Ranking EVERY WWE Royal Rumble Pay-Per-View From Worst To Best
23. 1996
The Good: Shawn Michaels put in a fabulous shift in the Royal Rumble match en route to his second successive victory. As did Vader - 'The Mastodon' had one of his few only good nights as a battle royal debutant. Jake Roberts' enormous nostalgia pop betrayed his capabilities, but did much to enhance his star aura beyond the 'returning legend' tag.
The Bad: Ahmed Johnson and Jeff Jarrett were having a dangerously entertaining brawl before a guitar shot cut the match unnecessarily short. WWE's depth issues were as prevalent here as they were the year prior - though the Rumble lasted longer, there were still plenty of oddity entries, and the undercard left a lot to be desired.
The Ugly: The Undertaker and Bret Hart had an inexcusably lousy main event, wrestling as if they were protesting the even lousier finish. A Diesel run-in after nearly 30 minutes cheaply brought things to a halt before Undertaker could pin 'The Hitman' after a tombstone. With the exception of 'Big Daddy Cool's middle finger gesture, this was the absolute sh*ts.