Original subtitles

You know that feeling we all get when WWE is totally awesome?

That feeling of fun, nostalgia, the memories that made

you a lifelong fan.

Like the most awesome Royal Rumble moments of all time.

From legends who overcame the odds to the

superstars that set stunning new records.

Don't call this on the WrestleMania!

Witness history being made. What? Both the defiant. The first woman ever to

enter the Royal Rumble match.

And the dubious.

Oh, what?

Good Lord!

And was he ready?

Start the countdown.

Oh, my God!

My God!

It is now time.

To celebrate the match that brings us together.

and to our feet to chant in unison, This is

Awesome!

What's

up,

everybody? Welcome to a new season of This is Awesome, the only show that

celebrates the most awesome everything.

Then, now, forever, and together.

I'm your host, Greg Miller, at GameOverGregie on Twitter and Instagram.

not adjust your screen. We are back in a brand new studio here at Kind of Funny

Studios in San Francisco, California.

We have it all. There's fancy new screen.

There's a fancy new floor. Fancy smoke machine. Pyro? Maybe.

But wait for it, all right? Rest assured, everything's here. You're going

have a good time. But you saw the old, ruggedly handsome host. That's me. And

today, I want to kick things off with a celebration of everyone's favorite

match, the Royal Rumble. Cue the buzzer.

Ladies and gentlemen, that sound is pure nostalgia for its signal the countdown

is on.

It's a match that's seen over 1 ,000 participants compete.

and countless memories and moments created.

It is by far the most fun match of the year where anything, and I mean

can happen.

Six, five, four, three,

two, one.

What? The Royal Rumble is such an important event.

There's a chance to showcase your potential.

Welcome to the Royal Rumble.

The Royal Rumble. I don't understand the Royal Rumble.

You don't understand? Nobody's made it clear to me yet.

The individuals who are numbers one and two will enter this ring. Then, every

two minutes thereafter, another superstar enters the ring.

It was a legalized run -in is what it was.

Elimination occurs when an individual is thrown over the top rope, but both

feet.

So I think the thing about the Royal Rumble, of why everybody wants to be in

why it's so special, why it's so captivating, is the mystery.

And you never know who's going to be next. So the excitement

keeps rolling in and the surprises are one after another.

And I walked through the curtain, and I got hit with a wall of sounds that I had

never experienced in my career before.

Oh, yeah!

In the first ever Women's Royal Rumble, I was the first to prize.

Oh, double lead assault!

You can get newer people coming in.

From NXT, Damian Priest!

I felt like my legs weren't going to work.

You can get the legends coming back.

Big Daddy Cool Diesel!

You think you know me?

Oh my!

Edge is here!

That will end up being, I think, probably my greatest memory as a

in wrestling.

The only way to really put it into words is to look at my eyes.

As it's happening.

Now this is a Royal Rumble moment.

The Royal Rumble has created so many unpredictable moments that people have

never seen before.

What an incredible array of talent in the ring right now.

The clash of generations.

It is partner against partner.

And they are going at each other.

Band of offense for the Bellas. Face down goes Bianca Belair.

That's what makes the Rumble food fun.

I know you do great.

Take five.

Thank you, man. Thank you very much, Mr. Bishop.

Guerrero. Guerrero!

Guerrero!

Guerrero's still my number!

The Royal Rumble, you know, it's just a fun chaos.

He gets his jack and JBL, look at that, JBL!

What the... If I could have got my cufflinks off.

I think I would have won the Royal Rumble.

Mr. Sacco, the Cobra.

Whoa, wait a minute.

They're locking up.

That was the equivalent of Floyd Mayweather versus Manny Pacquiao.

This is the Royal Rumble.

Yeah, man.

I taught my dad those steps, man.

Two to the left, two to the right, two to the back, and come on up front and

shake it till it's tight.

Beth Phoenix has eliminated the great Khali.

Hurricane must think he's the Undertaker.

Thank God Drew Carey is wearing black pants.

I think R2 thinks this is a ladder match.

He does not look happy and that's not a shocker.

I can't believe what I just saw.

The greatest Royal Rumble entrance in the history of the WWE.

Oh my God.

Look at this monster.

1994, Big Daddy Cool Diesel came in and he cleaned house on everyone.

I've never seen anybody control the ring like this.

There have been so many memorable Rumble performances.

Becky Lynch is in the women's Royal Rumble match.

Becky did it. Becky did it. Roman Reigns sets a new record for most eliminations

in a Royal Rumble match.

We are down to two men.

Everybody in this arena standing up and feeling it.

This is something you tell your kids about.

