WWE: 7 Greatest Royal Rumble Matches of All-Time

1. 2001 - The Epic of the Attitude Era

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OA_y3o4oJnQ It's a very difficult thing to tell a story inside of a WWE ring without using a single word, a skill developed and honed by only the best wrestlers. To tell a concise story involving over thirty characters in the course of one hour, however, is almost inconceivable. Despite the challenge of telling an evolving story, something the Royal Rumble match strives towards every year, the Rumble far exceeded anything we have seen from it before or since in telling the great drama of the Attitude Era on one fateful night in New Orleans. Before the match was over, nearly every major player from the era would have a part in the match, and the ethos of each superstar would be validated through fury and perseverance. The Rumble would open with Jeff Hardy taking on Bull Buchanon of Right to Censor (a stable that may have been ironically before its time). Hardy would receive a helping hand at #3 when his brother took to the ring, and Team Extreme would quickly dispatch of both Buchanon and Farooq at #4, turning on each other in the interludes between new entrants in order to match skills as brothers, fighting so hard that they didn't even notice when Drew Carey made a surprise appearance, eliminating each other before any attention could be paid to the Whose Line megastar. Carey jovially paced the ring, waiting to see who his opponent would be at #6. And that's when the Hellfire and Brimstone ignited, and Kane entered the arena. As much as the 2001 Royal Rumble was the story of the Attitude Era, the centerpiece of this masterful epic was Kane, the tragically burned, unstoppable juggernaut. Having given Drew Carey the scare of his life, Kane would be faced with challenging Raven, Al Snow, Perry Saturn, Steve Blackman, and Grand Master Sexay in what quickly became a hardcore match. Snow smacked Kane upside the head with a bowling ball. Steve Blackman used his martial arts weaponry to sweep Kane's legs. Raven deposited the Big Red Machine face-first into a trash can. None of it matter. Kane got his hands on a trash can and dispatched each of them one by one. Kane stood alone in the ring for a brief moment before being interrupted by the Honky Tonk Man. Not one for music, Kane snatched away the former Intertcontinental Champion's guitar and busted it upside his head, disposing of him seconds later. There proved no rest for the weary, however, as The Rock would race to the ring at #13 to take his shot at the monster. The two battled back and forth, with the Rock taking a moment to eliminate the Good Father (another Right to Censor crony). The ring began to fill up yet again with superstars until #23, when the WWE Universe was shocked by the return of Big Show. Show came in like a house of fire, quickly tossing out K-Kwik (now known, believe it or not, as R-Truth) and Test. He seemed to be reenergized and ready to take on every superstar in the locker room, right up until the Rock unceremoniously eliminated Show for a second year in a row. Not to take this slight lying down, Big Show, dragged The Rock from the ring, planting him through the announcers' table. Meanwhile, things had turned South for Kane once again, as Bradshaw and Hardcore Holly began to direct traffic in the ring. It seemed like Kane would be demolished by the numbers game, but it was not to be. He was saved at the last second by his brother in destruction, The Undertaker, who took to the ring at #25. Together, the two men would toss out every combatant save The Rock, who was coincidentally spared from the onslaught in the ring by the brutal assault the Big Show had levied against him. The two men stood alone as poor Scotty 2 Hotty came out at #26. The Brothers of Destruction toyed with him for a few moments, finally tossing him over the top. As is often the case in the Rumble, it seemed like nothing could stop these men. The Universe held its breath to see if there was a hero who could lead them out of the darkness in the final act of this saga. #27 came up, and the glass shattered. Stone Cold began to cut a warpath to the ring, unfazed by his adversaries. Unfortunately for Austin, Triple H had taken offense to his interference in the earlier title match, and decided to split Austin open before he could even get to the ring, busting his forehead with several camera cases. In the ring, The Rock took advantage of this distraction to re-insert himself in the match, fighting on depleted reserves, still feeling the pain of Show's chokeslam. Nevertheless, he held his own against the Brothers of Destruction long enough for Stone Cold, Billy Gunn, Haku, and Rikishi to enter the match as its final participants. Austin unleashed his typical Rumble frenzy, taking out Billy Gunn and Haku. Rikishi exacted revenge on Undertaker for being chokeslammed off the previous month's Hell in the Cell, delivering a Super Kick that sent the Deadman reeling. The Rock took advantage of a miscue from the Samoan and deposited him on the outside. With Kane laid low on the outside (but still legal), Austin and The Rock locked eyes, reigniting the fiery rivalry we had seen so often in the previous four years. Kane eventually found a way to reassert himself, taking advantage of a tie-up to eliminate The Rock, giving him his record eleventh elimination of the evening, a mark that still stands. Kane looked to put the match home with a steel chair, the one sure way to slow the already bloodied Rattlesnake. Austin ducked the chair right before it hit home, responding with a Stone Cold Stunner, but Kane would not stay down. Realizing it would take a superhuman effort to down the Big Red Machine, Austin picked up the chair and smashed Kane with it in the head three times, only then succeeding at putting him on the ropes. Finally, Austin rammed home a clothesline that sent the Big Red Machine over the ropes, and the New Orleans crowd erupted. The epic of the Attitude Era had played out, and its most beloved champion stood tall, toasting a beer to revel in his feat.