Product Details

• Actors: Bret Hart, Shawn Michaels, Stone Cold Steve Austin
• Format: Box set, Closed-captioned, Color, DVD, Full Screen, NTSC
• Language: English
• Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
  
• Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
• Number of discs: 5
• Rated: G (General Audience)
• Studio: World Wrestling
• DVD Release Date: November 27, 2007
• Run Time: 825 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (15 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B000UNYJX6
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #33,369 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)

Editorial Reviews

Vol. 2 – From 1993-97, the Royal Rumble became a key event for Superstars, as well as the first step on the road to WrestleMania. Vol. 2 champions include Yokozuna, Bret Hart/Lex Lugar, Shawn Michaels (also a back-to-back winner) and "Stone Cold" Steve Austin.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars The "New Generation" Era Of The Rumble, August 25, 2007

By 

D.P. (California) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: WWE Royal Rumble: The Complete Anthology - Volume Two (DVD)

1993 - It was at this Rumble where the stipulation of "winner gets the title shot at WrestleMania" was put into play that is still continued to this day. This was one of the weaker Rumbles in companies history as Yokozuna won with the stupid ending of Randy Savage pinning him (in a battle royal?) but Yoko kicked out so strongly that Savage went over the top. The undercard here completely outclassed the Rumble match as WWF Champion Bret Hart fought Razor Ramon in a good match, the long awaited Shawn Michaels vs. Marty Jannetty match delivered with a suprize coming from Sensational Sherri, Bam Bam Bigelow vs. Big Boss Man, Steiner Brothers vs. Beverly Brothers, and the debut of "The Narcississt" Lex Luger.

1994 - This Rumble made history as both Bret Hart & Lex Luger became co-winners of the Rumble and judging by the crowds reaction, you could see who the fans wanted to win. Speaking of Bret Hart, he wrestled in a tag team title match earlier teaming with Owen Hart against Qubeckers...which led to the heel turn of Owen Hart. This was also the Rumble where Yokozuna fought Undertaker in a casket match that featured a gang of wrestlers coming out to aid Yokozuna in victory. Other highlights include Razor Ramon having a good match against I.R.S. that featured an appearence from Shawn Michaels and Tatanka going one on one against Bam Bam Bigelow.

1995 - Shawn Michaels made history here & became the first person to enter #1 & win the Rumble with the infamous "only one foot hit the floor" moment. WWF Champion Diesel vs. Bret Hart saw Bret use a more aggressive style that anyone has seen from him leading to a great match that gets overshadowed by their Survivor Series match later in the year. Other matches include Jeff Jarrett winning the Intercontinental title against Razor Ramon, Bam Bam Bigelow teaming with Tatanka in the Tag Team Title tournament finals against 1-2-3 Kid & Bob Holly along with the confrontation with Lawerence Taylor afterwards, and Undertaker vs. I.R.S. This was the best PPV of 1995.

1996 - Shawn Michaels won the Rumble for a second time which featured Vader's debuted & dominating the match before his confrontation with Yokozuna, Jake "The Snake" Lawler returning, and Jerry Lawler hiding under the ring for most of the Rumble. WWF Champion Bret Hart having a near classic match with Undertaker that saw an appearence from Diesel. Goldust winning the Intercontinental Title from Razor Ramon with help from 1-2-3 Kid, Smokin' Gunn vs. Body Donnas, and Ahmed Johnson vs. Jeff Jarrett.

1997 - Shawn Michaels came home to Texas & won back the WWF Title from Sid. Austin would win the Rumble in a classic heel way putting over his character and also putting over Bret's current "you screwed me" character which other highlights such as Terry Funk's appearence, Stone Cold's dominace, and Jerry Lawler setting a Rumble record. Other things to look out for on the undercard are the Goldust/HHH match, Undertaker/Vader where Vader revealed a new manager, .Ahmed Johnson vs. Faarooq which would set off a string of events thoughout the Rumble match later that night.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars The New Generation Era Or Pre-Attitude Era, February 12, 2009

By 

Ervin Griffin (Bluefield, WV) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: WWE Royal Rumble: The Complete Anthology - Volume Two (DVD)

This volume of the Royal Rumble is probably the weakest of the four volumes but it has its moments and significant bouts. Let's get to it:

The Royal Rumble 1993

This Rumble was the first to introduce the winner getting a title shot at WrestleMania and its been that way ever since.

The Steiner Bros. Vs. The Beverly Bros. - This was the then-WWF debut of Rick and Scott Steiner, fresh from their run in NWA/WCW. This was a good bout against The Beverly "Brothers" (who weren't really brothers/just close friends, similiar to the Edge/Christian thing).

The bout featured one of the nastiest Frankensteiners I've ever seen from Scott as he practically piledrove the man's head into the mat! Ouch! Its amazing he walked away from it. Good opener.

