WWE Hall of Famer Shawn Michaels joined The Rack Thursday Night for a nearly ten-minute interview, where he discussed his new book, ”Wrestling for My Life: The Legend, the Reality the Faith of a WWE Superstar”, his faith, on what he hopes people will take away from reading his book, on reforming friendships upon returning to the WWE, particularly with ‘Stone Cold’ Steve Austin and the Undertaker, why he chose them to write the forewords to his book, if he has a favorite memory concerning those two and so much more. Highlights are as follows, and you can listen to the interview here.

What does he hope people will take away from reading his new book: “I have to tell you, and as I stated in the book, I’m certainly no biblical scholar and I’m no pastor, I’m just a guy telling a story of what the Lord did in his life but I’ve learned the power of testimony over the past several years. So, I’m just hoping that if I’m a guy who stands there amongst many people and raises their hands and goes’ hey, just so you know I went through this, I had this problem. It’s ok to say you struggled here and struggled there’ and that it will help other people do the same and that they’ll feel more comfortable knowing that it’s ok.”

“We live in, and especially in the WWE, in that world that obviously doesn’t dead with a lot of truths and there’s always wearing a mask, so to speak, and just for a bit being honest with oneself and saying you need help and admitting to that; that’s not something that’s looked upon as real strong these days but you’d be surprised at what it does and the strength it takes to do it and the strength the Lord gives you to move forward past it.”

On reforming friendships when he returned to the WWE : “Nothing short of spectacular and that’s again, probably one of the… it’s always a toss-up about the single greatest thing about my salvation, but one of the things my faith has taught me is that everything in our lives is about relationships and to have the opportunity to be given a second change with these guys, especially again with like ‘Stone Cold’ Steve Austin and the Undertaker; guys that we weren’t necessarily friends or hung out or anything like that, but we had a mutual respect for one another but obviously, because of the way I was before, it drove a wedge and didn’t give us an opportunity to have more, more than just that professional respect that you almost have to have and having the opportunity to go back and form real friendships with those guys and more importantly to be at a point in our lives where I can say ‘Hey, I’m going to do this book, and it’s in an area that you guys may or may not be real comfortable with; it’s about my faith. But I want to be transparent, I want to be open and honest and only if you can be open and honest about me, would you write a dedication or would you write something and I want you to be painfully honest. It’s ok.'”

I didn’t want people so to speak; I could have reached out to friends: Kevin Nash and Scott Hall, my wife and kids; people I know who will write things about me, but I wanted these guys who could truly give a real assessment of the before and after and honestly, the things they wrote almost brought a tear to my eye. The fact that they said, ‘No, not only will I do it, but I’d be honored to do it’; that just meant the world to me because we have traveled some tough roads, these gentlemen and myself, to get where we’re at and now to have a friendship and a real relationship that goes so far past and beyond the wrestling business and even sort of the silliness that that business brings to your life. It’s nice to have something real and solid with those guys and again couldn’t be more thrilled with that.”

Does he have any particular fond memories about either Steve Austin or The Undertaker: “The irony, well I guess with both of them, is Steve and I had big differences: he was the guy I was dropping the championship to at WrestleMania 14, which was supposed to be the last match that I ever had because I’d injured my back and had been told my career was over and again, to all these years later, to have him be one of the guys that wrote a foreword in this book and to be a guy who we talk on a fairly regular basis about hunting, our deer programs, our ranches and stuff like that. And then, of course, with the Undertaker, that’s the guy who I ended up ending my career with, my actual wrestling career; I had my last two matches with him and they were just so off-the-charts spectacular and we brought in a lot of our real aspects into it, my faith into it and it was just a wonderful thing. It’s an amazing moment to share those very real times with those guys and that’s been, as I said, nothing short of spectacular and those are just two I guess fairly long winded but quick stories about those two guys in particular.”

WWE Hall of Famer Shawn Michaels recently spoke with Ring Rust Radio to promote his new book, “Wrestling For My Life: The Legend, the Reality, and the Faith of a WWE Superstar”. You can listen to the full interview at Blogtalkradio.com.

Here’s what HBK said about the pressure that will be put on Roman Reigns as the “Face Of WWE” –

“As far as him being a top star moving forward, I have very little insight on that. I’m the guy that sits there and looks in the rearview mirror and am very thankful for the stuff that I got to do. As far as the pressure, it’s going to be tough. WrestleMania is pressure filled anyway and more so when you’re going for the first time in what might be the main event.

