10 Greatest Performances In WWE Royal Rumble History
4. Steve Austin (1997)
No wrestler has won the Royal Rumble more times than Stone Cold Steve Austin, and with three wins to his name, Austin’s first victorious performance was also his finest. 1997 was a patchy Royal Rumble held together by unpopular midcarders and a cluster of AAA luchadores that nobody really knew, but none of this could take away from Austin’s big night.
If King of the Ring ‘96 was the night that set Stone Cold’s push into motion, this was the match that put him on top of the world. Coming in at number five, Austin completely owned the Royal Rumble. He cleared the ring on multiple occasions, eliminating the likes of Jake Roberts and Owen Hart, before his first significant challenge came out at 21.
Bret Hart put a temporary halt to Austin’s rampage, but he couldn’t quell the Texan completely. Still, Hart had every right to consider himself aggrieved by the time the match was finished. He had thrown Austin over the top rope just a few minutes before the match’s conclusion, but the officials were too preoccupied to notice. Thus, Austin’s elimination was never recorded, and Stone Cold sneaked back into the match to eliminate Hart and claim the victory.
Austin eliminated 10 wrestlers in just over 45 minutes, and the controversial aftermath eventually led to the famous Hart vs. Austin “double turn” match at WrestleMania 13.