WWE Royal Rumble winners (2000-2009): Where are they now?
Royal Rumble is arguably one of the most exciting WWE pay-per-views of the year. The beginning of the Road to WrestleMania, surprise Royal Rumble entrants, nostalgia, and many other factors contribute towards making this pay-per-view memorable for every fan watching it.
Throughout the years, Royal Rumble has been a platform for the company to push Superstars to the top of the WWE mountain, granting them a world title opportunity at 'The Showcase of Immortals' WrestleMania. Every Superstar winning this annual match etches their name into WWE history books.
In this article, let's take a look at all the Royal Rumble winners from the 2000s, and find out where they are now. Be sure to comment down and let us know which of these was your favorite?
#1 WWE Royal Rumble 2000: The Rock
The Rock won the WWE Royal Rumble 2000 by last eliminating The Big Show. He entered the match at No. 24 and lasted nearly 15 minutes, eliminating four Superstars. The finish to the match was botched as The Rock's feet touched the floor before Big Show's at the end. However, that was ignored and The Rock was declared the winner.
The main event of that year's WrestleMania saw Triple H successfully retain the WWF Championship by defeating The Rock, Big Show, and Mick Foley with each member of the McMahon family backing each of the four competitors.
Two decades later, The Rock aka Dwayne Johnson is one of the biggest Hollywood stars. He has had a Hall of Fame-worthy career in WWE which is still not officially over with there being speculations of him returning to face his cousin Roman Reigns sometime in the future.
#2 WWE Royal Rumble 2001: Stone Cold Steve Austin
WWE Hall of Famer Stone Cold Steve Austin is the only Superstar in history to have won the Royal Rumble match a record three times. After winning in 1997 and 1998, Austin won the Royal Rumble for the third time in 2001 by last eliminating Kane, who set a record that year by eliminating 11 Superstars from the Royal Rumble match - a record that lasted 13 years before Roman Reigns broke it in 2014.
Austin went on to face The Rock at WrestleMania X-Seven later that year where he defeated him in a No Disqualification match to win the WWF Championship in the main event. This was the night when Austin turned heel and sided with Mr. McMahon, much to the shock of the fans watching.
Stone Cold Steve Austin is no longer an in-ring competitor and is currently signed to WWE under a legend's contract. He makes occasional on-screen appearances for special WWE shows and also hosts his highly-popular 'Broken Skull Sessions' on the WWE Network.