WWE Royal Rumble: 10 Best Performances By Losing Superstars
4. Diesel - 1994
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p4aq4n1BACY Before Big Daddy Cool would move on to WCW, becoming one of the founding members and cornerstones of the NWO, Diesel was one of the WWEs dominant forces in the early 90s, starting his stint in the company as a bodyguard to Shawn Michaels. Before he would rise to Intercontinental, Tag Team, and WWE Title glory, Diesel needed a conduit in order to make an impact. That opportunity arose when the Royal Rumble rolled into Providence, Rhode Island on January 22, 1994. In what would end up being one of the most controversial Rumbles in history, Diesel found a way to shine early. Taking to ring full of superstars at number seven, Big Daddy Cool wasted no time in clearing the ring for himself, throwing out Bart Gunn, Scott Steiner, Owen Hart, and Kwang in quick succession. With the ring empty, and Nash playing the part of a heel, he began to yuck it up, pandering to the crowd as he awaited each new entrant. The efforts of his would be opponents proved futile from the outset, as each man who tried to take him on one-on-one failed spectacularly. First was Bob Backlund at number eight, the previous years iron-man and the record holder at the time for longest Rumble performance. This proved irrelevant to Diesel, as he sent Backlund flying after only forty-one seconds. Billy Gunn had it even worse at number nine, being dispatched after a paltry fourteen seconds. Virgil took to the ring as Kamalas replacement at number ten, and while he did have the size to match up to Diesel, Nash made sure he met the same fate as his other challengers, tossing him out of the match after thirty-two seconds of ring time. It was clearly going to take a monstrous effort to curb Diesels momentum, and the WWE fans got their wish at number eleven, as Macho Man Randy Savage tore a warpath towards the ring. Although Savage would meet a quick end in the match thanks to Crush, he held Diesel at bay until the ring could start to fill up with larger opponents, neutralizing the advantage that Big Daddy Cool had utilized to begin the match. Diesel would find a way to contend in the match for another twelve minutes, outlasting several attempts to eliminate him. Diesel was finally removed once Shawn Michaels entered the match and began to direct the other competitors. Even with HBKs cunning, it still took Michaels, Bob Holly, and three of the WWEs largest competitors (Mabel, Bam Bam Bigelow, and Crush) to finally thwart Diesels efforts. Although hardly an auspicious to his WrestleMania hopes, Big Daddy Cool had proven his dominance in the ring, earning a standing ovation from the Providence crowd. That night, Diesel put the wrestling world on notice that he would find a way to impact the business future.