Never before in history has the WWE champion declared that he would enter

Royal Rumble match at number one.

You got to know you got to do when you walk in first in the chair.

Oh, yeah. Drew McIntyre.

Claymore kick. Lesnar eliminated.

Having the opportunity to eliminate Brock Lesnar after such.

A dominant performance.

And win the Royal Rumble in front of 40 ,000 people.

That really took me to the next level.

Winning the Royal Rumble is a landmark achievement.

Winning the Royal Rumble is like winning a world title.

It's one of those things that people never forget.

You can make a brand -new star out of absolutely nothing.

The stakes are high. Whoever wins it goes on to WrestleMania to face a

champion of their choosing.

No! Seamus is going to WrestleMania!

Got to have that dogging. What are you willing to do with a taste? Go for the

ultimate prize, the Mania point.

Oscar Brock Lefster.

Dang it, I love the Rumble.

Perfectly, perfectly said, Montez.

And you're in good company here, my friend. So, just to recap. In the Royal

Rumble, 30 superstars randomly draw numbers with one being the first to

the ring and 30 obviously being the last.

Now. Drawing number one is usually considered extremely

unlucky as you then have to outlast the next 29 competitors to win. It's not an

easy feat.

But one cocky, conceited, self -proclaimed heartthrob strolled into the

in 1995 with seemingly no worries at all.

And perhaps luck was on his side as one very famous Baywatch beauty was in his

cheering section.

After the Royal Rumble, when the heartbreak kid is the last man standing,

they're not only going to like me, they're going to love me.

1995, we had one of the greatest rosters of all time, and Sean was just simply

better than everybody else.

Let us all find out who drew.

It's the luck of the draw, and Shawn Michaels very unlucky here tonight.

Here is the man who drew number two.

The British Bulldog. You can bet Shawn Michaels won't be going to WrestleMania.

Has anybody ever gone in number one and won it?

No. Over the top. Over the top. Throw him over the top.

What?

No friends.

Everyone's an enemy in there.

The two individuals who began the Royal Rumble are the only two in there right

now.

There's the lady who's going to escort the winner to WrestleMania.

Anywhere Pamela Anderson went at that time, people were watching. Pamela

Anderson was the hottest actress in Hollywood at the time. She was on all

magazine covers. She was on Baywatch. She was on everything.

Michael is still in there. People wanted him thrown out immediately when he came

in. And then when they saw him fighting and hanging on to dear life, this

strange thing happened where people began to root for him.

See you later, Sean!

See ya!

Listen, Michael's saving himself.

Shawn Michaels and Davey Boy Smith, British Bulldog, are the final two. It

amazing. It's history in the making.

Michaels! Michaels!

Shawn,

out of sheer athleticism, only has one foot touch the floor. And as everyone

knows, two feet.

Have a touch of the floor. The British Bulldog will go to Reptomania.

Wait just a minute.

Only one of Shawn Michaels' feet hits the floor. The winner of the

1995 Royal...

Outbreak Kid became the first superstar in history to enter the Royal Rumble at

number one and win.

But I'm thinking he may have enjoyed the photo op with Pam Anderson a tad more

than the victory itself. What do you think?

I assure you I'm doing this. My pants would not hold up for the Shawn Michaels

splits. I apologize.

Anyway, let's pay homage to another Royal Rumble legend who also saw the

stacked against him as the third entry, but for higher stakes.

For the first time ever, the winner of the 1992 Royal Rumble would be awarded

the coveted World Heavyweight Championship, which was vacant at the

the nature boy himself was ready to go all night long.

Woo!

The real world champion, Ric Flair!

Ric Flair showed up to WWE, proclaiming himself the real world champion.

It's Ric Flair, the real world heavyweight champion.

I went to the WWE.

It was a big deal. The mecca at that point in time in my career.

As Nate paraded around claiming to be the best, he'd have a chance to put his

money where his mouth was at the 1992 Royal Rumble.

That Royal Rumble, it wasn't for a title match at WrestleMania. It was for the

title. When you have the World Heavyweight Championship on the line,

do not get any bigger than that.

It is now time for the Royal Rumble!

Oh, no!

Oh, no!

Vivianne Lizardana!

Quickly, Bulldog takes care of business, and now we don't know who's coming out

number three.

Ric Flair comes out at number three.

Number three, outside of numbers one and two, not the best spot.

Never before in the history of the Royal Rumble has anyone who has drawn numbers

one through five been there at the end. Oh, shut up!

Bobby Heenan and Gorilla are on commentary.

Keep a light shut. I gotta see where Flair is at all times.

Bobby Heenan is literally melting on commentary.

