10 Things You Learn From Watching 1996 On WWE Network

10. It's Genuinely Odd To See Steve Austin As The Ringmaster

As the 'Stone Cold' character, Steve Austin would go on to win both the 1997 and 1998 iterations of the Royal Rumble match. That second win in particular led to the WWF Title for Austin come WrestleMania XIV. Looking back at the 1996 Rumble, winning top gold seemed like a million miles away for the man.

Still under the questionable guise of The Ringmaster, Austin entered as number 24 in the 1996 Royal Rumble. In total, he'd last just over 10 minutes in the bout and was even permitted to eliminate Bob Holly from the 30-man match. Still, there's something distinctly weird about seeing Austin as The Ringmaster in 1996.

When Austin was strolling through the curtain and making his way to the ring, Diesel was in the process of fighting elimination at the hands of Kama. Therefore, the WWF's production crew ran a split screen during Austin's entrance.

Simply there to make up the numbers, it's odd to see Austin being so overlooked when knowing what was to come in the guy's career.