A Look at the Forgotten WWE Royal Rumble Match (2004) 

That underwhelming delivery on christians entrance is gold!

Not gonna lie, the weeks of Taker teasers and mindgames to mess with Kane, leading up to their match at Wrestlemania, had me hyped.

Chris Benoit had one of the best Rumble performances that will never be acknowledged.

Tazz's Keys to Victory: -Beat Em' Up -Watch Ya Yambag -Drop Em' On Their Bean -Choke Em' Out

"the Redacted Royal Rumble" is what it should be known as

8:32 "With Champagne...in my eye!"

This Royal Rumble gave me my favorite Goldberg spear. It looked like Nuzio got hit by a truck

I find it funny that they make a big deal about the number 1 spot, but not the number 2 spot. It's the same thing.

".....It's Christian...." Thanks for that Todd Grisham.

That feel when Brian finally gets around to a PPV you requested. 😭

“It’s...it’s Christian” I bet Vince had that reaction every time he came in to work

*Wind blows a little too hard* HBK, HHH, and Ric Flair are all bleeding like hell.

I loved when Nidia gained her “sight “ back and didn’t tell Noble, he had been using her like a shield, she “accidentally” tripped numerous times and even waked him often with the crane. It was was hilarious , especially after he looses the match and she tosses the cane and shades and leaves him sobbing in the ring.

I totally forgot Earnest The Cat Miller was even in wwe at one point

"At No. 22 ITS...its, christian..." My sides have ascended..

Vacant is the most decorated star of all time.

21:35 Everyone press L1 and hit your finisher!

Find someone who looks at you the way Josh looks at Cena

I was in the building that night. Austin came out after Benoit won and congratulated him face to face. He mentioned how hard Benoit had to work to get to this very moment. They had grown men bawling in the Wachovia Center. I’ve been to a lot of shows, but RR 04 was by far the best one I’ve attended. Also, excellent review man. You saved the “omg it’s sooooo hard to watch a Benoit match” sh*t till the end. Most reviewers mention that non stop from the get go and it no doubt interferes with their overall rating. He left this world in the worst possible way, a complete POS. In 2004 though, his work in WWE was amazing.

Brian needs to impersonate Stone Cold more often lol

The HHH/HBK finish made sense to lead to the Mania triple threat. I understand not liking today's continuous non finishes, but this ome made sense for the stort.

“THE FULL NELSON, JACK! YEAH!” 😂

Was at Rumble 04. When Benoit gets Show teetering at the end was one of the biggest pops I’ve ever seen.

It's a shame Rumble's aren't booked like they use to. This is a good example of booking multiple angles all around and getting guys over.

Hurricane looks like he hurt his ankle on that careless toss out.

I'll never forget that night, Steven Richards not only accompanied Victoria for a victory on the opening match, but also drew number 1 in the Royal Rumble and ended up winning it, truly an inspiring, underdog moment.

I need that Royal Rumble 03 review. I need that Benoit vs Kurt Angle review.

A trailer park couple who eventually become rich lmao that is genius gimmick!

I went over to my friends house to watch this when I was 12. My curfew was 9 o'clock and the event didn't end until about 10: 25. Even though we only lived 2 apartments away, I got grounded for 2 weeks. Thank goodness my grounding ended before No Way Out 2004. Got home on time that night, cause I wasn't messing anything up to watch Wrestlemania XX at his place! Another one of our friends bought me the Royal Rumble 2004 DVD for my birthday cause he felt bad he pressured me into to staying for the end instead of going home on time. I've seen the entire event all the way through no less than 200 times. 2004 WWE is where my brain lives XD

'Goldberg the goalie' was a choice reference, Zane. Well done.

Brian Zane : What is that look ? Me. That is 2004. The time of bejeweled Ed Hardy, Couture and Affliction shirts. Relatively his shirt is pretty modest for the time.

Error 404: Royal Rumble 2004 not found

I loved this royal rumble ppv, especially the match between Eddie and chavo. It's a shame they didn't get more time though

Thank you for reviewing the 2004 Royal Rumble match. Like you said, it is never mentioned anymore by WWE for obvious reasons. But it was a great match with very good wrestlers, unique spots, and a strong story overall. It deserves to be included in conversations about the best Royal Rumble matches.

David Benoit just did an interview with Chris Van Vleit and spoke of his father in some depth, so it's nice to reminisce with this review.

I always thought Hardcore Holly’s comeback was such a huge missed opportunity he came back as the exact same guy with the same music and gear. Should have reinvented himself

...so TECHNICALLY Spike Dudley holds the longest Royal Rumble entry in the history of the Royal Rumble matches at 16 years!

My favourite part of the show is just Bautista screaming at the end of his match for no reason.

Fun fact: Triple H & Shawn Michaels bled so goddamn much that this show has a TV-MA rating on the WWE Network.

