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Follow Mr. Tito on Twitter.com: @TitoWrestling Welcome to another Chrisss and Mr. Tito collaboration here at LordsofPain.net / WrestlingHeadlines.com. Previously, Chrisss and Tito tackled Top 10 in-ring performers and potential WWE Champions. We thank you, very much, for your comments and feedback regarding those columns. Based on the reaction from those columns, we try one more column on you. This time around, with it being Royal Rumble season, the theme will be Top 10 WWE Royal Rumble Winners. Our criteria is simple... What was the impact of a certain wrestler winning the Royal Rumble. After the first few years, the Rumble became the #1 springboard event for wrestlers heading into Wrestlemania. The WWE was blessed to have developed such a unique and fun 30 man elimination Rumble match and to then tag the #1 World Title contendership to the match increased the "sense of urgency" greatly. Historically, Rumble winners have a strong probability of winning the World Title at Wrestlemania. However, not all Rumble winners succeed in becoming a top draw after Wrestlemania but their moment to shine at the Royal Rumble was so good that it allowed the Wrestlemania moment to happen. How this list was formed is simple... Tito and Chrisss have rankings individually and the numbers are then averaged out. Any ties are discussed/debated among Chrisss and Tito. Enjoy the show! TOP 10 WWE ROYAL RUMBLE WINNERS #10 - Alberto Del Rio - 2011 Royal Rumble @ChrisssLoP: He may no longer be with the company, but Alberto del Rio will forever hold the distinction of being the only man to win a 40-Man Royal Rumble match. Love him or hate him, you cannot take that accolade away from him. While his win was a bit controversial (Santino – of all people – thought he had won the match but Del Rio had never been thrown over the top rope, which allowed Del Rio to get the sneaky win), it was a big one. The 2011 Royal Rumble match will never be remembered as the best Reverse Battle Royal in history, but it did serve as a major launching pad for ADR. Despite coming up short in his curtain-jerking, World Heavyweight Title shot at WrestleMania 27 (which is bullshit, by the way – the Rumble winner should always main-event ‘Mania), 2011 was a star-making year for Del Rio. Over those twelve months, he won the largest Royal Rumble in history, competed against WWE Hall of Famer Edge in his last match EVER, won Money in the Bank over the summer, became the first person to ever cash-in the briefcase at SummerSlam, and won the WWE Championship again at Hell in a Cell in October. WWE pushed the guy to the moon and beyond…it’s a shame he never got over. @TitoWrestling: This is definitely the biggest "could have been" on this list. Most people look at the latter half of 2011 for Alberto Del Rio and roll their eyes based on the MEGA PUSH that Alberto received by stealing CM Punk's WWE Title at SummerSlam 2011. However, many forget that Alberto Del Rio was actually on the Smackdown brand for the first half of the year and he was chasing the World Heavyweight Championship. WWE Creative was showing patience with Del Rio and had him coming up short, repeatedly, for the World Title. In fact, Del Rio actually lost his World Heavyweight Title shot at Wrestlemania against Edge. Edge then retired and Alberto Del Rio still couldn't capture the title when it became vacant. Then, Alberto Del Rio was moved to the RAW brand where his MEGA PUSH began. Just after Wrestlemania, Vince McMahon reportedly declared to WWE Creative that Alberto Del Rio would be crowned the WWE Champion at SummerSlam 2011. He was moved to RAW and the plan was for him to win Money in the Bank and challenge for the WWE Title at SummerSlam 2011. However, the "Summer of Punk" happened and CM Punk suddenly became RED HOT. Alberto Del Rio was caught in the crosshairs of upset fans and his WWE Title run became a disaster quickly. In my opinion, had Del Rio stayed on the Smackdown brand for the rest of 2011 and kept chasing the World Heavyweight Title and then having a strong title reign, Del Rio could have been a major superstar. Instead, his interruption of CM Punk's momentum caused the fans to revolt against him. He was never the same... #9 - John Cena - 2008 Royal Rumble @TitoWrestling: I'll keep it simple... John Cena's surprise entrance was a nice WWE moment but the 