If you are being dubbed or people seeing you as the next guy those things mount up. They are important and you want to live up to them and it’s especially hard. Back in my day it was the beginning of the internet and we had the newsletters, but I imagine now with social media it’s all right there at your fingertips. I’d imagine it’s even tougher nowadays. Our line of work if very cynical and a lot of it is driven by cynicism, cruelty, and meanness. It’s easier to believe the negative stuff than the positive stuff. The feel good stories don’t usually spend a lot of time on the front pages.

It’s gotta be a pretty tough row to hoe for the guys nowadays. Along with the great notoriety and the good stuff that comes with it, there’s always some negative that comes with it and you have to do your best to balance it along the way.”

– WWE Hall Of Famer Shawn Michaels is the guest on the latest edition of Steve Austin’s “Steve Austin Show” podcast. The official description for the show reads as follows:

SASc – EP195 – WWE Hall of Famer Shawn Michaels

“WWE Hall of Famer Shawn Michaels talks to Steve about his new book, and his time in the ring. They cover WM 14 and what that was really like for Shawn given his injuries then, Shawn’s retirement from pro-wrestling, his in-ring work philosophy, hitting rock bottom with pills & coming out on the other side, best advice he got from Macho Man Randy Savage, what he learned from Ric Flair, and how shooting’s going for his reality TV show, MacMillan River Adventure.”

You can download the show right now at PodcastOne.com.

– The official WWE website has video footage of The Bella Twins at the 2015 ESPN Sports Science Newton Awards during Super Bowl weekend. You can check that out at WWE.com.

– Stardust’s (Cody Rhodes) wife, NXT Diva Eden, posted the following tweets regarding the promo on RAW:

It was only a matter of time…@StardustWWE #StarsAreGonnaShine #RAW

— Brandi Rhodes (@TheBrandiRhodes) February 17, 2015

For all of you anxious gentlemen callers…I am still a happily married woman. My husband is very much alive and as bright…as the stars ?

— Brandi Rhodes (@TheBrandiRhodes) February 17, 2015

• BROCK LESNAR Offers To HELP TRAIN CM PUNK For His UFC Debut!

WWE Hall of Famer Shawn recently spoke with Brian Fritz of BetweentheRopes.com to promote his new book and commented on the possibility of wrestling one more match.

Buy Here from Amazon.com: Wrestling for My Life: The Legend, the Reality, and the Faith of a WWE Superstar

Michaels said he does think about wrestling again, but if he did get back in the ring, it would have to be a unique match that hasn’t been done before. He’s heard people talk about a potential “Teacher vs. Student” match with Daniel Bryan, but that doesn’t really get him excited.

“It certainly is a good idea but it’s one of those ones, I guess from my standpoint, a good idea is one that would really intrigue me. That’s not one of those of those ones where you go ‘Wow, what are the chances of someone coming up with that?’ That’s teacher – student, that’s been done, and again I’m not knocking it, I’m just saying that is not some kind of new, innovative idea. It’s just two other guys doing a very rehashed idea, but we think they can do it well so it will be fun for us to watch. Certainly at its core it’s not a new and fresh idea,” Michaels said.

When asked what kind of match would interest him enough to come out of retirement, he responded:

“Well, I don’t even want to go down that road because then, of course, people will run with it… Most people wouldn’t find it interesting anyway. My tastes I guess are not like theirs. When you’ve done a lot of stuff it’s sometimes those out of the box, strange ones that really pique your interest. For me, I give it about two minutes thought and then I move on because I’m very happy with what I’m doing and where my life’s at right now.”

When I was a kid, I had a trampoline. My friends and I were all huge pro wrestling fans and long before the explosion of “backyard trampoline wrestling federations,” we would watch the matches together, go out on the trampoline and try and reenact what we saw on television.

Of course if you’re this enthused about professional wrestling as a youngster, you’re going to take your trampoline matches seriously and treat them as if they were part of a legitimate organization — for kids. Were we looking to become millionaires or television stars? Of course not. Did we fantasize and treat it like we were right in the middle of a WWE ring on a WWE Superstars or Saturday Night’s Main Event broadcast?

We sure did.

So the next logical step, seeing is how we were taking this so seriously was to purchase replica WWE Championship belts so that when we won “the big matches,” we could crown ourselves the champion.

What was the first replica belt we bought? Well, obviously it was the WWE World Heavyweight Championship, right?

Wrong.

This was during the early-1990s and mid-1990s, when if you were a kid, the best wrestlers and your favorite wrestlers were generally the guys who held the WWE Intercontinental Championship. We thought the belt itself looked cooler than the “Eagle” championship that the main champions wore and we — even as kids — recognized that guys like Bret Hart, Mr. Perfect and Shawn Michaels were much better wrestlers than Diesel or Yokozuna.

