10 WWE Royal Rumble Eliminations That Infuriated Fans

2. Steve Austin (Vince McMahon - 1999)

1999 was a strange year for the WWE. The magic of 'Stone Cold' Steve Austin vs. Mr. McMahon would eventually run out later in the year, and McMahon himself even became WWF Heavyweight Champion. The company started to push some new faces, leaning heavily on the idea of Triple H finally becoming a fully-fledged main event star. An up-and-down year to be sure, but the 1999 Royal Rumble match provided the biggest shock, right at the beginning. As the first men to enter the Rumble, Austin and McMahon went at it hammer and tong from the get-go. Fans were enthused by the action, but as the match wore on it became abundantly clear that both would likely be therein or thereabouts come time for its conclusion. Credit where credit is due - few people seemed to see the finish coming, because it looked more likely that Austin would trump his foe again. The Rock distracted Stone Cold, allowing McMahon to attack from behind and eliminate his rival from the match. All of a sudden, it began to sink in - Vince McMahon had won the 1999 Royal Rumble. Fans in attendance were almost too surprised to be angry, but still seethed at being denied the chance to see a big babyface celebration to end the show. Similar to Jericho eliminating Michaels in 2003, this was an effective piece of storytelling, but it did upset fans (and proved to have no real bearing on the main event of WrestleMania XV).