Marty Janetty Vs. Shawn Michaels (WWE I-C title Match) - This was almost a year after the Rockers' break up and Shawn was beginning to find himself as a singles wrestler. Add in the betrayal of the late Sherri Martel and you could've had a classic but it just didn't quite hit the mark. The two would later have a much better match that summer on RAW where Janetty actually beat Michaels for the I-C title.

This one was just good. It wasn't that great.

Bam Bam Bigelow Vs. The Big Bossman - This one just sucked! These two had better matches than this one. I don't mean to talk ill of the dead but this one stunk! The best part of the match was when it was over. Just watch once and skip.

Bret Hart Vs. Razor Ramon (WWF World Title Match) - While more known for his tag team with Kevin Nash and his WrestleMania X ladder match with Shawn Michaels, this bout with Bret hart is often a forgotten match as it was very good and showed that Razor could've been a main eventer if not for his personal issues.

As for Hart, what needs to be said, he was one of those guys that could make a broom look good in the ring and he certainly did that with Razor. Good match to watch.

The Rumble itself that year wasn't that good but it didn't stink. The highlights was then 43 year old Bob Backlund lasting an hour before being eliminated by the late Yokozuna. It also had appearances from guys that have been lost to time like Max Moon (Paul Diamond), Dameon Demento and Giant Gonzales. The final guy I named was put into a forgettable feud with The Undertaker! Quite frankly, Gonzales makes today's Great Khali look like Ric Flair! He stunk that bad!

In the end, Yokozuna won and won his title shot against then-champion Bret Hart at WrestleMania and we know how that ended and it wasn't to the liking of either Hart nor Yoko!

THE ROYAL RUMBLE 1994

Tatanka Vs. Bam Bam Bigelow - Great opener. These two got busy on each other in this one! Tatanka wins after an impressive and hard flying bodypress on Bigelow for the win.

Bret & Owen Hart Vs. The Quebecers (WWF World Tag Team Title Match) - This bout was very good and it showed the team work of both sides. Still, it was just a set up for Bret Vs. Owen as Bret cost his team the match by going for the Sharpshooter with a bad leg instead of tagging out to his brother Owen! When he failed, the referee stopped the match which enraged Owen, starting the feud that would have several good to classic matches during 1994.

Razor Ramon Vs. I.R.S. (WWF I-C Title Match) - A pretty decent bout that saw a mix of brawling and wrestling between the two with a little Shawn Michaels thrown in to further the storyline between Razor and Shawn for WrestleMania later that year. Razor wins with his "Razor's Edge" powerbomb after I.R.S. thought he had won the belt.

The Undertaker Vs. Yokozuna (WWF World Title Match/Casket Rules) - Not the greatest bout but it showed the fighting spirit of UT as Yoko set a trap for him as several heels at the time came out to gang up on him and (in the end) put him in the coffin to help Yoko retain his title.

The Rumble match that year started out slow but picked up once Diesel (Kevin Nash) showed up and pretty much stayed no lower than medium speed from then on out. Ends when Lex Luger and Bret Hart both were eliminated at the same time. Leading to the controversial decision by the late Jack Tunney to declare both Hart and Luger winners of the Rumble. Not a bad Rumble card.

THE ROYAL RUMBLE 1995

Razor Ramon Vs. Jeff Jarrett (WWF I-C Title Match) - The future founder of TNA wrestling was making his own name at this point, going for the I-C title held by Razor Ramon (who was into his second reign as champion at this point). Jeff neutralized The Razor's Edge by working on Ramon's leg for most of the match. Ends when Jeff catches him in a small package for the win and Jeff's first I-C title.

The Undertaker Vs. I.R.S. - Slow bout. Not that memorable but it does set up UT's WrestleMania confrontation with King Kong Bundy at WrestleMania 11.

Bret Hart Vs. Diesel (Kevin Nash) (WWF World Title Match) - While many remember their King Of The Ring 1994 bout or their classic Survivor Series '95 bout, this bout is often forgotten when discussing bouts between these two as it was very good as well! Features run-ins from both Shawn Michaels and Owen Hart which caused the match to stop twice but it continued. Finally, when Michaels and Hart showed up with Jeff Jarrett, Bob Backlund and The Roadie ("Road Dog" Jesse James from DX), the ref put a stop to the match for good. Good bout up until the big run-in though.

1-2-3 Kid (X-Pac) & "Sparkplug" Bob Holly Vs. Tatanka & Bam Bam Bigelow (WWF World Tag Team Title Match) - The former enemies from last years' R.R. were now part of The Million Dollar Corporation led by Ted Dibiase against this then-rookie team of The Kid and Holly. This wasn't a bad match and it ends like a lot of X-Pac matches back then. He gets in a lot of moves but basically he and his partner get the crap beat out of them but then their opponent makes a mistake and BOOM! The Kid and Holly win the WWF tag team titles. This also sets up the angle with Bam Bam and Lawrence Taylor in one of the worst celeb/wrestler matches ever at WM!

