Royal Rumble is maybe the best gauge to see who was over when, when watching older eras

[Cobratron]

Greg 'The Hammer' Valentine was OVER during that face run. He could've easily gotten that IC belt during that timeframe. 20 minutes in and he's just warming up.

 

[jadillac]

Kerry Von Erich was a huge star before coming to wwf, even bt the time he was Texas Tornado, ppl still loved him.