5 most disappointing surprise entrants in Royal Rumble history

The Royal Rumble match is notorious for its surprise entrants, which has become an annual tradition. Almost every year, the 30-person melee plays host to several returning legends, shelved Superstars written off with an injury, or, more recently, NXT talents.

Some surprises were genuinely pleasing to the crowd. Edge's inspiring in-ring return at Royal Rumble 2020 was a core memory for every fan. On any list of jaw-dropping comebacks, John Cena's wild re-emergence from injury inside Madison Square Garden in January 2008 is bound to be atop the list.

However, for every AJ Styles debut or John Cena comeback, there is an underwhelming surprise entrant that was either booked horrendously or poorly received by the WWE Universe.

Considering the long-standing tradition of the Royal Rumble, there was a multitude of entries to this list, which also has a few noteworthy mentions:

1. Bob Backlund (2000)
2. Jimmy Snuka (2008)
3. The Godfather (2013)
4. Shane McMahon (2022)

Let's look at 5 of the most underwhelming surprise entrants in Royal Rumble history.

Disclaimer: This list is far from exhaustive and expresses the author's views alone.

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#5. Nia Jax was the final entrant in the 2023 Women's Royal Rumble

In November 2021, the highly controversial Nia Jax was released from WWE. Her departure from the Stamford-based promotion was rather short-lived, as The Irresistible Force returned 14 months later in the 2023 Women's Rumble.

However, Jax's return was botched in the worst way possible. Her music hit before the timer began counting down, leaving the commentators, fans, and wrestlers in the ring utterly confused.

To add to the awkwardness, Jax entered at the coveted final spot, which is usually reserved for the biggest surprise of the evening. The Irresistible Force couldn't make an impact as she lasted only 2 minutes without scoring any elimination.

Although it was a one-off at the time, Jax would make a full-time return to WWE later in the year and has improved her image considerably.

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#4. Tye Dillinger's entry inside the Alamodome was not a "genuine" surprise

The essence of every wonderful surprise entrant is naturally its shock value. No one saw John Cena's return coming in Madison Square Garden. Although rumors were circulating, few imagined that AJ Styles would step inside a WWE ring in January 2016.

Thus, when Tye Dillinger, with his "Perfect Ten" gimmick, entered as the tenth entrant at Royal Rumble 2017, fans were excessively elated. However, few were surprised. Dillinger received a wonderful ovation, but Alamodome was already chanting "Ten" before he emerged.

Dillinger certainly elevated the energy level of the match, but since the shock value was missing, his surprise entrance was quickly forgotten. Furthermore, this was the peak of the popular star's WWE career, as he could not do much of note in his eventual main roster run.

Considering how he fell out of the spotlight, his memorable but expected entry into the 2017 Men's Rumble has faded from memory.

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#3. Triple H enters the 2016 Men's Royal Rumble to shatter Roman Reigns' dream

When Roman Reigns lashed out at Triple H at TLC in December 2015, fans knew WWE was building towards HHH vs. Reigns. Then, Vince McMahon entered the fray and announced that The Big Dog would defend his World Title against 29 other men in the Rumble.

Thus, it was inevitable that WWE's master plan was to have Hunter enter as the final entrant to steal the title away from Reigns, setting up the main event of WrestleMania 32. On paper, it was a solid idea, but fans saw it coming from a mile away, and online reports had thoroughly leaked the Hall of Famer's return.

When HHH's theme song hit, the arena exploded with joy, but that was out of their disapproval for Reigns rather than the shock value of Hunter's return. When the 14-time World Champion dumped the champion over the top rope, the tide turned, and fans began cheering for Dean Ambrose.

Thus, much like Dillinger, although Triple H's "surprise" 2016 Royal Rumble evoked a ton of emotion, it severely lacked shock value, which took away from the overall quality of the event.

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#2. Dolph Ziggler returned at Royal Rumble 2018

Many fans have probably forgotten this return, and for good reason. After winning the US Championship at Clash of Champions 2017 in December, Dolph Ziggler vacated the title and "left" WWE due to the lack of respect he received.

Although this could have translated into a more eventful and meaningful angle, The Showoff re-emerged a little over a month later in the Wells Fargo Center as the final entrant in the Men's Rumble match.

The WWE Universe didn't know what to make of the former World Champion's return. It felt odd, rushed, and pretty random. Ziggler randomly showed up without cause or much hype and failed to make any sort of impact as Finn Balor quickly eliminated him.

Fortunately, the 2018 Men's Rumble had other much more memorable moments, which makes the entire affair an unforgettable one.

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#1. Michael Cole entered the 2012 Royal Rumble match

Royal Rumble 2012 was far from a memorable match. However, one of the most frustrating elements of the affair was the inexplicable inclusion of all three commentators at ringside- Jerry Lawler, Booker T, and Michael Cole.

Among the commentators, it was Cole's inclusion that baffled and upset fans the most. The Voice of WWE was not an active competitor in the ring and had little proficiency as a performer.

What was more frustrating is that the spot could have gone to a full-time performer backstage who could have done much more with the opportunity. However, Cole's entry paved the way for a memorable interaction with the returning Kharma.

Considering it as a standalone entry, this was completely unnecessary and controversial.