WWE Royal Rumble 2017: Ranking All 30 Match Winners

3. Stone Cold Steve Austin – 2001

The 2001 Royal Rumble match set up potentially one of the greatest WrestleMania main events of all-time. Before we get there, though, Steve Austin’s victory is worth noting.

Austin had been coming off nearly one year away from the ring due to complications with his neck injury. To write him off, Triple H and Rikishi teamed to run him over with a car in the parking lot. So, Stone Cold eyed revenge and battled Rikishi when he entered the match.

The highlight of this would be a huge tease of the WrestleMania 17 main event between Austin and the Rock. As two of the final three in the ring, they had a crowd-loving staredown as they met in the center of the squared circle and brawled. Kane them took out the People’s Champion, and SCSA finished things off with the final elimination to win. Little did anyone know that this would set up the match and the epic double-turn with Austin aligning with Vince McMahon.

Little did anyone know that this would set up the match and the epic double-turn with Austin aligning with Vince McMahon, which is why this makes the 2001 winner one of the best ever. While the Hellraiser didn’t do much in the Royal Rumble match, he did enough to win and earn a spot in maybe the greatest WrestleMania ever.