Surprises are almost expected every Royal Rumble.
It’s that time of the year for the WWE.
Since its inception in 1988, the Royal Rumble has become a WWE pay-per-view that fans look forward to because of the surprises that it brings.
Almost every year, there surprise returns and debuts in the Royal Rumble, but here are our favorites:
Chris Jericho (2013)
There’s nothing like hearing “Break the Walls Down.” When Y2J entered the 2013 Royal Rumble at number 2, it was a mix of shock and awe for fans who were eagerly awaiting whether Jericho would make his return back then.
AJ Styles (2016)
2016 will be remembered as the year AJ Styles finally joined the WWE.
Styles was widely considered as one of the greatest wrestlers to never compete in the WWE back in the day, but that all changed when the Phenomenal One decided to shock the world by joining the Royal Rumble at number 3.
Rey Mysterio (2018)
Seeing Rey Mysterio back in the Royal Rumble in 2018 brought back so many memories for WWE fans. After all, Mysterio was the winner of the 2006 Royal Rumble and would later go on to make one of the best underdog runs to win the WWE World Heavyweight Championship.
Edge (2020)
The Rated-R Superstar made his tear-jerking return to WWE in 2020 via the Royal Rumble. Even Edge couldn’t hide his emotions as he made it back to the ring after initially retiring due to a neck injury in 2011.
John Cena (2008)
Arguably one of the biggest returns during the Royal Rumble was of John Cena’s back in 2008. Cena had been sidelined since October 2007 due to a complete tear of his pectoralis major muscle. The initial diagnosis had him gone for at least six months, but Cena, being the warrior that he is, came back just after three months, shocking the WWE fans by entering and winning the Royal Rumble.
Royal Rumble 2023 will be held tomorrow, January 29, starting at 9 in the morning. And maybe it will feature a surprise entrant or two worthy of being added to this list.