A lot of history was made at the 1993 Royal Rumble. It was the final Royal Rumble event in the Golden Era, and a yearly tradition began at this event, as far as the winner was concerned. The event was a transitional one as a plethora of talent on WWE's roster had gone by the time 1993 had come to an end.
As with the Royal Rumble, records are there to be shattered as several records were broken at the event. The in-ring action was a mixture of brilliant and underwhelming. The WWE and Intercontinental Championship matches were solid on the card. Nevertheless, there's a lot that went on at the 1993 Royal Rumble, and there are some facts that completely flew over WWE fans' heads.
10 Shawn Michaels Got One Over Marty Jannetty
A year after Shawn Michaels betrayed Marty Jannetty by putting his head through a glass window, the pair finally butted heads over Michaels' Intercontinental Championship at the Royal Rumble. Michaels' former manager the Sensational Sherri took a bird's eye view at ringside.
This was an outstanding wrestling match between the pair, and both had their chances to prevail. However, Sherri accidentally hit Jannetty with her shoe which was meant for Michaels. The Heartbreak Kid retained his championship after he put Jannetty away with his patented Sweet Chin Music.
9 The Steiner Brothers Made Their WWE PPV Debut
The Steiner Brothers (Rick and Scott) became one of the most popular tag teams in WWE history. They debuted in late 1992, but their first WWE pay-per-view appearance didn't come until the 1993 Royal Rumble. Their opponents were the Beverly Brothers (Beau and Blake).
This was the curtain-raiser, and it wasn't a mistake as it was an entertaining match between the two teams. Scott picked up the win with a Frankensteiner. 29 years later, Rick's son Bron Breakker, and Beau's son Von Wagner are going to be colliding over the NXT Championship.
8 Final WWE PPV With Bobby Heenan & Gorilla Monsoon On Commentary As A Duo
Arguably, Bobby Heenan and Gorilla Monsoon are the greatest commentary duo in the history of professional wrestling. Monsoon was the babyface, and he'd put Heenan in his place as the heel. Nevertheless, their chemistry together was brilliant to watch.
They commentated on seven consecutive WWE pay-per-views with the streak beginning at WrestleMania 7. The 1993 Royal Rumble was their final pay-per-view together as a tandem. Jim Ross joined WWE in WrestleMania 9 as a commentator and interviewer, and a year later Jerry "The King" Lawler began to commentate as did Mr. McMahon. Heenan departed WWE at the end of the year.
7 Razor Ramon Challenged For The WWE Championship In His First Singles WWE PPV Match
It's not uncommon for wrestlers to compete for a championship in their maiden singles match on a WWE pay-per-view. However, some have been fortunate enough to challenge for a World Championship in their maiden singles PPV match. That was exactly the case for Razor Ramon, who was looking to dethrone Bret Hart for the WWE Championship.
The Bad Guy had shown his qualities in his relatively short WWE career, and he pushed the Hitman to his limit in a magnificent championship bout. Ramon looked comfortable in a match of this magnitude, but he failed to take home the WWE Championship.
6 Ric Flair Carried On Where He Left Off
Ric Flair won the WWE Championship in the 1992 Royal Rumble match, and if he was going to become the second back-to-back Royal Rumble winner he'd have to take the scenic route as the number one entrant.
Flair lasted a little over 18 minutes, but he only registered one elimination and that was at Papa Shango's expense. The former two-time WWE Champion's quest of becoming a two-time Royal Rumble match winner was ended by Mr. Perfect.
5 Carlos Colon Competed In The Royal Rumble Match
A surprising edition in the 1993 Royal Rumble match was Carlos Colon. He was the 24th entrant and he only lasted a little over seven minutes. He mixed it up with the likes of Bob Backlund, Tatanka, Tito Santana, and Earthquake.
Colon eliminated Damien Demento from the Rumble but that's as good as it got for Colon. His journey to winning the Rumble was curtailed by the eventual winner Yokozuna.
4 Giant Gonzalez Makes His WWE Debut
The Undertaker entered mid-way through the Royal Rumble match as the 15th entrant. Undertaker was on a tear as he removed Ted DiBiase, Genichiro Tenryu, Samu, and the Berzerker from the Rumble. Unquestionably, the former WWE Champion was one of the favorites to emerge victorious.
Undertaker was going about his business smoothly but Giant Gonzalez made his WWE debut alongside Harvey Wippleman. Gonzalez wore an airbrushed outfit, and he towered over The Undertaker. He eliminated Undertaker from the Rumble, and the attack continued afterward.
3 Sixth Consecutive Year Where The Longevity Record Was Broken
The Royal Rumble match is all about records, and another record was broken for the sixth year in succession. Bob Backlund broke Ric Flair's record by staying in the Royal Rumble match for 1 hour, one minute, and 10 seconds which is a brilliant achievement.
The former WWE Champion eliminated Fatu and Rick Martel from the Rumble. Backlund wasn't seen as a contender, but he managed to reach the final four before the eventual winner Yokozuna eliminated him from the Rumble, but it was a valiant effort.
2 Yokozuna Eliminated The Most Competitors En Route To Victory
Yokozuna received a huge push when he made his WWE debut in late 1992, and the rocket was strapped to his back by the time the 1993 Royal Rumble came around. Yokozuna entered the Royal Rumble match from the favorable 27th position, and he was on a rampage.
Yokozuna registered four eliminations in succession by getting rid of Tatanka, Carlos Colon, Earthquake, and Tito Santana. His future tag team partner Owen Hart was a victim as was Backlund. Yokozuna hoisted Randy Savage over the top rope for his seventh and final elimination which was enough for him to win the Royal Rumble match.
1 A Yearly Tradition Began With The Winner Challenging For The World Championship At WrestleMania
Besides the 1992 Royal Rumble match which was for the WWE Championship, there wasn't anything meaningful for winning the Royal Rumble match. That all changed at the 1993 Royal Rumble, and it became a yearly tradition where the winner earned the right to face the reigning WWE Champion in the main event of WrestleMania.
Yokozuna and Bret Hart clashed for the WWE Championship at WrestleMania 9, after the Hitman successfully defended the title against Razor Ramon. Hart and Yokozuna had a confrontation backstage, and at WrestleMania 9, Yokozuna stunned Hart to become the youngest WWE Champion at the age of 26. He'd hold that record for five years until The Rock broke it at Survivor Series 1998.