Royal Rumble (2008)
Six years after WWE blew the roof off Madison Square Garden, they returned to make sure that the roof stayed off. The roster of talent had changed since 2002, but that didn’t stand in the way of WWE putting on yet another classic night for the MSG audience.
From top to bottom, the Survivor Series card produced memorable matches. The continuation of Ric Flair’s career was a fun match that had the crowd buzzing. The two World Championship matches, one featuring Jeff Hardy against Randy Orton, and the other seeing Edge defend against Rey Mysterio, were fantastic sprints. The World Championship scene was phenomenal, and these four men showed why.
Not to be outdone by the undercard, the Royal Rumble match was amazing, putting itself on the short list of best Rumble matches in WWE history. HBK and The Undertaker opening the Royal Rumble gave it an adrenaline shot from the outset, and the action didn’t let up. It was an all-time match that had perhaps the greatest shock return in Royal Rumble history when John Cena showed up as the 30th entrant.
Survivor Series (1996)
1996 was an up-and-down year for WWE. They were still finding their voice in the new age of professional wrestling, and many point to the Survivor Series as the moment when WWE figured things out. It was a card that contained the perfect hybrid of traditional Survivor Series matches and incredible singles matches that previewed an Attitude Era style of working.
The three Survivor Series matches had a great mix of young and veteran talent, and each match was different from the others, giving the audience something to sink their teeth into. It’s also notable that one of these matches included the debut of Rocky Maivia, a man who would become one of the biggest stars in WWE history.
Wedged in between the Survivor Series matches were three matches that set the tone for everything WWE did going forward. Mankind versus the Undertaker and Bret Hart versus Steve Austin were different matches, but still contained the same physicality that would set the blueprint for the Attitude Era.
Then there was the WWE Championship match where the MSG crowd turned on Shawn Michaels, setting up a heel run that would see the creation of WWE’s iconic stable. There were no notes for this show; each match brought its own identity, and the path to greatness for WWE started here.
