B. Wareentered at #20 anddropkickedall four of them. Anderson climbed over the top rope, but Hoganscoop slammedhim. Koko hunted Hogan but was dumped out over the ring, getting eliminated. HoganpunchedThe Brainbusters away and then eliminated Luke. The Brainbusters went for adouble clotheslineon Hogan, but he ducked and instead clotheslined them over the top rope.The Warlord,one-half ofThe Powers of Pain,entered at #21, but as soon as he entered the ring, he was eliminated by Hogan. Warlord set the record for the shortest time in the ring by spending only 2 seconds in the ring, a record that stood 20 years untilSantino Marellawas eliminated in 1 second at the2009 Royal Rumble.Brown and Savage battled each other. Hogan dumped both men out. Savage berated Hogan, beginning the breakup of Mega Powers. The two tried to battle each other untilMiss Elizabethtold them to calm down. The duo embraced before Savage left.
One half of The Twin Towers, theBig Boss Manentered at #22. Hogan scoop slammed Big Boss Man but Boss Man hit him with acorner avalancheand apiledriver.Hogan tried to get rid of Boss Man until Boss Man's tag team partnerAkeementered at #23. The duo double-teamed Hogan and eliminated him. Hogan's friendBrutus Beefcakeentered at #24 and took on the Twin Towers. Despite being officially eliminated, Hogan remained at the ringside area and fought with Boss Man outside. After intervention from match officials, the Boss Man re-entered the ring and Twin Towers double-teamed Beefcake until Hogan pulled the rope down, sending the Boss Man over the top rope and eliminating him from the match. The duo continued to battle each other to the locker room. With this last elimination, Hogan broke the elimination record in a single Royal Rumble match with ten. Akeem tried to eliminate Beefcake untilThe Red Roosterentered at #25. Rooster and Beefcake double-teamed the big Akeem until the Warlord's tag team partnerThe Barbarianentered at #26 and broke up Rooster and Beefcake's double-teaming on Akeem. He battled with Beefcake while Rooster received a747 Splashby Akeem.Big John Studdentered at #27 and went after Akeem.Herculesentered at #28, followed by an already eliminated Tito Santana's tag team partnerRick Martel,who entered at #29. Everyone was punching each other before the final entrant,Ted DiBiaseentered at #30. DiBiase bought the slot from manager Slick to get a better spot.[15]He eliminated Rooster and then went after his rival Hercules, whom DiBiase had bought as a slave. Beefcake saved DiBiase and battled Hercules. DiBiase sneaked out behind and eliminated both men from the ring, leaving it to the final five participants – Akeem, Barbarian, Studd, Martel, and DiBiase. Barbarian manhandled Martel, but Martel was able to avoid a clothesline by Barbarian. He dropkicked Barbarian over the top rope, leaving it to Akeem, Studd, Martel, and DiBiase. Martel hit adiving crossbodyon Akeem, but the big man caught him and threw him over the top rope. Akeem, Studd, and DiBiase were the final three participants. DiBiase and Akeem spent some time in double-teaming Studd before they quarreled with each other. Studd took advantage and dumped Akeem. Studd and DiBiase remained the final two participants. Studd slammed DiBiase and followed it up with abutterfly suplex.After a clothesline, Studd threw DiBiase over the top rope to eliminate him and win the 1989 Royal Rumble. This made Studd the first man to win a 30-man Royal Rumble (the previous match had 20 entrants).[12][16][13][14]
Aftermath
editThe Royal Rumble became an important part of the breakup ofThe Mega Powers.Hulk Hoganaccidentally eliminatedRandy Savagefrom the match.[16]On the February 3The Main Event II,Hogan and Savage faced The Twin Towers (AkeemandBig Boss Man) in atag teammatch, filled with controversy. During the climax of the match, Akeem threw Savage through the ropes onto the floor with Savage's body hitting Elizabeth in the process. Hogan did not help Savage and turned his attention to an unconscious Elizabeth. Savage questioned what was happening, but Hogan did not reply. Hogan picked Liz up and took her backstage. Hogan left Savage alone in the ring to handle the Twin Towers. When Hogan returned to the ring, Savage slapped him in the face, took the championship belt, and left Hogan alone in the ring with the Twin Towers. Hogan still managed to pick up the win, however, but afterward got into a heated argument with Savage backstage. Savage declared that Hogan was jealous of him, that he lusted after Elizabeth, and that he would defeat Hogan if it came to it for the belt. Hogan tried to talk sense into Savage, but was unsuccessful as the Macho Manturnedheelon his now former partner by attacking both him andBrutus Beefcake,who tried to intervene on Hogan's behalf.[17]Hogan and Savage then beganfeudingwith each other, which culminated in a match atWrestleMania Vdubbed "The Mega Powers Explode", where Savage, who had won theWWF World Heavyweight Championshipover a year earlier atWrestleMania IVwith Hogan in his corner, would defend against his former friend. Hogan defeated Savage to win the title; ending Savage's reign of371 days.[18][19]
Jake RobertsandAndré the Giantcontinued their feud during the rest of the winter of 1989, with the returningBig John Studdbecoming involved in their WrestleMania V match as the guest referee.