I never thought I'd say this, but thank you, Roddy.

I need oxygen.

Well, you no good creep.

Nobody wanted Ric Flair to win that match, but Bobby Heenan throughout the

entire way was his biggest cheerleader.

Let's do all the work. Over in the corner and rest.

Oh, come on, Ric.

Please let him win it. Please.

I'm sorry for everything I've done, everything I've said.

Please let him win it. Will you stop begging?

I didn't get tired.

I just didn't think about the dehydration of all things, right?

You're going to have to kill him to get him out of this ring.

How long has he been in now? In excess of 55 minutes given the title. That's

good enough for me. No, I'm not giving him the title.

This is not fair to a player.

Getting down to the nitty gritty here in the Royal Rumble.

Towards the end, Sid Justice turned on his friend.

Hulk Hogan.

We can't believe it. We're left with Sid

Justice and Ric Flair in the ring.

Ultimate good guy, Hulk Hogan, in jealous rage, helped Ric Flair hold Sid

Justice over the top rope.

And Ric Flair is announced as the new WWE champion.

The new World Wrestling Federation champion, Ric Flair.

I just want, God, this is too cool.

With a tear in my eye.

With a tear in his eye. Everyone remembers that interview.

Everyone. With a tear in my eye.

With a tear in my eye.

This is the greatest moment in my life.

It was a really fun ride for fans to take. That rumble is often revered as

greatest Royal Rumble because of what Ric Flair was able to do.

And y 'all, say homage to the man.

I seriously do have a tear in my eye as well. A legendary performance by the

Nature Boy, and I feel like Bobby the Brain, he deserves some sort of award

that commentating, right?

My hero, ladies and gentlemen. I modeled my whole life after the weasel.

Anyway, the Royal Rumble is fun and historic for a variety of reasons, and

them are the many firsts we witnessed.

Like in 1999, when a trailblazing superstar... appropriately named the

wonder of the world, punched her ticket into the rumble, becoming the first

female ever to compete in the match.

The ninth wonder of the world is an extraordinary human being, an amazing

athlete. I very much see myself as the female Terminator, as a woman who pulls

her own in the ring and go out there and kick ass.

I was always scared of her.

You saw her and she was like...

She's a specimen.

She called herself the ninth wonder of the world.

But she truly was.

China is number 30 in the world!

A woman threw me out!

It's every man for himself.

And woman.

In 1999, we see the first woman in the Royal Rumble.

in the form of the ninth wonder of the world, China.

Making WWF history!

The first woman ever to enter the Royal Rumble match!

China has made her impact known via taking out men twice her size all

over the roster. But this time, China gets in the ring and goes toe -to -toe

with the entire locker room.

Look at this!

and march henry now china taking it to march henry being the first woman to

answer the royal rumble everyone wanted to see her overcome all the odds when

she got introduced it was kind of a wow she's beating up the guys nobody had

really done that before and there goes mark henry how did she do that

eliminating mark henry the world's strongest man is no easy task so that

to not only what she was able to accomplish in that Royal Rumble, but the

she was able to create.

China was a woman far, far ahead

of her time. It was almost two decades later that we would have an entire

woman's Royal Rumble.

Do you people want to see these women make history once again?

And I know that she would be so honored to know that she helped lay the

groundwork for what's now one of the most exciting events of the year.

Though Chyna would come up short at the Rumble, she solidified her place on the

male -dominated roster by beating Jeff Jarrett, ha -ha, double J, later that

year for the Intercontinental Championship.

She was an icon of the Attitude Era and a true pioneer.

Much respect to the ninth wonder of the world, China.

Now, speaking of women who kick my ass, let's talk about the ESP of WWE entering

the Women's Royal Rumble in 2021 as a bona fide star on the rise.

But by the end of the night, Bianca Belair has thrust herself firmly into

spotlight of superstardom.

The following is the 30 -woman Royal Rumble match.

The day of the Royal Rumble, I knew that it was my time to shine, and I had to

deliver.

Bianca Belair, I guarantee you, she's a future women's champion.

At that time, Bianca wasn't the Bianca that we know now.

She has really come into her own, and she's really become a star.

Back then, she was still fighting with Twitter.

People see the end result.

They see where she is now.

Raw Women's Champion, SmackDown Women's Champion. You see all these accolades

and things that happens overnight.

But you have to sacrifice a lot of things in your life to obtain this high

of performance.

That's what it takes.

So here we go. Who is number three in the 2021 Women's Royal Rumble?

The EST of WWE, Bianca Belair. Coming in at number three. It's different than

coming in at number 30.

Look out!

Raw athleticism.

