WWE Recaps: Royal Rumble (1988)
The first ever Royal Rumble comes to us from Ontario, Canada. Vince McMahon and Jesse "The Body" Ventura are our hosts. The action gets going right away. Ravishing Rick Rude vs Ricky "The Dragon" Steamboat The crowd loves them some Ricky Steamboat. They trade blows at the start, then Rude throws Steamboat over the ropes, but The Dragon catches the rope and pulls himself back in. Rude then makes the trip out of the ring. After a bit of preening by Rude, they lock up in a test of strength. Rude gets Steamboat on his knees, but pushes back up, then reverses into a takedown and arm-lock. He continues to work on that arm for several minutes. Rude finally breaks free and now he's pounding Steamboat with multiple fists. After some trips to the ropes, The Dragon gets Rude back into the arm-lock. Rude elbows Steamboat to the face, and eventually, knees him in the mid-section, and send him to the floor. He follows The Dragon and bodyslams him, then climbs back in ...