Fast-forward to today.

I can’t recall a time when the secondary titles in WWE have meant less. If you’re an Intercontinental Champion or United States Champion in WWE these days, you basically aren’t a champion at all. I can’t even count how many times a pay-per-view would come and go without an I-C or U.S. title match even taking place on the card. If they were on the card, they certainly didn’t come off as anything important or relevant.

With Brock Lesnar as the WWE World Heavyweight Champion and with the main title in WWE being unified, meaning there’s only one “main” champion these days, and due to the fact that Lesnar has such a limited schedule in WWE, why doesn’t WWE take this opportunity to try and make their secondary titles mean more?

WWE Superstars need to cut promos and make the I-C and U.S. titles seem like a goal that is really worth achieving. They need to act like those titles are the be-all, end-all, if for no other reason than the fact that they are the only consistently active titles in the company right now.

There has been a lot of talk about unifying the I-C and U.S. titles and while I have always been in favor of that idea, I’m not so sure if that should be happening anytime soon. While unifying the I-C and U.S. titles would, in theory, make the one secondary title seem stronger, it would also take away even more from WWE live events having title matches.

Right now, the I-C and U.S. titles are the only men’s singles championships that are on the line at non-televised events. For that matter, they’re the only titles that are defended on television. Hell, they’re the only two men’s singles titles that are defended on pay-per-views more often than not.

WWE needs to raise the value of their secondary championships and make those I-C and U.S. titles mean as much as humanly possible. The good part is, when Lesnar does eventually drop the title and the WWE World Heavyweight Championship becomes active again, the I-C and U.S. titles, if they play their cards right, will at that point mean more and all of a sudden you have three titles of value, something WWE hasn’t had in years.

Basically, it won’t seem odd for a big-name Superstar to explain how important it is to win the I-C title at that point, whereas if Roman Reigns or John Cena said in a promo today, “I won’t sleep until I get the WWE United States Championship around my waist!” you would probably look at them like they have four heads. Although with Cena’s current program against U.S. Champion Rusev, we might actually hear a version of that, if WWE decides to make the title an important part of their feud, which of course is doubtful.

Regardless, WWE needs to work on getting these secondary championships to regain the luster that they had when I was a little kid jumping on a trampoline and pretending like my dreams just came true because I won a match and got to hold the — PRESTIGIOUS — WWE Intercontinental Championship high over my head.

What are your thoughts on WWE’s secondary singles titles? Leave your feedback in the “Comments” section below. You can also follow me on social media for continued news and views at Facebook.com/MattBooneWZR and/or on Twitter @MBoone420.

WWE Hall Of Famer Shawn Michaels recently spoke with the official WWE website to promote his new book, “Wrestling For My Life: The Legend, The Reality and The Faith of a WWE Superstar.”

During the interview, Michaels spoke about when and how he finally decided to get off of drugs, how a phone call with Kevin Nash saved his friendship with Triple H and more.

Below are highlights from the WWE.com interview:

On when he finally decided to get clean from drugs: “The final moment was when my son was 2 years old and I was half-in-the-bag on the couch, and him thinking I was tired. I realized, “My goodness, he’s starting to notice. This isn’t something you’ll be able to hide from him.” It broke my heart. I just could not bear the thought of this innocent baby being ruined by something he had absolutely nothing to do with. I decided there needed to be a change — and a drastic one.”

On how a phone call with Kevin Nash helped re-kindle his friendship with Triple H: “Basically, he said, “Look, you need to stop that stuff, and while we’re at it, you need to make amends with Triple H.” Triple H and I had not talked in a year. I had been in not-great-shape the last time I was in WWE. It had been a year since then. It was Nash saying, “You owe him an apology,” the incident with my son and me waking up later that night and thinking this can’t continue. All of these happened the same night. And all of it started the next day. I called Kevin back first, saying, “You’re right, and give me Triple H’s number; I’ve got to call him.” Then I called Triple H, asked him to forgive me, and both of us wept on the phone like a couple little girls. We re-kindled our friendship.”

On the difficult parts of writing his new book and why fans should read it: “It’s a look at my faith and more of an autobiography on my second life. I can’t say it was difficult [to write]. It was an opportunity to stay in that place where it’s nice and away from the hustle and bustle of everything. Since 2002, [wrestling] was a great job, enjoyed doing it, worked hard doing it, and did it well, but my family and my faith were a much bigger part of my life from 2002 to 2010 when I left. It was nice to be able to focus on what really was the majority aspect of my life. It’s a must-read for anybody who has the ability or is at that space when they’re man or woman enough to say, “I need to make a change” and not to be afraid of it. There’s no one of us that’s perfect; there’s no one of us that can’t do just a little better. That’s what I’m hoping this book will do.”

