WWE: Ranking The Top Ten Royal Rumble Winners

2. Stone Cold Steve Austin (1998)

Despite winning the 1997 Royal Rumble, this Royal Rumble is the one that set up Steve Austin becoming the World Champion. The final two in this match were The Rock and “Stone Cold”, the two men who would feud for years to come. In the end, Austin was able to win his second Rumble match in a row.

He went on to challenge Shawn Michaels at WrestleMania 14 with Mike Tyson as the special enforcer. Despite being over twenty years ago, the encounter between Mike Tyson and Stone Cold on Raw is still a crazy moment. The two men were two of the biggest hellraisers of their time and you knew their egos would collide.

Austin and Tyson are still regarded as one of the most epic meetings in a WWE ring. As we approached WrestleMania 14, things were stacking up against Austin as Tyson was announced as the newest member of D-Generation X. At WrestleMania, it was starting to look like a handicap match for Austin.

However, Tyson would shock everyone by getting in the ring and making the three count for Austin. Michaels was furious after losing the championship and made the stupid move of laying his hands on “The Baddest Man on the Planet”. Tyson retaliated by laying out Shawn with a right hook and celebrating with Austin.

1. Shawn Michaels (1995)

Both feet much touch the floor to be eliminated. The rule that has been beaten into WWE fans the most over the years wasn’t always in the forefront until the 1995 Royal Rumble and Shawn Michaels came into play. When The British Bulldog tossed Michaels over the top rope, he began to celebrate and his music even began to play.

But Michaels kept one of his feet from hitting the floor and pulled himself back up into the ring. He attacked Bulldog from behind and easily tossed him out. HBK made history at this moment becoming the first man to ever go the entire distance. He started out number one and outlasted 29 other competitors.

He is one of only two men to ever accomplish the feat and the only one that is recognized by the company. After Shawn found a loophole to win the match, the two feet must touch the mat rule as become the most crucial rule of the match. Since the original moment, we have seen many people emulate Shawn to stay in the Rumble, such as The Rock in 2000.

Michaels went on to challenge and lose to Diesel at WrestleMania 11. However, he would win the Rumble again in 1996 and would defeat Bret Hart at WrestleMania 12 in the first-ever televised Ironman match, competing for over an hour in the grueling bout. Michaels instantly went to his knees filled with emotions as Vince McMahon made the iconic call that the boyhood dream had come true.

Michaels’ Royal Rumble performance set the standard for Royal Rumbles to come afterward. The rules had changed and the star of Shawn Michaels had been cemented in history. It is hard to think about the Royal Rumble and to not think about Shawn Michaels and the 1995 Royal Rumble. It has often been attempted to be imitated but never duplicated.