16. 1998
There is a lot to remember and a lot to enjoy about the 1998 Royal Rumble. The inevitability of an Austin win didn't hinder it, as he was quite clearly the biggest star in the company and rightly had a rocket strapped to his back. His rivalry with McMahon was also at a good point here, and getting into the good books of the boss added extra impetus for everyone that gunned for him. Austin had taken to getting to potential rivals before they could get to him, meaning the target on his back was all bullseye with no outer rings. He would manage to prevail nonetheless, eliminating The Rock at the last as a precursor of the greatest rivalry of wrestling's most profitable era. The match also saw the Three Faces of Foley enter, another novel move that was unique at the time. Cactus Jack and Chainsaw Charlie were one and two and they didn't disappoint, going strong at each other with all manner of plunder. There were a number of interesting stories outside of Austin too, with the Nation of Domination adding layers of intrigue to their arcs going forward. It also came with one of the most iconic PPV posters of all time, with Austin's skull shot from the back and full of nails.
John Bills
Contributor
Born in the middle of Wales in the middle of the 1980's, John can't quite remember when he started watching wrestling but he has a terrible feeling that Dino Bravo was involved. Now living in Prague, John spends most of his time trying to work out how Tomohiro Ishii still stands upright. His favourite wrestler of all time is Dean Malenko, but really it is Repo Man. He is the author of 'An Illustrated History of Slavic Misery', the best book about the Slavic people that you haven't yet read. You can get that and others from www.poshlostbooks.com.
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