TheUltimate Warriorvowed revenge againstRick Rudefor his attack after the posedown, to which Rude replied that he wanted a match for theIntercontinental Championship,held by Warrior. Over the next couple of months, Rude would regularly appear at ringside midway through Warrior's matches with World champion Savage, luring the Warrior outside and causing him to be counted out (then afterward embracing Savage to emphasize the latter's heel turn.) At WrestleMania V, Rude won the Intercontinental title, using outside interference from manager Bobby Heenan to pin Warrior. Rude thus became the first champion in the Heenan Family.
TheRockin' Robin-Judy Martinmatch for theWWF Women's Championshipwas the last women's match for a championship title conducted at a major WWF pay-per-view event for nearly five years. Robin left the company in June 1989 and – with little to no interest in women's wrestling at the time – the title was deactivated in February 1990. The title remained vacant until 1993, whenAlundra Blayzewon a tournament to become the new champion.
The Royal Rumble marked the WWF PPV debut of The Bushwhackers, who arrived in WWF in December 1988 after leaving WCW whilst in the finals of their United States Tag Team title tournament. The Bushwhackers would go on to feud with the Brain Busters throughout the early part of 1989 on the house show circuit. Another PPV debut was former NWA World Heavyweight Champion "Rugged" Ronnie Garvin, who also arrived in December 1988 from a run in the AWA. After the Rumble, he and Greg "The Hammer" Valentine would feud where they exchanged televised pinfall victories onWWF Superstars of Wrestling,with Valentine winning a "retirement match" onSuperstars.
Steve Lombardiwould be repackaged as "The Brooklyn Brawler" on an episode ofPrime Time Wrestlinglater in January 1989, where he attackedThe Red Roosteron the set of PTW at the urging of Bobby Heenan, which also "injured" host Gorilla Moonson and started a feud between the two.
Results
edit| No. | Results[12][13][14] | Stipulations | Times[20] | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1D | Jim PowersdefeatedBarry Horowitz[11] | Singles match | — | ||||
| 2D | Sam HoustondefeatedSteve Lombardi[11] | Singles match | — | ||||
| 3 | Jim DugganandThe Hart Foundation(Bret HartandJim Neidhart) defeatedDino BravoandThe Fabulous Rougeaus(JacquesandRaymond) (withFrenchy MartinandJimmy Hart) | Two-out-of-three falls match | 15:42 | ||||
| 4 | Rockin' Robin(c) defeatedJudy Martin | Singles match for theWWF Women's Championship | 6:24 | ||||
| 5 | King Haku(withBobby Heenan) defeatedHarley Race | Singles match | 9:01 | ||||
| 6 | Big John Studdwon by last eliminatingTed DiBiase[16] | 30-manRoyal Rumble match | 1:04:53 | ||||
| |||||||
Royal Rumble entrances and eliminations
editA new entrant came out approximately every 2 minutes.
