Undoubtedly Wrestlemania is the greatest and biggest WWE PPV of the calendar year. But if there’s any other PPV which wrestling fans like to watch with great zeal, then it’s the Royal Rumble pay-per-view. It is always the second favorite event to watch for the WWE fans. Many great memories, amazing moments of the sport take place at the annual event of Royal Rumble. Royal Rumble is the most crucial event in the road to Wrestlemania, it shapes many story-lines, it decides which superstar will feature in the title picture. The card of Royal Rumble consists of a 3-4 matches of the upper mid-card and main event level, with strong build-up and, of course, the most favorite and the unforgettable 30-man over-the-top-rope Royal Rumble match itself.
Royal Rumble 30-man match is the most interesting match, it keeps the wrestling fans on the edge of their seats, anticipating who’s gonna be the next surprise entrant, fans shout at their TV’s when their favorite star is eliminated, and the memorable moments when legends make return, superstars of different eras collide.
So today we’ll take a look at Top 10 Best Royal Rumble Returns Of All Time!
1. John Cena At Royal Rumble 2008
John Cena suffered an injury and forced to relinquish the WWE Championship. The wrestling fans were told that Cena would be out for more than seven months of in-ring action. He wasn’t mentioned in the programming, he didn’t show up at RAW or Smackdown. All this made his return much more special. John Cena who was out due to a torn pectoral muscle made a surprsing return at Madison Square Garden as the thirtieth entrant.
2. Triple H At Royal Rumble 2002
In May 2001, during a tag team match, Triple H tore his quad completely from the bone, he had to undergo a surgery which kept him out for 8 months, putting his wrestling career in a doubt. Triple H made his return on Raw a couple of weeks as a fan favorite, he announced that he’ll enter the 2002 Rumble. He won the Rumble after eliminating Kurt Angle.
3. Edge At Royal Rumble 2010
At a live event, Edge suffered a torn Achilles tendon which forced him to undergo surgery. WWE announced his injury on-air and told the fans that he would be out of action for nearly a year. Edge’s tag team partner Chris Jericho replaced him with Big show, Jericho spent months mocking Edge’s injury, spoke badly about him, this turned Edge into face. Edge made his surprise return as the twenty-ninth surprise entrant in the Rumble and immediately hit Jericho with a spear.
4. Chris Jericho At Royal Rumble 2013
Chris Jericho had gone out on a tour with his music band ‘FOZZY’. As a part of the story-line, he lost a career match against Dolph Ziggler. There was no word on when he’ll make his return or if he’ll return at all. Although the band completed the tour, the fans has speculations that eventually Jericho will return at Rumble. But Chris Jericho made it clear on the social media that he won’t be returning at Royal Rumble. He surprised everyone by entering the Royal Rumble at number 2 and lasting for 47 minutes.
5. Booker T At Royal Rumble 2011
Booker T requested his release from WWE in October 2007, earlier he was suspended by the company for violating the wellness policy. Booker T was not happy with his direction in the company. He went to TNA, he had a decent run in the company, but he knew he didn’t belong there. So he made his return to WWE at the 2011 Royal Rumble. When he made his entrance, he received one of the biggest pops in Royal Rumble history.
6. Diesel At Royal Rumble 2011
Kevin Nash made his return to WWE with his diesel character after a long time. The dirt sheets, social media had reported that Kevin Nash was spotted at a Boston airport (where RR took place). But just two weeks earlier Kevin Nash had recently signed a new contract with TNA. This made his return impossible, but he appeared at the Royal Rumble and the crowd went nuts.
7. Rob Van Dam At Royal Rumble 2009
Nobody expected RVD to show at the Royal Rumble out of nowhere. You can tell by the looks of the superstars, the loud reaction of the crowd and the brilliant commentary of JR and King that this return was special. When his wife was diagnosed with Cancer, RVD took most of the time off, he left the WWE. His return as the surprise entrant shocked everyone, but Rob Van Dam again left the company after the Rumble and signed with TNA a year later.
8. The Godfather At Royal Rumble 2013
Godfather, one of the most colorful personalities of the 90’s, made his return to the ring after 11 years at Royal Rumble 2013. The response he received was amazing, the crowd couldn’t believe it’s one of their favorites from the attitude era, Godfather danced down the ramp with his ‘hoes’ only to be shortly eliminated by Dolph Ziggler.
9. Goldust At Royal Rumble 2013
WWE released Goldust in 2012 for allowing a banned move to be used in a match, who was then a backstage agent. Goldust returned for a third return with the company at the 2013 event. He made his surprise entrance when his real life brother Cody Rhodes was in the ring, thus setting up a showdown with his brother. Eventually it was Cody who got the better of Dustin Rhodes by eliminating him.
10. Big Show At Royal Rumble 2001
In July, 2000, Big Show signed a ten-year contract with the WWE. However he was demoted from the main roaster and was sent to Ohio Valley Wrestling, the development territory to improve his cardiovascular fitness and get back in shape by loosing some weight. Six months later, Big Show made his return as a surprise entrant in the Rumble match. He chokeslamed everyone in the ring, but was eliminated by The Rock.