Royal Rumble (1998)

The 1998 Royal Rumble was a professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by the World Wrestling Federation (WWF, now WWE) on January 18, 1998, at the San Jose Arena in San Jose, California. It was the eleventh annual Royal Rumble event.

The show was headlined by Shawn Michaels defending the WWF Championship against The Undertaker in a Casket Match. The card also featured a 30-man Royal Rumble match, which was won by Stone Cold Steve Austin. Other notable matches included The Legion of Doom versus The New Age Outlaws for the WWF Tag Team Championship, and Goldust versus Vader.

The event is notable for its significant role in establishing Stone Cold Steve Austin as a main event performer in the WWF during the Attitude Era. His victory in the Royal Rumble match propelled him to challenge Shawn Michaels for the WWF Championship at WrestleMania XIV. The Casket Match between Michaels and The Undertaker was also a key component of the storyline rivalry between the two, further intensified by the interference of Kane.