Throughout its illustrious 27 years, the WWE Royal Rumble has become one of the most highly anticipated events of the year and has provided fans with plenty of memories to last a lifetime.
Since its inception in 1988, the Royal Rumble Match has been one of the greatest and most interesting concepts in WWE history and has been full of surprises, twists and turns.
With the WWE set to present its 28th annual Royal Rumble event live from the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia on Jan. 25, it's time to look back at the best moments from each past event in chronological order.
1988-Duggan Stands Tall and a Concept is Born:
The first-ever Rumble Match may not have been a star-studded event and as spectacular as it came to be, but the WWE knew it was onto something when the crowd started to really get into it, especially when the 10-second countdown clock appeared to bring out the next Superstar. "Hacksaw" Jim Duggan last eliminated One Man Gang in what was a 20-man match in the middle of the card, and a classic concept was born.
1989-Demolition Dukes it Out:
The tag team of Ax and Smash known as Demolition took the every-man-for-himself concept to a new level when they drew the dreaded No.s 1 and 2 in the 1989 Rumble Match. Rather than sit around and wait for No. 3, the fan-favorite tag team decided to battle it out head-to-head in one of the only times they've ever come to blows in the ring.
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1990-Ted Dibiase is Money: After buying the No. 30 entrance into the 1989 Rumble, Dibiase was taught a cruel lesson in karma, coming out No. 1 in 1990. "The Million Dollar Man" didn't fair terribly, setting what at the time was a longevity record of 44:47 before The Ultimate Warrior made him the 18th man tossed out in the match.
1991-Hogan Repeats: After Iraqi sympathizer Sgt. Slaughter defeated The Ultimate Warrior for the WWE Championship earlier in the night; the WWE Universe needed a big win. Hulk Hogan gave them that victory by notching a triumph in the Royal Rumble Match, becoming the first man to win two straight Rumbles and two Rumbles in general.
1992-To Be The Man...: One of the greatest nights in Ric Flair's career happened at the 1992 Royal Rumble. Flair drew No. 3 in the bout and put on a classic showing, setting a record by lasting over an hour and winning the vacant WWE Championship in an epic performance made even better by Bobby "The Brain" Heenan on commentary. It was the first time the Rumble was for a prize.
1993-Backlund Makes History: The 1993 Royal Rumble Match wasn't the greatest 30-man battle of all-time, but it did feature a great performance from Bob Backlund. Backlund set a longevity record that lasted until 2003 by staying in the match for over an hour. Backlund, the No. 2 entrant, was tossed by eventual winner Yokozuna with only three men left in the bout.
1994-A Brother's Betrayal: The WWE started friction between the Hart brothers at the 1993 Survivor Series and it was ratcheted up at the 1994 Royal Rumble. Facing The Quebecers for the WWE Tag Team Championships, Owen Hart got angry at his brother for not tagging him in after the loss and kicked his leg, sparking a rivalry that would last for years and lead to the best opening match in history at WrestleMania X.
1995-Shawn Michaels is No. 1: "The Heartbreak Kid" Shawn Michaels became the first man to ever enter as the No. 1 entrant and be the last man standing. While the Rumble Match was very short due to time constraints causing there to be one-minute intervals, it was still an impressive feat that had never been done.
1996-HBK Repeats: Michaels became the first man to repeat as a Rumble winner since Hogan (1990-91) and this time it was much easier. After entering at No.1 in 1995, Michaels was the No. 18 entrant in '96 and eliminated Diesel last to win his second straight bout.
1997-A 'Stone Cold' Stunner: It was shocking at the '97 event when "Stone Cold" Steve Austin won the Rumble Match from the No. 5. Austin was thrown out by Bret Hart, but he snuck back in the ring to throw out the "Hitman" and win his first of three Rumbles.
1998-The Three Faces of Foley: Mick Foley became the first person to ever enter the Rumble Match three different times as he appeared as Cactus Jack (No. 1), Mankind (16) and Dude Love (28). Unfortunately for Foley, he is also the first person to lose the same Rumble Match three times.
1999-'I Quit, I Quit, I Quit': The Rock and Mankind had an unforgettable rivalry at the height of the Attitude era and one of their most barbaric and insane bouts was an "I Quit" Match at the '99 Rumble. The Rock ended up defeating Foley to retain the WWE Championship after a replay of Foley's interview on Heat where he said, "I quit" three times blared over the arena.
