The First and Last Royal Rumble Match of These WWE Attitude Era Stars

First Royal Rumble Match: 1996

A six-time World Wrestling Federation Champion and the only three-time Royal Rumble Match winner in history, Stone Cold Steve Austin was the face of the Attitude Era in more ways than one. But Austin’s Royal Rumble debut actually took place in the New Generation Era.

It happened in 1996, with Austin – then known as The Ringmaster – entering the Royal Rumble at #24. Austin had a pretty good showing, lasting nearly 11 minutes. Steve Austin’s night ended sooner than expected, as he lost his grip due to the amount of baby oil on Fatu’s body (better known as Rikishi today) and was accidentally eliminated.

Last Royal Rumble Match: 2002

Steve Austin’s final Royal Rumble Match appearance happened at the tail end of the Attitude Era, in 2002. Stone Cold joined the match at #19 and eliminated seven wrestlers.

Despite being one of the favorites to win, Austin came up short after being eliminated by the unique combination of Mr. Perfect and Kurt Angle.

The Rock

First Royal Rumble Match: 1997

Stone Cold was the top star in the Attitude Era, but The Rock wasn’t far behind. The Great One had a similar journey at the Royal Rumble, debuting when he was still known as Rocky Maivia in 1997.

The future multiple-time WWE Champion joined the 1997 Royal Rumble Match at number 25. Although Maivia couldn’t eliminate anyone, he was in the ring for 13 minutes.

Last Royal Rumble Match: 2001

Less than two years after his Royal Rumble debut, The Rock had already won his first WWF Championship. Rock’s full-time wrestling career didn’t last long because of his success in Hollywood, so his last Royal Rumble Match appearance happened all the way back in 2001.

The roof nearly came off the New Orleans Arena when Rock entered the Royal Rumble at number 13. Rock eliminated three wrestlers and made it to the Final Four, but eventually was one of Kane’s eleven victims. Stone Cold Steve Austin was the one who got his hand raised in the end.

Mick Foley

First Royal Rumble Match: 1997

Perhaps no wrestler in history has ever been more loved by wrestling fans than Mick Foley. While Foley was never the biggest star on the roster, everyone respected him and appreciated his work. Mankind competed in his first Royal Rumble Match in 1997.

Foley came out at #26, eliminated two WWF wrestlers (Rocky Maivia and Terry Funk) and spent more than 12 minutes in the match. Mick Foley’s night ended when his rival, The Undertaker, eliminated him.

Last Royal Rumble Match: 2012

Mick Foley’s full-time wrestling career ended at No Way Out 2000, after an epic Hell in a Cell Match against Triple H. However, Foley continued to wrestle from time to time up until the early 2010s, even winning the TNA World Heavyweight Championship in 2009!

Mick Foley competed in the last Royal Rumble Match of his career in 2012, which also ended up being the final match of his entire career. Foley had a fun “Mr. Socko vs Cobra” interaction with Santino Marella and made three eliminations before getting thrown out of the ring by Cody Rhodes.

The Undertaker

First Royal Rumble Match: 1991

Despite having made his WWF debut all the way back in 1990, The Undertaker was one of the most important stars during the Attitude Era nearly a decade later. The Deadman competed in his first Royal Rumble Match in 1991, just a couple of months after debuting at the Survivor Series.

The feeling in the room changed the moment Undertaker appeared at number 12. The Undertaker eliminated three wrestlers (Bret Hart, Butch, and Kerry Von Erich) in his Royal Rumble debut, and it took both members of The Road Warriors to get The Phenom out of the ring.

Last Royal Rumble Match: 2017

The Undertaker competed in his last Royal Rumble Match 26 years later, in 2017. While Undertaker wasn’t in his physical prime, he still brought aura and star power to the 2017 Royal Rumble.

Undertaker shared the ring with the likes of Goldberg, Brock Lesnar, and Roman Reigns, which was quite cool to watch. The Deadman was eliminated by the latter to set up their clash in the main event of WrestleMania 33.

Triple H

First Royal Rumble Match: 1996

Much like The Undertaker, Triple H also had a long career that went beyond the Attitude Era. Hunter Hearst Helmsley made his WWF debut in 1995, and he’d compete in his first Royal Rumble Match the following year.

Hunter started the 1996 Royal Rumble after drawing number one. He lasted 48 minutes – more than anyone in that match – before getting eliminated by his Kliq buddy, Diesel. Speaking of The Kliq, the ’96 Royal Rumble would end up being won by fellow Kliqster, Shawn Michaels.

Last Royal Rumble Match: 2016

Triple H came out last in his final Royal Rumble Match 20 years after starting his very first Rumble! Triple H was a part-time wrestler and the leader of The Authority by 2016. He was feuding with Roman Reigns, who put his WWE Championship on the line in that year’s Royal Rumble Match.

After making four eliminations in less than ten minutes of in-ring action, The Game last eliminated Dean Ambrose to walk out of Orlando, Florida’s Amway Center with the WWE Title.