4 Best Royal Rumble Winners of All Time

#1 Stone Cold Steve Austin

Austin checks his fake watch and waits for his next competitor after clearing the ring at the Royal Rumble

This isn’t even close, truthfully. While Michaels has won 2, so has Hulk Hogan, Randy Orton, John Cena, and Batista. Only one man has been able to win 3 total Rumbles, and that is “the Rattlesnake,” Stone Cold Steve Austin. He, along with Michaels and Hogan, are the other competitors to win back-to-back Rumbles, taking home top prize at the 1997 and 1998 Royal Rumbles, with his third win happening in at the 2001 event.

As mentioned for our previous entries, the ability to “cash in” and use your opportunity after winning the Royal Rumble is critical to ensuring you go down as one of the best to ever compete in the event.

Stone Cold has had the inimitable honor of never losing at his WWE Championship opportunity after winning the Royal Rumble, he has been successful 2 of out 3 times, with his first win being ruled “unworthy” for a WWE Championship match as Gorilla Monsoon ruled because Austin re-entered the match (Officials did not see him eliminated), he would not be receiving the WrestleMania title shot against Shawn Michaels.

In fact, though Mr. McMahon would actually win the 1999 Royal Rumble, the “Chairman of the Board” renounced his title shot the next night and the opportunity fell to runner-up Austin to compete against The Rock for the WWE Championship at WrestleMania 1999, of which he was also successful.

Austin, after a one-year hiatus from WrestleMania main events, would win the 2001 Royal Rumble and go on to face The Rock once again at Wrestlemania. The Rock, who at the time had a clear curse in battling Austin at WrestleMania, was once again defeated by Austin, ensuring that Austin, once again, never fails to make the most of his opportunities granted after Rumble victories.

Who do you think is the greatest Rumble competitor of all time? Let us know in the comments or tweet @AteixeiraPR