The Royal Rumble match is one of the toughest fixtures in WWE history. An average of 30 men enter the ring at the annual event but only one leaves the ring as the number one contender for WrestleMania.
Winning the Royal Rumble is a once-in-a-lifetime achievement for most Superstars due to the harsh competitiveness involved, not to mention the ‘every man for himself’ mentality.
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However, some Superstars have managed to overcome the odds and win the match twice, using their skills to survive. There are a limited number of stars that have won the Rumble more than once, and rightfully so.
Hulk Hogan and Shawn Michaels won back-to-back Rumbles
The poster boy of the wrestling boom, Hulk Hogan was the first-ever Superstar to achieve this feat. He managed to win the match twice in successive years in 1991 and 1992 and went on to headline WrestleMania.
Shawn Michaels, a crowd favorite, did the same in 1995 and 1996, surviving both times in dramatic fashion. Michaels was nearly eliminated in 1995 but kept one foot in the air, thus surviving.
HBK even won that Rumble whilst entering from the #1 spot and is one of the two Superstars to achieve that milestone.
Also Read: WWE Superstars Who Have Won the Royal Rumble From the #1 Spot
One of WWE’s longest active Superstars, Triple H managed to win the Rumble in 2002 and 2016. This proved to be the longest gap between two Rumble wins amongst any Superstar in this category, with 14 years between the two victories.
Batista, Randy Orton, and John Cena all managed to complete this list with huge victories at the Rumble. Needless to say, every Superstar in this list went on to win the chosen titles at WrestleMania.
“Stone Cold” Steve Austin won the Royal Rumble thrice!
There is, however, one Superstar that manages to outclass all the legends named above. This would be none other than the most popular WWE Superstar of all time- “Stone Cold” Steve Austin.
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‘The Rattlesnake’ was tight in his prime during his Rumble victories and managed to pull a massive haul of 3 Rumble victories. It’s hard to defend against a man who stuns everything that moves when he enters the ring.
Stone Cold won the Royal Rumble in 1997, 1998, and 2001! This gives him the title of the most Rumble wins in WWE history. In his short 7 year career as a WWE Superstar, Austin won the Rumble 3 times.
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He participated in the Royal Rumble in 1997, 1998, 1999, 2001, and 2002. This means that he also has the best track record in the match, winning 3 times out of 5.
The only man that can equal Austin’s record today is Randy Orton. The WWE veteran has a lot of years ahead of him and gets better with time. Fans expect another Rumble win for him that will place him in the same league as Stone Cold.