Ranking Every WWE Title Match At Royal Rumble - From Worst To Best

16. Royal Rumble 1998 - Shawn Michaels Vs. The Undertaker

WWE Royal Rumble 1998 The Undertaker Shawn Michaels Chyna
WWE

They had better matches before, and they certainly had better matches after, but the Undertaker vs. Shawn Michaels at the 1998 Rumble was a great casket bout that's sadly largely remembered for Michaels sustaining the back injury that would take four years of his career.

Here, it was great to see the undersized heel Michaels getting the better of the Deadman for large parts of the bout. 'Taker took it to the WWF Champion early on, but Shawn was able to get the upper hand after throwing some powder into his opponent's eyes.

From there, there were steel chair shots, the Phenom took a piledriver on the ring steps, and there was plenty of legal interference from Triple H and Chyna. Once Undertaker finally did get back in control and looked like he might seal the victory, Kane would screw him over and throw him into the casket - allowing Michaels to slam the lid shut and retain the WWF Title.

While Shawn would just about manage to make it to WrestleMania 15 to drop the WWF Championship to 'Stone Cold' Steve Austin, it would be more than four years until the Heartbreak Kid's next match. Of course, that match would be an unsanctioned one at SummerSlam 2002, where Michaels defeated his old buddy Triple H, and that would be followed in November '02 by the Showstopper shockingly winning the inaugural Elimination Chamber to become the World Heavyweight Champion.

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Once described as the Swiss Army Knife of WhatCulture, Andrew can usually be found writing, editing, or presenting on a wide range of topics. As a lifelong wrestling fan, horror obsessive, and comic book nerd, he's been covering those topics professionally as far back as 2010. In addition to his current WhatCulture role of Senior Content Producer and Presenter, Andrew previously spent nearly a decade as Online Editor and Lead Writer for the world's longest-running genre publication, Starburst Magazine, and his work has also been featured on BBC, TechRadar, Tom's Guide, WhatToWatch, Sportkskeeda, and various other outlets, in addition to being a Rotten Tomatoes-approved film critic. Between his main day job, his role as lead panel host of Wales Comic Con, and his gig as a pre-match host for Wrexham AFC games, Andrew has also carried out a hugely varied amount of interviews, from the likes of Robert Englund and Eli Roth to Kevin Smith and the Russo Brothers, to Kevin Conroy and Frank Miller, to Bret Hart and Sting, to Mickey Thomas, Joey Jones, Phil Parkinson, and Brian Flynn, to many, many more. Where his beloved Wrexham AFC is concerned, Andrew is a long-standing season ticket holder and an FSA Award-winner for his time co-hosting the Fearless in Devotion podcast.