This week in WWE history (Jan 17-23) - Batista Returns, Ric Flair wins The WWE Championship in The Royal Rumble
This week's WWE news has been dominated by the build-up to the Royal Rumble and the fact that Mustafa Ali requested his release from the company.
That being said, Ali isn't the first WWE Superstar to request his release from the company, but he is one of very few who's had his request rejected.
The annual Royal Rumble match has become a long-standing tradition in WWE, and much of the discussion about this week will focus on winners of past matches.
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The news from this week's history of the company is certainly noteworthy, as there are often highs and lows when WWE prepares for its annual Royal Rumble event every year.
#5. Stone Cold Steve Austin wins the 1998 WWE Royal Rumble - January 18th, 1998
Stone Cold Steve Austin is the only man in WWE history to win 3 Royal Rumble Matches; In 1997,1998,& in 2001. https://t.co/eQFOmscZ2W
Stone Cold Steve Austin is the only superstar in history to have won three Royal Rumble matches. These wins came back in 1997, 1998, and 2001.
In January 1998, The Texas Rattlesnake clinched his second consecutive victory in the bout. Interestingly, Austin last eliminated his rival The Rock to win the contest. Stone Cold entered the match at number 24 and eliminated seven men en route to his triumph. Hulk Hogan and Shawn Michaels had already won back-to-back matches before Austin, making him the third man in history to achieve this feat.
This victory was the latest step in Austin's rapid rise to stardom. He went on to beat Shawn Michaels for the WWF Championship at WrestleMania XIV. In doing so, he cemented his status as a top star in the wrestling world.
Mick Foley also made history in this Royal Rumble match by becoming the only man to enter the bout three times and subsequently getting eliminated every time. He came to the ring as Dude Love, Cactus Jack and Mankind at different points throughout the contest.
This was the second earliest Royal Rumble pay-per-view in history; the 1989 event took place on January 15th. This was also the only event to take place on January 18th, as several other dates have seen multiple Rumble events.
Elsewhere on the card, Shawn Michaels defeated The Undertaker in a Casket atch to retain his WWF Championship. In another noteworthy bout, The Rock defeated Ken Shamrock via disqualification to retain his Intercontinental Championship.