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A World Championship victory at Wrestlemania, the Grandest Stage of Them All, is every aspiring WWE superstar's dream. A Royal Rumble victory, being the road to main event WrestleMania, is the most electrifying moment in a Superstar's career.
Overcoming 30 men in a Royal Rumble match to remain the sole survivor in the ring can turn any superstar's career upside down. What adds to the icing on the cake is the potential for a glorious win at Wrestlemania, which they've qualified for by winning the Royal Rumble.
We take a look at some of the greatest moments in WrestleMania for Royal Rumble winners.
#5 Stone Cold Steve Austin vs. Shawn Michaels at WrestleMania 14
Two of the most iconic wrestlers were going to collide on the Grandest Stage of Them All. Stone cold, who had been the winner of the Royal Rumble received a title shot against Mr. WrestleMania, Shawn Michaels, with Mike Tyson as the special enforcer.
Triple H and Chyna largely played a role in distracting Steve Austin in the initial moments of the match, however, were banned from ringside by the referee. Shawn Michaels started picking up some momentum briefly, however, Austin came back with a little fight when Michaels took time to offend the audience.
Austin's left knee had been brutally injured, and it was thrown into the ring post. When Austin tried to recover outside the ring, he was met with a baseball slide launching him over the announce table. Soon after that, Austin suffered a figure-four leglock.
After this, Austin tried to reverse a standing sleeper hold by throwing Michaels into the turnbuckle and into the referee, knocking him unconscious. With both men down, Shawn Michaels was the one who recovered first and landed a high-elbow drop before taunting for his finisher.
When Austin stood up, he ducked the Superkick from Michaels, attempting a Stunner only to be bounced off by the ropes and being caught again with a Sweet-Chin Music.
However, this time he caught his leg, turned it around into a Stunner. With the referee down, Mike Tyson climbed to the ring to make a fast count to crown the new WWE Champion.
4. The Undertaker vs Batista for the World Heavyweight Championship
at WrestleMania 23
The Phenom, The Undertaker and the Animal, Batista were up against each other at Wrestlemania with the World Heavyweight Championship on the line. Going into the match, Undertaker was 14-0 at WrestleMania.
The match started with both of them countering each other and performing their vital moves. Undertaker was able to perform Last Ride and chokeslam on Batista. However, he was only able to get a near fall for both moves.
Batista had equally dominated the match by putting Undertaker through the announce table with a running power slam. Back in the ring, Batista was also able to execute a Spine Buster followed by a Batista Bomb for a near-fall.
Undertaker finally was able to perform a Tombstone Piledriver to claim the World Heavyweight Championship for the first time in his career. The win also increased Undertaker's streak from 14-0 to 15-0. This was not the end of it, as Batista and Undertaker had one of the best rivalries.
3. Brock Lesnar vs Kurt Angle for the WWE Championship
at WrestleMania 19
Brock Lesnar won the Royal Rumble match in 2003 by eliminating the Undertaker. Brock Lesnar faced Kurt Angle in WrestleMania 19 in one of the most intense and the closest rivalries at that time.
While Brock Lesnar had picked up the early momentum, Kurt Angle fired back with two German suplexes, including one on the turnbuckle. A Belly to Belly suplex along with knee attacks to Lesnar's back had briefly shifted the momentum in Angle's favor.
Soon after, Lesnar hit two consecutive suplexes on Angle, only for the third one to be turned by Angle for a series of four German Suplexes. Angle's attempted Angle Slam saw Lesnar countering it by having Angle on his shoulders.
However, Angle had again countered that by giving the ankle lock. Lesnar was barely able to escape.
After a destructive German suplex from Angle, Angle finally struck Lesnar with the Angle Slam for a two count. After attempting a roll-up pin, Lesnar hit Angle with an F5 for a two count.
Angle yet again caught Lesnar in the Ankle Lock and made it more lethal this time by having it scissored. Lesnar dragged himself into the rope in order to stay alive.
Another shot at an Angle Slam saw Lesnar counter into an F5. He then went to the top turnbuckle to do a jaw-dropping high-flying maneuver. However, he botched it.
Lesnar's Shooting Star Press saw him going down with Kurt Angle trying to secure a pin, but it only went for a two count.
Another F5 by Brock Lesnar settled it effectively for him, thus giving him a hard-fought win and the WWE Championship.
2. Chris Benoit vs Triple H vs Shawn Michaels for the World Heavyweight Championship, at WrestleMania 20
The last match of WrestleMania 20 was a triple threat match between the champion Triple H and the challengers Chris Benoit and Shawn Michaels. The match initiated with two challengers going against each other before Triple H intervened when all three superstars attempted to hit their finishers.
Chris Benoit soon gained control of the match by catching Shawn Michaels in the Crippler Cross-Face. Michaels had barely hung on to it until Triple H broke the move by attacking both of them.
Triple H and Shawn Michaels both teamed up to put Benoit through the announce table. The two continued to wrestle thereafter until Triple H executed a Pedigree on Shawn Michaels, but Benoit recovered enough to break the pinfall.
Michaels tried to execute the Sweet Chin Music on Benoit but he countered the move by throwing him out of the ring. As this occurred, Triple H tried to put the final nail in the coffin by performing the Pedigree on Benoit, however, he tackled it and turned it into a Crippler Cross-Face. Triple H submitted to the move, making it the first time that a WrestleMania event ended in submission.
1. Kurt Angle vs Randy Orton vs Rey Mysterio for the World Heavyweight Championship, at WrestleMania 22
Kurt Angle had won the World Heavyweight Championship in a Battle Royal on Smackdown. From there on, he was nicknamed as "The Wrestling Machine" as he was in the best shape of his career.
At No Way Out 2006, Kurt Angle defended his title successfully against the Undertaker. In the same event, Randy Orton also defeated the Royal Rumble winner Rey Mysterio, thereby earning a Championship opportunity to make it a triple-threat encounter at WrestleMania.
The much-anticipated match began with Orton attacking Angle with the World Heavyweight Championship belt even before the bell rang. Kurt Angle performed a double German suplex on Mysterio and Orton with Mysterio being taken out . For a while, Orton and Angle fought each other.
With Mysterio back in the fray, he took out Orton with a top turnbuckle Hurricanrana. Rey Mysterio had Kurt Angle in position for the 619, however, Angle caught his leg and scissored into an Ankle Lock. Mysterio had been tapping out to it, but Orton had the referee distracted.
Kurt Angle sent Mysterio out of the ring with an Angle Slam, and this time it was Orton who had become the victim of an Ankle Lock. Mysterio broke the move with a leg drop by bouncing off the top rope.
Angle attempted an Angle Slam on Orton, but, Orton countered it to put down Angle into an RKO for a near fall.
After Randy Orton performed a Gut-Wrench Neck-Breaker on Rey Mysterio, Angle executed the Angle Slam on Orton. Kurt Angle had also Mysterio in sight for the Angle Slam, but Mysterio escaped it successfully to send him outside the ring and sent Orton hanging on the middle rope for the 619.
Rey Mysterio, after a 619 ,hit a West Coast Pop to cover Orton and win the World Heavyweight Championship.
In my opinion, Rey Mysterio's Royal Rumble and the championship win at WrestleMania were the greatest wins pulled off by an underdog superstar.
