WWE's Royal Rumble in 1997 was the final one to take place in the New Generation Era. This was a decent event as the hometown crowd had their hometown boy challenging for the WWE Championship in the main event. The 1997 Royal Rumble match was star-studded, and there was an Intercontinental Championship match on the undercard amongst other grudge matches.
RELATED: 10 Things WWE Fans Should Know About Royal Rumble 1994
The WWE Championship title picture heading into WrestleMania 13 seemed straightforward enough with a clear-cut winner in the Royal Rumble match, who would have faced the WWE Champion in the main event. That failed to materialize with a chaotic run of title changes heading into WrestleMania 13. Nevertheless, there were tons of facts for fans to get their heads around the showpiece event.
10 The Event Was Held In The Alamodome
WWE events are typically held in stadiums for WrestleMania but the 1997 Royal Rumble was held in the Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas. The headline match on the card was Shawn Michaels challenging Sycho Sid for the WWE Championship.
The attendance for the 10th anniversary of the Royal Rumble was a whopping 60,477. This was the highest attendance for a Royal Rumble event in history at that point. Moreover, WWE has since returned to the Alamodome for the 2017 Royal Rumble, and WWE will be going there for the third time for the upcoming 2023 Royal Rumble.
9 Goldust Challenged For The Intercontinental Championship At Back-To-Back Royal Rumbles
The curtain-raiser at the 1997 Royal Rumble was Triple H defending the Intercontinental Championship against Goldust. Mr. Hughes accompanied Triple H to the ring, and Marlena was in her husband's corner.
There was an interesting footnote as this was the second consecutive year that Goldust challenged for the Intercontinental Championship at the Royal Rumble. He was hoping that lightning would strike twice as he beat Razor Ramon for the Intercontinental Championship in 1996. After battling for almost 17 minutes, Goldust failed to dethrone Triple H for the gold.
8 Ahmed Johnson Battled Past Faarooq
There was another match on the undercard at the Royal Rumble, and it featured Ahmed Johnson going head-to-head with Faarooq. Johnson had to keep a watchful eye on the outside as Faarooq wasn't at ringside on his lonesome, he had the Nation of Domination by his side.
This was a hard-hitting match between the pair with neither man holding back. Faarooq hit Johnson with a spinebuster, and Johnson retaliated with a spinebuster of his own. The Nation of Domination sensed that Faarooq was in trouble, and they interfered which led to Johnson prevailing by disqualification.
7 The Undertaker Suffered His First Pinfall Loss At The Royal Rumble
The Undertaker and Vader locked horns at the 1997 Royal Rumble, and this wasn't going to be a technical masterclass between the two behemoths. Undertaker had been a constant fixture at the Royal Rumble since his first appearance in 1991.
RELATED: Every Wrestler Who Defeated The Undertaker In A Singles PPV Match By Pinfall
His record at the event wasn't the best. He came up short in three Royal Rumble matches in succession from 1991-1993. He lost a casket match to Yokozuna in 1994, and he registered his first win at the event over IRS in 1995. Undertaker beat Bret Hart in 1996 albeit by disqualification but he didn't win the WWE Championship. Nonetheless, Vader became the first man to beat The Undertaker by pinfall at the Royal Rumble.
6 The Rock Competed In The Royal Rumble Match For The First Time
There were several debutants in the 1997 Royal Rumble match but one of the key debutants was The Rock as Rocky Maivia. Maivia was the 25th entrant in the Rumble, and he was hoping to emulate family member Yokozuna's victory in 1993.
Maivia was only two months strong into his WWE career, and it was a steady outing. He endured 13 minutes but he failed to register an elimination with his future foe Mankind eliminating him. Ironically, Rock would beat Mankind for the WWE Championship at the event just two years later.
5 Steve Austin Eliminated 10 Competitors
Steve Austin began his love affair with the Royal Rumble at the 1997 Royal Rumble. The Texas Rattlesnake was one of the favorites to emerge victorious as was his bitter rival Bret Hart. Austin spent 45 minutes in the Rumble, and he sent 10 wrestlers over the top rope.
The likes of Phineas Godwinn, Bart Gunn, Jake Roberts, Marc Mero, Owen Hart, Savio Vega, Jesse James, Vader, and The Undertaker were eliminated by Austin. However, the Hitman would have felt aggrieved as he eliminated Austin but the referee was preoccupied with Funk and Mankind which allowed Austin to get back up and toss Hart over the top rope to win his first Rumble.
4 The Undertaker Was The 30th Entrant
The Undertaker was looking to put his disappointment from losing to Vader behind him by competing in the 1997 Royal Rumble match. The Deadman was the 30th entrant, which was a favorable position to join the fray from. Undertaker reached the final four, and he eliminated Henry Godwinn and Mankind from proceedings.
RELATED: The Undertaker's 11 Royal Rumble Appearances, Ranked From Worst To Best
Undertaker was eliminated by the eventual winner Steve Austin. No competitor managed to win the Royal Rumble from the 30th position for a decade until Undertaker became the first man to do it.
3 Steve Austin Failed To Main Event WrestleMania
Since the 1993 Royal Rumble, the winner of the Royal Rumble match challenged for the WWE Championship at WrestleMania. Austin lastly eliminated Bret Hart to win his first of a record three Royal Rumble matches.
The WWE Title picture was a mess as Shawn Michaels lost his smile and Austin clashed for the WWE Championship at the following pay-per-view which Bret Hart won the title. Nonetheless, Austin collided with Hart in a five-star epic at WrestleMania 13 which saw Austin turn face, and the Hitman turning heel.
2 Shawn Michaels Had A Bout Of Flu
The 1997 Royal Rumble was all about Shawn Michaels as he returned to his hometown of San Antonio, Texas, and he challenged Sycho Sid for the WWE Championship in the main event. Unfortunately, Michaels suffered from a bout of flu which is why the Heartbreak Kid was not functioning at his best.
There was no chance that Michaels was not going to appear on the show and compete in front of his hometown fans. The atmosphere was electric, and Michaels put Sid away with Sweet Chin Music to become a two-time WWE Champion. Afterward, he celebrated with his family and friends in emotional scenes.
1 Sycho Sid Became The First Man To Lose The WWE Championship At The Royal Rumble & WrestleMania In The Same Calendar Year
Sycho Sid had the fans on his side in his WWE Championship victory over Shawn Michaels inside Madison Square Garden at Survivor Series 1996, but that wasn't the case in the Alamodome. Sid had the size and strength advantage, and he dominated large portions of the match.
As expected, Sid dropped the WWE Championship back to Michaels. A month later, Sid defeated Bret Hart for his second WWE Championship reign. His title reign only lasted one month as Undertaker beat him for the gold in an underwhelming main event at WrestleMania 13. With the loss, Sid had the distinction as the first man to lose the WWE Championship at both the Royal Rumble and WrestleMania in the same calendar year. It didn't happen for another 25 years until Brock Lesnar dropped the WWE Title to Bobby Lashley at the 2022 Royal Rumble, and Roman Reigns dethroned him in a title unification match at WrestleMania 38.
