Road to Summer Slam 2012 Part I: History of the Battle Royal

Wrestlemania 28 is here.

We're on the Road to Summer Slam 2012 - and that means the return of the Battle Royal.

Four items of note prior to the event, which occurs on the first Fight Night in May (Sweeps!)

1. As mentioned in the Mania write up, Foley allowed Rock to leave with the IC belt, despite his not being able to wrestle again until Rumble 2013, the last 8 men to be eliminated at the Battle Royal will take part in a tournament to determine who will face him at that event.  In addition, whomever eliminates the first member of Young Money will earn a tag title shot.  Add in that, of course, the winner gets the WWF Title shot, and every belt is implicated at the Battle Royal (new stips courtesy of the Commissioner).

Foley's decision allows for some friction with those who think the IC belt is too important to be paraded around Hollywood for 8 months by a retired wrestler who happens to be Foley;s friend.  Some of those people can be in GDI - in fact, it can be a position taken by both Regal and Steamboat, allowing for a rare agreement between the two warring factions, and allowing for some verbal battles among the three of them and for Steamboat/Foley to resume a portion of their ROH feud (the IC Title is a wrestlers belt, Foley maybe doesn't respect wrestling the way Steamboat does).

2. Heyman stays on after Mania as the full time color analyst on both shows and has to eat it for a month (see Mania for the refresher on why).  He also eats it in a Punk promo - in Punk's first TV appearance since Mania he calls Paul up to the ring, Punk revels in Heyman's weekly ribbing and apparent inability to offer much defense.  Punk calls back all of Heyman's criticism of him in the Mania build - he says he doesn't care that Heyman managed Austin and Foley; doesn't care that Heyman was the brain behind ECW; and most of all, doesn't care what Heyman thinks about him.  For years he's been in locker room after locker room with "Paul Heyman Guys" - generally they're the ones with more stints in drug rehab than dollars in the bank.  Punk says if there's one thing he'll never be - it's a Paul Heyman Guy.

3. Underground lost their last belt at Mania, and in the aftermath some cracks begin to show, as the various factions within the organization show some signs of going into business for themselves.

4. One match for Summer Slam doesn't get made based on anything that happens at the Battle Royal, it was set up at Mania - that's Dos Caras, Jr. vs. HHH-M; Hunter doesn't wrestle at all over the summer, he's now the guy in the suit.  The angle of Caras having one wrestling family left to knock off with Vicki trash talking Stephanie is the storyline.

Below is the history of the Battle Royal, now two decades in.  I'll be back in a month with Battle Royal 12.

Battle Royal 1

1991 – Following WM VII (why not earlier?  I didn't think of it earlier.)

First two entrants:  Hawk and Animal.

First elimination: The Barbarian, by the Road Warriors.

Most eliminations:  Undertaker – 10

Longest Performance- Shawn, 1 hour.

Final 4 Eliminated: Shawn, Bret, Taker, Sid

Winner: Davey Boy

Battle Royal 2

1993 – Following WM IX

First two entrants: Owen and Shawn

First elimination: Doink, by Owen and Shawn

Most eliminations: Luger – 7

Longest Performance: Shawn, 1 hour 10 minutes

Final 4 Eliminated: Owen, Perfect, Savage, Shawn

Winner: Razor

Battle Royal 3

1995 – Following WM XI

First two entrants: Waltman and Bob Holly

First elimination: Holly, by Hunter

Most eliminations: Davey Boy – 6

Longest Performance: Waltman – 35 minutes

Final 4 eliminated: Davey Boy, Candido, Shawn, Razor

Winner: Hakushi

Battle Royal 4

1996 – Following WM XII

First two entrants: Billy and Bart

First elimination: Marty, by Al Snow

Most eliminations: Austin – 7

Longest Performance: Owen, 45 min

Final Four eliminated: Cactus, Taker, Davey Boy, Austin

Winner: Owen

Battle Royal 5

1998 – Following WM XIV

First two entrants: Rock and HHH

First elimination: Mr Aguila, by HHH

Most eliminations: Austin – 9

Longest Performance: Rock, 52 min.

Final four eliminated: Taker, Regal, Shamrock, Austin

Winner: Cactus (the only Commissioner ever to be a previous winner)

Battle Royal 6

2000 – Following WM XVI

First two entrants: Angle and Bob Holly

First elimination: Crash, by Angle

Most eliminations: Angle – 8

Longest Performance – Angle, 1 hr, 6 min.

Final Four eliminated: Snow, Eddy, Angle, Jericho

Winner: Rock

Battle Royal 7

2002 – Following WM XVIII

First two entrants: Jericho and Edge

First elimination: Regal, by Jericho and Booker

Most eliminations: Diesel, 8 (many in coordination with the rest of the Clique)

Longest Performance: Shawn, 46 min

Final Four eliminated: Taker, RVD, Flair, Shawn

Winner: Rey

Battle Royal 8

2004 – Following Summer Slam 2004

First two entrants: Tajiri and Yang

First elimination: Yang, by Benjamin

Most eliminations: Leviathan, 12 (many in coordination with the rest of the Horsemen)

Longest performance: Chavo, 35 min

Final four eliminated: Leviathan, Jericho, Chavo, Christian

Winner: Eddy

Battle Royal 9

2006 – Following Summer Slam 2006

First two entrants: Punk and 2 Cold

First elimination: Kennedy, by Carlito

Most eliminations: Lashley, 5

Longest performance: Punk, 1 hr 20 min. 

Final four eliminated: Fit, Orton, Edge, Jeff

Winner: Punk

Battle Royal 10

2008: Following Summer Slam 2008

First two entrants: Nitro and Santino

First elimination: Santino, by Nitro

Most eliminations: Edge, MVP 4

Longest Performance: MVP, 42 min.

Final Four eliminated: Matt, Leviathan, Jeff, Edge

Winner: Jericho

Battle Royal 11

2010: Following Summer Slam 2010

First two entrants: Ryder and Chavo
First elimination: Slater, by Danielson
Most eliminations: Danielson, 11
Longest Performance: Danielson, 42 min.
Final Four eliminated: Nemeth, Caras, Rey, Low Ki
Winner: Swagger