WWE Royal Rumble 2014: 10 Most Memorable Moments in Event's History

In the 26 previous editions of the Royal Rumble, there have been plenty of moments we no doubt all remember fondly.

Whether it is a shock appearance, a surprise elimination or even just a great spot in the middle of a Rumble—it is a match that rarely disappoints the fans.

With the 27th annual edition fast approaching in the first month of 2014, it seems an appropriate time to look over some of the finest Royal Rumble moments ever.

That said, lets take a look at the 10 most memorable moments in Royal Rumble history.

10. The Demolition Square off (1989)

We start all the way back in 1989, the second ever Royal Rumble. In fact, it was the first Rumble to feature 30 men after the inaugural Rumble had just 20 competitors.

The beauty of the draw element is that nobody knows who will come out first and who will come out last. Obviously, there are two men who must battle it out before the third entrant comes down, and in 1989, the WWE threw a huge twist into the mix.

The current tag team champions were Demolition—Ax and Smash—and bizarrely, it was they who would kick off the 30-man extravaganza of 1989.

The best bit of this Royal Rumble moment is that both members of Demolition didn't waste time staring each other down, they tore into each other. Smash was first to be eliminated, however, by Andre the Giant.

Ax wasn't far behind either. He was fourth out of the Rumble as Mr. Perfect eliminated him.

9. Undertaker Gets Shocked (2002)

There are some Royal Rumble moments that just stand out in your mind. As an avid WWE fan, this one is very much lodged in the memory—I stayed up late in the UK to watch this Rumble.

Undertaker had cleaned house in the ring and had just disposed of both Jeff and Matt Hardy with consummate ease. However, when Maven's music hit, nobody quite expected what came next.

The Hardys took it to Taker in an act of revenge; however, he once again managed to clean them out of the ring. With just Taker and Maven—the first male winner of Tough Enough—legitimately still in the match, Maven hit a dropkick that sent Taker spiraling over the top rope after he had just attacked Lita.

Whether it's Taker's attempt to try to eliminate himself after Maven's dropkick just wasn't enough or Jim Ross' perfect commentary, it is a great Royal Rumble.

Incidentally, Taker entered at No. 30 the following year and slung Maven over the rope almost immediately upon entering.

8. Cena's Shock Return (2008)

There had to be a John Cena moment in there—and this one is actually a good one.

John Cena wasn't supposed to be at this Royal Rumble. Nobody expected him back before WrestleMania in 2008. He was out of everyone's minds, and nobody was concerned with Cena's appearance at the Rumble—because he wasn't going to be there.

In some ways, WWE played his layoff perfectly. No teasers of when he would return—which almost made us all forget about him. He wasn't even on the promotional poster for the event.

Indeed, when there was only No. 30 left to enter the Rumble, few thought of John Cena.

Then, the doors opened, and Cena's triumphant return was complete. All that was left for him to do was work through the field and finally eliminate Triple H to win the 2008 Rumble.

It makes the list because it was a moment nobody expected, and the reaction Cena got was huge.

7. Vince Wins the Rumble (1999)

Another absolutely brilliant Royal Rumble moment is this one.

1999—when Vince McMahon vs. Stone Cold Steve Austin was at its absolute peak. Austin had won the last two Rumble matches—although in 1997, he had technically cheated to do so after he re-entered after being thrown over the top rope by Bret Hart.

In 1999, Austin and McMahon had entered at No. 1 and No. 2, and an epic brawl was played out in front of our eyes. It included them both going under the bottom rope to fight all over the arena—which left Austin unconscious after The Corporation had knocked him out backstage.

McMahon eventually went on commentary at a point during the match, and after Austin had cleaned house, only he and McMahon remained. They went at it, and Austin was destined to win until The Rock distracted Austin on the ropes—leaving McMahon to throw him over to win one of the best Rumble matches ever.

6. Piper's Greatest Moment (1992)

This one is a non-Rumble match moment, but boy, it's a pretty iconic moment in the hearts of many wrestling fans.

Rowdy Roddy Piper is one of the most loved wrestlers of a generation—he still generates ridiculous crowd reactions to this very day. The Royal Rumble of 1992 was Piper's only real moment in the spotlight.