If AEW ever signed rikishi, the intro of this video would be his theme 😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂

The only year where "Nobody" won the rumble

1. Thanks for covering this, Brian. 2. This is my personal favorite Royal Rumble match, controversy notwithstanding. Chris Benoit is still one of my all-time favorite wrestlers. Him winning the Rumble from beginning to end, main eventing Wrestlemania 20, winning the championship by tapping out HHH and sharing the ring with Eddie in a emotional moment was fucking iconic. 3. Of course, I'll never forgive Christopher Michael Benoit for what he did at the end of his life. Fuck him. That's all I'll say about that (LOL for the thumbnail though!). Moving on from that, HHH/HBK in that Last Man Standing match is my 2nd all-time favorite World Championship match at the Royal Rumble/all-time favorite World Heavyweight Championship match at the Royal Rumble. 4. It's also cool that, a month later, Eddie Guerrero would win the WWE Championship. 5. Wow, what a Road to Wrestlemania 20 this was! 6. (11:10-14:46; 16:12-25:04) *What we've ALL been waiting for*

I remember having a pay per view party at my house for the show. Lots of great memories and snow.

I was 17 years old, in attendance for this rumble. I was in a skybox, it was an early birthday present. Great show live.

8:41 another chapter of the book titled "Bob Holly in a title match? Really? Are you sure?"

this rumble match was the best ever in terms of setting up feuds and matches for wrestlemania, its not even close

Love the thrusting by d-von before the 3D to the coach

I'm going to b e honest, as a kid I was so hyped to see a midcarder be pushed to the moon and have a WWE title match at a PPV. When I had SD: Shut your mouth, I played as Hardcore to make him the champ.

THAT INTRO CLEAN AF

The Tazz impressions always crack me up!

The Full Nelson “last technique” is so like Goku’s “Full Nelson” in Episode 2 and that’s hilarious

Dawg Everytime Brock Lesnar would hop on the ring apron during his entrance , Hardcore Holly would knock his ass right off 😂

The Blindness and Cucking line is great. 😂

As if the 2001 Rumble wasnt the best ever.

What a strong roster they had back then, I zoned out of wrestling back end of 2004 but would swap this style of wrestling over all the flips and dives we get today

Nothing worse then getting alcohol in your eye. It burns like a mf and i don't blame Flair not being able to open his eyes after that.

How could you forget Brian somebody call my mother was also GOD entrance theme never forget.

That shot of hbk hitting hhh with sweet chin music before the final 10 count was epic af

I have the DVD of this event. In the bonus features it shows HBK and Triple H getting medical attention backstage. They are in the same room with a curtain between them. Shawn tells the doctor he thinks his hand is broken. At one point Hunter pushes the curtain aside to see if Shawn is ok.

Rockstar gonna be comin after you soon Zane for that San Andreas opening theme 😂🤣😭

The Big Show was all alone in the ring until he clumsily fell over the top rope and eliminated himself.

It's always cool to see a PPV review that you attended. I was in the bottom bowl section as a 20 year old. Funny how the 'ol heel play of bashing the crowd's team doesn't always last. Four years later, my Phillies won the World series and then the Eagles won the SB years after that.

There's a funny botched call in the Jamie Noble vs Rey Mysterio (I can't remember when) about Nidia looking on by Michael Cole

This PPV is special to me because two weeks before it happened was the first time I ever watched WWE (Smackdown) and this was the first wrestling PPV I ever saw and the first DVD I ever owned. This is the event that turned me into a wrestling fan and to this day the Royal Rumble is my favorite PPV.

*Hardcore Holly* " how about I win the World Title? " *can't remember who he is talking to* "OK, what happens after that?" *Hardcore Holly* "Then I beat everyone" Y weren't we funding this????

Wwe: There was no royal rumble in 2004.

Bob “Hardcore” Holly = main event talent

YES for referencing the "JohncenajohncenajohncenaJOHNCENA!" theme! "He's likely to win TONIIIIIGHT" Also at one point in this Rumble Benoit elbows Angle and one of them makes a weird "BWAWHUH* sound. It's at 2:07:17 on the Network version.

Yeah, in his book Bob Holly was *furious* that the match got cut down for that match with _that_ finish. But then again, Bob reeeeeally hates HHH in general, which doesn't help.

I remember watching all of the HBK/HHH rivalry matches on VHS from the video store years ago. I loved every crazy match they had from the HBK comeback match to the 3 stages of hell to the hell in a cell and everything between. Loved it then and still do. And when that store went out of business I bought as many wrestling tapes as I could so I could always look back on it.

BZ have you ever thought about doing a review/breakdown of a single match? I’d be great to see you do a whole match and comment on every move.

IMO, the 2001 Rumble was the greatest of all time, with each portion of the match telling an interesting story, with Kane in the Rumble for most of it. It was also great due to the fact that there wasn't a single clear potential winner at the outset, but rather several that they were pushing as potential winners.

brian Zane has solved the mysteries chris benoit was the 2nd personn to win the royal rumble as the 1st entrant And Big show didn't elimate himself

The way the bottom screen/s on the stage is set up really grinds my gears. Also I feel that it is more engaging when you splice footage of what you're talking about rather than just having the camera be on you. Fantastic review of this classic PPV, by the way.

