The WWE Royal Rumble is a show that is centered around gimmick matches. The titular match is the most famous of the gimmicks, but a smattering of others have been involved throughout the years.<\/p>\n
In fact, on most Royal Rumble PLE\u2019s one is hard-pressed to find a contest that doesn\u2019t have some gimmick attached. These gimmick matches have been the selling point of the show.<\/p>\n
Just because matches devoid of gimmicks are hard to find, doesn\u2019t mean that they are some hidden gems. There have been a few instances, in Royal Rumble history, where straight-up wrestling matches have produced gold.<\/p>\n
There have been matches hidden on the PLE that required no gimmicks and were the better for it. Below is a list of these matches.<\/p>\n
For those of a certain age, the greatness of this match will live burned in our minds. It was the opener of the 1991 Royal Rumble and overshadowed every other match on the night.<\/p>\n
There wasn\u2019t a great amount of history between the two teams. WWE wasn\u2019t very high up in their tag team division, so they left this match alone. The teams were left to their own devices, and they produced a sprint of a match.<\/p>\n
The pace was rampant during the 19-minute match time with the rest held there only to provide a small reprieve.<\/p>\n
This was what a tag team match could be when done well. There was a great mix of chain wrestling, high-flying action, and crisp tag team wrestling. These men had the talent to put on a classic and that\u2019s exactly what they did.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s just a shame it was lost in the shuffle of the Royal Rumble.<\/p>\n
When Shawn Michaels returned there were a ton of dream matchups that fans were wanting. No one had this one on their list, and everyone should have.<\/p>\n
Michaels and Edge were the carbon copy of one another, which shouldn\u2019t be shocking as Edge idolized HBK. They matched up incredibly well and tore the house down to start the show.<\/p>\n
The catch-as-catch-can style shared by the two men made for a very even match. There was some great heel work from Edge while Shawn bumped his butt off to get the young star over.<\/p>\n
Edge and HBK also put in some great character work in their build-up. Edge was the man who wanted to topple his childhood hero and had become disenchanted with Michaels.<\/p>\n
It was a build that added so much hatred to the match, and we could feel it with every move. It was a match that made you want to care about it. It is baffling that WWE didn\u2019t turn this into a much larger program.<\/p>\n
The Hardys & MNM were two of the best of their era. In a time when the tag team division was thin, to say the least, they were the shining stars. They made the division watchable with their fantastic matches. One of the best was their opener at The Royal Rumble.<\/p>\n
It seems that tag matches are great ways to open the show, and this was a good example. The teams were used to working with one another and it led to a very comfortable match.<\/p>\n
There were no awkward spots or botches to be seen. They worked the heel\/face dynamic wonderfully and the crowd went nuts for Jeff Hardy\u2019s hot tag.<\/p>\n
Having The Hardy\u2019s win was a great way to get the night started on the right foot. These were tag team wrestlers putting on a very undervalued match at the Royal Rumble.<\/p>\n