Check out the complete interview at WWE.com.

• PHOTOS: Several HOT Pics Of RONDA ROUSEY In Sports Illustrated’s SWIMSUIT ISSUE!!

– WWE Hall Of Famer Shawn Michaels is the guest on this week’s edition of Chris Jericho’s “Talk Is Jericho” podcast. The first of two episodes is available now, with part two dropping on Friday. The official description for part one reads as follows:

TIJ – EP116 – Shawn Michaels Pt 1

“Y2J went to the middle-of-nowhere Texas to sitdown with HBK at his ranch, and they talked about raising goats, home schooling kids, electric gates… and oh yeah – pro wrestling! In part 1, you’ll hear about The Rockers, Scott Hall, being a small guy in a big man’s business, Shawn’s first firing from WWE, Pat Patterson, and the beginning of the infamous 2008 Y2J-HBK angle.”

You can download the show right now at PodcastOne.com.

– WWE is currently looking to fill the position of Vice President of Operations, a role that requires you work out of Stamford, Connecticut. The official description for this “once in a lifetime” job listing reads as follows:

“The Vice President of Operations, will be based in Stamford, CT and will report to the EVP, Talent, Creative Writing and Live Events. This right-hand role is a once in a lifetime opportunity for an executive who is looking for a role that offers immediate engagement and impact on the performance of our most critical asset. The VP of Operations will be immersed in the heart of our business and, in partnership with the department head, will have a direct impact on the future of WWE’s global brand through assessment, planning, and execution of our Talent Development/Relations, Creative and Live Event strategies.”

• PHOTOS: Several HOT Pics Of RONDA ROUSEY In Sports Illustrated’s SWIMSUIT ISSUE!!

WWE Hall of Famer Shawn Michaels spoke to Alfonso Castillo of Newsday.com to promote his new book, Wrestling for My Life: The Legend, the Reality, and the Faith of a WWE Superstar, which was released today. Here are some excerpts from the book about:

On Randy Savage: “I’ve only just recently from my Twitter feed learned about that. I knew absolutely nothing about that. Obviously, that would have been a blast. Gosh, I think that would have helped me immensely at that time. I think there’s so much I could have learned and would have learned. But I have to say that’s one of those things that’s been news to me. I guess all these years later you think, ‘Oh, that’s nice to know.’ I’m flattered. Randy was a very keep-to-yourself kind of guy. And I guess I’m making assumptions, but for him to think I was even ready to do something like that with him, I think is a wonderful compliment, and I’m thankful to have it. I always tell people how he’d give me these short little pieces of advice every now and again. It’s nice to know that he thought of me in that respect.”

On the Chris Jericho feud: “It was fun. And that’s what makes doing the job more enjoyable. You do it with someone you like. You do it with someone you get along with. Chris and I are a lot alike. We view the business, the ring work and things of that nature, a lot of it the same. And we enjoyed that process. So it wasn’t difficult. Chris and I always had a really good relationship. We can disagree. We can jump on each others’ cases. We can apologize. And neither one of us is immediately offended if the other one doesn’t like an idea. We’re quick to get past it and move on. And that’s really what that entire process is. And that’s what made it so fun. We came in every Monday and would get thrown a lot of curveballs. And it was fun seeing if you could hit them. And I think that’s what made it work out so good, because it was pretty darn challenging every step of the way. There was really no direction or no real ideas going into it. It was like having a big old plate of Play-Doh for two guys to mold into what they want.”

On organizing a “prayer circle” during his last WWE run: “I honestly can’t remember anybody having any problem with it. It was obviously something that just came about organically, which was very fortunate. I think if it became something that was almost a scheduled event, that’s when it might make people uncomfortable. It was always just something that individuals did if they wanted to. I don’t recall a time of someone objecting or being uncomfortable that I could see. Certainly, nobody ever said anything. I remember having conversations with guys who were really at a place where, ‘I sort of get the way you feel and there are times that I think about that. But there are some real practical things that don’t allow me to go down the same road you’re going down.’ And I always thought just having that conversation was awesome. I don’t think there’s anybody that doesn’t sometimes struggle with those things. I can’t describe to you verbatim those first seven days [of creation]. There are Christians who think there were seven actual days, or that creation was over time. They have answers for dinosaurs and things of that nature. And I don’t claim to have any of those answers. And I understand people wanting to have discussions about it. I don’t pass myself off as a bible scholar or a pastor or someone who knows all the biblical facts cover-to-cover. I’m just a guy whose life was changed by it. And that’s about the extent of it. So I’m not easily offended when people struggle about where they’re at with their faith at all”

Check out the complete interview at Newsday.com.

