The History Of WWE's New Generation Era In 10 Matches

As 1994 dawned, McMahon was still interested in going with Lex Luger as his champion for WrestleMania X. Things changed at the end of the 30-man Rumble match, when it became abundantly clear to everybody that the core fanbase yearned for Bret Hart to be in the title hot seat instead.

The two biggest babyfaces in the bout, Hart and Luger eliminated one another at the same time. As referees raised each man's hand in turn, the crowd cheered for both, but the noise was much louder for the Hitman. Watching on from his commentary position, McMahon must have known then that Bret was the best choice.

That would come to pass at WrestleMania. In the main event, Hart vanquished Yokozuna to leave as WWF Heavyweight Champion. Earlier, Yoko had beaten Luger by disqualification, earning the right to go on to face Bret.

Looking back to the Royal Rumble, it's obvious that the wheels started to come off the Lex Express when the live audience cheered more enthusiastically for the Canadian than they did for any 'American Hero'.