Opening match is a bout between the supposed "Hardcore Champion" RoadDogg Jesse James vs Big Boss Man, but this is NOT a "hardcore match". Never cared for Brian James (or his character) and Ray Traylor (as "Big Boss Man") has lost that "factor" that made him so intimidating several years ago so this match.... Well, it _is_ an opening match so that should tell you something. Sadly, "good ol' JR" Jim Ross is missing from _this_ pay-per-view also, so some of the magic is missing. Next match is for the WWF Intercontinental Championship between Ken Shamrock (the reigning champ) vs Billy Gunn (Monty Sopp). Again, this is the second of the "opening" matches and neither of these guys are very polished (on the mic or in the ring) and it shows. It turned out to be a better match than I had expected, however. I would say this one is worth watching. Next up, "Gangrel" vs. Sean Waltman. In my opinion (and that's all this is, mind you) this should have been a "dark match", as neither of these performers is worth primetime viewing. Fast-forward through this boring snoozefest... Following this was yet another _"Let's give the male audience their wet dream"_ match between Sable v Luna. These matches are identical to the "midget wrestling" matches in that no one takes them seriously; they're only out to see the participants... in the case of "womens' wrestling", it's the hopes of seeing some skin revealed. I _will_ give them credit, though: This was a "strap match" and I really don't understand how they can actually whack each other with a leather strap and it NOT hurt. The ending was unusual, so if you can handle a few minutes of "womens' wrestling", this was interesting enough to watch. Following this was the little backstory leading up to the "I Quit" match between "Mankind" (Mick Foley) vs "The Rock" (Dwayne Johnson), and then the match itself. [spoiler] **Be Advised: If you haven't seen this, this is the infamous "chair shot" match between Rock and Mankind, where Mankind takes numerous chair shots directly to his head. He was severely concussed during/after the match and really had no recollection of the match or what happened shortly after it. You can Google it and find a lot more information but this match _may_ disturb you. I've watched a lot of wrestling and been entertained by some of the most hardcore matches, but this one was actually hard to watch. [/spoiler] Following this was the backstory of the feud between "Stone Cold" Steve Austin vs Vince McMahon, and then the Royal Rumble itself begins with Austin being given the #1 draw and McMahon being given the #2 spot. Two younger stars of the WWF follow Austin and McMahon out to the Rumble: Droz and Edge. From all appearances, it looks like they may be giving Edge a "push" as he makes a huge entrance, fast start, and is getting plenty of spotlight in the Rumble...even though the "Royal Rumble" at this point is still only between these two. Following Edge's appearance is the entrance of "Gilburg" (apparently this is the WWF's spoof of "Goldberg" who is huge in WCW right about now). I realize this is of zero interest to anyone else (assuming anyone else bothers reading these novelettes that I'm writing) but I am now at the point in my journey through these WWF pay-per-view events to where it's almost all "new" to me. While I recognize _some_ of the performers (mainly those who were headliners during those few events I tuned into during my time away from professional wrestling) it's apparent that most of these are all "new" to me going by the handful of contestants who are in the Rumble at this point: Gangrel, Road Dogg, Blue Meanie, Droz, Kurrgan, Al Snow, et al. This is also the PPV debut of "Test" (Andrew Martin)...a wrestler I saw from time to time but who never really impressed me as being anything special. In spite of my limited knowledge of most of the participants, I have to say this ranks as one of the very best (if not THE best) Royal Rumble cards I've watched. I'd love to elaborate more but I don't want to give away any spoilers. If you haven't watched this one yet, and you're a longtime fan of WWE, you should definitely watch this. Again, however, be cautioned that the "I Quit" match between Mick Foley ("Mankind") and Dwayne Johnson ("The Rock") is brutal and difficult to watch.