Somebody that comes in at number three, they've been in there at least 40

minutes to an hour.

Bianca Belair, who's been in this match ever since position number three.

If anyone can...

almost wrestle an hour, it's Bianca. Oh, and look at Bianca Belair in a

dangerous spot. Oh, very dangerous.

You know that saying you can't skip leg day? Well, guess what? You can't skip ab

day either.

You can't pull that off without having a core.

Rock solid.

Bianca continuing to fight everybody off. Can't you ask for our predictions?

going to put my money on Bianca Belair.

Oh, and Bianca Belair eliminates Natalya.

Now it's not about how long you've been in here, how tired you feel. It's all

about getting to WrestleMania.

Bianca Belair, Rhea Ripley, two women who are absolutely the future of our

business.

Whoa!

Over 56 minutes, the women's record has been set by Bianca Belair.

She won the Royal Rumble, man.

The freaking Royal Rumble.

I won.

I've been telling everybody that I'm the strongest and I'm the fastest.

I'm the roughest, I'm the toughest, I'm the quickest, I'm the best.

But tonight, I showed everybody.

No one can do what Bianca Belair does in that ring.

generational and after everything i won the women's royal rumbles

like she's in the history books man i

think

she's

amazing man she really is

And that she did. Just months later, Bianca would defeat Sasha Banks at

WrestleMania for the SmackDown Women's title. A one -of -a -kind talent who

seems to just be getting started.

Now, our next superstar, he's created an unforgettable Rumble moment after

unforgettable Rumble moment with a different kind of talent.

Part Houdini, part Simone Biles, Kofi Kingston has made it somewhat of a

tradition to escape and evade elimination from various Royal Rumbles

most... Unbelievable, athletically impressive, odds -defying, and creative

Survival is the name of the game, and no one makes it more fun to watch than

this guy.

This is the Royal Rumble Match!

One of my favorite parts about the Royal Rumble every year was how Kofi Kingston

was going to prevent himself from getting eliminated.

Whoa, look at this!

Miz is in trouble.

Oh, my God.

Oh. Kofi still alive.

Hands on the floor. Remember, both feet have to hit the floor. Oh, look at this.

Look at this. Oh, my God. Look at this.

Are you kidding me? Kofi Kingston, what a move.

He used his hand to do a handstand to walk all the way to the stairs.

That has got to be the greatest thing I've ever seen in a Royal Rumble match.

He's like those toys you play as a kid. You would drop it, and you would think

it would topple over, but it would pop back up. That's Kofi Kingston in the

right room.

And now Kofi Kingston.

Kingston, wait a minute. Oh, no, he still is. The right foot did not hit the

floor. Xavier Woods with a save.

And now Big E with a plate of pancakes.

This is amazing.

Pancake power.

This is now one of the things that you look forward to.

And Kingston caught by Rusev.

What's he going to do with it?

He's going to take out his frustrations on Kingston.

Kofi Kingston went over the top rope, guys, but remember, he's not been

eliminated.

I can remember him walking on the guardrail.

I don't think you can fly.

I can't fly. This is impossible.

Kofi Kingston. You've got to be kidding me.

Oh, my God.

How far is that?

Kingston's a rumble highlight reel.

There's no way I could have did that. No. He's just always got these unique

of staying alive in this match where it's so important that you stay in the

ring. Oh!

Kofi's on the ground.

God dang it, Kofi. How you doing this?

Kofi Kingston survives again. Those idiot rosebuds.

How stupid can they be?

I don't want to divide it up between athleticism or creativity because this

like in the moment.

You're sinking, you're being creative, and you've got to be athletic.

Kofi's still in it!

I don't have a favorite. I always just come up with something and leave it on

the people to rank them, and it's also for me.

You know what I mean? Just to see if I can defy the odds.

Oh, my God! Kofi!

His feet are dangling a couple feet from the floor, and I'm trying to eliminate

him for everything I've got, and he just has that ability to continue to fight.

I can't believe Kofi doesn't have a few broken ribs after filling down onto the

top of the ring post like that. And now Kofi, trouble in paradise!

You know, it didn't work out well for me because I got kicked in the head right

after, but everything he does in the rumble and outside the rumble is pretty

impressive.

And look at Ziegler trying to eliminate Kofi. What in the world?

Kofi just landed on Tensai's back.

Kofi's still alive.

They got to get Tensai out of here.

Kofi Kingston borrowed my chair.

This is going to be good.

I got to see this.

Kind of bothered me because I have a bad back.

What is he doing? Kofi Kingston has not been eliminated.

I love it.

This is awesome.

