7 WWE Royal Rumble Eliminations That Were NEVER SUPPOSED TO HAPPEN!

2. Steve Austin (1996)

Steve Austin Royal Rumble 1996
WWE Network

Wrestling lesson #1,976: Royal Rumbles and baby oil don't mix.

In 1996, Steve Austin was working as 'The Ringmaster' and hoped to use the Rumble match as a means to show Vince McMahon what he could do. A punch and kick festival reliant on carefully constructed spots was exactly the kind of platform Austin could use to prove his worth. Or, it would've been had he not been too oiled up.

After a solid 10 minutes in the match, Austin worked a clothesline bump with Fatu and accidentally spilled over the ropes to the floor. According to Steve on his podcast over the years, he was meant to hang on and survive in the match for a little while longer, but the baby oil made that impossible.

Steve Austin Royal Rumble 1996
WWE Network

He ended up slipping at the most unfortunate moment and lost a few valuable minutes of screen time. Austin later told the New York post, "Oh man, I’m the new guy in the company. They’re trying to give me a little bit of a push here by being the fourth-last guy, and I blow it". It didn't hold him back much.

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Lifelong wrestling, video game, music and sports obsessive who has been writing about his passions since childhood. Jamie started writing for WhatCulture in 2013, and has contributed thousands of articles and YouTube videos since then. He cut his teeth penning published pieces for top UK and European wrestling read Fighting Spirit Magazine (FSM), and also has extensive experience working within the wrestling biz as a manager and commentator for promotions like ICW on WWE Network and WCPW/Defiant since 2010. Further, Jamie also hosted the old Ministry Of Slam podcast, and has interviewed everyone from Steve Austin and Shawn Michaels to Bret Hart and Trish Stratus.