What if Shawn Michaels wins the Royal Rumble?

3. No marathon run

HBK looked great at Crown Jewel, but an iron man run at the Rumble still isn't in the cards for him

When fans remember Shawn Michaels’s history with the Royal Rumble, they tend to recall him winning back to back Rumbles in 1995 and 1996. More specifically fans recall his impressive end to end performance, entering the 1995 match from the number one position only to outlast the entire field and punch his ticket for a WrestleMania title shot.

Based on his showing at Crown Jewel, Michaels is still in very good shape, and he certainly exceeded the level of performance some skeptics expected from him at this stage of life and after so many years out of the ring. Michaels isn’t a spring chicken, though, and has no business working another marathon run in 2019. He’s better suited to a late entry—particularly as a surprise entrant—who can play spoiler to other big stars en route to an upset victory. He can also claim a slice of history in joining Stone Cold Steve Austin as the only other man to win three Royal Rumbles. That’s more than enough for him to get out of this Rumble.