WWE Royal Rumble 2015: Most Shocking Eliminations in Battle Royal History

The Royal Rumble match is one that, over the course of its near three-decade existence, has become not only a signature event on World Wrestling Entertainment's calendar but one of the most beloved gimmick matches the company produces.

Part of that has to do with the fact that it is a once-a-year affair, thus keeping it from becoming stale. Add to that the fact that the mystery surrounding the entrants and entry order compels audiences, and you have a solid explanation for the excitement that accompanies the bout.

Eliminations are another key element of the bout, as fans never know who is going to be sent packing. The suspense and drama that surrounds the potential ousting of a fan favorite or major star has helped fuel many a Rumble and is a trademark of the best bouts in event history.

The long and illustrious history of the bout is filled with some of the most shocking and stunning eliminations of all time, featuring the biggest stars the industry has produced.

As you gear up for the 2015 edition of the Royal Rumble, and what are sure to be some earth-shaking eliminations, relive the most staggering eliminations of all time.

10. The Ultimate Warrior (1988)

The Ultimate Warrior may not have had the momentum behind him in January 1988 that he would a year later, but it was still clear that Vince McMahon saw big money in the face-painted Superstar. He was wild, chaotic, frenetic and exciting. He had a great look, and the marketing and merchandising potential were high.

Kids loved him, and with the family-friendly atmosphere that sports-entertainment provided in the late 1980s, that was of the utmost importance.

That is why it was all the more shocking to see Warrior eliminated as quickly as he was in the inaugural Royal Rumble match.

Entering at No. 18 in a year in which only 20 men competed, he lasted under four minutes, recorded no eliminations and was unceremoniously dumped by One Man Gang and Dino Bravo, two men who would fall significantly lower than Warrior on the proverbial totem pole just a few months later.

While Hacksaw Duggan was an immensely popular Superstar, and a solid choice to win the first Rumble match, giving Warrior the win would have been a phenomenal way to initiate his push.

He also would have been a much more fitting winner, historically speaking, than Duggan, who spent his career in WWE's midcard.

9. The Rock (2001)

Heading into the 2001 Royal Rumble, there was absolutely one certainty: The Rock and Steve Austin would battle it out as the final two competitors, with Austin likely earning the WrestleMania X-Seven title shot by eliminating The Great One.

Of course, that interaction would lay the groundwork for a match between the two most popular stars of all time at the biggest event of the year.

Or so everyone thought.

Kane, in the middle of one of the finest performances of his storied career, tossed The Rock over the top rope and to the arena floor, much to the dismay and shock of the fans in New Orleans.

Outside of a brief interaction between the Attitude Era icons, the audience had been robbed of the war between Rock and Austin, all thanks to the Big Red Machine, who exceeded all expectations and lasted over one hour.

The small taste fans got of the battle between the popular competitors only intensified their desire to see them compete at WrestleMania.

They did, in one of the greatest main events in the history of that event.

8. Mr. Perfect (1993)

Credit: WWE.com

The 1993 Royal Rumble was a match extremely lacking in the star department. Sure, Ric Flair was entering for the second consecutive year, WWE had done a fine job of building Yokozuna into a legitimate unstoppable force, The Undertaker was always a favorite to win any match he competed in and "Macho Man" Randy Savage was a welcome addition to any contest.

But none of those Superstars arrived to the ARCO Arena in Sacramento, California, with the momentum or crowd support that Mr. Perfect did.

Competing in his first Rumble match in two years, the highly charismatic star received the biggest pop of the night upon his entrance into the bout and was one of the clear favorites to leave with his arm raised in victory.

Fans had dreams of a Perfect-Bret Hart WrestleMania title match, which, given their previous classic at SummerSlam two years earlier, had the potential to be the greatest main event in the history of the Showcase of the Immortals. At least to that point.

Instead, Perfect was eliminated midway through the bout by Ted DiBiase and Koko B. Ware.

