4. Rey Mysterio Return (Royal Rumble 2018)
Before The Greatest Royal Rumble match took place, the January edition of the Rumble match happened in the Wells Fargo Arena, Philadelphia.
The match was highly anticipated as it featured superstars such as John Cena, Roman Reigns, Randy Orton, and Seth Rollins. The surprise entrants in the match were incredible as The Hurricane made his first WWE appearance since 2009 as he entered at #21. NXT’s Adam Cole also entered at #23.
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However, the biggest surprise was Rey Mysterio, who entered at #27. Mysterio hadn’t been on WWE TV since WrestleMania 30.
Rey returned and looked better than ever, even though he was 43 at the time. The crowd went wild as Rey’s return was genuinely unexpected, and it produced one of the all-time greatest Rumble moments.
3. John Cena Return (Royal Rumble 2008)
On October 1, 2007, John Cena faced Mr. Kennedy, who challenged him to a match on that night’s RAW. It was a tight contest between the two until Cena attempted a hip-toss on Kennedy that completely tore his pectoral muscle. Cena managed to finish the match and even endured a scheduled RKO onto the announce table during an attack by Randy Orton.
WWE.com revealed that Cena would undergo treatment on his torn pectoral, which kept him out of action for six to twelve months. This meant Cena was sure to miss the Rumble and WrestleMania that year and as a result, Big Match John had to relinquish his WWE Championship.
But, in typical Superman fashion, Cena returned at the 2008 Royal Rumble at #30, four months after his injury, to the dismay of Triple H, who he eliminated to win the Rumble match.
Cena’s 2008 return is something forever etched in Royal Rumble history as the crowd’s genuine surprise incited an electric reaction at Madison Square Garden.