The Royal Rumble match is traditionally always the centerpiece of the annual Pay Per View, due to its importance and the number of high-profile stars that might appear. As a result, the other matches on the card tend to be thrown-together affairs, booked at the last minute or as transitional affairs designed to kill time until they can be featured on the next Pay Per View. Occasionally, though, the performers get it in their head to try and steal the spotlight away from the Rumble match, and whether they manage it or not, the result has been some incredible classics that often get forgotten or passed over due to happening in the shadow of a much bigger event. We thought we’d give some of these under-appreciated matches some time to shine, so here’s the best non-Rumble matches to take place at the Royal Rumble Pay Per View.
10. The Harts vs The Quebecers – WWE Tag Team Titles – 1994
Bret Hart has put on some spectacular performances at the Rumble Pay Per View, but we thought we’d highlight the match that kicked off one of the biggest feuds of his career. Despite issues bubbling under the surface, Bret would team with his younger brother Owen in an attempt to win the Tag Team Championships from The Quebecers. During the match, Bret was isolated by the champions, who spent a long time working over his knee. After being punished for nearly the entire match, Hart finally found an opening, but rather than tag his brother, he attempted to end the match by applying a Sharpshooter. Unfortunately, the damage to Bret’s knee caused him to collapse, and the referee stopped the match, awarding the win to the Quebecers. An incensed Owen then turned on his brother, kicking off a legendary family feud that would last for years. The match itself is tag team wrestling at its best, with Bret gaining loads of sympathy by getting beaten up for ridiculous amounts of time, and the crowd literally salivating for a hot tag that never comes.
http://crazymax.org/newsite/columns/reliving-a-feud-issue-11-owen-hart-vs-bret-hitman-hart/ Source: crazymax.org