10. Kane Eliminates A Record 11 Superstars In One Royal Rumble Match
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QRrS7SyKd2E The Big Red Monster/Machine has had a stellar career, particularly when you consider that he has had but a few brief runs in the main-event throughout his 20 year tenure as a WWE Superstar. Most of Kane's run in WWE has been spent in the upper mid-card, where he has thrived despite terrible pre-Kane gimmicks (fake Diesel and Isaac Yankem, DDS, the evil dentist) and a slew of creative blunders (too many to list). Through it all, he has managed to hold 18 different championships - including the World Title twice - and headline WrestleMania on a few occasions. Yet, his most significant claim to fame might very well be his exploits in the Royal Rumble match. January 21, 2001 was the date of the 14th annual Royal Rumble PPV. The Rumble match that evening promised to be one of the most dramatic in event history, with two men battling to become the undisputed top star in the WWE. The Rock and Steve Austin went in as the heavy favorites to dominate, one of them sure to emerge victorious. Kane entered at #6 and quietly began clearing the field. 53-minutes later, it had come down to Stone Cold, The Great One, and Kane. Surely, Kane would be the first victim of the three...until he wasn't. The Devil's Favorite Demon tossed out The Rock, setting a record that stands to this day for number of stars eliminated by one wrestler in a single Rumble match. In total, Kane eliminated 11 other men Raven, Al Snow, Perry Saturn, Steve Blackmon, Grandmaster Sexay, Honky Tonk Man, Tazz, Albert (Tensai), Crash Holly, Scotty 2 Hotty, and Rock. He could not outlast the Texas Rattlesnake, but when you poll a fan base as to the most significant Rumble contributor in history and just as many people answer "Kane" as "Steve Austin," then you discover that the Big Red Machine's impact on his record-setting night when combined with the other items on his impressive Rumble stat sheet left a lasting impression.
"The Doc" Chad Matthews has written wrestling columns for over a decade. A physician by trade, Matthews began writing about wrestling as a hobby, but it became a passion. After 30 years as a wrestling fan, "The Doc" gives an unmatched analytical perspective on pro wrestling in the modern era. He is a long-time columnist for Lordsofpain.net and hosts a weekly podcast on the LOP Radio Network called "The Doc Says." His first book - The WrestleMania Era: The Book of Sports Entertainment - ranks the Top 90 wrestlers from 1983 to present day, was originally published in December 2013, and is now in its third edition.
Matthews lives in North Carolina with his wife, two kids, and two dogs.