2008 Rumble win didn't matter for John Cena because he was already a made WWE Superstar at that point. John Cena became a major superstar not because he won the Rumble but because he got over in the midcard and worked his way up to becoming a main eventer. Many need the Rumble to define their career but John Cena just needed a great gimmick to bring out his personality in his character. In short, it was a great WWE moment and a nice highlight for Cena's DVD, but winning the Rumble did nothing for Cena's already made career. @ChrisssLoP: I’m sure many people are confused as to why Cena ranked so low. Believe it or not, Cena’s first Royal Rumble victory came in 2008 – three years after Cena had won the WWE Championship at WrestleMania 21 and was already ‘the man’. Winning the 2008 Royal Rumble match was certainly not a make-it-or-break-it for Cena’s career. It was merely a bonus. That being said, a Rumble win is huge for any wrestler, even a 15-time world champion like Cena. That pop he got at MSG from the smarky NYC crowd was deafening, and showed how big of a star Cena truly is. It was a perfectly-executed surprise return, especially since the entire Internet Wrestling Community had been reading rumors for months that Cena wasn’t due back from injury for MONTHS. If anything, Cena belongs on this list for not only having one of the best surprise returns in WWE history, but for proving how dedicated he is to the company. Will his track record of coming back early from injury time after time end up shortening his career, as well as his long-term health? I certainly hope not, but it remains to be seen. The IWC may call him ‘Super Cena’, but he’s still a human being, after all. #8 - Stone Cold Steve Austin (1998) @ChrisssLoP: “STONE COLD! STONE COLD! STONE COLD!” – whether it was Jim Ross screaming that name over and over at the end of the 1998 Royal Rumble, or Austin celebrating his Royal Rumble victory with Mike Tyson in epic fashion to close the show, Austin’s second consecutive Rumble win was an unforgettable night for many fans watching during the Attitude Era (SPOILER – don’t worry, Austin will be making another appearance later on in the column). Both his ’98 Rumble win and his victory over then-WWE Champion Shawn Michaels at WrestleMania XIV were arguably two of the most important events in Austin’s path to superstardom. In fact, during their ATTITUDE! series, fellow writers Maz and Mav compared Austin’s road to WrestleMania to that of Daniel Bryan from last year (except, you know, not listening to the fans initially by actually booking Bryan to win the Rumble), in the sense that both Austin and Bryan had career-changing years, in 1998 and 2014, respectively. Austin would defeat HBK for the WWE Championship in the main-event of WrestleMania XIV, and the match was as good as two injured/unhealthy wrestlers could perform. Seriously, it was nothing short of an act of God for the match to end up as good as it did, all things considered. But while Austin’s Royal Rumble victory in ’98 was ground-breaking, it still falls short of what transpired a year earlier. Imagine that! @TitoWrestling: What? What? Rumble 1998 helped to officially tell fans that Steve Austin was THE MAN and it was his time to shine. Many don't realize that Steve Austin actually wrestled for the Intercontinental Title for the second half of 1997. Believe it or not, Steve Austin took a backseat and waited his turn for Shawn Michaels to get through Bret Hart and the Undertaker. With Bret Hart now gone and the Undertaker/HBK program wrapping up at Royal Rumble 1998 in a Casket Match, the road was cleared for Steve Austin to take the WWE Title. Steve Austin was CRAZY over after his Intercontinental Title feud with the Rock through December and it was very clear that Austin would be something special for 1998. As luck may have it, although I would have enjoyed rematches during the year, Austin's path to the main event scene was helped further by Shawn Michaels destroying his back during the Casket Match with the Undertaker at Royal Rumble 1998. In addition to Austin getting over by himself, he now had both Bret Hart and Shawn Michaels out his way to have no interference with his big push. Better yet, Hart/HBK's exits also allowed for Mick Foley, Kane, and the Rock to step up to the plate against Austin and also for Undertaker to take a bigger role. The breath of