5 Best No. 18 Entries in the Royal Rumble

Entry 18 has a special connection to one superstar. That superstar is the Heartbreak Kid Shawn Michaels. Over the course of his career, Michaels has entered the Royal Rumble match 12 times. Over the course of the 12 Royal Rumbles, he has entered the Rumble at the 18th entry 3 times.

The second time Michaels came out at the 18th entry was in his second Royal Rumble victory in 1996. In the 1996 Royal Rumble match, Shawn Michaels came out at the number 18th entry and proceeded to eliminate 8 other participants on his way to his second Royal Rumble victory in a row.

However, the most impressive thing is that the three times HBK has come out at the 18th entry, he has never finished outside of the final four and has an average of 6 eliminations between all the three entries. The other two times that he came out as the 18th entrant, he was eliminated 27th both times.

Hulk Hogan also has a good record at coming out as the 18th entry, with the Hulkster coming out at 18 in the 1989 Royal Rumble. Hogan set a record at the Rumble for the most eliminations for at a single Rumble by eliminating a third of the competitors, a record that wouldn't be surpassed for another 12 years until it was passed by Kane in 2001.

You can see the other entries in this series below:

Part 1 is here; Part 6 is here; Part 11 is here; Part 16 is here

Part 2 is here; Part 7 is here; Part 12 is here; Part 17 is here

Part 3 is here; Part 8 is here; Part 13 is here

Part 4 is here; Part 9 is here; Part 14 is here

Part 5 is here; Part 10 is here; Part 15 is here

#5 Natalya (2018) - Eliminated 25th - 3 Eliminations

The 2018 Royal Rumble was a historic event, as it marked the first time that the WWE had a 30 woman Royal Rumble to coincide with their 30 man version of the Royal Rumble. While the men's version was not devoid of female wrestlers, Chyna entered the Royal Rumble twice, 'The Glamazon' Beth Phoenix entered the Royal Rumble once as did Kharma, better known as Awesome Kong in TNA.

However, Chyna, Beth, and Kharma were booked far stronger than their female counterparts of the time and were therefore granted the right to be in the ring with men. In the modern day WWE, female wrestlers like Becky, Charlotte, Sasha, and Natalya are seen as equals to their male counterparts.

Natalya entered the historic Royal Rumble as the 18th entry, making it all the way to the final 6 before being eliminated by Trish Stratus. Natalya was able to eliminate Nia Jax, Michelle McCool, and former ally Beth Phoenix during her 25 minute and 34 second run in the 2018 Royal Rumble.

#4 Hulk Hogan (1989) - Eliminated 21st - 10 Eliminations

The 1989 Royal Rumble marked the first Royal Rumble that former WWF Champion Hulk Hogan participated in. The Hulkster would come into the Royal Rumble at the 18th position, but would fail to win the event, and would be eliminated by Akeem and the Big Boss Man. Hogan came in and saved his Mega Powers tag team partner, Macho Man Randy Savage, but would later accidentally eliminate him, causing friction.

Hogan would set a record for eliminations in a Royal Rumble with 10, which would stand until it was equalled by Stone Cold in 1997, and only broken in the 2001 Royal Rumble when Kane would eliminate 11 participants. Hogan eliminated Mr. Perfect, Bushwhacker Butch, Koko B. Ware, Bushwhacker Luke, Arn Anderson, Tully Blanchard, The Warlord, Bad News Brown, Randy Savage, and the Big Boss Man.

His elimination of Randy Savage was one of the most memorable moments in Royal Rumble history as it would hint towards dissension between the two Mega Powers in Hogan and Savage.

#3 Shawn Michaels (2010) - Eliminated 27th - 6 Eliminations

Shawn Michaels in pain during the 2010 Royal Rumble

It is fitting that Michaels' last appearance in a Royal Rumble match, he would come out in the number 18 position. While the crowd was unaware that Michaels was participating in his last Royal Rumble, Michaels would later retire after that year's WrestleMania in a loss to The Undertaker in the famous Career vs Streak match.

In the 2010 Royal Rumble match, Michaels would come out and perform a streak of eliminations, Carlito, Cody Rhodes, Ted DiBiase, John Morrison, Drew McIntyre, and his former partner in D-X, Triple H. Michaels would make it all the way until the final 4 with John Cena, Batista and the eventual winner Edge.

Michaels would later be eliminated by Batista after a solid 25 minutes and 45 seconds in the Royal Rumble. Michaels, with 6, would have the most eliminations in the Royal Rumble, leaving his final Royal Rumble elimination tally on 40 for the duration of his career.

#2 Shawn Michaels (1994) - Eliminated 27th - 4 Eliminations

Shawn Michaels hit the ring in the 1994 Royal Rumble

It took 4 Royal Rumbles but in 1994 Shawn Michaels finally had a Rumble of substance. In his three previous Royal Rumble appearances, Michaels had eliminated only 2 other superstars and had lasted just over 30 minutes over the three Royal Rumbles, including the 1990 Royal Rumble cameo of just 12 seconds.

However, in the 1994 Royal Rumble, Shawn Michaels would come out as the 18th entry to the Royal Rumble and right into his former bodyguard, Diesel, whom he eliminated with the help of the other superstars in the ring. Michaels would also eliminate Mabel, Thurman Plugg and former Rockers tag team partner, Marty Jannetty.

Michaels would last just short of the 30-minute mark and be involved in the final three, with eventual winners Lex Luger and Bret Hart, the former of whom would eliminate Michaels from the Rumble.

#1 Shawn Michaels (1996) - Winner - 8 Eliminations

Naturally, the best entrant at number 18 would take the top spot on this list. The Heartbreak Kid, Shawn Michaels followed up his victory in the 1995 Royal Rumble from the number 1 spot to win the Royal Rumble back to back, the second time entering from the number 18 entry.

In the 1996 Royal Rumble, Michaels was on fire and managed to eliminate 8 superstars again on his way to victory, despite coming out later in the Rumble than his previous victory. Michaels would eliminate Jerry Lawler, former WWF Champion Yokozuna, the 1-2-3 Kid, Vader, Isaac Yankem DDS, The British Bulldog and finally, with a superkick, his own former bodyguard Diesel on his way to victory.

Michaels would be the second person to win back to back Royal Rumbles after Hulk Hogan achieved it in 1990 and 1991, and the feat has only been replicated one other time by Stone Cold Steve Austin who went back to back in 1997 and 1998. HBK is also one of 7 superstars to have won the Royal Rumble on more than one occasion.