4 WWE Superstars who went all the way in the Royal Rumble match

The first of the big four pay-per-views is a fortnight away, as the 2018 Royal Rumble is set to take place on January 28, 2018 in Philadelphia. The thirty-first Royal Rumble is shaping up nicely and the expectations for a great event are increasing with the amount of talent that the WWE has at its disposal.

The Royal Rumble match is a very interesting and one-of-a-kind Battle Royal match which is full of exciting spots, surprises and unpredictable incidents. While it might seem like the odds are never in a wrestler’s favour if he ends up starting the match, out of the 30 Rumbles till date, we have had 4 wrestler who defied the odds to go on to win the Rumble match.

Let’s revisit those moments and look at the 4 superstars who went all the way in the Royal Rumble match.

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#4 Shawn Michaels - Royal Rumble 1995

Michaels won the Royal Rumble in 1995

‘The Heartbreak Kid’ Shawn Michaels won the first of his two consecutive Rumble wins by becoming the first person to win it as the #1 entrant. With a match-high 8 eliminations, he last eliminated fellow wrestler The British Bulldog, who happened to be the #2 entrant in the match.

This match is also notably famous for the spot which saw Michaels dangling from the top rope on one foot, after The British Bulldog seemingly eliminated HBK to end the match.

However, Michaels would go on to lose his Championship match against Diesel at WrestleMania

While we have come to know of hour-long entertaining Rumble matches, this was way shorter as Michaels’ stay in the match lasted just 38 minutes and 41 seconds, due to a 1-minute interval instead of the traditional 90 seconds.

#3 Vince McMahon - Royal Rumble 1999

McMahon winning the Rumble was not well received by the fans

The WWE Chairman lasting for nearly an hour, amidst 29 other superstars, in a Royal Rumble match and actually winning it? Surely he had No Chance in Hell.

Turns out he did. In what is arguably one of the most underwhelming Rumble wins of all time, McMahon lasted 56 minutes and 38 seconds of the match by not really being in it. Being drawn #2, McMahon was quick to flee the ring through the bottom rope after taking a few punches from Stone Cold Steve Austin. He would later join the commentary team during the match, still not eliminated, as the match went on. Stone Cold would later bring McMahon back in the ring after being the only two superstars to stay alive in the match, and only a distraction from then WWF Champion The Rock led to Austin’s elimination, thus making McMahon a Royal Rumble winner.

McMahon would relinquish his title opportunity the following night on Raw, the only time a Royal Rumble winner did so.

#2 Chris Benoit - Royal Rumble 2004

WWE might not want to remember this Rumble

WWE wouldn’t like to talk about this because of the controversies that surround Benoit’s death, but this was one of the best Royal Rumble matches and one of the best individual performances in its history.

Chris Benoit lasted the length (1 hour, 1 minute and 30 seconds) as he last eliminated Big Show to win a WrestleMania main event opportunity. Utilizing the loophole in the championship opportunity rule, the SmackDown superstar traded brands, and switched to Raw to challenge for the World Heavyweight Championship. He successfully won the championship when he made Triple H tap out to the Crippler Crossface.

In one of the most heartwarming pay-per-view ending moments, Eddie Guerrero, who had earlier successfully defended his WWE Championship against current Raw GM Kurt Angle, came to the ring and the pair embraced as the confetti dropped.

#1 Rey Mysterio - Royal Rumble 2006

Mysterio won the Royal Rumble match despite being the #2 entrant

The Rumble match wasn’t the main event, which itself raised enough eyebrows as it was surprising for a pay-per-view to do so, considering that it is named after the match. But it was still historic as Rey Mysterio broke the record for the longest time spent in a Rumble (1 hour, 2 minutes and 12 seconds), when he became only the second wrestler to win as the #2 entrant. His six eliminations included Randy Orton, Triple H and former tag-team partner Rob Van Dam among others.

After being provoked for weeks by Orton, Mysterio defended his world title shot at No Way Out, and lost. However, then SmackDown GM Theodore Long re-added Mysterio to the WrestleMania title match and made it a Triple Threat Match between Mysterio, Orton and then-champion Kurt Angle.

Mysterio would then go on to win his first World Heavyweight Championship by pinning Orton at WrestleMania 22.