10 Times WWE Stipulations Meant Nothing
9. Shawn Michaels Creates A Spot For Himself In The WrestleMania XX Main Event
The Royal Rumble is generally seen as the most exciting time to be a WWE fan. The 30 man melee is one of the most entertaining matches of the year, with surprise entrants and shocking returns aplenty. It’s also a major platform for making new stars as the winner goes on to headline WrestleMania - sometimes.
In 2004, Chris Benoit won the Rumble and earned himself a championship match at the Showcase of Immortals. However, taking exception to this was a certain Mr. Michaels. For Benoit had chosen Triple H as the world champion he would like to face at 'Mania and HBK had been embroiled in an epic rivalry with the Game up until this point.
Their World Heavyweight Championship Last Man Standing match at the Rumble had ended in a draw after neither man could answer a ten count. Determined to not give up on the title, and revenge against his best friend turned worst enemy, Michaels confronted Benoit and said he should get the title opportunity instead.
If it wasn’t weird enough already, what followed was even more absurd. Michaels superkicked Benoit and simply proceeded to sign the WrestleMania contract with his name. Granted this wouldn’t be the only time WWE shoehorned other people into the match involving the Royal Rumble winner, but at least with Rey Mysterio-Randy Orton and Charlotte Flair-Becky Lynch they bothered coming with an elaborate storyline to explain it. Here, they just tossed the significance of the Rumble right out the window.