This is one of the best Royal Rumble matches & it's such a shame it can't be talked about because of Chris Benoit

Great video again, Brian! I was live for this one. Had a great time, my buddies made me leave my sign that said only "KOKO B. WARE" in the trunk.

I'll say it again. Benoit is one of the greatest wrestlers and performers I've even seen. His promos left something to be desired, but in that ring, he was one of the best. 4UP for Benoit.

You missed one of the most underrated JR calls of all time. Foley eliminates Orton and Tazz goes "JR, Foley eliminated himself!" And JR responds "YEAH! AND FOLEY DOESN'T GIVE A DAMN!"

I was a HUGE mark for Jamie Noble Boy and Nidia. I didn't really get into Noble when he first debuted, but a little while later there was a Smackdown where he and Mysterio had a match to open the show and it was a fantastic match. After that I was instantly a fan. Then he got into a groove with his gimmick and got paired up with Nidia. I tuned in for them probably more than anything around this time.

18:52 Don’t forget Brian it’s also the theme of god

Another great review, bro. I always look forward to these Classic PPV Reviews. This one is one of my favorites because it was in Philly hehe. I always loved that moment with Ernest "The Cat" Miller, I was hoping you'd mention when he gets eliminated & Tazz was singing that theme song, then JR's like" "Somebody call his mama already!" lol, I loved JR & Tazz on commentary, it's a shame both are no longer with WWE. Tazz really got better on commentary from 2002 and on. As a heel, his commentary felt a bit forced to me but as a babyface commentator, he was much more relaxed, funny and his chemistry with Cole honestly had me enjoying SD alot more than Raw then. Always been one of my favorite Royal Rumbles of them all. The one from 92 was amazing & is a classic no doubt, you can argue that it had a more star studded Rumble lineup but I'd give this one a slight edge. It was a great moment when Benoit won the Rumble. It was also great to see Goldberg, Angle, Benoit, Booker, RVD, Y2J, Kane, Cena in this one. It's interesting to me that when Becky was called the underdog year before last, I had a feeling that WWE would do for her what they did with Benoit & Rey, have her win the Rumble, challenge for the title, it becomes a triple threat and she would win. It's so crazy looking back at how many times HHH & HBK fought back then from 2002 and onwards, HBK was always somewhere in HHH's orbit & the fans never got tired of it either. I remember when they would vote for HBK to fight HHH for the title again too. Such a contrast nowadays because fans nowadays get tired of rematches, they get tired of seeing the same people fight over and over, when that's how you build a great feud between two wrestlers. Sure, some kind be overdone like Roman/Brock but some can have some damn good matches like AJ/Samoa Joe, Becky/Charlotte, Becky/Sasha, Black/Murphy etc. R.I.P. Chris Benoit, Eddie Guerrero, Test & Chavo Classic. :(

When you realize the 2004 rumble is closer to the 1992 rumble than the 2004 rumble is to the 2023 rumble

It’s a shame this Rumble never gets talked about because of who won. The match was good, there were plenty of stars in the match, and there were some good stories in it too. One of my favorites for sure.

Back then I thought Nidia was super hot for some reason.

So sad when you you realize the Bob Holly got booked better vs Lenser then Kofi

I think this was my first Royal Rumble ever. I started watching WWE after WM 20, and I still remembered how this got me to the concept of RR

When Benoit and orton started off the Rumble, it was odd seeing them wearing opposite respectively colours to their attires, meaning Smackdowns Benoit was wearing red tights (Raws colour) and raws orton was wearing blue trunks (Smackdowns colour)

I absolutely love the classic ppv series. Fantastic work, thanks Brian

Love the new intro!!! Has it been longer than 2 weeks?? Feels like it!!

Man, just hearing the description of blind Nidia has me laughing out loud. Man, this was a good time to be a fan.

more modern, I hear ya, but the 2004 Royal Rumble is closer to the 1992 Rumble than it would be the 2020 Royal Rumble.

The network blackout Chris benoit. Now it looks like Noob Saibot won the rumble

I love this intro. I watched it about 5 times before watching the review

Zane's Tazz impression sounds exactly like his Russo.

The fact that Hardcore Holly had a WWE Title match at one of the big four PPVs is still crazy to me.

Ric with a Little Bit Of The Bubbly

The funny thing is, they pretty much tried the exact same closing sequence for the disastrous 2015 Royal Rumble. With Reigns being in the Benoit role, and Both Big Show and Kane being in the Big Show Role (Aka, unstoppable force who is eliminating everyone). It... Did not *QUITE* work out as well. LOL

And hard to believe Eddie would be at a high career the very next month

I’m still mad they didn’t do more with that Tajiri angle with the black mist. That could’ve been a huge blood feud with Noble and Tajiri.

Hardcore Holly looked good, but had zero personality, zero charisma. I bet that is why he was a bully