This one Rumble bout is remembered really for one thing....Shawn Michaels going in first and winning it! What's often not discussed is that Shawn only went 30 minutes or so to win s people came in every 60 seconds. Several other winners like Ric Flair, Rey Mysterio and Chris Benoit started at around the same position and wrestled far longer to win! Plus, this Rumble wasn't exactly star studded. You could even argue it had one of the worst lineups ever! I will say it gave us a thrilling ending with Michaels and the late Davey Boy Smith though.

Overall a good Rumble card.

THE ROYAL RUMBLE 1996

This one was basically geared around Shawn Michaels but it wasn't a bad card overall.

Jeff Jarrett Vs. Ahmed Johnson - This was more of a display for Ahmed who was a newcomer at the time and it was his first PPV one on one matchup. Too bad he was too injury prone and hurt a lot of guys he worked with because he really had potential. The ending was a sign of things to come in later years as Jarrett came off the top rope with a guitar shot, calling for an immediate DQ!

The Bodydonnas Vs. The Smokin' Guns (WWF World Tag Team Championship Match) - This showed Sunny in her heyday as well as Skip (the late Chris Candido) and Zip (Dr. Tom Prichard) against Bart Gunn and Billy Gunn (the latter who would go on to greater fame with DX). Not a bad bout but it was more about showing the lengths that Sunny would go to get the win for her team. It didn't happen on this occassion as her interference backfired, allowing The Gunns to retain their titles.

Goldust Vs. Razor Ramon (WWE I-C Title Match) - In his fourth and final reign as I-C champ, Razor defended the title against Dustin Rhodes' new character which clearly pushed a homophobic button to the hilt! While its funny now, the Goldust character caused a lot of outrage from wrestling fans back then.

As for the match itself, it was actually a good contest. Ends when The 1-2-3 Kid (X-Pac) comes in and knocks out Razor with a spinning kick from the top rope, allowing Goldust to get the pinfall and his first I-C title.

The Rumble match itself saw Shawn Michaels take the win to become the first two time winner of the Rumble since Hulk Hogan did it in 1990 and 1991. This also saw other strong performances from a younger HHH, the late Owen Hart, Steve Austin (who was not yet "Stone Cold"), Diesel, Vader and the late Yokozuna.

Bret Hart Vs. The Undertaker (WWF World Title Match) - I can't recall a bad match between these two! While their two one on one matches the following year were better than this one, this isn't a bad encounter. Ends when UT actually has Bret beat but Diesel (who had a confrontation with The Dead Man prior to the match) gets Bret DQ'ed! He even flips UT the bird!

While still in "The New Generation" era, we see foreshadowing signs of the more aggressive Attitude era in this PPV.

THE ROYAL RUMBLE 1997

This one isn't that great as a card. To be honest, its remembered for two things: Steve Austin winning The Rumble in a controversial fashion and Shawn Michaels regaining the WWF World Title. I personally will also remember it for being one of the starting points of the vaunted and still celebrated WWF Attitude era.

Goldust Vs. HHH (WWF I-C Title Match) - This one was a brawling type bout which saw Goldust break from his suggestively gay character and act more like his old Dustin Rhodes character in WCW. Not a great technical match but rather a wild brawling one to the point where even the viewer is saying "why isn't the ref DQ'ing anyone?" This might as well have been a hardcore match!

Anyway, ends when Hunter... Read more ›

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars 3.75 Stars: A Decent Set of Rumbles..but lacking Superstars..., January 16, 2008

By 

The Piper at the Gates (Bakersville, North Carolina) - See all my reviews

This review is from: WWE Royal Rumble: The Complete Anthology - Volume Two (DVD)

