10 Must-See Shawn Michaels Royal Rumble Performances

8. 1992 - Royal Rumble Match

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Just days removed from a legendary heel turn in which he hurled former best friend Marty Jannetty through a window, Shawn Michaels faced his first test as a brand new character as he vied even to be noticed in one of the most star-studded matches in WWE history.

Legendarily featuring some of the biggest names in the industry, the 1992 Royal Rumble has gone down in history as one of the greatest incarnations of the famous gimmick.

With the combatants fighting to be the undisputed WWE Champion, the diverse range of stars suited the high stakes contest, and Shawn Michaels was there to make as many of them as possible look like convincing winners.

Entering at #6 and lasting an impressive fifteen minutes, Michaels had tremendous exchanges with the likes of Tito Santana, Kerry Von Erich, career rival Davey Boy Smith and eventual winner Ric Flair, generating superb heat in his battles with the more experienced hands, and bumping around like a pinball for some of the muscled monsters that permeated the roster at the time.

Crucially, he maximised his minutes, and his assured big stage display ensured a smooth migration of the character to TV following the event.

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Contributor

Michael is a writer, editor, podcaster and presenter for WhatCulture Wrestling, and has been with the organisation nearly 8 years. He primarily produces written, audio and video content on WWE and AEW, but also provides knowledge and insights on all aspects of the wrestling industry thanks to a passion for it dating back over 35 years. As one third of "The Dadley Boyz" Michael has contributed to the huge rise in popularity of the WhatCulture Wrestling Podcast and its accompanying YouTube channel, earning it top spot in the UK's wrestling podcast charts with well over 62,000,000 total downloads. He has been featured as a wrestling analyst for the Tampa Bay Times, GRAPPL, GCP, Poisonrana and Sports Guys Talking Wrestling, and has covered milestone events in New York, Dallas, Las Vegas, Philadelphia, London and Cardiff. Michael's background in media stretches beyond wrestling coverage, with a degree in Journalism from the University Of Sunderland (2:1) and a series of published articles in sports, music and culture magazines The Crack, A Love Supreme and Pilot. When not offering his voice up for daily wrestling podcasts, he can be found losing it singing far too loud watching his favourite bands play live. Follow him on X/Twitter - @MichaelHamflett