5 best John Cena returns to WWE

In early 2002, a new Superstar emerged on SmackDown Live.

Answering Kurt Angle's open challenge, this new rookie aimed to define 'Ruthless Aggression', and despite coming up short against the Olympian, certainly proved himself.

That young nobody, of course, was John Cena.

Since then, Cena's rise to the top of the WWE has been meteoric, winning an astonishing 16 World Championships, and branching out into other projects such as TV and movies.

In fact, due to his branching out (as well as some injuries thrown in there), there have been times where Cena has been absent, and whilst fans often criticise the alleged master of the '5 Moves of Doom', his returns are always shocking, impressive and entertaining.

Here are the five top returns of John Cena, that rocked the WWE Universe.

#5 Survivor Series 2008

In his first match back from injury, Cena was able to topple Chris Jericho for the World Heavyweight title.

After getting injured at SummerSlam 2008, John Cena needed some time off.

In his absence, RAW was left without a top face, after the villainous Chris Jericho had won the World Heavyweight Championship at Unforgiven.

And although the likes of Batista and Shawn Michaels gave entertaining matches, fans couldn't help but notice the John Cena sized hole in the roster.

Returning at Survivor Series 2008, Cena was immediately granted a World title match, which understandably annoyed a lot of the fans.

So they probably were just as equally annoyed when Cena won the title on his first night back, his first reign as World Heavyweight Champion.

Holding the title until February the next year, Cena retained against the likes of Jericho and JBL, proving that no injury can hold back the Doctor of Thuganomics.

#4 The Greatest Royal Rumble 2018

Though The Game fought hard, it was Cena who left Jeddah the victor.

The Greatest Royal Rumble event is not ones fans hold in high regard.

Social and political debates flanked the show (and the company's decade-long deal with Saudi Arabia), with the actual show being seen at it's best, as an afterthought, and at it's worse, propaganda.

But John Cena's opening bout against Triple H was by far one of the highlights of the show.

A rematch of some classic matches in the past, including the main event of WrestleMania 22, both men returned to a hero's welcome in the Middle East, showing that even now in their 40s, both men could still go.

Eventually, it was Cena's day, defeating the King of Kings, and graciously thanking the fans for their support after a rough year, with Cena even referencing his breakup with Nikki Bella.

#3 WrestleMania 32

Cena aligned with longtime nemesis The Rock at the most attended WrestleMania of all time.

For years, fans compared and contrasted the iconic careers of John Cena and The Rock.

Both after all, had been the icons of their generations, and their classic WrestleMania 28 bout was truly a meeting of epic proportions.

But when The Rock made a guest appearance four years later, he found himself outnumbered by the Wyatt family, a team that even the Brahma Bull would've struggled to overcome alone.

Fortunately, he wasn't alone, as Cena returned at the biggest show of 2016, assisting his long-time nemesis to vanquish the bizarre cult.

Whilst fans complained that this hurt the Wyatts, and argued that neither Cena nor Rock needed this ego trip, this return was still a history-making moment, as two of the greatest ever shared the ring, not as opponents, but as friends.

#2 Survivor Series 2004

Cena teamed with Big Show, RVD and Eddie Guerrero.

We all know John Cena as the fun-loving babyface, who's always ready to flash his signature smile for the fans.

But at Survivor Series 2004, John Cena was not there to entertain.

After being robbed of the United States Championship by Carlito several weeks earlier, Cena was stabbed in a nightclub (allegedly by Carlito's bodyguard), missing a lot of time in the ring.

Returning as part of Team Guerrero, Cena made a beeline for Carlito, chasing him off, leaving Team Angle (who would lose the match) a man behind right out of the gate.

This was followed up with Cena winning the title back from Mr. Cool, and defending it against the bodyguard, at Armageddon.

Demolishing his opponent for the entire match, Cena showed just how serious he could be, and would be WWE Champion in a matter of months.

#1 Royal Rumble 2008

Cena returned at the world's most famous arena to punch his ticket on the road to WrestleMania 24.

A sudden injury at the hands of Randy Orton in late 2007 came as a huge blow to Cena.

After holding the WWE Championship for over a year, Cena was forced to vacate, with the Chain Gang leader expected to be out for 6-12 months, meaning he'd miss WrestleMania.

In what is still a shocking feat of perseverance though, Cena rehabilitates his body in record time.

Entering #30 at the 2008 Royal Rumble, everyone inside Madison Square Garden was shocked, from the fans to the commentators to the Superstars themselves.

Last eliminating Triple H, Cena would win his first of two Royal Rumbles (the other being 2013), and whilst fans inside MSG did start to boo him during the match, everyone was on their feet when the iconic Superstar's music hit.