Ranking EVERY WWE Royal Rumble Match - From Worst To Best

5. 2001

WWE Royal Rumble 2001 The Rock Steve Austin
WWE

Having been off TV for ten months due to neck issues that were covered for by Steve Austin being run over at the ‘99 Survivor Series, Stone Cold was at his ornery best by the time of this Rumble. Austin was in the midst of a feud with Triple H - the man behind that drive-by - but was also intent on getting his hands on the WWF Title, no matter what it took.

It turns out that 'no matter what it took' would be a Royal Rumble win and a subsequent heel turn at WrestleMania X-7, joining forces with Vince McMahon to dethrone the Rock as the WWF Champion.

As for the Rumble, the Texas Rattlesnake was attacked by Triple H on his way to the ring - payback for Austin costing Hunter his match against WWF Champion Kurt Angle earlier in the show - and the big question was whether Stone Cold would be able to compete, and if so, what condition would he be in? 

Kane was the real star of this match, scoring a record-setting 11 eliminations during his 54 minutes in the Rumble, and being the last man eliminated as Austin emerged victorious. In hindsight, the Bionic Redneck has said several times how he should've called an audible and given the win to Kane, such was the major reaction to the Big Red Machine here.

The biggest moment of the match, though, was when Austin and the Rock locked eyes from across the ring, the exhausted Great One staring over at the bloodied Stone Cold. This was one of those rare times where the two did battle when they were both babyfaces, and it served as the perfect tease of what lay ahead at 'Mania later that year.

Throw in a few comedy spots with Drew Carey and Honky Tonk Man, a bunch of weapons as the Rumble went hardcore, a fun Haku return, and a great few minutes of Kane and Undertaker just wrecking fools, and you have one of the better, most energetic Rumbles in history.

Senior Writer
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, 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 the 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, Kane Hodder, Adrienne Barbeau, Rob Zombie, Katharine Isabelle, Leigh Whannell, Bruce Campbell, and Tony Todd, to Kevin Smith, Ron Perlman, Elijah Wood, Giancarlo Esposito, Simon Pegg, Charlie Cox, the Russo Brothers, and Brian Blessed, to Kevin Conroy, Paul Dini, Tara Strong, Will Friedle, Burt Ward, Andrea Romano, Frank Miller, and Rob Liefeld, to Bret Hart, Sting, Mick Foley, Ricky Starks/Saints, Jamie Hayter, Britt Baker, Eric Bischoff, and William Regal, to Mickey Thomas, Joey Jones, Phil Parkinson, Brian Flynn, Denis Smith, Gary Bennett, Karl Connolly, and Bryan Robson - and that's just the tip of an ever-expanding iceberg. Where his beloved Wrexham AFC is concerned, Andrew is co-host of the Fearless in Devotion podcast, which won the Club Podcast of the Year gong at the 2024 FSA Awards.