WWE Royal Rumble winners: Where are they now? (1988-1999)

3. Royal Rumble 1995 & 1996 - Shawn Michaels

Shawn Michaels

Three years before winning his first Royal Rumble, Shawn Michaels watched his hero, Ric Flair, enter the match at number three... and win.

Michaels, being Michaels, pretty much said "hold my beer." I mean, he may have said that, as he was drinking beer in those days.

In 1995, Michaels won his first of two back to back Royal Rumble matches at entry number one. It was, at that point, the most impressive Rumble match performance ever. Even the way he won caused WWE to emphasize the "both feet must hit the ground" rule from then on.

That win earned him a WrestleMania XI WWE Championship match against his former bodyguard Diesel. While the next year he won less impressively (as if winning the Royal Rumble is ever not impressive), it led to his legendary Ironmatch match against Bret Hart for the championship at the following WrestleMania.

Following the kind of career - personally and professionally - that one could make a movie about, Michaels retired from competition after WrestleMania XXVI in a Streak vs Career match against The Undertaker. He's only made one appearance as a competitor since then that we're not going to talk about nope I am not you can't make me, but still has shown up in plenty of non-wrestling roles over the years.

Currently, he's working with Triple H in NXT as a trainer.