Piper was booked as the challenger for the Intercontinental Championship that night against defending champ The Mountie. Although the match was only just over five minutes long, it was an iconic night for Piper as he won the belt—his first singles belt in the WWE.

As it turned out, it would be his only major singles belt in his entire WWE career. That seems bizarre, but looking back, it was a huge moment in the career of Piper. For that, he makes the list.

5. Kane the Elimination Machine (2001)

When you talk of the Royal Rumble, you generally end up discussing statistics. Longevity, time or, in this instance, elimination.

The fact that he didn't win the Royal Rumble of 2001 has slightly affected his placing on this list, but he makes the top five on merit. Kane set a record for number of eliminations from one man—a record that still hasn't been beaten to this day.

Of course, it featured a bizarre spot with Drew Carey at the beginning, but even so, it was a remarkable run from Kane that night.

The likes of Perry Saturn and Steve Blackman fell foul to Kane that night in a Rumble that descended into Hardcore anarchy at times.

Kane surely must be the greatest ever Superstar never to win the Royal Rumble.

4. Rey the Marathon Man (2006)

Again, we focus on statistics for our next entry on the list—and it could well be debated this one is the greatest feat of all.

There is one argument with a number of eliminations in that the people you are eliminating are not exactly the greatest Superstars ever, thus glossing over the number. When it comes to time, however, the record holds true worth as a phenomenal effort.

That night, Triple H went just over an hour in the Rumble, entering at No. 1 and being the 28th man eliminated. The man who eliminated him was Rey Mysterio—who entered at No. 2.

Rey saw all of the other 29 entrants in the ring with him at one point or another during the Rumble, and he outlasted every single one of them.

Whilst Triple H's feat of 60 minutes and nine seconds is impressive, Mysterio's record of just over 62 minutes will surely never be toppled.

When you look at Mysterio now—a man who is often out with injury—it makes the effort even more remarkable.

3. Michaels and Taker End It in Style (2007)

Shawn Michaels and The Undertaker are now infamous for their flurry of WrestleMania matches—which all rank amongst the greatest wrestling matches of all time.

However, in some ways, this rivalry really began in 2007 at the Royal Rumble. It was almost where the rivalry was really born—with both men approaching the plateau of their careers.

Undertaker created history that night by being the first man to win from No. 30. However, what he had to do to win was nothing short of sensational as he and Michaels put on a stellar show to end the Rumble.

The two went at it for almost eight minutes, trading chokeslams and Sweet Chin Musics to each other to no avail.

With Michaels in his hometown, the odds looked good on an HBK win—but Taker had other ideas and finally eliminated Michaels to win a stunning Rumble.

2. Flair's Rumble (1992)

Earlier, we touched on the 1992 Royal Rumble event as Rowdy Roddy Piper picked up his first and only singles belt at the event.

The Rumble match itself was a special one that year. Hulk Hogan had been stripped of the WWF Championship prior to the event, and it was announced that the winner of the Rumble would be the new champion—a unique moment for the Royal Rumble.

Both Hogan and former champion The Undertaker were given draws toward the end of the Rumble to give them an advantage, but it couldn't prevent Ric Flair from creating history.

Flair went fractionally under an hour—59:26 to be precise—all the way from No. 3. It was a stunning Rumble and a stunning moment in the career of Flair.

1. Michaels and the Bulldog Go the Distance (1995)

In terms of longevity, it was far from the longest Royal Rumble ever.

In fact, 38 minutes and 41 seconds is remarkably short for a Rumble; however, it doesn't stop the 1995 edition from being one of the most memorable and enjoyable ever.

It was, of course, the historic moment when a man first entered at No. 1 and went the distance to win the Rumble—many people feel that Shawn Michaels' win was the greatest and most significant win ever.

The British Bulldog also must take a huge amount of credit for his part in a remarkable Rumble—he entered at No. 2 and played a great part in the match. He almost won the match when he thought he had eliminated Michaels—but HBK only had one foot on the floor.

It wasn't to be, though, and Michaels won the match to a remarkable reaction. History was created that evening, and it surely is the greatest Royal Rumble moment ever.