20 Greatest WWE Royal Rumble Undercard Matches
13. Bret Hart Vs. Razor Ramon (1993)
As the first pay-per-view to not feature an advertised main event featuring Hulk Hogan, Randy Savage, or The Ultimate Warrior, WWE showed tremendous faith in largely untested World Champion Bret 'Hitman' Hart and relative newcomer Razor Ramon following their respective strong showings at November's Survivor Series.
That faith was rewarded by the two with a captivating clash that proved Razor was even more valuable in-ring than his cartoon 'Scarface' knock-off had promised, and highlighted how invaluable Bret was becoming to an organisation struggling to find identity in post-Hulkamania 1993.
Hart started the match attempting to take out Ramon's leg and reduce 'The Bad Guy's noticeable height advantage, but Razor took over with an extended assault on 'The Hitman's back with a view of polishing him off with his Razor's Edge finisher.
After smashing him against the ringpost, Ramon dug in with signature spots such as his abdominal stretch and fallaway slam as commentator Gorilla Monsoon echoed his unending respect for the fortitude of the fighting Champion.
Regaining momentum late in the match, Bret was still unable to score a fall on Razor, but eventually tied up the exhausted Cuban with the Sharpshooter to survive his toughest defence to date, and legitimise both individuals as key figures in the company's future.