10 Biggest surprise returns in Royal Rumble history

#8 Triple H

Triple H

In late 2015, Roman Reigns was involved in a blood intense feud with The Authority, which obviously was led by Triple H and his wife Stephanie McMahon. Having defeated Sheamus to win the WWE Championship, Reigns ended the year 2015 on a very high note, as not only did he win his second World Championship in the WWE but also put Triple H on the shelf by brutally spearing him at the TLC PPV.

Heading into the 2016 Royal Rumble pay-per-view, Roman Reigns had the task of outlasting 29 other men in the Rumble match, as he became the very first man to defend his WWE Championship in the 30-man Royal Rumble match. With Ric Flair having previously achieved the record of winning the vacant world title in 1992 at the Rumble match, this was Reigns' opportunity to rewrite history once again.

And in order to rewrite that history, the toughest of competitors made their presence known at the 2016 Rumble match, including the likes of the new WWE signee AJ Styles, Kevin Owens, Sami Zayn, Dean Ambrose, and the returning Triple H.

After being sidelined by Reigns in 2015, 'The Game' made his dramatic return to the WWE, entering the Royal Rumble pay-per-view and not only did he eliminate Reigns but also went on to capture his 14th WWE World Championship in style.