You could make a case that the star of the 98 Rumble match was Steve Austin (after all, he was the winner) or Mick Foley (3 Faces of Foley FTW!), but the most vital cog of the whole over-the-top-rope affair was The Rock. From going back and watching the old Royal Rumble events, its interesting to see where certain performers are from year to year or how theyve progressed or stagnated. With Dwayne Johnson, 1997 saw Rocky Maivia a non-entity, arriving at #25 and lasting just over 10 minutes before being eliminated to no real reaction whatsoever. Fast forward to the 1998 Rumble and its a vastly different story. Entering at #4, this was Johnson well and truly as The Rock and on his way to superstardom. The Rock may not have won the match, but he put in a 51-minute effort that saw his stock immediately rise before he was eventually last eliminated by Austin... and it wouldnt be long before The Rock would find himself in the WWF Title picture alongside the Texas Rattlesnake.
Andrew Pollard
Senior Writer
Once described as the Swiss Army Knife of WhatCulture, Andrew can usually be found writing, editing, or presenting on a wide range of topics.
As a lifelong wrestling fan, horror obsessive, and comic book nerd, he's been covering those topics professionally as far back as 2010. In addition to his current WhatCulture role of Senior Content Producer and Presenter, Andrew previously spent nearly a decade as Online Editor and Lead Writer for the world's longest-running genre publication, Starburst Magazine, and his work has also been featured on BBC, TechRadar, Tom's Guide, WhatToWatch, Sportkskeeda, and various other outlets, in addition to being a Rotten Tomatoes-approved film critic.
Between his main day job, his role as lead panel host of Wales Comic Con, and his gig as a pre-match host for Wrexham AFC games, Andrew has also carried out a hugely varied amount of interviews, from the likes of Robert Englund and Eli Roth to Kevin Smith and the Russo Brothers, to Kevin Conroy and Frank Miller, to Bret Hart and Sting, to Mickey Thomas, Joey Jones, Phil Parkinson, and Brian Flynn, to many, many more. Where his beloved Wrexham AFC is concerned, Andrew is a long-standing season ticket holder and an FSA Award-winner for his time co-hosting the Fearless in Devotion podcast.
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