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Event: Royal Rumble 1991
Date: January 19, 1991
Location: Miami Arena, Miami, Florida
Time: 1:05:17
Winner: Hulk Hogan
Last Eliminated: Earthquake
Iron Man: Rick Martel
Quickest Out: Bushwhacker Luke
Most Eliminations: Hulk Hogan
This was a really basic Rumble match but still managed to be highly entertaining because the WWF only ran it once a year and the formula stayed fresh. And let's face it, with all the possibilities within a match of this particular type, it's almost impossible not to enjoy it.
Rick Martel set a new record for longevity as the Iron Man of this match, lasting an astounding 52:17 from his number six spot. He was also one of the first men to utilize the strategy of jumping out of the ring but doing so through the rope instead of over the top of it to avoid elimination. That's not a spot used often and for good reason, as commentators Gorilla Monsoon and Roddy Piper had to point out time and again how and why Martel wasn't eliminated but was on the outside.
Unnecessary confusion.
This Rumble also had the distinction of featuring nine wrestlers lasting longer than 20 minutes, with Hulk Hogan, the winner, lasting just five seconds under that. That added to the fun of the match, as it was usually a mess of chaos with up to 11 wrestlers in the ring at one time.
Undertaker, who made his Rumble debut in this match, was a dominant force during his time in the ring, as he was the focus of much of the attention until he was dumped by the Legion of Doom just over 14 minutes after his arrival. Once Undertaker went out, the new favorite became Earthquake just as soon as he entered at number 22. That was until two spots later, of course, when "The Hulkster" joined the party.
Because of the issues between the two, and the match psychology being what it was, Hogan and Earthquake ended up being the last two remaining. Once they were alone, they went about working a short but straight babyface vs. heel encounter with Hogan trying a body slam that he couldn't complete before getting beat on for a second and making his comeback by hulking up and, of course, getting the body slam the second time around.
All that was left was for Hogan to clothesline him out to win his second consecutive Rumble.