• PHOTOS: Several HOT Pics Of RONDA ROUSEY In Sports Illustrated’s SWIMSUIT ISSUE!!

Former WWE Superstar Paul London recently spoke to Slam! Wrestling about the fact that WWE has been hiring more independent wrestling stars lately, training with Shawn Michaels early in his career and whether or not he’s interested in making a return to WWE.

Below are highlights from the interview.

On WWE hiring more independent wrestlers these days: “I like the fact that they are hiring independent guys right now. I mean NXT is WWE’s flagship program to be honest with you. They are paying attention to the guys’ history more. Like Devitt (Finn Balor) and his body paint or Steen (Kevin Owens) and Sami Zayn working together. When I look at NXT now, I feel like I was hired a decade too early. But at the same time, the advantage, if anything, I came at the time when I think it opened up a mental possibility for my peers on the independents. They could look at me and say, ‘Well, he’s not very big and he’s not all that good.’ I mean, I’m good, but I’m not great or I’m not the best around. I’ll never make that claim. I’m just a working son-of-a-bitch. But I’m not much of a head turner if you’re walking down the street. But in 2003, there was still that size stigma.”

On training at Shwn Michaels’ wrestling school early in his career: “Shawn was the biggest influence on my career, but there a slight misconception there. I trained mostly with Rudy Gonzales, who was Shawn’s head trainer. I kind of came in when Shawn was about to close the doors. An article in a magazine kind of took that and ran with it in the wrong direction. The funny part is that fast forward years later, in WWE, Shawn pulled me over in his locker room and asked me, ‘Correct me if I’m wrong, I’m having a hard time. Did a train you?’ So I told him the same story and he goes, ‘Good, because everyone keep saying that I trained you, but I don’t remember being in the ring so much with you, and I just figured that I’d remember training you, because you’re so talented. I thought I was going senile!

Shawn is the best wrestler that I have ever seen and after his injuries, it wasn’t that he changed his work a whole lot, but he got smarter. He gets so much mileage from every single move. Everything registers in a way that the audience can really digest it instead of just watching a firework show. When I was feuding with Lance Cade and we were having house shows matches, Shawn and Arn Anderson once put me over for several minutes in front of everyone, saying that I was someone with no storyline, who was able to get over no matter what and that my selling was good. It lasted for 10-15 minutes. It was completely unexpected!”

On whether or not he’s interested in a WWE return: “WWE is just not a flavour that really appeals to me unless they would throw an insane amount of money at me to go back to that environment. Japan is different. I would love to have the opportunity to go back to Japan. That being said, I would love to go back to the big stage, but it’s not a priority right now. I like the fact I’m traveling and getting to know new cultures.”

Check out the complete interview at Slam.Canoe.ca.

• WWE Beginning To Hype Up BRAY WYATT vs. UNDERTAKER For WRESTLEMANIA 31?!

– Shawn Michaels has a new religion-oriented book coming out on February 10th called, “Wrestling For My Life: The Legend, The Reality and the Faith of a WWE Superstar.”

– Mexican pro wrestler Laredo Kid had a tryout with WWE last week. Kid told Super Luchas that the tryout went well, and he’s under the impression that he will be brought back in for a lengthier tryout in April.

• PHOTOS: WWE Diva LANA Poses In Maxim Magazine!

(Credit: Wrestling Observer Newsletter)

The following is the final advertised lineup for tonight’s WWE Royal Rumble pay-per-view, which takes place from the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and airs live on the WWE Network.

WWE Royal Rumble Kickoff Show

– Big E., Kofi Kingston & Xavier Woods vs. Cesaro, Tyson Kidd & Adam Rose

– Booker T interviews Shawn Michaels

WWE Royal Rumble Pay-Per-View

– The Bella Twins vs. Paige & Natalya

– The Ascension vs. New Age Outlaws

– The Usos vs. The Miz & Damien Mizdow (WWE Tag-Team Championship)

– 30-man over-the-top Royal Rumble match

– Brock Lesnar vs. John Cena vs. Seth Rollins (WWE World Heavyweight Championship)

Make sure to join us here at the website tonight for the best WWE Royal Rumble live play-by-play results coverage on the web!