I worked at Staples, so I know all about, like, ergonomic chairs. There's a

underneath that you can push the bar in, and the chair won't move. So sure

enough, like, I push it in, and now I'm, like, you know, hopping around.

Kofi Kingston, give the assist to Bradshaw.

That's the craziest thing I've ever seen. I can't believe it.

Kofi's still in the Rumble.

Now give me my chair back.

Kofi, what's he going to do this year? It's different every year.

Is Kofi still alive?

But it's very much a staple of the Rumble.

To watch the Rumble just to see how Kofi won't get eliminated is a testament to

how over he is with the WWE Universe.

You gotta love it. And though Kofi's crazy tactics so far haven't led to a

victory, he is undeniably one of the greatest Rumble competitors of all time.

Speaking of greats, our next Rumble moment comes compliments of a 16 -time

champion. He's known for his superhuman strength and crazy resilience, but his

appearance in 2008 was nothing short of miraculous.

Hands down, the best spot to enter the Rumble is at number 30.

Not only is lucky number 30 the freshest, but at an advantage due to the

of surprise.

As no one could have seen this superstar's return, at the world's most

arena. So 2008, Madison Square Garden. Here comes number 30.

Who's number 30?

Buzzer goes off.

What? Wait a minute.

What the hell?

Oh, my God.

It's John Cena.

He was sitting like this.

And he looked up and he smiled, and Triple H was the only one standing in

ring.

I've never heard anything that was louder.

The roof is exploding off of Madison Square Garden.

John Cena, the 30th entrance in the Royal Rumble match.

This is amazing because he was three months removed from tearing his peck.

Cena's helpless.

Oh, for God's sakes. My God almighty.

I remember when John Cena got injured. I can still picture the clip of him there

holding his shoulder after tearing his pec.

He was supposed to be out for a year, and he's back in three months.

I had no idea at the time that John Cena was even close to coming back. No one

did. This was, I think, one of the best -kept secrets in WWE, and it showed.

Triple H's expression told the entire story.

No human being should recover like that. Cena's superhuman.

He rehabbed and rehabbed and rehabbed, and he came back in a fraction of the

time. It takes a normal man.

I made extreme gains very fast and called everybody up and was like, hey, I

think I'm ready to go.

He came out as number 30. I was blown away. I could not believe that a man

that, with that injury, could somehow return in time.

Being in the Royal Rumble and coming out number 30, I don't care who was in the

ring. Cena!

I'm right to the biggest man, Mark Henry!

Look, it's Cena!

He looked in great shape, he came out all fired up. It was like that injury

never happened.

This is just picked up! It's go time!

Cena's a little nice! No way!

Cena had one superstar left to go through, Triple H.

What a cool moment that was in Madison Square Garden.

You can exceed expectations.

You don't necessarily have to be married to the ideas that other people place

upon you.

So John wins a Royal Rumble and then points to the scar of where the surgery

his pec was.

That's why we say John Cena is the Superman of the WWE.

Superman, indeed.

The Madison Square Garden Foundation is still shaking to this day. It was one of

the best -kept surprises in WWE history, if you ask me. And you're watching my

show, so there you go.

Now, more sentimental than surprising is this next rumble in 2006, when Rey

Mysterio entered at number two, in pretty sweet fashion, I must say, and

dedicated his appearance to his best friend, WWE Hall of Famer Eddie

who had tragically passed away a couple months prior.

Maybe he was channeling Latino Heat because the surprises did come as Ray

go on to give the performance of a lifetime.

For the 19th consecutive year, the road to WrestleMania begins at the Royal

Rumble. And now the question is, who will Triple H face off with in the first

seconds of the Rumble matchup? Think about it. Number two is just as tough as

number one because two people have to start.

If you're one or two, you're screwed.

You have to pace yourself, but it's such a difficult pace.

Ray Mysterio!

Latino Heat is alive and well! Look at this!

I love how swaggy he pulled up in remembrance of the late, great Eddie

Ray Mysterio dedicated a victory in the Royal Rumble matchup to his late friend,

Eddie Guerrero, and paying homage to Eddie tonight in a low rider.

They loved each other.

Eddie loved Ray Mysterio. Ray loved Eddie, obviously, as well.

He didn't want to hang down. He wanted to get you up and, hey, the show goes

No matter what, the show goes on.

Ray Mysterio's got to survive for 60 minutes.

Right now, he just needs to concentrate on surviving Triple H.

With Eddie's passing, I think everyone in the building wanted to see Ray win.

Everyone wanted to see him accomplish that. It created such a special

atmosphere.

Everybody's got a lot of heart in here, but heart is not always necessarily

measured by how big you are. Ray Mysterio is a testament to that.

