Another Rumble match that existed purely for the advancement of an individual, this match was all about Shawn Michaels and nobody else. Michaels was the chosen next superstar, and as such the match was a vehicle to make him look as impressive as possible. The roster was incredibly thin at the time too, making for some interesting names making up the 30-man field. Remember the Squat Team? No, me neither. The two masked men entered at 15 and 16, lasted less than two minutes in total and were never seen again. The 1996 Royal Rumble also marked the first time that the 30-man version of the match didn't headline the event, which is understandable considering the field. An entirely forgettable affair, unless you are an obsessive fan of Barry Horowitz and Doug Gilbert.
Born in the middle of Wales in the middle of the 1980's, John can't quite remember when he started watching wrestling but he has a terrible feeling that Dino Bravo was involved. Now living in Prague, John spends most of his time trying to work out how Tomohiro Ishii still stands upright. His favourite wrestler of all time is Dean Malenko, but really it is Repo Man. He is the author of 'An Illustrated History of Slavic Misery', the best book about the Slavic people that you haven't yet read. You can get that and others from www.poshlostbooks.com.