VIDEO: Girlfriend Catches Cops On Tape Attacking And Tasering UFC Fighter [WATCH HERE >>]

WWE ran their final event ever at the IZOD Center in East Rutherford, New Jersey on Saturday night. As noted, the arena will be shut down before the end of March.

WWE aired a historical video package during the show, which featured Ron Simmons, The New Age Outlaws, Hulk Hogan, Ric Flair, Shawn Michaels and Kevin Nash sharing some of their memories and talking about their history in the venue.

The final match to ever be held in the venue saw John Cena defeat Seth Rollins in a steel cage match.

Below are comments from Cena and Bad News Barrett about the IZOD Center shutting down.

For the last time tonight, #WWELive performs at the @IzodCenter. Thank you to the fans that made each event here one of a kind. #NeverGiveUp

— John Cena (@JohnCena) January 24, 2015

WWE's last ever show at the @IZODCenter tonight. Beat Miz for the IC-Title there on the Raw after Wrestlemania in 2013. One of my faves.

— Stu Bennett (@StuBennett) January 24, 2015

• VIDEO: Girlfriend Catches Cops On Tape Attacking And Tasering UFC Fighter [WATCH HERE >>]

As we noted recently, Booker T will be conducting a “special interview” with Shawn Michaels during this Sunday’s WWE Royal Rumble Kickoff Show. HBK is not expected to be at the Rumble in person, however, as the interview with Booker T was taped this past Monday at RAW Reunion in Dallas.

Also taped this past Monday in Dallas is the latest edition of “The JBL Show,” which features an appearance by JBL’s former A.P.A. tag-team partner, Ron Simmons. You can check out the full show below.

• JIM ROSS and JOSH MATHEWS Involved In EPIC Twitter War! [READ HERE >>]

This time of year is always thought of as the “Road to Wrestlemania” and is supposed to be a moment in which a career is made, a legacy is increased, or a hall of fame spot is cemented.  With such a grand prize at the helm, it’s no wonder the Royal Rumble is one of the most anticipated matches of the year.  Between the surprise returns, the elimination teases, the underlying stories, or the sheer number of superstars in the ring at one time, there’s no denying the excitement that the January event brings with it.  This Sunday will host the latest installment of the event, which is sure to thrill, as Seth Rollins joins John Cena and Brock Lesnar in a battle for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship.  The build-up for this match thus far has been amazing, with each superstar taking turns to look as good as possible, with Lesnar being the most recent destroyer.

But the best part about the Royal Rumble is that it’s more than just a match; it’s a full-scale event, complete with it’s own card, stories, and unique twists.  In fact, some of the best matches in WWE history took place at this battlefield, and a few times in history, those matches overshadowed the Rumble itself.  When you’re not one of the thirty men in the match, you have to take matters into your own hands.  You have to make sure that the fans don’t forget about you, and you have to make sure that you compete at a level that you may only reach once or twice a year.  Just as Cena, Rollins, and Lesnar look to do this Sunday night, superstars in the past went out there to steal the show, and make sure the Rumble didn’t steal their spotlight.  Let’s take a look at the top-five matches that stole the Royal Rumble.

#5.  Daniel Bryan vs. Bray Wyatt, 2014.

What was otherwise a disappointing Royal Rumble was fortunate enough to see one of the best one on one match-ups in Royal Rumble history.  I was lucky enough to be just five rows away from this incredible match when it happened, and even now as I look back on it, it was by far the best live match I have ever seen.  Daniel Bryan and Bray Wyatt met after weeks and weeks of build-up, which included Bryan joining the Wyatt family for a brief period of time, as well as a series of other strange and unusual situations.  Disappointingly, the overall feud itself mostly fizzled, as Wyatt was not truly portrayed as a cult leader, and Bryan was portrayed as a hero who moved too quickly through the events that unfolded.  The truth was, Bryan being so over made it impossible to capitalize on him becoming a heel in the Wyatt family, so the plug was pulled prematurely, and the feud ended up changing neither man for the better or worse.

While the feud itself may have been sub-par and disappointing, Bryan and Wyatt proved that night that they had chemistry in the ring, and understood each other completely.  It was a match filled with high-risk spots, high-impact moves, and false finishes, and eventually saw Wyatt taking the win.   Some of the best moments included Wyatt nailing the “Sister Abigail” on the barricade, Bryan selling a Wyatt clothesline like a champion, and Bryan nailing a number of suicide dives.

#4.  Triple H vs. Shawn Michaels, 2004.

