WWE Royal Rumble 2012: Relive Shawn Michaels' Victory from the 1995 Royal Rumble

While being known for his exploits as Mr. Wrestlemania over his Hall of Fame career in the WWE, Shawn Michaels became the standard bearer for the Royal Rumble as the Heartbreak Kid won the Royal Rumble from the No. 1 entry 17 years ago.

After entering the Rumble in 1995 alongside the British Bulldog as the first two participants, Michaels scored his first elimination of the night, as he sent Duke Droese, who entered the match at No. 3, over the top rope.

Michaels followed his elimination of Droese with tossing Tom Prichard over the top rope to get his second elimination of the night.

Bushwhacker Luke and Jacob Blu were the next to be eliminated by HBK, as the two superstars spent less than a combined 30 seconds in the match before they were sent to the back by Michaels for the 11^th and 12^th eliminations of the Rumble. In a case of being a good sport, Michaels sent the other half of the Bushwhackers tag team, Butch, over the top rope moments after getting rid of Luke.

As we come to the end of the 1995 Royal Rumble, the moment that WWE fans remember throughout the years is of the British Bulldog sending Michaels over the top rope in what he thought was his ticket to WrestleMania.

As he gripped the ropes after being clotheslined over the top, Michaels pulled himself back into the ring and sent the unsuspecting Bulldog off the middle rope as he was celebrating to the floor to become the winner of the Royal Rumble.

So Bleachers, can the magic of Michaels’ victory in 1995 ever be recreated with a WWE superstar going the distance from No. 1 and winning the Royal Rumble?

Chris Humphrey is a WWE featured columnist for BleacherReport.com. In his time before joining the WWE section, he has wrote for multiple sections on B/R like college basketball, the UFC, the NBA, the NFL and college football in a short period of time with the site. You can become a fan of him on Facebook and follow him on Twitter @_CBH_.