| Draw | Entrant | Order | Eliminated by | Time[21] | Eliminations |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ax | 4 | Mr. Perfect | 14:37 | 0 |
| 2 | Smash | 1 | André the Giant | 04:55 | 0 |
| 3 | André the Giant | 5 | Himself^ | 14:55 | 3 |
| 4 | Mr. Perfect | 11 | Hulk Hogan | 27:58 | 1 |
| 5 | Ronnie Garvin | 2 | André the Giant | 02:39 | 0 |
| 6 | Greg Valentine | 8 | Randy Savage | 19:52 | 0 |
| 7 | Jake Roberts | 3 | André the Giant | 02:08 | 0 |
| 8 | Ron Bass | 7 | Shawn Michaels and Marty Jannetty | 12:36 | 0 |
| 9 | Shawn Michaels | 9 | Arn Anderson and Randy Savage | 14:30 | 1 |
| 10 | Bushwhacker Butch | 13 | Hulk Hogan and Bad News Brown | 18:13 | 1 |
| 11 | The Honky Tonk Man | 6 | Bushwhacker Butch and Tito Santana | 04:12 | 0 |
| 12 | Tito Santana | 12 | Arn Anderson and Randy Savage | 12:47 | 1 |
| 13 | Bad News Brown | 19 | Hulk Hogan | 16:24 | 1 |
| 14 | Marty Jannetty | 10 | Tully Blanchard | 07:52 | 1 |
| 15 | Randy Savage | 20 | Hulk Hogan | 12:26 | 3 |
| 16 | Arn Anderson | 16 | 10:00 | 2 | |
| 17 | Tully Blanchard | 17 | 08:02 | 1 | |
| 18 | Hulk Hogan | 21 | Akeem and Big Boss Man | 11:31 | 10 |
| 19 | Bushwhacker Luke | 15 | Hulk Hogan | 03:08 | 0 |
| 20 | Koko B. Ware | 14 | 01:08 | 0 | |
| 21 | The Warlord | 18 | 00:02 | 0 | |
| 22 | Big Boss Man | 22 | 04:18 | 1 | |
| 23 | Akeem | 28 | Big John Studd | 18:36 | 2 |
| 24 | Brutus Beefcake | 24 | Ted DiBiase and The Barbarian | 13:56 | 0 |
| 25 | The Red Rooster | 23 | Ted DiBiase | 11:17 | 0 |
| 26 | The Barbarian | 26 | Rick Martel | 11:15 | 2 |
| 27 | Big John Studd | - | Winner | 12:21 | 2 |
| 28 | Hercules | 25 | Ted DiBiase and The Barbarian | 06:11 | 0 |
| 29 | Rick Martel | 27 | Akeem | 05:29 | 1 |
| 30 | Ted DiBiase | 29 | Big John Studd | 06:27 | 3 |
^Jake Roberts had already been eliminated when he returned from the locker room with his bag. He then removed his pet, aboa constrictorcalled "Damien", from the bag and then slid into the ring to chase André The Giant away, who quickly eliminated himself over the top rope to escape Jake and his pet snake.
References
edit- ^Ian Hamilton.Wrestling's Sinking Ship: What Happens to an Industry Without Competition(p. 160)
- ^"Specialty Matches: Royal Rumble".WWE.Retrieved2007-12-03.
- ^Waldman, Jon (2005-02-02)."Statistical survival – breaking down the Royal Rumble".SLAM! Wrestling. Archived from the original on July 14, 2012.Retrieved2007-12-09.
- ^"Big John Studd Profile".Online World of Wrestling.Retrieved2008-06-12.
- ^"Mr. Perfect Profile".Online World of Wrestling.Retrieved2008-06-12.
- ^"Bad News Brown Profile".Online World of Wrestling.Retrieved2008-06-12.
- ^"Hulk Hogan," Macho Man "Randy Savage, Koko B. Ware, Hillbilly Jim & Hercules def. Haku, Ted DiBiase, Akeem, The Red Rooster and Big Boss Man".WWE.Retrieved2008-06-12.
- ^"Fabulous Rougeau Brothers Profile".Online World of Wrestling.Retrieved2008-06-12.
- ^"Hart Foundation Profile".Online World of Wrestling.Retrieved2008-06-12.
- ^"Survivor Series 1988 results".PWWEW.net.Retrieved2008-06-12.
- ^abc"Royal Rumble 1988 results".Wrestling Supercards and Tournaments.Retrieved2008-06-12.
- ^abcd"Royal Rumble 1989 results".PWWEW.net.Retrieved2008-06-12.
- ^abcd"Royal Rumble 1989".The Powerdriver Review. Archived fromthe originalon 2008-05-22.Retrieved2008-06-12.
- ^abcd"Royal Rumble 1989 official results".World Wrestling Entertainment.Retrieved2008-06-12.
- ^Ted DiBiase: The Million Dollar Man,p.164, Ted DiBiase with Tom Caiazzo, Pocket Books, New York, 2008,ISBN978-1-4165-5890-3
- ^abc"Big John Studd (spot No. 27) wins the Royal Rumble Match".World Wrestling Entertainment.Retrieved2008-06-12.
- ^"The Main Event #2 (02.89)".The Powerdriver Review. 2008-02-12. Archived fromthe originalon 2008-07-14.Retrieved2008-06-12.
- ^"Hulk Hogan vs." Macho Man "Randy Savage – WWE Championship".WWE.Retrieved2008-06-12.
- ^"WWE World Heavyweight Championship".Complete WWE.Retrieved2008-06-12.
- ^"Royal Rumble 1989".Pro Wrestling History.Retrieved2010-05-17.
- ^"Royal Rumble 1989: Royal Rumble Entrance & Elimination Information".Pro Wrestling History.RetrievedJanuary 22,2012.