2000-If Ya Smell: "The Rock" finally notched his first Rumble Match victory in 2000 and thwarted off threats that he pointed out in an earlier interview such as Headbanger Mosh and Crash Holly. The Rock then last eliminated The Big Show to win his only Rumble Match.
Honorable Mention: Dance-off with Too Cool, Kaientai's constant interference.
2001-Hellfire and Brimstone: Kane threw out what at the time was a record 11 Superstars at the 2001 Royal Rumble to set a record that lasted until last year when Roman Reigns tossed 12.
Honorable Mention: The Hardcore Rumble, Drew Carey Enters The Frey
2002-A 'Perfect' Return: WWE Superstar Mr. Perfect returned to the WWE in 2002 and entered the Royal Rumble Match for the first time since 1993 at No. 25 in the 2002 event and lasted into the Final Four before being eliminated by eventual winner Triple H.
Honorable Mention: Maven eliminates The Undertaker
2003-Angle and Benoit Steal The Show: The only thing that could nearly top the Royal Rumble Match itself was a classic bout between Kurt Angle and Chris Benoit for the WWE Championship. The two stole the show at the '03 Rumble and in the end, Angle stood tall while the crowd gave Benoit a standing ovation for his effort.
Honorable Mention: Chris Jericho decimates Shawn Michaels in the Rumble Match.
2004-Benoit Goes The Distance: Chris Benoit became the second man in Rumble history come in at No. 1 and win the whole thing, and he did it in more impressive fashion by lasting over an hour en route to victory. "The Rabid Wolverine" last eliminated Big Show in one of the best Rumble matches of all-time.
Honorable Mentions: Undertaker's gong goes off, Lesnar attacks Goldberg.
2005-A Botched Finish: Batista was the planned winner of the 2005 Rumble Match, but things didn't quite go as expected when he and John Cena spilled over the top rope and crashed on the floor. Vince McMahon then had to come out and after his classic McMahon swagger, he bumped his leg coming into the ring and legitimately hurt himself while ordering the match to restart.
2006-The Ultimate Underdog: While the WWE's storylines around Eddie Guerrero were in bad taste following his death, Rey Mysterio's Rumble Match win was a great story in 2006. Mysterio entered at No. 2 and set a record by lasting 62:12 and becoming the shortest man to win the Rumble Match.
2007-Two Legends Steal The Show: The '07 Rumble Match boiled down to The Undertaker and Shawn Michaels and the two legends put on a classic as the final two combatants. Too often, the Rumble concludes quickly, but Michaels and 'Taker told a great story as the final two with the Deadman getting the win and becoming the first man to do so from No. 30.
2008-Cena Surprise: The WWE shocked the world in a Digital Age where it's rare for things to not get spoiled. For all anyone knew, John Cena was still recovering from surgery in Jan. 2008. When the countdown clock hit zero and No. 30 was set to come out, the WWE Universe was shocked to see the "Cenation" leader. Cena went on to win the 30-man match and become the second guy to do so from No. 30.
2009-A Hardy Heel Turn: Matt Hardy surprised the WWE Universe in '09 when he turned on his brother Jeff Hardy, hitting him with a Steel Chair during his WWE Championship match with Edge and costing him the title.
2010-A Rated 'R' Shocker: Edge was on the shelf for six months leading up to the 2010 Royal Rumble Match, but he made a shocking return as the No. 29 entrant and was the last man standing when the smoke cleared.
2011-Big Daddy Cool Returns: Kevin Nash made a surprise return as the 32nd entrant in the first and only 40-man Rumble Match in '11. Nash reprised his Diesel role and lasted nearly three minutes before being tossed by Wade Barrett.
2012-Ziggler Gets a Chance to Shine: At the 2012 edition of the event, Dolph Ziggler and CM Punk clashed in what was an over-booked but solid match for the WWE Championship. In the end, the "Best in the World" stood tall.
2013-Finally, The Rock Has Come Back To The Royal Rumble: Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson made his long awaited return to the Royal Rumble in 2013 and took on CM Punk for the WWE Championship. Punk's record 434-day reign atop the WWE came to an end as The Rock once again became the "People's Champion."
2014-Last Stand For CM Punk: While the world didn't realize it at the time, CM Punk's final match in the squared circle was at last year's Rumble event. Punk put on a memorable performance, coming in as the No. 1 entrant and lasting 49:12 as a member of the Final Four before Kane came back in and illegally eliminated him. Punk then quit the WWE the following day.
The Royal Rumble has provided many memories over the years and there is certain to be more of them come Jan. 25 at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia.
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