10 Greatest Performances In WWE Royal Rumble History
6. Shawn Michaels (1995)
Shawn Michaels is widely regarded as one of (if not the) greatest professional wrestlers of all-time, and much of that owes to his Royal Rumble record. HBK is second only to Triple H with a total of 3:42:30 spent in Royal Rumble matches, and with 39 total eliminations across 12 matches, he’s one of the most decorated Rumble entrants of all-time.
1996 saw him become the second person to win two Royal Rumbles in a row (after Hulk Hogan), but 1995 was his real breakout performance. Vince McMahon was in dire need of a smaller, more believable athlete to head his company amidst federal allegations of widespread steroid abuse, and Michaels was the man for the job. HBK entered at number one, and went the duration, outlasting 29 other superstars to become the first superstar to enter first and still emerge victorious.
The British Bulldog was with him all the way. Having entered at number two, Davey Boy Smith thought he had the match won after bundling Shawn over the top rope late-on, but Michaels survived. One foot touched the floor, but the other did not, and after rolling back inside, HBK dumped Bulldog to the outside and claimed victory for himself.
The Rumble’s unusual 60-second intervals meant Michaels lasted “just” 38:41 on the road to victory, and he scored 8 eliminations along the way. You can’t ask for much more than that.