Very few superstars have had the kind of success in the Royal Rumble that Steve Austin has had. Austin is the only three-time Royal Rumble winner and has eliminated 36 total men (fourth all-time) in just six appearances.
Speaking to Jonathan Snowden of Bleacher Report, Austin discussed what it's like to be part of the Royal Rumble match.
"I think they're fun to work, but at the same time they're a pain in the ass to work because there's a lot going on—there's a lot to remember," Austin said. "You're always going to have a couple of guys—I've been there myself—just standing around in the corner 'trying' to throw the other guy over the top. Doggone it, they just can't leverage him enough, you know? Sometimes the ring is so crowded, you really can't lock into anything because if someone tries to do something, it inevitably turns into a cluster because there's too many guys in the ring. They are tedious."
Austin infamously won the 1997 Royal Rumble when he was tossed out, but snuck back in the ring because referees were occupied elsewhere. In 1996, Austin was supposed to be part of the final four, but couldn't hang onto the ropes when he was eliminated.
"I was supposed to be like the fourth-to-last guy left in the ring, a pretty damn good spot and a pretty good shove from the company for a guy coming in," Austin said. "I did a clothesline spot with Fatu and was going to hang onto the top rope and come back in. Well, the thing was, everybody was wearing baby oil in those days, so the ropes and everything were very, very slippery, and I couldn't grab the top rope, and I ended up on my ass on the floor, eliminated early. I had to get Shawn Michaels' attention and let him know I was out. He had to figure out how to fix my mess. I go back to the back, and I'm thinking, 'OK man, here's this company taking a chance on me, and I blew it.'"
Along with being the official victor in the 1997 Royal Rumble, Austin would go on to win the 1998 and 2001 Royal Rumbles as well.
You can find a list of participants in the 2020 Men's Royal Rumble by clicking here. Fightful will have live coverage of the WWE Royal Rumble on Sunday beginning at 5 p.m. ET.
