5 greatest moments in WrestleMania for Royal Rumble match winners
A World Championship victory at Wrestlemania, the Grandest Stage of Them All, is every aspiring WWE superstar's dream. A Royal Rumble victory, being the road to main event WrestleMania, is the most electrifying moment in a Superstar's career.
Overcoming 30 men in a Royal Rumble match to remain the sole survivor in the ring can turn any superstar's career upside down. What adds to the icing on the cake is the potential for a glorious win at Wrestlemania, which they've qualified for by winning the Royal Rumble.
We take a look at some of the greatest moments in WrestleMania for Royal Rumble winners.
#5 Stone Cold Steve Austin vs. Shawn Michaels at WrestleMania 14
Two of the most iconic wrestlers were going to collide on the Grandest Stage of Them All. Stone cold, who had been the winner of the Royal Rumble received a title shot against Mr. WrestleMania, Shawn Michaels, with Mike Tyson as the special enforcer.
Triple H and Chyna largely played a role in distracting Steve Austin in the initial moments of the match, however, were banned from ringside by the referee. Shawn Michaels started picking up some momentum briefly, however, Austin came back with a little fight when Michaels took time to offend the audience.
Austin's left knee had been brutally injured, and it was thrown into the ring post. When Austin tried to recover outside the ring, he was met with a baseball slide launching him over the announce table. Soon after that, Austin suffered a figure-four leglock.
After this, Austin tried to reverse a standing sleeper hold by throwing Michaels into the turnbuckle and into the referee, knocking him unconscious. With both men down, Shawn Michaels was the one who recovered first and landed a high-elbow drop before taunting for his finisher.
When Austin stood up, he ducked the Superkick from Michaels, attempting a Stunner only to be bounced off by the ropes and being caught again with a Sweet-Chin Music.
However, this time he caught his leg, turned it around into a Stunner. With the referee down, Mike Tyson climbed to the ring to make a fast count to crown the new WWE Champion.