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2007 Royal Rumble (San Antonio, Texas)
While this match didn’t have any shocking returns, what made the 2007 Rumble so iconic is what took place at the end of the bout. This was the first Rumble to feature superstars from Raw, SmackDown, and ECW and saw some of the biggest names in wrestling enter the ring: Edge, Randy Orton, CM Punk (making his first appearance in a Rumble), Kane, and Rob Van Dam.
The latter part of the match was dominated by the incredible teamwork of “Rated-RKO” Randy Orton and Edge, putting up a cohesive unit that appeared unstoppable until they met their match in Shawn Michaels.
Michaels, wrestling in his hometown, was looking to secure one of the greatest victories of his career. He entered at position 23 and eliminated Finlay, Shelton Benjamin, Randy Orton, and Edge. Despite making it to the final two, however, he had to contend with The Undertaker, who was the final contestant.
“The Deadman” and “The Show Stopper” battled it out for 10 minutes, which was the longest final-two showdown in the Rumble’s history. Undertaker would eventually hoist Michaels over the top rope, making him the first wrestler to win the bout from the “cursed” 30th position.
The Undertaker and Michaels’ incredible showdown set the path for what would become an iconic rivalry between the two, leading to matches at WrestleManias 25 and 26. This bout is so memorable that it almost always makes every top-five Royal Rumble list for good reason.
