Every Heel WWE Royal Rumble Winner Ranked From Worst To Best
2. Stone Cold Steve Austin (1997)
Yet another turning point in Stone Cold Steve Austin's career as a future megastar and some further building of the exceptional Bret Hart heel turn, the 1997 Royal Rumble stutters and sags at points but is otherwise a huge chapter point in the entire company's miraculous creative turnaround.
Austin is in imperious form, mocking the goons he throws out early before measuring his fear and self-assurance immaculately when a fresh Bret Hart arrives to kick off the contest's final third. Cheating to win after his elimination was missed, 'The Rattlesnake' left to as many cheers as boos, but the same thing couldn't be said for an enraged 'Hitman' after the fact. His whinging was noted by the capacity crowd, foreshadowing where both would be by the end of the iconic WrestleMania 13 battle.
It's stark how much this company really used to do the work - Austin was involved in a memorable pull-apart with an enraged Terry Funk the night before, and it was Funk's never-ending battle with Mankind that distracted the referees long enough for Stone Cold to steal the victory.