Ranking EVERY WWE Royal Rumble's Biggest Surprise 1988-2022

31. 1997 - 'The Rattlesnake' Cheats 'The Hitman'

Edge Royal Rumble
WWE

Another glorious chapter point in the story that ultimately uprooted WWE's entire fortunes when all looked lost, Stone Cold Steve Austin stealing the Royal Rumble from underneath actual winner Bret Hart was yet another logical reason for 'The Hitman' to f*cking lose it in the manner he eventually did.

P*ssed off beyond the pale on the night, he was out the door on Monday Night Raw 24 hours later only to return when the wrong was partially righted with a Final Four playoff set for the following month. His eventual bludgeoning of Austin at WrestleMania 13 was always - in his mind - the "hero" finally getting his comeuppance for sh*t like this. Nothing works as well during that time without everything clicking as it was here.

Contributor
Contributor

Michael is a writer, editor, podcaster and presenter for WhatCulture Wrestling, and has been with the organisation nearly 8 years. He primarily produces written, audio and video content on WWE and AEW, but also provides knowledge and insights on all aspects of the wrestling industry thanks to a passion for it dating back over 35 years. As one third of "The Dadley Boyz" Michael has contributed to the huge rise in popularity of the WhatCulture Wrestling Podcast and its accompanying YouTube channel, earning it top spot in the UK's wrestling podcast charts with well over 62,000,000 total downloads. He has been featured as a wrestling analyst for the Tampa Bay Times, GRAPPL, GCP, Poisonrana and Sports Guys Talking Wrestling, and has covered milestone events in New York, Dallas, Las Vegas, Philadelphia, London and Cardiff. Michael's background in media stretches beyond wrestling coverage, with a degree in Journalism from the University Of Sunderland (2:1) and a series of published articles in sports, music and culture magazines The Crack, A Love Supreme and Pilot. When not offering his voice up for daily wrestling podcasts, he can be found losing it singing far too loud watching his favourite bands play live. Follow him on X/Twitter - @MichaelHamflett