Well this year they seem to be going a different route and not have matches for the number 1 and number 30. One possiblity I guess is that if Nash, Hall or Hogan are there then it's likely they'd come out 30th.
My question is do you like the way it's been the past couple of years where they had matches to determine number 1 and 30 (and give some extra significance to a few matches), or do you prefer not knowing?
I personally like it better not knowing what anyone's number is even number 1 and number 30. I even like the old school drawing segments where we get to see if they are happy or upset about the number they draw.
To be honest, as long as one of the guys isn't Hall, Nash or Hogan, I don't really care what the order is. The order doesn't really have all that much historical significance (except for the oddity that the #30 draw has never won a Rumble match). The old-school drawing segments could be pretty cool if they played them right, though.
Although... I'd like to see Benoit come out late in the match and end up winning it. Jericho retains against The Rock, and come WrestleMania, it's Chris Jericho vs. Chris Benoit for the WWF/WCW World Heavyweight Championship.
As if Triple H would ever put over Benoit for any reason.
Edit: OK, I remembered the Benoit/Jericho vs. Austin/Triple H, tag-title match immediately after I posted that. But I think that Triple H did it just as much to start a feud with Austin as to put over Benoit and Jericho. But then he got hurt.
So... have they already started an angle with him blaming Jericho for his injury?
“Bow-wow-wow, yippee-yo-yippee-yay, Oil of Olay all day, every day!”
I always considered it clever booking of the WWF to at least make sure ppl knew who #30 was going to be. That way the crowd & viewers knew that the final guy just entered and it was getting serious now.
I hated the fuck fests when you'd hear the horn and nobody came out and I lost count..Only later did you hear stuff like "He came out earlier already, chasing to the ring"
I guess this year #1 is trivial, and #30 is gonna be one of the surprises (I believe there are 4 remaining now?)
The real reason HBK has never made that much talked about comeback used to bounce out of synch with the other Nitro Girls.
For what it's worth, wwfroyalrumble.com is listing all 30 entrants, so I doubt there will be any surprises this year. Of course, they may just be yanking our chain about some of these (Maven? MAVEN?!).
Swiped from there, and not in order of entry, the field is: Al Snow, Albert, the Show, Billy, Booker T, the Bossman, Bradshaw, Christian, Chuck, DDP, Faarooq, the Godfather, Goldust, Jeff Hardy, Kurt Angle, Kane, Lance Storm, Matt Hardy, Maven (*cough*), Mr. Perfect, Perry Saturn, Rikishi, RVD, Scotty, Austin, Test, Hurricane, Triple H, Undertaker, and Venis.
I don't know about you guys, but I'm gonna be rooting for Snow.
Here's some stats I blantently stole off my buddy HHHutch:
In 13 30 Man Rumbles, #30 has never won.
Numbers 1-5 have won 4 times.
The person who drew #24 or #27 won 7 times.
Except for one time (Michaels in '96 drawing 18 ) numbers 6-22 have never won.
2 Times there have been 29 entries. Once in 98 there were only 28.
Can Austin repeat? 3 Times (Hogan in 90-91, Michaels in 95-96 and Austin in 97-98 ) last years winner won again.
Actually, in 1998 there were really only 27 participants. Mick Foley came out as Dude Love, Mankind AND Cactus Jack and thus took up three slots by himself.
Here's another stat for you; not counting the Rumbles where somebody didn't show up (1991, 1994, 1998), the person that drew #2 or #3 has been eliminated first 9 times. The only exception is in 1995, when Jimmy Del Rey was #5 and the first eliminated.
I was born in a manger, like that other guy. You know, he wore a hat?
I can't believe they posted 30 entrants already. I guess they could do what they did with Test at that Survivor Series Battle Royal, where he beat up Scotty 2 Hotty in the back and entered himself. Maybe the list is just some misinformation. I guess we'll see.
-The Big Kat "It's not that I'm lazy, it's that I just don't care." -Peter Gibbons, Office Space
Actually, in 1998 there were really only 27 participants. Mick Foley came out as Dude Love, Mankind AND Cactus Jack and thus took up three slots by himself.
That's still 28 guys. One (we'll say Mankind) was number 28, one (we'll say Dude Love) was number 29, and one (cactus jack) was number 30.
"A lot of guys on this team have a lot of bark, but no bite. Guys have to just shut up and play." -- WR Keyshawn Johnson, following the playoff loss to Philadelphia