WWE Royal Rumble Winner’s Circle: Shawn Michaels (1995, 1996)
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With the 2011 Royal Rumble approaching, we found it appropriate to pay homage to those who managed to go over in the 30 man over the top rope classic without their feet hitting the floor.
With WCW making headlines by signing Hulk Hogan, and on the verge of landing a Monday Night TV spot to go head to head with the WWF, it was up to Shawn Michaels and few others to carry the struggling brand through a mid-nineties slump.
As the poster boy of the lean years, Shawn Michaels was unfairly typecast as one of the smaller guys in pro wrestling despite possessing the total package when it came to all the critical elements of becoming a successful professional wrestler.
Michaels’ star was basically lit up by the Royal Rumble match, as he won the event in back to back years, becoming the first man to do so since the aforementioned Hulk Hogan. Michaels’ 1995 performance, at the Sun Dome in Tampa, Florida, saw him become the first wrestler to go coast to coast, winning the Royal Rumble at entry no. 1. As impressive of a feat that was, Michaels remained in the match for about 38 minutes, which isn’t even in the top ten in terms of longest time spent in the Royal Rumble.
Michaels’ Royal Rumble win in 1996 was taken a bit more seriously as he seemed to undergo a grooming process following his loss to Diesel at Wrestlemania XI in Hartford, Connecticut.
Now one of the top babyfaces in the company, Michaesls seemed primed to be the next WWF Champion. Fittingly enough, it was Diesel who Michaels eliminated, in Fresno, California at the 1996 Royal Rumble, to capture his second straight Royal Rumble win. As a babyface, Michaels had already improved his chances of winning a WWF Champion as none of the 11 Wrestlemanias had never seen a heel capture the WWF Championship to that point.
Michaels would return to California to go on to win his first WWF Championship in an Iron Man Match against Bret Hart at Wrestlemanai XII in Anaheim. The match, while very good in its own right, will always be remembered for Michaels’ post-match celebrations where he tried, unsuccessfully, to force himself to cry in his proudest moment. Perhaps Hallie Berry could have given him some pointers beforehand.
Michaels’ pair of Royal Rumble wins would be the impetus for a legendary career that many feel was better than that of Ric Flair’s. Michaels was recently named the #1 WWE Superstar of all time in a WWE DVD of the 50 Greatest Superstars. The feat would have been impressive had the DVD not have carried a petty agenda, thus being full of shit.
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Tags: Anaheim, Bret Hart, Connecticut, Diesel, Florida, Fresno, Hartford, Royal Rumble, Shawn Michaels, Tampa, Winners, WWE, WWF