That's right; the most over star in the match was dumped by a tag team champion and a jobber straight out of the 1980s.

Perfect would remain one of the more popular stars on the roster for the rest of the year, but he was never really able to regain the momentum he had entering the '93 Rumble.

7. Owen Hart (1994)

Credit: WWE.com

Owen Hart's betrayal of brother Bret following a loss to The Quebecers (via referee's decision) in the WWE Tag Team Championship match at the 1994 Rumble instantly made him the most hated and despised villain in Vince McMahon's company.

The way he seethed about what he perceived to be Bret's selfishness as his older sibling was wheeled out of the arena on a stretcher, his ability to enter the Royal Rumble later in the evening in real doubt, brought him more heat than WWE champion Yokozuna could ever hope to receive.

Owen was incredibly hot, and as he entered the night's 30-man over-the-top-rope main event, it seemed logical that booking would protect him, that he would be spotlighted and treated as someone important.

Instead, he was simply one of the seven Superstars to be tossed by Diesel during Big Daddy Cool's star-making run of dominance early in the contest.

To see WWE's hottest performer suddenly treated as an also-ran just moments after completing a heel turn that would lead to his headlining of several pay-per-view later that year was disappointing.

Luckily, he would be able to recover nicely in time for an epic showdown with Bret at WrestleMania X, but there is no denying that, at the time, WWE Creative nearly doomed him from the start.

6. Bret Hart (1997)

Bret Hart was the clear favorite to win the 1997 Royal Rumble and head to WrestleMania 13, where many felt that he would battle Shawn Michaels in a rematch of their epic encounter from the previous year's Showcase of the Immortals.

Steve Austin had other plans.

After being tossed from the Rumble by his rival, the Texas Rattlesnake took advantage of a situation in which all of the officials at ringside were distracted by a brawl between Mankind and Terry Funk. Returning to the squared circle behind their backs, Austin dumped the competition over the top rope, including Hart, and was declared the winner of the contest.

Hart's elimination completely changed what fans perceived the company's WrestleMania plans to be. While all signs still seemingly pointed to Hart and Michaels waging war against each other, there were suddenly very real questions about where Austin fit into the equation.

That a heel had won for the first time in four years made Hart's elimination, and Austin's stunning victory, that much more shocking. 

5. Hulk Hogan (1989)

Anyone watching the 1989 Royal Rumble would have sworn that Hulk Hogan was going to win the match.

The top star in the industry—and Vince McMahon's meal ticket—he was the biggest pop-culture phenomenon ever produced by the pro wrestling industry. With WrestleMania right around the corner, it only made sense that the man to win the first Rumble match ever presented on pay-per-view would be the man who had helped carry WWE to the level it had reached.

It was not meant to be, however, as McMahon thought it was more important to build credibility for the over-the-hill Big John Studd by booking him to win the match than by having Hogan, the most logical choice, pick up the victory.

The decision hurt the match.

From the moment Hogan was eliminated by Akeem and the Big Boss Man, the match lost a considerable amount of energy and excitement.

Shock had set in, and fans simply did not care about any of the remaining stars the way they did about The Hulkster.

4. "Stone Cold" Steve Austin (1999)

"Stone Cold" Steve Austin was the biggest Superstar in the world of sports-entertainment by the time 1999 arrived—and the driving force behind WWE's renaissance in the Monday Night Wars with World Championship Wrestling. His feud with Vince McMahon had captivated audiences and led to the most profitable period in the history of the company.

With both men set to share the squared circle in that year's Royal Rumble, most expected the Texas Rattlesnake to finally pummel the chairman of the board into oblivion en route to earning a heavyweight title opportunity at WrestleMania XV.

That did not happen.

Instead, McMahon relied heavily on interference from The Corporation to weaken Austin early in the bout, then the presence of WWE champion The Rock to provide a distraction that allowed the boss to eliminate Austin and win the match in shocking fashion.

