Three Greatest Returns in WWE Royal Rumble History
WWE Royal Rumble is one of the most iconic events in all of professional wrestling. The match started in 1988 and has been a staple of WWE ever since.
There have been some iconic moments created in the Royal Rumble match; history has been made and careers have been elevated. The Royal Rumble is known for bringing back old superstars, calling up some from NXT and debuting new ones.
There have been countless returns throughout the years, but which are the best?
3. Triple H Returns in 2002
Triple H is one of the greatest wrestlers ever, it’s really that simple. The number of kids, even adults, that would spit water out of their mouths to imitate The Game is absurd. Triple H is everyone’s older brother’s favorite wrestler. He’s created countless iconic moments in his career, but none may be more iconic than when he returned at the 2002 Royal Rumble.
About two weeks prior, Triple H returned to Raw for the first time since suffering a quad injury. Triple H tore his quad clean off the bone in May of 2001, but he returned to Raw in early January of 2002, stunning the world.
The Game came out wearing a leather jacket that had a jean jack with the leaves ripped off, which is now one of the most iconic outfits ever, and the place erupted. It’s one of the loudest pops in wrestling history. You don’t bring up this return without mentioning the jacket.
Triple H declared for the Royal Rumble and about two weeks later he would win the match. This return is easily one of the best of all time and a highlight of every ’90s kid’s childhood.
2. Edge Returns in 2020
Edge’s return in the 2020 Royal Rumble is easily the best recent return in history.
During the time, Edge hadn’t wrestled a single match since WrestleMania in 2011. Nearly nine years after being sidelined with a neck injury, he made his return.
If you grew up watching wrestling from the mid to late 2000s, as I did, you grew up absolutely hating Edge. I feel like no one really gives enough credit to just how much wrestling fans absolutely despised him. But that didn’t matter once the Rated-R Superstar made his remarkable return in the Royal Rumble.
It was a sight that fans thought they would never see again: Edge in a wrestling ring. It’s hard to even put into words the feeling that fans had once they heard “you think you know me.” Edge’s return in the 2020 Royal Rumble is the second greatest in history, but if this was your first, I don’t blame you.
1. John Cena Returns in 2008
John Cena is the greatest wrestler of all time, and if you don’t think so you’re just holding onto your childhood too much. Every time Cena wrestles, he amazes fans, but nothing was more amazing than when Cena returned at the 2008 Royal Rumble.
Four months prior, Cena tore his pectoral muscle clean off. Almost the same exact injury that Cody Rhodes suffered in 2022. Pectoral tears take a while to come back from and doctors don’t recommend heavy lifting until six months after surgery. Well, Cena returned to the Royal Rumble only four months after tearing his pectoral muscle.
Cena has always been the one who was the most like a superhero. He even played one in HBO’s Peacemaker — which is an incredible show. But Cena coming back so soon proved he is not human.
There have been so many iconic moments in the Royal Rumble history, but none are more iconic than when Cena entered. Cena popping his head up at the entrance tunnel is so iconic. I’m literally getting chills writing about it.
Cena has inspired so many people in his career. Wrestling fans everywhere, including myself, imitated how he took his shirt off — you know what I’m talking about.
John Cena is the greatest wrestler of all time and gave us the single greatest moment in Royal Rumble history.