fresh air with new superstars on top helped the WWE rise to the top and overtake World Championship Wrestling as the #1 wrestling promotion again in 1998. #7 - Rey Mysterio - 2006 Royal Rumble @TitoWrestling: Many, including myself, HATED the fact that Rey Mysterio became World Champion. He's tiny, aside from the thicker muscular frame he gained in the WWE. After seeing Kevin Nash throw Rey Mysterio like a lawn dart, I just couldn't believe that Mysterio could ever compete with Heavyweights to become a World Heavyweight Champion. But by 2006 and the WWE having 2 World Titles (WWE Title on RAW and World Heavyweight Championship on Smackdown), the real question was WHO didn't win a World Title already? Title inflation was running rampant... Mysterio's Rumble win was amazing, though... He was the 2nd entrant and endured a marathon. In my opinion, 2006 was more about rewarding Rey Mysterio for his awesome work as a babyface wrestler since his WWE debut during 2002. Rey Mysterio was a big Cruiserweight hit during 1996-1997 but seemed to get lost in the shuffle when WCW stopped caring about the Cruiserweight division as much and for hiring way too many free agents. WCW also unmasked Mysterio and had him wrestle with devil horns attached to his forehead. WWE signed him, put the mask on, and built up his debut for weeks beforehand. Simply tag Mysterio up with Edge to form a unique tag team to go up against Kurt Angle/Chris Benoit and Eddie Guerrero/Chavo Guerrero and you're all set. WWE made millions selling Mysterio masks and now the WWE is trying hard to get Sin Cara over as the next Mysterio. But there will only be one Rey Mysterio as this guy is legitimately talented. There's good reason why the WWE won't let him get out of his contract and work somewhere else, even this late in his career. @ChrisssLoP: When all is said and done, Rey Mysterio may go down as one of my least-liked wrestlers of all-time. I just…hate everything about him. The majority of his best matches are overrated, he can’t cut a decent promo, and he has one of the most unbelievable set-ups to a finisher (the 619) I have ever seen. I also hate getting matched up against him on WWE Supercard, especially when the AI chooses “Speed”. But I digress. I have to give the devil his due. Whether he was originally scheduled to win the 2006 Royal Rumble or not (rumors state Eddie Guerrero was supposed to win that year, before tragically passing away weeks earlier), Rey worked his ass off to show he belonged in the main-event scene. In fact, it was WWE who booked him so poorly after the Rumble which hurt his long-term momentum: losing his number one Contendership to Randy Orton at No Way Out, winning the title in the shortest triple threat title match in ‘Mania history (which, again, did NOT close the show), jobbing Rey out in non-title matches to guys like Mark Henry and The Great Khali…WWE did Rey no favours. But even to this day, he holds the record of spending the most time inside a Royal Rumble match, and I think his WWE career would have went downhill FAST had he never won the 2006 Royal Rumble. #6 - Batista - 2005 Royal Rumble @ChrisssLoP: It still shocks me that The Animal will be forever remembered as a two-time Royal Rumble winner. He joins the select group of Hulk Hogan, Stone Cold, HBK, and John Cena as being a multiple-time winner. Batista was good and popular, especially back in 2005, but he certainly does not belong in the same category as those four other names. There was still no logical reason for Batista to come back and win the Royal Rumble last year instead of fan favorite, full-time, yet-to-main-event-WrestleMania guys like Daniel Bryan and CM Punk. Nearly a year later, it’s still a mind-boggling dumb decision. But in 2005, Batista was the right man to win the 30-Man Gauntlet. His final two showdown with Cena was a mark-out moment for yours truly, as I was big fans of both men ten years ago. Also, who could forget the match ending in a tie before Vince McMahon (hilariously) blew out both of his quads on the way to the ring to restart the contest. Yet, it was Triple H putting over Batista at WrestleMania 21 which was truly epic. Much like Austin vs. Michaels, Batista vs. HHH had no right to be as decent of a ‘Mania main-event as it turned out to be (mainly due to Batista’s limitations as a worker) but both men worked hard to give the fans their money’s worth. WM 21 – which was highlighted at the time by Batista defeating his former Evolution superior, but now discussed for Cena’s first WWE Championship win – was definitely a changing of the guard, which saw the Ruthless Aggression era come to an end. @TitoWrestling: From the infamous "Class of 2002" developmental call-up group, Batista and Randy Orton were hand selected by Triple H to join his new "Evolution" stable (Mark Jindrak was almost a member). Evolution became a solid group and just as they were clicking, WWE Creative dismantled the group in favor of pushing Randy Orton and Batista as main eventers. 