50 Things You Learn Binge-Watching Every WWE Royal Rumble
35. Why Vince McMahon Was Not Pleased In 1996
As aforementioned, Vince McMahon hasn't always seen eye to eye with the Rumble. He thought it sounded daft and sucked to begin with, but then warmed to the concept once TV execs embraced the thing and it started performing well on pay-per-view. That distaste returned once the roster started thinning in the mid-90s, and it's super-obvious that McMahon was peeved on commentary when watching the '96 show.
Steve Austin, working as The Ringmaster (it was a dark time), was accidentally eliminated by Fatu. Later, 'Stone Cold' revealed that the future Rikishi had too much baby oil on his body, and that ended up getting all over Steve's hands. They were slippery, so he was unable to hold onto the ropes after being clotheslined over the top.
You can pinpoint the exact moment Vince's disgust begins too. He ignored the botched spot entirely until Mr. Perfect brought it up and asked where Austin was. McMahon spat that they "must've missed it", and it's clear he wasn't best-pleased that someone had exited the ring before they were scheduled to. It's remarkable that this didn't impact Austin's push later in the year, to be honest.
He was considered little more than a decent hand by the boss from the off, meaning this could've put a big black mark against his name. Austin definitely didn't want to be viewed as unreliable this early into his WWF run, put it that way. His crummy Ringmaster gimmick was already tough enough to overcome.
Fatu must've been fearing some heat from the office himself, but everyone quickly moved on and chalked it up to experience.