The 1994 Royal Rumble was the first Royal Rumble to take place in the New Generation Era. For the second consecutive year, the winner of the Royal Rumble match earned the right to face the WWE Champion at WrestleMania, so there was a huge importance to winning the Rumble. The WWE Championship, Intercontinental Championship, and WWE World Tag Team Championship were all defended at the 1994 Royal Rumble.

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Several feuds for WrestleMania 10 were set up at the Royal Rumble, and several firsts happened at this edition of the Royal Rumble. Nevertheless, the 1994 Royal Rumble was a solid event, and some facts about the Rumble completely went over the fans' heads.

10 Owen Hart Betrayed Bret Hart

The Quebecers v Owen Hart & Bret Hart Royal Rumble 1994 Cropped

In the second match of the night, Owen Hart and his older brother Bret challenged the Quebecers for the WWE World Tag Team Championship. Despite the tension between the brothers, this was a fantastic Tag Team Championship bout that is barely spoken about.

The Hitman's leg was injured in this bout which halted Bret from functioning at his very best. Bret was scheduled to compete in the Royal Rumble match, and it remained to be seen if he was fit enough to compete. Owen betrayed his brother by kicking him in his injured leg with the seeds planted for their WrestleMania 10 instant classic.

9 IRS' Intercontinental Championship Win Was Reversed

Razor Ramon v IRS Royal Rumble 1994 Cropped

IRS was a three-time WWE Tag Team Champion in his own right alongside Ted DiBiase, but he was looking for his first singles championship when he challenged Razor Ramon for the Intercontinental Championship. This was another underrated match on the card in a contest that went back and forth.

With the referee out of commission, the Bad Guy hit IRS with his briefcase but Shawn Michaels intervened by hitting Razor with a bogus Intercontinental Championship. IRS thought that he had won the title but another referee came out ensuring that the match would continue. Ramon retained the gold, and he went on to face Shawn Michaels for the Undisputed Intercontinental Championship in a ladder match at WrestleMania 10.

8 The Final Royal Rumble To Be Held On A Saturday For 29 Years

Royal Rumble 1994 Match Cropped

WWE's pay-per-views have been traditionally held on a Sunday but in 2022 a plethora have been held on a Saturday which seems to be the new normal day to hold pay-per-views. The Royal Rumble is traditionally the first pay-per-view in January, and fans enjoy watching the Rumble.

The 1994 Royal Rumble was the final Rumble to be held on a Saturday for 29 years with the 2023 Royal Rumble in the Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas set to be the first Rumble since then to be held on a Saturday.

7 The WWE Championship Is Defended In A Casket Match For The First Time

The Undertaker v Yokozuna Royal Rumble 1994 Cropped

The rivalry between Yokozuna and The Undertaker began at Survivor Series 1993. Two months later, the pair clashed for Yokozuna's WWE Championship in a casket match. This was the second casket match in WWE history, and the first to take place at the Royal Rumble.

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It was also the first time that the WWE Championship was defended in a casket match. Undertaker dominated the bout, but a plethora of heels including the likes of Diesel, Jeff Jarrett, and the Headshrinkers among others interfered to aid Yokozuna in retaining the WWE Championship with Undertaker out of action until SummerSlam 1994.

6 Scott Steiner Was The Number One Entrant

The Steiner Brothers Royal Rumble 1994 Cropped

Scott Steiner competed in the Royal Rumble match for the first time in his career in 1994. Steiner had to take the scenic route if he was going to headline WrestleMania 10 as he was the number one entrant.

Steiner lasted nine minutes and he only registered one elimination which was Samu. Steiner had some backup with his brother Rick as the third entrant. There was a brief moment where the Steiner Brothers were the only two wrestlers in the ring but that changed with Kwang joining the fray. Nevertheless, Scott was one of Diesel's many victims in this Rumble, and he wouldn't enter another Rumble for a decade.

5 The First Royal Rumble Match To Have 90 Seconds Intervals

1994 Royal Rumble Match Cropped

The Royal Rumble match is the main selling point of the Royal Rumble, and it is arguably the most exciting match of the year. The first six Royal Rumble matches had two-minute intervals, but this was the first Royal Rumble to introduce 90-second intervals between entrances.

It made sense to shorten the time between entrances as there would be more competitors in the ring which keeps the fans engaged.

4 Diesel Registered The Most Eliminations

Diesel Royal Rumble 1994 Cropped

Diesel entered the Royal Rumble match as the seventh participant and he was a force to be reckoned with. This was Big Daddy Cool's maiden Royal Rumble appearance and he left a lasting impression despite not winning the Rumble.

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Diesel eliminated seven competitors which were the most in the Rumble that year. He removed Bart Gunn, Scott Steiner, Owen Hart, Kwang, Bob Backlund, Billy Gunn, and Virgil. What was impressive about his eliminations is that he eliminated all seven of them in succession. Nevertheless, his dominance was curtailed by five competitors who eliminated him over the top rope.

3 Bam Bam Bigelow Spent The Longest Time In The Royal Rumble Match

Bam Bam Bigelow Royal Rumble 1994 Cropped

Bam Bam Bigelow pulled double duty at the 1994 Royal Rumble. Bigelow lost to Tatanka in the curtain-raiser, and he was looking to put that disappointment behind him by winning the Royal Rumble match. Bigelow was the 15th entrant and no man spent longer than him in the match.

Bigelow lasted 30 minutes, and he removed five wrestlers from the match to boot. He got revenge by eliminating Tatanka and Doink the Clown. He contributed to the elimination of Diesel, Mabel, and Crush. One of the co-winners of the Rumble, Lex Luger ended Bigelow's hopes of winning the Rumble.

2 Shawn Michaels Was The Runner-Up

Shawn Michaels Royal Rumble 1994 Cropped

Shawn Michaels had an eventful night as he attempted to cost Razor Ramon the Intercontinental Championship, but he competed in the 1994 Royal Rumble match. Michaels was the 18th entrant which was a good time to join the Rumble.

Michaels almost lasted 30 minutes and he got the better of his former tag team partner Marty Jannetty by sending him over the top rope. He contributed to the removal of two big threats in Diesel and Mabel. Ultimately, Michaels was eliminated by one of the co-winners of the Royal Rumble, Lex Luger and he finished as the runner-up.

1 Co-Winners Of The Royal Rumble Match

Lex Luger & Bret Hart Royal Rumble 1994 Cropped

The 1994 Royal Rumble match had a strong field with the likes of Bret Hart, Owen Hart, Diesel, Lex Luger, Randy Savage, and Shawn Michaels among others competing in the match. The winner of the Rumble knew that they'd face Yokozuna for the WWE Championship at WrestleMania 10.

Bret, Luger, Michaels, and Fatu were the final four participants. Hart eliminated Fatu, and Luger hauled Michaels over the top rope. That left Luger and Hart to slug it out and the unthinkable happened when both went over the top rope simultaneously. There was tons of drama with Howard Finkel announcing with WWE President Jack Tunney entering the ring to watch the drama unfold. Both men were co-winners of the Royal Rumble match and they both challenged for the WWE Championship at WrestleMania 10. It was the only instance that something like this had occurred.