2004 was a rough year for the WWE. Immediately after Wrestlemania 20, the WWE lost the Rock, Steve Austin, Mick Foley, Bill Goldberg, and Brock Lesnar. Meanwhile, numbers on Chris Benoit and Eddie Guerrero was World Champions weren't satisfying to WWE officials. Thus, WWE Creative scrambled and attempted to make new stars from this "Class of 2002". However, they went too early on Randy Orton with his SummerSlam 2004 title win and immediate babyface turn. His first title reign was an absolute disaster and in my opinion, it harmed his career out of the gate. Batista, however, had more patience applied to his career. The guy not only had the look and charisma of a main eventer, but he was really clicking in the ring through late 2004. Batista was getting naturally over as sort of a "cool heel" by late 2004 and thus is made sense for him to turn on his buddy Triple H. Batista won a nice Rumble and then challenged Triple H for the World Heavyweight Championship. To Triple H's credit, he put Batista over HUGE at Wrestlemania 21 and made him a big star that helped to carry the Smackdown brand for years. Batista is a perfect example of timing where winning the Rumble was the perfect elevation step to make his career. #5 - Bret Hart/Lex Luger - 1994 Royal Rumble @ChrisssLoP: In 1994, wrestling fans around the world saw the first-ever dual Royal Rumble winners be crowned when both Bret Hart and Lex Luger’s feet hit the ground at the exact same time (or so replays have shown us). Both guys were very popular in the mid-90s, and something had to be done. Jack Tunney decided that they would both wrestle for the championship at WrestleMania X in separate matches. Prior, WrestleMania had never seen two WWE Championship matches occur on the same night, and may never happen again (unless a Money in the Bank cash-in counts – hint hint). WrestleMania X was controversial, as Luger would be the first to challenge then-champion Yokozuna, but a heel turn from special guest referee Mr. Perfect saw the match end in DQ, crushing Luger’s championship dreams. Bret would be more fortunate, as a crucial mistake on the champ saw the Excellence of Execution capture the WWE Championship. What’s interesting is how both men’s careers shaped up in the following years: Hart would go on to main-event countless Raws and Pay-Per-Views either as WWE Champion or challenger, and would have many fantastic matches along the way (vs. Davey Boy Smith, HBK, Austin, and his brother Owen, among others) before leaving for WCW following The Montreal Screwjob. Luger would experience some success in WWE following ‘Mania X, but it pales in comparison to Hart’s accomplishments. Luger would bolt to WCW in the summer of ’95. Two Royal Rumble winners, two very different post-Rumble careers. @TitoWrestling: I really like this choice because the WWE needed to boost Yokozuna opponents and the WWE simply did that by having 2 wrestlers win the Royal Rumble and dispute who would get the WWE Title shot at Wrestlemania 10. The end result was that it forced Bret Hart to wrestled an additional match to even himself up with Yokozuna who fought Lex Luger first. Without this booking, we would have been denied the BEST Wrestlemania opening match of all time with Bret Hart vs. Owen Hart. It was a unique, fun idea that was strengthened by excellent booking of Wrestlemania 10. Better yet for Rumble 1994, it put Bret Hart back on the main event map. WWE quickly lost confidence in Bret through 1993. Just watch that Wrestlemania 9 disaster when Bret Hart was unable to defeat Yokozuna but Hulk Hogan was able to in less than a minute. Then during 1993, the WWE tried hard to get Lex Luger over as the "next Hulk Hogan" with the American tights and the "Lex Express" buses traveling across the country. Ultimately, the