7 Things You Should Know About WWE Royal Rumble 1992

2. Ric Flair Stole The Show In His First Royal Rumble Match

There are a lot of people that have the opinion that Ric Flair is the greatest professional wrestler ever. In terms of longevity, nobody can touch him in terms of the number of shows he main evented over the last 40 years. He won more World Titles than anybody too. A lot of that history took place in the NWA, but it was still a big company that had big crowds. When he went to WWE in late 1991 it was a big deal. He was also still the NWA Champion, so it was no surprise that he went to this as a favorite. Then he entered at #3 and suddenly there was a lot of doubt that he was going to win. From the moment he got in there, he was a target. Heenan complained that everybody went after Flair while Monsoon kept on saying that people didn't like guy. Flair started in WWE as an arrogant heel that was a champ somewhere else, so it was easy to hate the character. He did everything he could to hang on. It seemed like every wrestler went after him at some point. That's what was so fun about it. He really was the centerpiece of the match. http://youtu.be/PXMgdbjvE1E The finish was well done. It's not like Flair was booked that strong. He only eliminated four guys while assisting with some others. It was not a case of the game physically dominating. He just found a way to outsmart everybody and avoid being eliminated. Every time it looked like he was going to go, he found a way to stay. He also did a fantastic job of selling too. When he tossed Sid out for that final elimination, he celebrated in a big way. It was a huge moment for him. He definitely earned that title win. In addition to winning the WWE Title, Flair set the record for longest time in a Rumble match at 59:26. It's 23 years later and it's still the best Rumble performance ever. Then there was the post match speech backstage. After Gene Okerlund randomly told somebody to put out a cigarette, Flair spoke while Mr. Perfect and Bobby Heenan were with him: "With a tear in my eye, this is the greatest moment of my life." It felt so right to see Flair as the WWE Champion. The 1992 Royal Rumble, more than any Rumble match, was the perfect showcase for one man's talents. Flair showed why he's one of the best ever.