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Triple H makes a massive return to the ring, Royal Rumble Edition

The world of WWE never slows down. There is a constant influx of important news and high profile events happening weekly if not daily. This has spread even further with Vince McMahon’s shocking return to the company.

World Wrestling Entertainment currently airs three major television shows each week, with Monday Night RAW, NXT and Friday Night SmackDown providing seven hours of entertainment for fans around the world. There is more than enough content to keep fans engaged.

Even with this type of content churning out on a regular basis, die-hard fans can’t get enough of the wrestling action!

Even if fans love today’s product, they would still like to reminisce and possibly relive the most important moments from wrestling’s past. This weekly article offers fans a chance to do just that.

This time, the article looks at five Royal Rumble events that took place in WWE history this week ahead of Royal Rumble 2023, which airs next weekend.

#5. Ric Flair won the WWF Championship on January 19, 1992 in what many believe to be the greatest Royal Rumble match of all time

Ric Flair from the 1992 Royal Rumble

The 1992 Royal Rumble is often regarded as the best event in the show’s illustrious history, although this primarily boils down to just one match. The big WWE event took place on January 19th at the Knickerbocker Arena in Albany, New York.

Five games took place on the main map. Roddy Piper faced The Mountie in a singles contest, and three tag team matches helped fill out the undercard. The main event, of course, was the 30-man Royal Rumble match.

The fight featured numerous top stars from the era, but it ultimately came down to Ric Flair and Sid Justice. Hulk Hogan, who Justice eliminated, pulled the big man out of the ring, which eventually allowed Flair to win the fight. This also meant that The Nature Boy became the new WWE Champion.

#4. The WWE Royal Rumble was held for the first time on January 19, 1997 at the Alamodome

The 2023 Royal Rumble will be held at The Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas. The large venue is exciting, but fans may not know that Royal Rumble once took place in the same location on January 19, 1997.

The event featured six major bouts with a variety of stars. It was a rare decision that the 30-man Royal Rumble match didn’t really make the event headline news. Instead, the fight was the penultimate event where Stone Cold Steve Austin won.

The actual Main Event of the 1997 WWE Royal Rumble Event was a match between Shawn Michaels and Sycho Sid. San Antonio’s own The Heartbreak Kid defeated the big man to reclaim his coveted title in front of thousands of adoring fans.

#3. During the Royal Rumble match on January 20, 2002, there were several big wins

Mr. Perfect returns at the 2002 Royal Rumble

Mr. Perfect returns at Royal Rumble 2002 https://t.co/WosajEJgOh

WWE hosted its 2022 Royal Rumble event at Phillips Arena in Atlanta, Georgia on January 20th. The card featured six games, including Vince McMahon vs. Ric Flair and The Rock vs. Chris Jericho.

The last fight of the evening was the Royal Rumble Match. It featured the in-ring returns of several stars including Mr. Perfect and The Godfather. The most notable return was Triple H, who had announced the fight would be his first since returning from a serious leg injury.

Kurt Angle and Triple H were the final two stars of the match. After a hard-fought encounter, The Game eliminated Angle and earned his ticket to headline WrestleMania X8, where he faced Chris Jericho.

#2. Bret Hart & Lex Luger became the first-ever doubles winners of a Royal Rumble match on January 22, 1994

1994 Royal Rumble match:

Bret Hart and Lex Luger become the only co-winners of a Rumble match.

1994 Royal Rumble Match: Bret Hart and Lex Luger become the only co-winners of a Rumble match. https://t.co/QPcMTQdpB4

The WWE Royal Rumble took place on January 22, 1994. The event took place at the Providence Civic Center in Providence, Rhode Island. There were five fights across the main map, with numerous stars of the era including Bam Bam Bigelow, Tatanka, Razor Ramon and Bret Hart among others.

One of the most memorable fights of the year also took place on the map. The Undertaker and Yokozuna faced off in a Casket Match, but a plethora of heels turned up to help the big man defeat The Phenom. However, the Deadman had the last word and promised that he would rise again.

As is customary, the 30-man Royal Rumble match closed the show. Still, the ending was anything but typical. Both Lex Luger and Bret Hart, the last two stars remaining in the fight, were eliminated at the same time. Both feet touched the ground at the same time. This resulted in officials declaring the two co-winners for the first time ever.

#1. Shawn Michaels won the Royal Rumble match from place 1 on January 22, 1995

Shawn Michaels and The British BulldogQuick links

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Edited by Sidharta Sikdar

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