10 Best WWE Royal Rumble Eliminations Ever
6. Diesel (1996)
Best viewed with the incredulous commentary of perennial Shawn Michaels foe Mr Perfect, his 1996 Royal Rumble victory at the expense of best mate Diesel was both an instantaneous thrill as well as a brand new layer of plot development for the exceptional 'Dudes With Attitudes'.
Michaels' emphatic second consecutive win was effectively against doctor's orders, having passed out on the November 20th 1995 edition of Monday Night Raw with storyline post-concussion syndrome following a real life summer sh*tkicking. It was a different time.
On the same night, Diesel had turned heel, sort of. Working a heel style but acknowledging his friendship with top babyface Michaels, 'Big Daddy Cool' intriguingly experimented as a tweener long before Vince Russo booked the concept into oblivion.
The pair were the biggest stars - and thus the final two - in 1996's 30-man war.
Otherwise engaged eliminating Kama, Diesel turned around straight into Sweet Chin Music. It left any real contact between the buddies still on the table for later in the year, and in storyline terms was the only realistic chance Michaels had of eradicating his much fresher frenemy.