Hitman proved to be the more over wrestler. However, the WWE would give up on Bret Hart and try Kevin Nash (Diesel) after Survivor Series 1994 and tried to roll with Nash through much of 1995. However, 1 year later, the WWE Title made its way back to Bret Hart. As bad as the 1995 disappearance of Bret Hart was, the 1993 one was worse and thankfully, 1994's Rumble put him on the right path again. #4 - Chris Benoit - 2004 Royal Rumble @TitoWrestling: Myself and Chrisss had some radical differences on some picks which allowed for Chris Benoit, through my averages calculation, to rise up the charts. However, I cannot deny the bit Rumble win for Chris Benoit that allowed him to have a HUGE win at Wrestlemania 20. I know, he's a murderer and hopefully, he's getting pineapples shoved up his ass in hell right now... But after Chris Benoit returned from his neck surgery to contribute significantly to the Smackdown brand during 2002, he was a force to be reckoned with during 2003. He had an awesome WWE Title match with Kurt Angle at Rumble 2003 that won "Match of the Year" with many publications (including me) in which Benoit received a standing ovation. Hardcore wrestling fans were pushing HARD for Benoit to become World Champion following Rumble 2003. WWE listened... Benoit was the #1 entrant into the Royal Rumble 2014 match and he was a beast throughout the match. He just had a fire in him that night and the motor kept running despite the hour or so that he had to perform. Then, he won the Rumble and then jumped to the RAW brand after he decided to challenge for the World Heavyweight Championship. Benoit beat Triple H and Shawn Michaels in an amazing Triple Threat match at Wrestlemania 20 and then won the rematch at Backlash 2004. And then... Well, there was that Kane feud... And, well, he then dropped the title to Randy Orton. Early numbers were showing a dropoff in casual wrestling fans which were probably upset that the Rock, Mick Foley, Steve Austin, Brock Lesnar, and Bill Goldberg were all GONE after Wrestlemania 20. Chris Benoit had to fill those shoes... He couldn't. He was an under 6 foot guy who was all in-ring ability and not much else... Hardcore wrestling fans got their guy to become champion but for Benoit, what else was there to accomplish? Either way, it was a big moment for him and sadly, it was all downhill for Benoit after the Wrestlemania 20 win. @ChrisssLoP: It wouldn’t be a "Chrisss and Mr. Tito" column without some controversy, right? Those of you who still haven’t forgotten/forgave what Benoit did are probably FURIOUS at him clocking in at number four. Even those of you who have been able to separate Benoit the wrestler from Benoit the murderer might accuse us of ranking him so high. But it’s simple, really. The Rabid Wolverine deserved to win the 2004 Royal Rumble and main-event WrestleMania XX. He was one of the most technically sound wrestlers to ever step foot in ECW, WCW, or WWE. He did not seem capable of having a bad match with anyone. He was a workhorse who busted his ass day-in and day-out despite never getting a shot at the main-event…until 2004. Benoit winning the Royal Rumble that year left fans with a ‘feel good’ moment and when he defied the odds by making Triple H tap out in a fantastic triple threat match (which also involved Shawn Michaels), you couldn’t help but shed tears of joy, especially when his longtime friend Eddie Guerrero came out to celebrate with him, as confetti poured on the both of them. WWE may pretend that match and moment never happened, but anyone who saw WM XX will never, ever forget that moment. Had Benoit’s life not ended the way it did, WWE would probably recognize Benoit and Eddie’s post-celebration as one of the greatest moments in WWE history, and rightfully so. #3 - Shawn Michaels - 1996 Royal Rumble @ChrisssLoP: Why 1996 and not 1995, you ask? It’s all about the aftermath. Michaels had a great performance at the ’95 Royal Rumble, but came up short in his title match against Diesel at WrestleMania XI, which many fans will label as the worst ‘Mania of all-time. Yikes. Thankfully, 1996 had a much better outcome for the Heartbreak Kid. Michaels became the first man since Hulk Hogan five years earlier to win back-to-back Royal Rumble matches. But the real story was WrestleMania XII, where HBK challenged champion Bret Hart in a 60-Minute IronMan Match for the