WWE: The Top 15 Greatest Moments in Royal Rumble History

9. Chris Benoit Wins The Royal Rumble Match: January 25, 2004

The 2004 Royal Rumble saw the berth of the main event push that had alluded Chris Benoit since he joined the WWE in 2000.  Benoit had been successful for years no matter which company he was in, but he had never truly reached the big time.

That all changed at the Royal Rumble in 2004 when Benoit made history.  Winning the Royal Rumble match as the first entrant wasn’t anything new, but it hadn’t been accomplished since 1995 with Shawn Michaels entering at number one and going the distance.

But that feat would be accomplished again in 2004 with The Rabid Wolverine, who entered the Royal Rumble match as the number one entrant, outlasting 29 other superstars.  Benoit’s win was culminated by an epic showdown with The Big Show that resulted in Benoit out-maneuvering The World’s Largest Athlete to get the win after lasting over an hour.

Benoit went on to main event WrestleMania 20 alongside Michales and Triple H in an unbelievably great Triple Threat Match for the World Heavyweight Championship where he finally got his big break and won the world title by making The Game tap out.  That moment was all set up by Benoit’s Royal Rumble match win just two months prior.

The Rabid Wolverine’s Royal Rumble performance in 2004 still ranks among the best performances in Royal Rumble match history.