Fast-forward a year, and Triple H would redeem himself, with the help of an old friend. Given that the other main title match on the 2004 Royal Rumble was between Brock Lesnar and Hardcore Holly, Shawn Michaels and HHH had free reign here to pull a stormer from their boots, and boy did they deliver. Chris Benoit winning the Royal Rumble will always be a great moment, one which led to another memorable occasion at Wrestlemania XX, but for this writer, the 2004 Rumble is all about the Last Man Standing match for the World Heavyweight Title between these former DX members. Michaels was two years back in the hot seat as a full-fledged member of the WWE roster, and his best was arguably yet to come, but there are few more suitable opponents for the man than Triple H. Never was that more obvious than here, where the duo construct a bloody, compelling brawl. There's an argument to be made that the Rumble match stands alone, and doesn't have the same pressure other matches do when in the main event slot to better what came before. That's just as well, because it probably couldn't top this under-valued classic.
Lifelong wrestling, video game, music and sports obsessive who has been writing about his passions since childhood. Jamie started writing for WhatCulture in 2013, and has contributed thousands of articles and YouTube videos since then. He cut his teeth penning published pieces for top UK and European wrestling read Fighting Spirit Magazine (FSM), and also has extensive experience working within the wrestling biz as a manager and commentator for promotions like ICW on WWE Network and WCPW/Defiant since 2010. Further, Jamie also hosted the old Ministry Of Slam podcast, and has interviewed everyone from Steve Austin and Shawn Michaels to Bret Hart and Trish Stratus.
