10 Fascinating WWE Royal Rumble 2004 Facts
9. The Show Was Reconfigured To Give HHH/Michaels More Time
Taking a look at the undercard of the 2004 Royal Rumble, you'll find match lengths that make Saturday Night's Main Events bouts look like miniseries'. The longest match of the first four bouts was Eddie Guerrero's win over nephew Chavo, at a prolonged eight minutes and three seconds.
The fifth match featured Triple H and Shawn Michaels in a 23-minute World Heavyweight title match under Last Man Standing rules. The fact that the match ended in a double-knockout certainly delighted the crowd in Philly.
According to Bob Holly, whose championship bout with Brock Lesnar went eight minutes with entrances included, their match was supposed to go double that - 15, with entrances factored in. It wasn't until both men made it to the Gorilla position that they learned of the drastic time cut. Holly notes that those seven excised minutes were specifically given to Michaels and Helmsley. All for a double-knockout finish.