8 Wrestlers Who WWE Gave The 'Diesel Push' At Royal Rumble

8. Shawn Michaels (1995)

There’s a certain irony that the first recipient of a “Diesel Push” was the guy whom Diesel protected during his early days in WWE.

But as 1995 began, Shawn Michaels was certainly a star on the rise, having stolen the show at WrestleMania X with his Intercontinental Championship ladder match against Razor Ramon and been a major focal point of the company. At the 1995 Royal Rumble, HBK did something no one had ever done before: he went coast-to-coast, drawing #1 and winning the match.

Along the way, Michaels tossed eight men, including the guy who started the match and closed it with him, the British Bulldog. While Michaels was already established, his performance in the Rumble helped solidify his standing as a top guy in the company.