12 Best WWE Royal Rumble Performances Ever
6. Shawn Michaels (2010)
In terms of eliminations, time spent in the Royal Rumble and
position at the end of the match, Shawn Michaels wasn’t in the top tier for any
of those categories. However, he had storyline and drama in spades.
HBK had lost a classic WrestleMania 25 match to Undertaker and desperately wanted a rematch at WM 26. However Michaels was on Raw, and Taker was on SmackDown, so the only way to make that happen was for Shawn to win the Rumble, as the Deadman has just retained his title earlier in the night.
Entering at #18, Michaels rapidly eliminated five men, then turned on Triple H to superkick him out of the match. From there, it turned into a game of HBK trying to desperately hang on, teasing eliminations and staying alive. But his luck would run out, as Batista finally tossed Michaels, sending Shawn into histrionics. (Don’t worry, he’d get his rematch, but it would come with consequences.)
As far as Rumbles go, the 2010 edition is one of the best ever, and this mini-storyline within the match is one of the key reasons why. It was an incredible story and a tremendous performance by one of the best ever, and fans were right along for the ride.