There's a lot of times throughout the match that I had to lay low and take

cover.

Out of that, mistakes happen.

Oh, right!

Hang it on!

Yes, he did!

Mysterio hangs on again!

A close call!

The longer the rumble went on, the more fans just got behind Ray Mysterio.

16 ,000 strong here at the American Airlines Arena.

Channing the name of Eddie Guerrero, trying to will Ray Mysterio on.

By the time we got down to the final three, the crowd was on the edge of

seats for Ray.

This Royal Rumble matchup has been going for one hour. And Ray and Triple H have

been in it from the beginning.

To

endure

as long as Ray did in the Rumble for that match.

I know a lot of guys 10 times bigger than Ray that wouldn't be able to do it.

But he did.

We're parading around with Mysterio and Rey. Rey hanging on to the top rope.

Rey hanging on for dear life here. Whoa, whoa, whoa. Mysterio. He did it. He did

it. He did it. He did it. No way.

Rey Mysterio did it.

Rey Mysterio. Here's your winner, Rey Mysterio. Rey

Mysterio is going to WrestleMania.

Rey Mysterio, Ultimate Underdog. What a special moment.

Going out there and winning

the Royal Rumble, getting a ticket, a shot at WrestleMania.

There's no better way to pay homage for someone.

Rey Mysterio dedicating this matchup to Eddie Guerrero. He wrestled over an

hour, and Rey Mysterio has won the 2006 Royal Rumble match.

Rey Mysterio holds the record at 62 -12 for longest time in the Royal Rumble

match. For him to last that long and to overcome all those odds to make that

happen, especially in Eddie's name, gives you goosebumps when you think

it.

It was not just one person, it was two.

Couldn't see the other one, but he knew he was there.

Yes, I've got goosebumps as well, and it's easy to see why. I mean, Rey takes

out... two world champions in the closing moments of the match, and sets

record for the longest amount of time in the Rumble?

Underdog no more, my friend.

Underdog no more.

Our next superstar also set a record for time in the match, but not quite the

kind of record you're going to be bragging about to friends and family or

to be remembered about in the history book.

Enjoy this one, people. Just make sure you're ready.

The Royal Rumble matchup, the most exciting 60 minutes in the history of

entertainment. It takes a very durable guy or gal to get in there and go the

distance in a Royal Rumble.

You got to make sure the cardio is right. There's 29 other people you got

compete with.

But there's always somebody that just gets.

eliminated it super quick. That's exactly right. And for 20 years, the

held the record for the shortest amount of time in a Royal Rumble match at just

two seconds. There's the beat and there goes the beat!

Warlord out of there!

But in 2009, one superstar was ready to break it. This year, I was determined to

make an impact.

Oh no!

The King!

the unibrow.

Big moment in the Royal Rumble. Power walk in his way. Roll into the ring.

He was so excited.

He was so confident.

Oh! Good lord!

What the?

He slides in and gets clotheslined right back out.

In one second.

Let's see how many times they're ahead. 1 ,001?

That's a better record!

He sets the record at one second, which will probably never be broken.

I wasn't ready.

I wasn't ready. As he's screaming, I wasn't ready. I couldn't help but think

had to have been ready.

As you know, we have months to prepare for this. No, I wasn't ready. No.

What do you mean you weren't ready? You know the rumble's coming up. Everybody's

talked about it. You know you're in it.

He wasn't ready. He thought he was going to get in the ring. He was going to do

a little stretching. He was going to get ready because I talked to him about

this at length.

Earlier that day, I'm in catering. I need some chicken, some protein.

And Kane was going for the same chicken.

But my fork was faster.

So I grabbed the chicken. I said, ha -ha, too slow.

It should be faster.

Then when my chance for the Royal Rumble, I get up.

Who's there?

Kane. With a big clothesline over the rope.

He says, how's that for being fast?

And I said, you son of a gun.

And no re -dos, Santino!

I wasn't ready.

Santino may have gone in a record book, but not in the way he would have liked.

History is history.

No matter what kind of history it is, it's history.

You're going to be remembered forever.

I watch it back on film already.

Santino went out there and in one second made an impact. It's impressive.

He was in there for one second, and that will always be played every Royal

Rumble as long as there's a Royal Rumble.

I don't know if I'll ever be ready.

An absolute classic.

I love that his entrance music was still playing when his feet touched the

ground. It's fitting for one of my absolute all -time... I mean...

Legends, in my eyes, the Milan miracle.