WWE Championship. There have not been many Ironman matches in WWE history, but HBK vs. Bret is easily my favorite. Some call it boring; I loved it. The fact that they were able to produce an hour-long spectacle without either man giving up a single fall, which – for the most part – held the viewers’ attention is an accomplishment in itself. It was also the moment where the infamous phrase, “Shawn Michaels has achieved the boyhood dream” was uttered for the very first time on commentary. The company needed HBK to take over the helm in 1996, and even though he would ultimately serve as a placeholder for Austin and the upcoming stars of The Attitude Era, WM XII was Michaels’ ultimate defining moment. @TitoWrestling: I did not like the 1995 Rumble win for Shawn Michaels. Timing was a bit off, but then again, timing was off for Diesel (Kevin Nash) to be WWE Champion. 1995 wasn't exactly the best year for the WWE, especially creatively, and the WWE had to throw a "hail Mary" on Wrestlemania 11 in the form of signing Lawrence Taylor to wrestle Bam Bam Bigelow. Why else would you do that instead of hyping the WWE Title match? But then Shawn Michaels finally turned babyface and could now win matches cleanly on a regular basis... That got him over, insomuch by Rumble 1996, it was officially his turn. Now, he could take on his true rival in Bret Hart at Wrestlemania 12 in the 1 hour winless Iron Man match. This is all about process... Michaels enters the main event scene prematurely during 1995, changes his character up a bit, and then wins the Royal Rumble to cement himself as the next big guy. It's the experience and the timing of it... Sadly for Michaels, his 1996 WWE Title run is considered a "disaster" but I attribute it to the thinner WWE roster with Bret Hart's contract in limbo and Scott Hall/Kevin Nash leaving for WCW. Winning Rumble 1996 and Wrestlemania 12, however, put Michaels on the map as a main eventer and he would remain that way until 1998. Oh, and he had that amazing comeback in the 2000's... #2 - Stone Cold Steve Austin - 1997 Royal Rumble @TitoWrestling: People forget that the WWE sort of damaged their new "Stone Cold" brand at Survivor Series 1996. After the famous "Austin 3:16" speech at King of the Ring 1996, Steve Austin was getting over and Austin 3:16 shirts were beginning to sell very well. Then, Bret Hart returned to the WWE after his contract hiatus and Steve Austin was to be his opponent at Survivor Series 1996. Austin was trash talking Bret Hart bigtime and fans took notice. Almost immediately, Bret Hart appeared out of touch as a wrestler and Austin appeared to be the future. What happened at Survivor Series? Austin used his old Million Dollar Dream submission hold and Bret Hart flipped it over by bouncing off the ropes to pin Austin. After all of that trash talk, Austin couldn't back it up in the ring. The Stone Cold brand took a hit... But lucky for us, the WWE wasn't done with Austin being an antagonist... He cheated HARD during the Rumble match for 1997 and sneak back into the ring after getting eliminated to toss everyone out and win the match! This infuriated Bret Hart and began taking him down the path of becoming a heel for 1997. After Shawn Michaels was unable to wrestle at Wrestlemania 13, it became logical to have Austin vs. Bret Hart in the famous submission match at Wrestlemania 13 which won "Match of the Year" almost everywhere that year despite it being on one of the worst Wrestlemania shows. Without the controversial win at Royal Rumble for Austin to get his heat back, who knows where Austin would be particularly for feuding with Bret Hart. Despite the Survivor Series 1996 loss, Austin's performance and booking at Royal Rumble 1997 and Wrestlemania 13 set Austin down the path to greatness. @ChrisssLoP: Just to recap…Austin’s 1998 victory came in at number 8 on our list, while his third Rumble victory didn’t even crack the top ten. So what made Austin’s first victory miles more significant than his other two? That’s because his Royal Rumble title shot landed The Rattlesnake in a Submission Match against WWE Champion Bret Hart at WrestleMania XIII – a match which many fans will point to as the unofficial kick-off to the most successful period in professional wrestling history: The Attitude Era. Despite Austin coming up short against The Submission Specialist in a match which did not close the