WWE Royal Rumble: Ranking Every Winner After Lynch, Rollins Wins

Credit: WWE.com

26. Stone Cold Steve Austin (1997)

Please remember that multi-time winners will appear multiple times on this list.

Stone Cold Steve Austin holds the unparalleled record of having won the Royal Rumble on three separate occasions. His first victory, though a hell of a performance, ultimately falls short of the other two.

Austin entered at the Number 5 spot, lasting over 45 minutes and tossing out a then-record 10 competitors. The only blemish on the match is its finish. Bret Hart tossed Austin over the top rope, but this somehow went unnoticed by the ringside referees. As such, Austin was able to sneak back in and eliminate Hart, being declared the winner.

Austin did not, however, receive a title shot at WrestleMania. Due to the controversy surrounding the finish, the WrestleMania match was put on the line in a fatal four way match featuring Austin, Hart, The Undertaker, and Vader at the next month’s In Your House: Final Four pay-per-view. The Undertaker would ultimately emerge victorious from the match.

Instead of the title match, Austin battled Hart in a submission match at WrestleMania, which famously ended when Austin, unwilling to submit to Hart’s Sharpshooter, passed out in a pool of his own blood. The image was unforgettable, and the now-legendary match saw Austin and Hart swap places as face and heel, respectively.

Later in the year, Austin captured the Intercontinental Championship, but was forced to vacate it following a neck injury suffered after a botched piledriver by Owen Hart at SummerSlam. All in all, this was a banner year for any superstar, but the Royal Rumble aspect was mostly insignificant, and for Austin the best was still yet to come.