Now, dubious moments are as much a part of the magic of the Royal Rumble as

anything else, which brings me to the first ever male Tough Enough winner,

Maven, who in 2002 would cross paths with Big Evil himself, The Undertaker.

we all know, if there's one thing the dead man is known for, it's making

famous.

Do you remember when Maven eliminated Undertaker in 2002?

No. Nope, okay.

But really, that happened?

Yeah.

2002 Royal Rumble, the Undertaker is in there. He's the American badass.

And he's a force to be reckoned with.

Goldust eliminated by the evil Undertaker here.

Taking name, cleaning house.

Undertaker, fracking whatever's breathing.

Well, wait a minute!

He may beat people now one at a time, King.

There's one thing I wouldn't want to be.

What's that, King? Next.

And then here comes Maven.

Oh, man.

What? Wait a minute.

For you all that do not know, Maven was one of the Tough Enough winners.

We have a bunch of contestants come in, and we'll all compete to see who will be

the next WWE superstar.

And the champion is Maven.

You know, a year ago, I had just a dream. I could not have wrote this

better than what it turned out.

That's what helped catapult Maven into being where he was at.

This is Maven, a very raw rookie.

Undertaker, one of the favorites going into the Royal Rumble. You have this

young kid from Tough Enough. It's like Buster Douglas and Mike Tyson.

You're Maven. You're coming out there. You've got to make a statement. You've

got to show that you're here to play. You have a watch on.

Undertaker being Undertaker, he was on a roll of just beating people up.

Finally, some of the dudes that he eliminated had enough and said, nah,

ain't letting this dude win, so we just going chompy.

Jeff Hardy and Matt Hardy, they're back in now trying to get some retribution

from the Undertaker. But Undertaker gets the better of it.

Referees, make yourself useful. There went Jeff Hardy.

And then in a moment that shocked the world.

That

arena

is shocked.

You heard me right.

Undertaker is shocked.

Maven was even shocked.

That is the biggest shocker I've ever seen.

At that moment, I'm pretty sure I was not alone when I said, oh, no, Maven,

you're dead now.

His head just looked like Dick. It just turned from this way all the way to this

way. You may have made the biggest mistake of your young life.

Undertaker absolutely beat the hell out of me.

Now the Undertaker going to extract some revenge.

Hitting him with a chair.

Beating them up through the concession stands in the arena?

This is thick and vile. He even smashes his head through a popcorn maker.

Oh, look!

He got Orville Redenbacher'd!

Would you take a beating from The Undertaker to have on your resume that

eliminated The Undertaker in the Royal Rumble? If the... The Undertaker may

just ended this young kid's career!

Ah, you may take it. You may take it.

No, no, not me.

I would not take it. I'm fine right here in my cozy California studio.

I don't need that on a resume. I'm good. Thank you very much.

Now, up next, a legendary superstar with an identity crisis. Who would make

history by entering the Royal Rumble three times in one night? Yes, you heard

right. Three times in one night.

Ladies and gentlemen.

It is now time for the 1998 Royal Rumble

match.

One of the most entertaining rumbles for me was in 1998 when we got to see one

man put three different characters.

Three faces of Foley in the 1998 Royal Rumble. Unheard of.

So Cactus Jack is the hardcore legend.

Cactus Jack is as rough as it gets.

And his resume speaks for itself.

Then here comes mankind.

Mankind has a screw loose for sure. You don't know what kind of mankind you're

going to get. Is mankind going to be happy? Is mankind going to be deranged?

You think mankind cares if he goes to the hospital?

And then.

The completely opposite side of the spectrum.

Ladies, man, do love.

He's a chick magnet!

Wants a good time, wants to party, wants to dance. All about peace and love.

All three of them, incredibly different.

But also, I wouldn't want to try to throw them out of the Royal Rumble. And

let's find out who drew number one!

Ladies and gentlemen, from Truth or Consequences, New Mexico,

that is the end.

So this is brilliant. This might be the smartest tactic in a Royal Rumble. If

you come out as three different people, is it allowed? Is it not allowed?

Look out! There goes practice Jack! He's out!

It happened.

So will some people have a problem with it? Maybe.

Wait a minute.

Yeah. Oh, my gosh. This ain't right.

Wait, I'm a little confused here.

When he came back out as mankind, it was a moment like, ah, there's a loophole

there. He's exploiting something at the Royal Rumble.

Mankind has been eliminated by gold dust.

Every time he got eliminated, he came back as the next character. Yeah, you're

out, mankind.

Beat it.

WWE Universe ate that up.

What the hell?

I don't believe it.

I don't want to believe it. Mrs. Foley's baby boy is pulling a triple hitter.

To this day, I have a real problem.

