John Cena's return and Ric Flair's title win included in part two...
Wednesday 25 January 2017 15:55, UK
Shawn Michaels winning from the No 1 spot makes the cut in part two of our top WWE Royal Rumble moments - but what else does?
Read below to find out ahead of this Sunday's Royal Rumble, which you can watch live on Sky Sports Box Office or follow with our rolling blog on skysports.com and the Sky Sports app.
Part one of our Rumble memories included Kane eliminating 11 men in 2001 and Vince McMahon's win in 1999 - check the article out in full here.
Michaels triumphs from No 1 (1995)
The Heartbreak Kid became the first man to win the Rumble from the opening position during a stellar display in Tampa in 1995. Michaels - who also won the 1996 Rumble - lasted 38 minutes and 41 seconds, eliminating eight Superstars along the way, including Butch and Luke of the Bushwhackers, Aldo Montoya, and, thanks to help from Crush, Lex Luger.
Credit, too, must go to The British Bulldog, Davey Boy Smith, who having entered at No 2 joined Michaels in the final two. Smith thought he had won when he threw the Showstopper over the ropes but with only one of his feet hitting the floor, Michaels survived, jumped Smith from behind and eliminated him - before celebrating in the ring with Pamela Anderson!
Austin steals a win (1997)
Stone Cold Steve Austin impressed at the Alamodome - the venue for this year's Rumble - in 1997, recording 10 eliminations, the third-highest of all time behind Roman Reigns (12) and Kane (11). Yet, his win was controversial, with the legend sneaking back in the ring after being removed by Bret Hart.
Officials had not seen Austin's elimination as they were too busy separating a brawl between Terry Funk and Mankind, so The Texas Rattlesnake slithered back into the match and downed Vader and The Undertaker while Bret dealt with Diesel. Hart celebrated, thinking he had won, only for Austin to strike and claim the first of his three Rumble wins, having also prevailed in 1998 and 2001.
Maven eliminates The Undertaker (2002)
In one of the most shocking eliminations in Rumble history, Maven, the winner of the inaugural season of WWE Tough Enough, drop-kicked The Undertaker out of the ring from behind, pouncing after the Phenom had been ambushed by Matt and Jeff Hardy. Taker did not take things too well, attacking Maven with a chair and beating him around a concession stand!
Maven later went on to win the Hardcore Title - a belt he would hold three times - from The Undertaker on an episode of Raw, before losing it to Spike Dudley and winning it back from Christian at WrestleMania X8 in the spring. Maven left WWE in 2005 but has wrestled on the independent scene since, sometimes alongside current Smackdown Superstar Curt Hawkins.
Cena's stunning return (2008)
John Cena suffered a severe pectoral injury in late 2007, which forced him to relinquish the WWE Title after a reign of 380 days and undergo surgery. The Cenation Leader still seemed a long way off fitness by the time the 2008 Royal Rumble rolled around, so much so that he did not figure in many, if any, lists of potential surprise entrants for the 30-man melee.
Cena ignited the crowd in Madison Square Garden when he entered the Rumble at No 30, going on to avoid a Pedigree from Triple H and fling The Game over the top rope to secure his first victory in the match. The Massachusetts native also eliminated Chavo Guerrero, Carlito, and Mark Henry during his triumphant, and wholly unexpected, return.
Ric Flair wins the WWE Title (1992)
In a change from tradition, the WWE Title was up for grabs during the 1992 Rumble, with the belt rendered vacant following two controversial title switches between Hulk Hogan and The Undertaker at the Survivor Series and This Tuesday in Texas pay-per-views in late 1991. Flair would go on to scoop the championship, having only joined WWE the previous summer.
The Nature Boy entered at No 3 and made it to a star-studded final four, alongside Hogan, Randy Savage and Sid Justice aka Sycho Sid. Sid downed Hogan and Savage but Hogan then grabbed Sid's arm, allowing Flair to dump him out and secure victory after over an hour in the ring.
WWE Royal Rumble booking details
WWE Royal Rumble will be shown live on Sky Sports Box Office (channel 491) and Sky Sports HD Box Office (channel 492) from midnight Monday, January 30.
The pay-per-view will cost £19.95 for viewers in the United Kingdom and €24.95 for customers in the Republic of Ireland.
WWE Royal Rumble will repeated on Sky Sports Box Office (channel 491) BUT NOT Sky Sports HD Box Office (channel 492) between 10am on Monday, January 30 and 8pm on Thursday, February 2 - 8pm is the start of the final playout.
A live blog of WWE Royal Rumble will run on skysports.com and the Sky Sports app during the event, featuring text commentary, social media and short highlight clips.
You can order the show by visiting this link: https://my.sky.com/orderboxoffice/?DCMP=WWERoyalRumble
You can also book the event over the phone: UK viewers should call 03442 410 888, while customers in the Republic of Ireland should call 0818 220 225. (There may be an additional charge for telephone bookings).
You will also be able to order the show via your Sky remote nearer the event:
Sky+: Press the box office button on your remote, then click the sports tab followed by WWE Royal Rumble.
Sky Q: Press Home on your Sky Q remote, select TV guide, then Box Office and then WWE Royal Rumble. Enter your TV Pin if prompted. (Only bookings via Sky TV remote are recordable using Sky Plus).
Sky TV residential customers only. Commercial customers contact Sky for price and to order. Sky Box Office terms apply. Cable customers should contact their local cable operator.
