Usually, when reviewing old WWF wrestling events, one of my main complaints is that (at times) the technical wrestling is quite shoddy and the Royal Rumble platform is only used as a vehicle towards Wrestlemania. In the case of the '95 RR, however, that was not the case. The story lines were interesting, and the wrestling was decent, but still the company at that time lacked one key ingredient...a stable of stars to keep the card interesting from beginning to end.
On this card, the Hart-Diesel confrontation is very exciting, The Undertaker (against I.R.S.) gives another nice performance, and the Rumble event itself may be one of the best ever just based on the last few minutes alone! Sadly, that's all the show has to offer. Besides Hart, Undertaker, Shawn Michaels, and Razor Ramon (who in this tape is paired with the dreadful Jeff Jarrett), there is no one else to offer any excitement to the rest of the broadcast...just a bunch of fat guys and jobbers. While watching, I found myself thinking back to the RR's of the late 1980s and early 1990s, when it seemed like every single match brought the fans to their feat multiple times. Boy, how the mighty had fallen by '95, considering how the entrance of "Adam Bomb" (a very forgettable character) got the biggest charge out of the crowd all night. It was almost as if the fans were desperate to cheer for something, not being thrilled by the action put before them.
One positive, though, is the commentary of Vince McMahon. Say what you want about his personal life and how he runs his company (and I would be the first to give him the "Stone Cold Salute"), but he sure is more exciting than having to sit through Bobby "The Brain" Heenan for three hours. Announcers are such a big part of professional wrestling (as they really help to inflame passions among viewers) that this is one of the few steps up from previous years.
Overall, I would recommend heavy utilization of the "Fast Forward" button on your remote while watching this one. Watch Hart, 'Taker, and the end of the Rumble...everything else is pure dreck.