Not necessarily with Mick Foley, but with Dude Love. I hate.

Dude Love. Dude Love eliminated me and I was

probably the odds -on favorite to win the Royal Rumble that year.

This will never happen again because I don't believe any other superstar

in the WWE had three different memorable characters like Mick Foley had.

When you're gambling in the Royal Rumble and you're trying to get in there out

of 30 people, three is a lot better than one.

Good job, man. That's genius.

That's so genius, man. He came out as mankind, Cactus Jack, and Dude Love all

the same time.

Nobody would believe that somebody could be more than one person.

I agree, Elias.

It is hard to believe. And please, send my well wishes to your brother Zeke. I

hope his recovery is progressing along nicely.

Okay, last but certainly not least, the man, the myth, the legend,

hellbent on opening a can of whoop -ass on anybody who gets in his way.

This WWE Hall of Famer holds the record for the most Royal Rumble wins in

history. He is clearly in a league all his own.

Ladies and gentlemen, I give you...

than Texas rattlesnakes.

All I said I have to do when the bell rings is whip somebody's

and you ain't gonna like how I do it, but I'm damn sure gonna get the

I've been fortunate to win three -roll rumble, but 1997, that would be my

favorite.

Very soon, someone else will be joining the fray.

Don't call Steve Austin! Uh -oh.

It's a bad man right there. The 1997 Royal Rumble, it felt like it was going

be Stone Cold Steve Austin's night. People are coming in. He's eliminating

one after another.

And once again, Stone Cold Steve Austin is picking them off one at a time.

1997 has probably the most gif -able moment in Royal Rumble history.

Stone Cold Steve Austin sitting on the rope and checking his watch.

because he's alone in the ring. He already eliminated everybody.

Especially awaiting for the next individual to come out.

That's a hit man, Hart. And so comes DeVos. That's slinging it out of the

Rumble. Oh, that's a hellfire at Brimstone when these two get together.

Oh, it's been eliminated.

Bret Hart eliminates me.

And the referees didn't see Stone Cold Steve Austin go down on the floor. So I

rolled back in, put the ice on the cake. I grabbed him and tossed him over Stone

Cold Steve Austin. There's a last man standing in the ring as the hitman hits

the ground. And I'm the winner.

That really showed the true colors of the rattlesnake.

ETA, man, don't trust anybody.

I think this was right in line with who Stone Cold Steve Austin was at the time.

and ultimately who he would go on to be, but certainly a controversial Royal

Rumble finish.

When it comes to the 1998 Royal Rumble, Stone Cold Steve Austin is going all out

and attacking anyone and everyone who's possibly associated with the Rumble, and

that obviously makes him a target for the other 29 to be like, let's get him.

You know, you got people gunning for you. As soon as they hear your music,

they're going to stop beating up whoever they was beating up. Oh, here he comes.

Austin came from the crowd.

Bam, bop.

That can do.

Stone cold. It's like a man possessed.

My day was a fun day at the office as well, because anytime The Rock and I are

in the ring, something good is going to happen.

Jabs that pump bag. Oh, bam.

Knock him out real quick.

He comes back up. I hit him with the stunner.

Boom.

There I was on my way to the main event at WrestleMania.

Fast forward to 2001.

Stone Cold Steve Austin attempting to be the very first superstar to win three

Rumbles.

My last Royal Rumble to eliminate.

One of the biggest, strongest, most impressive WWE superstars in history.

Hey, good day at the office.

Talk about a hat trick. He got it.

Winning three Royal Rumbles is like legit going to the Super Bowl

in like a span of four to five years.

It's unheard of.

If you've been in a Royal Rumble with Stone Cold, you most likely got a mud

stomped in your... I'm surprised he didn't win it four.

Because Stone Cold was simply that good.

That's my salute to Stone Cold Steve Austin.

One of the greatest WWE superstars of all time, Stone Cold has given us so

iconic moments. He did what he wanted, when he wanted, and we all love him for

that. We hope you've enjoyed this episode and this look back at the most

Royal Rumble moments of all time.

It's an event like no other, all right? It's a roller coaster of surprises,

unpredictability, and just pure fun, and no better way to kick off the wild ride

to the grandest stage of them all, WrestleMania.

Thank you for joining me, because I've been your host, Greg Miller. And until

next time, it's been my pleasure to serve you.

We didn't forget about the fog machines, did you?

On the next This is Awesome, the most awesome moments in Raw history.

From its epic arrival to

becoming must -see TV.

Relive the revolution.

And savor the sweetest and the most shocking.

Are you kidding me?

Celebrate 30 years of primetime's longest running party. Only on the

next This Is Awesome.

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