After re-watching these 5 Rumbles ('93-97) in this collection, I feel this Volume is a step down from the previous Volume One of the Royal Rumble Anthology. But I still think this set of Royal Rumbles is definitely worth having and much better than some the latter Royal Rumbles of this series. This collection shows the new era of wrestling in the WWF at the time, with new talent like Razor Ramon, Diesel, Jeff Jarrett, Hunter Hearst-Helmsley, Goldust, and Stone Cold Steve Austin arriving on the scene.
The 1993 Rumble has some decent matches, with the biggest highlight being the excellent Bret Hart vs. Razor Ramon WWF Championship match. Though the stupidest thing was the "unveiling of the Lex Luger" by Bobby Heenan, which is a bit disturbing when you think about some of the stuff Bobby is saying! The Rumble itself is real good as well, especially with great performances by Ric Flair and surprisingly, Bob Backlund! There's also an appearance by Giant Gonzalez that would be the lead up to the match between him and the Undertaker at Wrestlemania 9. The ending of the Rumble is kinda stupid with Randy Savage trying to pin Yokozuna instead of trying to throw him over..wtf?!
I'm gonna be honest, there were few high spots in the 1994 Royal Rumble. The match between Hart Brothers and the Quebecers wasn't that great, but do you get to see Owen Hart betray his brother Bret, and "injure" his leg so badly that its put into doubt whether Bret Hart would be able to be in the Rumble later on that evening. The Intercontinental Match between IRS and Razor Ramon was so-so, but the worst match was undoubtably the casket match between The Undertaker and Yokozuna. First off, you get to see the worst looking chock slam I've probably ever seen done by the Undertaker, but really, what kind you expect. Yokozuna, because of his size, made it hard to do many wrestling maneuvers on him that looked effective. Plus, it didn't help that Yokozuna pretty much sucked as a wrestler anyway, and why in the name of God he was around for as long as he was, is a mystery to me. And the ending of this match is just stupid, in fact, the match is over before it really gets started. Also, this Rumble is horribly lacking star power, I understand this was somewhat of a transitional period for the WWF at the time, but man, this one hurts! This one is full of no names or lesser known stars. Really, the only big stars here are Shawn Michaels, Bret Hart (of course he's in it, he's not gonna let that leg injury stop him! lol), Lex Luger (who the WWF were trying desperately to push over), Macho Man, and maybe Diesel, if you wanna include him. With the lack of star power here, its pretty easy to see that the list of potential winners is rather small. And speaking of winners, this would mark the one and only time that there were 2 winners of the Royal Rumble. The actual ending of the match was alright, but the long period of time that the refs took trying to decide who won, was kinda lame.
The 1995 Royal Rumble might have been slightly worse than 1994, but not by much. The opening match between Razor Ramon and Jeff Jarrett for the IC belt was pretty good, and the WWF Championship Match between Bret Hart and Diesel was good. Isn't it funny how all the good matches seem to involve Bret Hart? That's simply because he was one heck of a wrestler, and his matches were always entertaining to watch, at least that's my opinion! This also has a World Tag Team match, which involved 2 teams I could really care less about, and a so-so match between IRS and the Undertaker. Much like the previous year, this Rumble is also low on star power, in fact its probably worse! Again, you only had 3 true superstars in this one: Michaels, British Bulldog, and Luger. And I don't know about you guys, but I could see the ending of the Rumble coming a mile away, even if I hadn't already known who ultimately won!
The '96 Rumble, though I may be wrong about this, marks the first time that the Rumble itself wasn't the main event. And though, its listed on the case, the opening match (which I believe was shown free, and not part of the pay-per-view) between Triple H and Duke "The Dumpster" Droz is not on the disc. No clue why they would list it on here and not include it, but I don't think I'm missing much anyway! Most of the other matches aren't that great either, except for the IC match between Razor Ramon and Goldust, which I didn't think was that great of an actual wrestling match, but it was funny and entertaining. Of course, the Championship match between Bret Hart and The Undertaker is pretty good as well. As for the Rumble itself, its a step up from the previous two Rumbles, with a bit better list of participants..Triple H, Yokozuna, Vader, Shawn Michaels, Diesel, The Ringmaster (later he would become Stone Cold), British Bulldog, and heck, even an appearance by Jake the Snake Roberts! Again, the ending of the Rumble isn't that hard to see coming, but still, its pretty entertaining.
The final Rumble in the set is about the same as the most of the Rumbles in this volume, its nothing amazing, but still pretty good. The opening match between Triple H and Golddust for the IC belt was decent, and well as the Undertaker vs Vader match. There is however, a stupid 6 man Tag Team Match involving a bunch of unknown Mexican wrestlers which you will undoubtly have to fast forward through! Again, there's a WWF Championship match after the Rumble, between Sycho Sid and Shawn Michaels which is pretty good, but nothing amazing. The Rumble itself, again, isn't the best ever, and it does have some pretty crappy participants, including fake Diesel and Razor. For some reason, fake Razor gets the crap booed out of him by the audience, yet the crowd is more kind to fake Diesel for some reason. Anyway, some of the big names in this one are, Stone Cold Steve Austin, Jake the Snake Roberts, Triple H, The Rock, Mankind, Bret Hart, Vader, and the Undertaker. There's also a bit of a controversial ending to this rumble as well which I liked.
All in all, this set is definitely worth re-living and watching again, not to mention owning. You get to see greats like Shawn Michaels, Bret Hart, and The Undertaker in their prime. However, this one just doesn't match up to Volume One. There aren't as many classic matches and classic Superstars during this era of the WWF. But nonetheless, this is still a decent period in the history of the WWF, and still way above what it is now! This is highly recommended for any wrestling fan, especially one who appreciates the older stuff!