20 Awesome WWE Royal Rumble Moments
2. Ric Flair Wins Gold (1992)
Arguably, the biggest, most important Royal Rumble
ever took place in 1992, when the vacant WWF Championship was up for grabs. The
‘92 Rumble marked an important transition for the annual match: winners of
previous incarnations didn’t really get a tangible prize (other than the
“winner’s purse”), but future Rumbles would reward winners with title shots at
WrestleMania.
The story of the ’92 Rumble is well-known: Hogan and Undertaker traded the world title under controversial circumstances, leaving it vacant for the winner of the Rumble match. The “real world champion” Ric Flair had arrived in WWF, looking to claim the federation’s world championship. What ensued was one of the most memorable Royal Rumble runs you will ever witness.
Flair entered at #3 – much to Flair advisor and commentator Bobby Heenan’s dismay – and managed to stay in the match despite being targeted by nearly every entrant. His confrontation with new Intercontinental Champion “Rowdy” Roddy Piper was one of the biggest highlights, as Nature Boy was spent and Piper laid waste to him. The banter between Heenan and Gorilla Monsoon was epic, with Gorilla needling the Brain at every turn and Bobby appropriately freaking out and practically bargaining with God to let Flair win (It’s a far, far cry from the mess we get from the announcers today.)
At the end, it was Hulk Hogan, Sid Justice and Flair. While Hogan was tied up with Flair, Sid snuck up and eliminated him. Hulk grabbed Justice’s arm and tried to pull him out (what a sport!), so Flair tossed Sid to win the title. It was a truly epic match and all-around one of the best Royal Rumble moments fans will ever witness.