show (SMH), many fans heralded Austin vs. Bret as one of the best WrestleMania matches of all-time, a sentiment which stands, almost twenty years later. Furthermore, the match saw a rare and unexpected double-turn with Austin gaining the crowd 100% behind him by match’s end, and Hart accepting his role as an antagonist. While one could argue that Austin’s WrestleMania match in ’97 was more impactful than his victory at the Royal Rumble, the match never would have happened had Austin lost at the January PPV. Without Austin vs. Bret ever taking place, who knows if there would have been a Stone Cold Steve Austin, or even an Attitude Era. #1 - "Nature Boy" Ric Flair - 1992 Royal Rumble @ChrisssLoP: If you thought Rey Mysterio had a gutsy performance at the 2006 Rumble, then you must never have watched the 1992 Rumble match. Unlike the majority of its successors, the ’92 Rumble did not have a WrestleMania world title shot awaiting the winner – rather, the Rumble was for the WWE Championship! Ric Flair entered at number three, and somehow, someway, made it to the very end (thanks to an assist from an eliminated Hulk Hogan) to win the match and the championship. Many critics will tell you that the 1992 Royal Rumble is the greatest version of the Rumble to date. I will not be the one to challenge that conception. Nowadays, superstars who enter the Rumble and last even half of Flair’s time (The Nature Boy spent over an hour in the match!) follow the same formula: arrive, hit some signatures/finishers, get knocked down, and do very little until their elimination (or win). But Flair fought the entire time he was out there, and it was truly a captivating performance. Flair may have made his name in the NWA and WCW prior to joining WWE, but he wasted no time bringing his star power and cementing his legendary status as a WWE wrestler. All things considered, both pre-, during, and post-Royal Rumble 1992, there is no one more deserving of the top spot on our countdown than The Nature Boy. Woooo! @TitoWrestling: Duh... Who else would have this position? Royal Rumble 1992 stands to be the Rumble that declared a NEW WWE Champion and it was amazing. WWE saw business dip during 1990-1991 and thus pulled out the checkbook to bring in many big superstars for that Rumble and hopefully the rest of 1992. Of course, more wrestlers left the WWE during 1992 than entered the Rumble, it appeared... WWE Title was declared vacant after controversial endings happened at Survivor Series 1991 and Tuesday at Texas 1991 Pay Per Views involving WWE Title matches between Hulk Hogan and the Undertaker. Meanwhile, the WWE just acquired the "Nature Boy" Ric Flair who was just fired from World Championship Wrestling. Ric Flair had major issues with WCW management who took Flair for granted and wanted a youth movement on its roster. Flair was fired before he could defend his Title and because Flair worked under the old NWA rules of making a deposit on the Big Gold Belt (I think it was $20,000 back then), Flair took his NWA/WCW Title to WWE upon his debut to brag up being the "real world champion". At Royal Rumble 1992, Ric Flair became the WWE Champion as well... In my opinion, Rumble 1992 legitimized Ric Flair's career. He had "been there and done that" with NWA/WCW and the question was could he draw in the Northeast. Well, 1992 had some pretty good business with Ric Flair as WWE Champion and Wrestlemania 8 was a great show. Though we didn't get the much anticipated Ric Flair vs. Hulk Hogan "dream match" (besides houseshows), Flair had a great WWE run. 2 of his 16 World Titles are from the WWE and the fact that he won that 1992 Rumble match despite the amazing talent roster competing in that match at that time is downright amazing. Flair did it by drawing the #3 position, too, and lasting around an hour. Rumble 1992 continues to be assessed as having the best Rumble match of all time. Someone like Sting should have taken note because he's down several notches on the "best ever" list because he refused to join WWE. Ric Flair did, albeit it by being fired, and because of his WWE success on top of his NWA/WCW success, Flair is certainly in that "best ever" discussion. Whooooo! Follow Chrisss on Twitter.com: @ChrisssLoP Follow Mr. Tito on Twitter.com: @TitoWrestling © LordsofPain.net/WrestlingHeadlines.com - 1998-2015
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