A lot of people look back at RAW from 2002-2004 as Triple H’s “reign of terror.”  He was the 2002 Royal Rumble winner, and somewhat exclusively traded World Championships back and forth with Shawn Michaels and others between then and 2005. 2003 also saw the rise of “Evolution”, a group dedicated to keeping Triple H on top of WWE, which took over most of the Monday Night Raw storytelling up until Wrestlemania 21.     Despite Michaels and Triple H being one of the best feuds of all time, this period in history is widely looked at with a negative annotation, usually referred to as “boring” or “predictable.”

However, despite the criticism, there’s no denying that Triple H and Shawn Michaels put on some of the best matches throughout the early 2000’s, and on that list is their Last Man Standing match from the 2004 Royal Rumble.  It was a match that followed months of assaults, abuse, torture, injuries, and bad blood, and led to one of the best Last Man Standing matches of all time.  Michaels and Triple H put each other through hell and back, and then some, and overshadowed not just the Rumble match itself, but the entire event.  (Not to mention, WWE would most likely want you to forget who won that year.)

For the full build-up promo video, click here:

Although WWE initially announced a 30-minute Royal Rumble Kickoff Show for this Sunday night, the WWE Network is currently advertising a one-hour pre-show.

Speaking of the pre-show, Booker T mentioned on social media that he will conduct a special interview with Shawn Michaels this Sunday before the pay-per-view begins. Also set for the Kickoff Show, as announced on RAW on Monday, is a six-man elimination tag-team match with The New Day vs. Tyson Kidd, Cesaro and Adam Rose.

Finally, the WWE Network is advertising a 15-minute Royal Rumble Fallout post-show, which is listed as beginning at 10:45pm EST. on Sunday. As is the case with most pay-per-views, the Fallout post-show will likely be dropped if the pay-per-view itself runs long.

• PHOTOS: Triple H BREAKS CHARACTER During RAW Reunion To Console A Crying Young Fan!

– Triple H will be voicing The Incredible Hulk in the new Marvel Experience tour. He and Stephanie McMahon visited the Marvel Experience in Dallas, Texas prior to Monday’s RAW Reunion show. For more information on the Marvel Experience traveling attraction, visit TheMarvelExperience.com.

– Speaking of Triple H, below is a cool photo from prior to Monday’s RAW Reunion show that features all five members of the infamous “Kliq” hanging out in the ring. Pictured in the ring are the original nWo Wolfpac members — Sean Waltman, Scott Hall and Kevin Nash, while the original D-X members — Shawn Michaels and Triple H, are pictured standing outside the ring.

• PHOTO GALLERY: UFC Female Fighter Paige VanZant’s Modeling Photos!

– WWE Hall Of Famer Shawn Michaels has a new autobiography coming out on February 10th called “Wrestling For My Life.” HBK will be doing several book signings, including in Florida, Georgia, New Jersey and other states. For more information, visit his official Facebook page.

– Zeb Colter, who has been off of WWE television dealing with an injury, recently posted the following update on his status on social media.

HELLO… @WWE UNIVERSE. HAPPY MLK DAY. MY RECOVERY IS DOING WELL. HOPE TO BE BACK ON THE FIELD SOON. THANKS FOR ALL THE MSGS. @JCLayfield

— ??. ????? (@DirtyDMantell) January 19, 2015

• Josh Mathews Takes Some STIFF Shots At Jim Ross, JR Fires Right Back At Him …

Kevin Nash’s legends contract has been “immediately reinstated” by WWE, after assault charges against the former WWE Superstar were dropped earlier this week. Nash tweeted that we’ve probably seen the last of him due to the legal troubles, but a lot of fans are still hopeful that he’ll appear on Monday’s “RAW Reunion” show and reunite with his fellow nWo founders Hulk Hogan and Scott Hall.

WWE released the following statement on Thursday:

“Now that Kevin Nash’s legal matter has been resolved with all charges being dropped, his “legends” contract has been immediately reinstated.”

Nash’s longtime friend Shawn Michaels, who is also scheduled for RAW, tweeted:

@RealKevinNash Then I'll see you Monday…if I gotta go, you gotta go!!!

— Shawn Michaels (@ShawnMichaels) January 15, 2015

It was announced on Monday’s edition of WWE RAW that on next week’s show, there will be a “RAW Reunion” theme.

As noted in the past, multiple WWE Hall Of Famers and legends are confirmed to appear on the show. Kevin Nash, who was originally scheduled to be part of the reunion, will not be attending due to his WWE suspension stemming from his alleged domestic violence incident with his family during the holidays.