No one could have foreseen McMahon standing victoriously, sharing beers with his stooges while Austin watched in disbelief from ringside.

Ultimately, Austin righted the wrong by beating McMahon in a Cage match at St. Valentine's Day Massacre and earning a shot against The Rock at 'Mania, but that does not erase the visceral emotions that overtook fans as they watched the most hated man in the industry dump the most beloved over the top rope.

3. "Macho Man" Randy Savage (1989)

The Mega Powers were in the midst of a dominant stretch as 1989's Royal Rumble match arrived on pay-per-view.

WWE champion Randy Savage and Hulk Hogan had joined forces to create a union between the sport's top two babyfaces and, arguably, its two most recognizable stars. Fans in arenas everywhere had watched as they dispatched of villains such as Ted DiBiase, Andre the Giant, Akeem and the Big Boss Man.

But in the weeks and months ahead of the big event, it became obvious that Savage harbored some jealousy for the Hulkster. Despite his status as champion, it was Hogan who regularly received the most attention, and worse yet, it was Hogan who had clearly been paying far too much attention to Miss Elizabeth.

While Savage had managed to keep his temper in check for the most part, facial expressions and body language had indicated that he was growing more and more frustrated with his friend and partner.

That frustration would intensify at the Royal Rumble, when Hogan was responsible for the elimination of Savage, something that drew a mixed reaction from fans.

Savage, irate, re-entered the squared circle and confronted his Mega Powers teammate. Hogan swore up and down that the elimination was unintentional, that he was merely trying to toss Bad News Brown. He just happened to take Savage with him.

Fans did not know what to think.

Hogan supporters backed the Hulkster's version of things, while fans of the WWE champion shared Savage's frustration.

The shocking elimination of Savage would further set the stage for the explosion of the Mega Powers at WrestleMania V.

2. John Cena and Batista (2005)

Entering the 2005 Royal Rumble event, it was abundantly clear that WWE was hitching its wagon to John Cena and Batista. They would be the stars to carry the company into the future, the faces of the Raw and SmackDown brands.

But which Superstar would win the Rumble match?

Thanks to an accidental tumble over the top rope during a Batista Bomb attempt by The Animal, fans thought WWE could've been attempting to replicate the finish to the 1994 match, when indecision amongst the bookers led to Bret Hart and Lex Luger co-winning the contest.

The arena fell silent as Cena and Batista looked confused at ringside. The referees scrambled to figure out what to do. Suddenly, an irate Mr. McMahon made his way to the ring, stomping at first before taking off in a full sprint.

Of course, he tore both quadriceps muscles in the process, thus completing the most unintentionally hilarious few moments in Rumble history.

Eventually, the match was restarted, and Batista, the intended winner all along, tossed Cena over the top rope to emerge victorious.

Still, one cannot forget the shocking simultaneous elimination of both men that threatened to derail very intricately laid-out plans for one of the most important events in modern WWE history, WrestleMania 21.

1. The Undertaker (2002)

There will never be a more shocking elimination in Royal Rumble history than Maven's dropkick of The Undertaker that sent the Deadman over the top rope and to the arena floor.

The young star was fresh off of winning WWE's reality competition show Tough Enough and had hardly appeared on Raw or SmackDown since his life-changing victory. No one could ever have foreseen a scenario in which he would be allowed the opportunity to even share the same ring with the most respected veteran in the locker room, let alone have the honor of eliminating him.

But he did, and the fans in Atlanta came absolutely unglued when it happened.

To this day, some 13 years after the occurrence, fans vividly remember the look on the Phenom's face in the seconds following his departure from the bout.

Of course, Maven paid dearly for his actions with a beating that started at ringside and went all the way to the concourse, where he was sent face first into a popcorn machine. His face bloodied, his body beaten, one has to wonder whether it was worth it.

Considering the fact that no one remembers anything else about the guy, the answer is a definitive "yes."