Ranking Every WWE Title Match At Royal Rumbles Worst To Best
15. Royal Rumble 1998 - Shawn Michaels Vs. The Undertaker
They had better matches before and they certainly had better matches after, but Shawn Michaels vs. The Undertaker at the '98 Rumble was a great casket bout that's sadly largely remembered for Michaels sustaining the back injury which would take four years of his career.
What was great to see here, was 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, there was the Phenom taking 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 victory, Kane would screw him over and throw him into the casket - allowing Michaels to slam the lid shut and retain his title.
While Shawn would just about manage to make it to WrestleMania XIV to drop the WWE Title to 'Stone Cold' Steve Austin, it would be more than four years until the Heartbreak Kid's next match. Said match would be an Unsanctioned offering 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 first ever Elimination Chamber to become the World Heavyweight Champion.