Posted on 25 January 2012

Sportsvibe's Top 10 Royle Rumble Moments: 5-1

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This Sunday the road to Wrestlemania begins with one of the most iconic WWE PPV's The Royal Rumble, with this year being the 25th anniversary of the 30-man (sometimes 20 or 40-man) over the top battle royal.


Here at Sportsvibe.co.uk we have given a rundown of our top 10 moments from the Royal Rumbles 25 years and here are moments five to one.

For Royal Rumble moments 10-6 click here.

5. Kane eliminating eleven other wrestlers


Kane holds a number of Royal Rumble records including; making the most Royal Rumble appearances (15) and most appearances in the final six (6), but the most spectacular will have to be the Big Red Machine's dominance in the 2001 Rumble where he single handily eliminated eleven other participants.

Kane came into the match as the No. 6 entrant and ended up being the runner up of the match. Kane dominated early on, eliminating all of the entrants from No.7 to 12 including, Raven, Al Snow, Perry Saturn, Steve Blackman, Grand Master Sexy, and The Honkey Tonk Man.

The Monster then stared to brawl with The Rock before adding to his list by eliminating; Tazz, Albert, Crash Holly, Scotty 2 Hotty and The Rock.

Having lasted 53 minutes and 46 seconds Kane was eventually eliminated by the eventual winner Stone Cold Steve Austin.

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4. Rey Mysterio in it for the long haul

Although Shawn Michaels and Chris Benoit had both previously won the Royal Rumble from the No. 1 spot, their achievements were arguably bettered by Rey who entered the 2006 Rumble as the No. 2 participant.

Mysterio was a massive underdog as he had been a cruiserwight up until this point, and his victory was welcomed even more as he dedicated it to his close friend Eddie Guerrero, who had recently passed away.

Rey and No.1 entrant Triple H found themselves making it to the last four along with Rob Van Dam and Randy Orton. Conjuring up every last ounce of courage and strength he had, Mysterio eliminated all three men.

Not only did Ray win the Rumble, he also set the record for the longest time in the ring of any superstar ever, at 62 minutes and 12 seconds. He then went onto the WrestleMania 22 main event and won the World Heavyweight Championship.



2. Lex Luger and Bret Hart Draw

Bret Hart and Lex Luger were the two biggest names entering the 1994 Royal Rumble match and it seems as though chosing a winner to head to the main event of Wrestlemania was proving too tough for the boys up-stairs in the WWF at the time.

After entering the match at No.23 and 27 respectively, Luger and Hart were the final two men left standing. The pair brawled before Luger lifted Hart over his head in an attempt to drop Hart to the floor. The Hitman was able to counter and then both men ended going over the top rope together, with both Bret and Lex having their feet touch the floor at the very same time.

Referees and WWF executives got involved in the decision-making process, the crowd began to chant and cheer for who they believed won the match, some siding with Lex Luger, and others with Bret Hart. It was finally announced that they were co-winners, something that has not happened since.

That year it was Bret Hart who got the chance to wrestle for the world title at Wrestlemania and became champion defeating Yokozuna.



1. Only one foot hit the floor

The 1995 Royal Rumble produced the most memorable moments in wrestling history. Shawn Michaels drew the No.1 spot, whilst the No.2 entrant was the British Bulldog Davey Boy Smith, the odds stacked against either man winning the contest.

At the half-way point of the match The Heartbreak Kid and the British Bulldog were the only two left in the ring. More wrestlers came and went and we were left with the last two and unbelievably it was Michaels and Davey Boy.

Bulldog was in full control of the match and had Michaels where he wanted him against the ropes, Davey Boy ran at HBK, sending him over the top rope with a clothesline but unknowingly to the Bulldog, only one of Michaels' feet hit the floor.

Bulldog’s music played over the speakers in the arena, it was clear that Davey Boy was ready to celebrate his victory. Having climbed the second turnbuckle to celebrate with the fans, Michaels delivered a double-axe handle from behind, plummeting Bulldog over the ropes and to the floor. Shawn's hand was raised and he was the winner of the 1995 Royal Rumble match.

Michaels may not have won the world title at Wrestlemania that year but went on to win the Royal Rumble the year after and began to forge a Hall of Fame career over the next 15 years.

Meanwhile the British Bulldog didn't, and all because of one foot.



If there are any moments that you feel we should have included and if you wanted to give your top Royal Rumble moments let us know!

Follow me on Twitter @J_Modaberi

 


 
 

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