clock menu more-arrow no yes mobile

Filed under:

Greatest Royal Rumble moments, No. 18: Bret Hart and Lex Luger eliminate each other

The 1994 Rumble ended in a tie. The execution was ... excellent.

In the lead up to this year's Royal Rumble, we'll be counting down the 20 greatest moments in the history of WWE's most famous match. This list was determined by a panel that included myself, Geno Mrosko and Sean Rueter. We tried to keep it diverse, with a mix of comedy, emotion, story, and wrestling.

A split decision

The Royal Rumble has only ended in a tie once. Yes, WWE would tease another tie just over a decade later, but this is a trick that you can probably only pull off one time. And if you're going to book a tie, there's only one performer you can trust with pulling it off perfectly: 1994 Bret Hart.

Even watching it back over 20 years later (and with the acknowledgement that camera angles of the finish are limited), the timing is breathtaking. Lex Luger and Bret Hart both tumble over and hit the mat with a finish that was truly too close to call. I've always been impressed by the finish and I can't help but wonder how many times they must have practiced that spot.

Of course, this ending has been given more historical weight because it led to both Bret and Luger challenging Yokozuna for the WWE Championship at WrestleMania X. Bret would have a classic match with Owen Hart to open the show and would reclaim the title to end one of the greatest and most beloved WrestleManias ever. But it all started with this flawless Royal Rumble finish. Go ahead and watch it a few more times. It will still be impressive.

Find previous greatest Royal Rumble moments here.

Sign up for the newsletter Sign up for the Cageside Seats Daily Roundup newsletter!

A daily roundup of all your pro wrestling news from Cageside Seats