It was announced, however, that Hulk Hogan, Ric Flair, Shawn Michaels and Scott Hall will all be appearing. Additionally, the announcers on this week’s RAW said that those four legends won’t be the only big names showing up for the reunion special, as they claimed that there will be an “all-star lineup” at the show.

Make sure to visit the website here on Monday, January 19th for live results coverage of the RAW Reunion special,which emanates from the American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas.

• PHOTOS: CM Punk & AJ Lee In Their Private Time, Hanging w/ Celebrities, Partying & MORE! [View Here >>]

The most exciting sixty-plus minutes of wrestling action is only a few weeks away, where bodies will assuredly be flying over the top rope, Kofi Kingston will likely avoid defeat in dramatic fashion at least once, and one superstar will walk away with a spot in the main event at WrestleMania.

However, although thirty men ostensibly have a chance to headline the biggest event of the year, even the most delusional fan realizes there are only a handful of competitors who are legitimate contenders to walk away victorious. Here are those men.

Odds-On Favorite: Roman Reigns

After his record-breaking performance last year, the Powerhouse is easily the favorite to win it all in 2015. Even though there are still questions regarding Reigns’ ability to headline a major pay-per-view such as WrestleMania, it appears the company is ready to pull the trigger on what they apparently believe to be their next big thing.

Assuming the company goes this route, they need to be careful, because the crowd could easily turn on Reigns in a situation similar to last year’s Rumble. If fans think the Pittsburgh crowd was harsh toward Batista last year, try putting Reigns over Bryan in the city whose fans at one point pelted Santa Claus with snowballs. Trust me, it won’t be pretty.

As reported recently, WWE suspended the “Legends” contract of Kevin Nash following his domestic dispute with his son over the holidays.

Nash was suspended by the company due to their policy of suspending any talent or employees that have outstanding domestic violence charges. If the case against Nash gets dismissed in court, he will be reinstated by the company.

Nash has a few years left on his WWE deal, as he signed a five-year “Legends” contract back in 2011.

It’s also been confirmed that Nash has been pulled from the “RAW Reunion” special coming up on January 19th in Dallas, Texas. Nash was originally scheduled to do an nWo reunion angle with Scott Hall and Hulk Hogan, who along with Shawn Michaels, are still scheduled to appear.

As noted earlier today, despite the reports that Kevin Nash had been pulled from the RAW Reunion special on January 19th in Dallas, Texas, he remained on the advertising for the show on the official WWE website. Nash has since been officially removed from those advertisements.

Nash was suspended from his WWE Legends deal due to the domestic situation with his son over the holidays that led to his arrest. The same incident is what has resulted in his being pulled from the RAW reunion special.

Still scheduled for the RAW Reunion show on 1/19 are Hulk Hogan, Shawn Michaels and Scott Hall, who is being billed as Razor Ramon.

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– Former WWE Superstar Ted DiBiase Jr. noted on social media recently that he interviewed WWE Hall Of Famer Shawn Michaels for his “Price of Fame” documentary that he has been working on for a couple of years. The documentary focuses on DiBiase Jr. and his relationship with his father, “The Million Dollar Man” Ted DiBiase Sr.

– NXT Champion Sami Zayn is featured on the latest edition of WWE’s “30 Second Fury,” which you can check out below.

– The first new episode of WWE Countdown will air on the WWE Network next Monday, January 5th, immediately after WWE RAW at 11:06pm EST. The show will count down the “biggest cry-babies of all-time.”

– Regarding the upcoming RAW Reunion show on January 19th in Dallas, Texas, it’s worth mentioning that WWE is billing Scott Hall as Razor Ramon and Kevin Nash under his real name. As noted on Sunday, Nash has reportedly been pulled from the event following the recent domestic incident with his son, however he is still listed in the advertising for the event on the official WWE website. Also scheduled to appear on the show are Shawn Michaels and Hulk Hogan.

– WWE.com has published a feature looking at 2014’s most unexpected breakout stars, including Damien Mizdow, Stardust, Jack Swagger and The Bunny.

– Shawn Michaels noted on Twitter that he is working on finalizing a book signing tour for early 2015. “Wrestling For My Life: The Legend, the Reality, and the Faith of a WWE Superstar” is scheduled to be released on February 10th.

– Saturday night’s WWE’s Tribute to The Troops special on drew 1.55 million viewers. By comparison, the USA Network Troops special that aired last Wednesday night drew 2,230,000 viewers.

– Randy Orton defeated Kane via pinfall at Sunday night’s WWE Live Event from Hershey, PA. After being pulled from the previous night’s live event (yet doing a run-in during the main event), Orton wrestled an 8-minute match and did not seem to be injured last night.