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As we approach WWE's second biggest event of the year, we all gear up for the Royal Rumble match. By far, it is the most unique and thrilling match. As we move closer to the end of January, the field of 30 starts to fill out. We await each week seeing who is entering into the race for a shot to main event WrestleMania.
Over the years though, it is who is not announced that always has us talking and wondering just who might show up. No doubt the thrilling part of the match is when that countdown clock hits zero and the buzzer sounds, we anxiously wait to see who is coming down that aisle. While we want to see our favorite superstars, we also want to see the unimaginable.
The best part about this match is the unpredictability. It is about superstars from the past coming back to be in the spotlight one more time. It is about superstars making their debut. It is about the reaction the fans make when these superstars make their way to the ring. As Matt Striker once said:
"This is what the Royal Rumble is all about because you never know!"
Those words could not be any truer. The true magic of the Royal Rumble is you never know. You never know if a legend is coming back, who is starting the Rumble, who drew number 30, or if we are going to see superstars square off we have never seen nor could imagine. The Royal Rumble truly is special for moments we never thought we would see. Here are the 5 best Royal Rumbles ranked by surprise entrants.
#5 2001 Royal Rumble
Some call this possibly the greatest Rumble ever assembled. While it is known for its records (Kane eliminating 11 men and Stone Cold winning his 3rd Rumble), it had some very notable returns. However the first of those was not a return, it was a celebrity.
Earlier in the broadcast, Drew Carey stopped by for a little promotion of his new show. After an accidental flirtation with Trish Stratus, Vince decided to enter Carey into the Royal Rumble.
While he was in the ring, the Hardy Boyz eliminated each other leaving Drew all by himself. That is when it was time for entrant number 6 to come out, and as the fire blasted the stage, Kane made his way to the ring. Kane was not amused by Carey's attempt at a handshake and bribery and wrapped his hand around Carey's throat. As he was about to deliver a chokeslam, Raven came out and made the save. Carey climbed over the top rope, eliminating himself from the match.
Soon after at entry 12, the "Cool, Cocky, and Bad" music of the Honky Tonk Man sounded throughout the New Orleans arena. After about a minute he like 10 other men felt the wrath of Kane and was eliminated.
Later at entry 23, The Big Show returned after a 5-month hiatus. He quickly had his eyes set on The Rock. However, like the previous year, The Big Show was eliminated by The Rock. This angered Show as he was only in the match for less than 2 minutes. He dragged The Rock under the bottom rope and proceeded to chokeslam him through the announce table.
The last surprise of the night was a returning Superstar who made his debut 15 years earlier in WWE. At entry 29 was Haku. The former "King" who was previously managed by the likes of Bobby "The Brain" Heenan and the "Mouth of the South" Jimmy Hart lasted about 3 minutes before being eliminated by eventual winner Stone Cold.
#4 2010 Royal Rumble
The 2010 Rumble did not feature any legend from the past returning nor celebrity appearances. It did, however, feature two surprises from already active superstars that still had an effect of astonishment. Ironically, these two superstars are not only WWE Hall of Famers but are bonded through holy matrimony.
Beth Phoenix made history at entry 6, becoming the second woman in WWE history to compete in the Royal Rumble (Chyna the first in 1999). Awaiting her was the 7 foot Punjabi Playboy and former World Heavyweight Champion The Great Khali.
Beth, who at the time was known for her strength as well as beauty did not know what she got herself into. She did the only thing she knew she could do. As Khali picked her up to gently place her outside the ring, Beth laid a huge kiss right onto the lips of Khali and continued to kiss him right over the top rope and onto the floor. The WWE Universe was stunned. Not only did she compete in the match, but she eliminated a former World Champion.
Speaking of former world champions, the real surprise came at the culmination of the match. At entry 29, the Metalingus music hit and out came the Rated R Superstar Edge. In early June, Edge had found tag team gold with Chris Jericho. Soon after Edge tore his Achilles tendon putting him immediately out of action. Jericho did not forgive Edge for "abandoning" him. The diagnosis for Edge was about a year and six months later he was back.
Ironically, Y2J himself was waiting for Edge in the ring. Jericho looked as stunned as the rest of the WWE Universe was to see Edge back and ready to go. He immediately entered the ring, bounced off the ropes and delivered a thunderous spear to Jericho. After Jericho was eliminated, Edge eliminated John Cena to win the 2010 Royal Rumble in dramatic fashion.
#3 2016 Royal Rumble
For the second time in WWE, the winner of the Royal Rumble would not receive a title match at WrestleMania but would become WWE Champion. Roman Reigns was involved in a bitter rivalry with the Authority and they were doing everything they could to make sure Reigns would not leave Orlando as champion. He was also given the unfortunate number 1 spot. If the Big Dog was going to leave as champion, he would need to do so in historical fashion.
Number 3 was probably the biggest surprise entrant in Rumble history. He was rumored to be a free agent and made his name all over the world. He was a multiple world champion and one of the biggest names in all of wrestling. The music hit and no one knew who it was. Reigns looked on with a puzzled look when the graphic flashed across the big screen "I Am Phenomenal." AJ Styles had officially arrived in WWE.
His accolades to this day speak for himself. He is a multiple time WWE Champion. He held the title for over a year. SmackDown Live has become the house that AJ Styles built. He is one of the best wrestlers on the planet.
Coming in at entry 20 was NXT star Sami Zayn. He had a long time rivalry going with Kevin Owens who just happened to be standing in the ring when Zayn's music hit. The two go back all the way to the independent scene as well as to fierce battles in NXT one that included Owens with a powerbomb onto the apron and keeping Zayn out of action for months.
Finally, the coveted entry 30. As mentioned previously, the storyline of this Rumble was the Authority trying to rip the title away from Roman Reigns. While Vince had the League of Nations (Sheamus, Rusev, Alberto Del Ro, Wade Barrett) earlier in the match, that was not enough to keep Roman down. That is when the music hit and out came the Cerebral Assasin Triple H.
The shockwave shot through the entire Amway Center. The plan came to fruition when Triple H finally eliminated Reigns then Dean Ambrose to not only win the Royal Rumble but also become a 14 Champion in his career.
#2 2018 Royal Rumble (men)
A trailblazing event in professional wrestling. The 2018 Royal Rumble featured the men's traditional Rumble match but the first ever all-women Rumble match. This event gained mainstream attention all across the world as a groundbreaking event. Just like the anticipation of returning and debuting superstars, the women were no different than the men.
Let us start with the men's side of things. The first surprise came in at number 7 with the then NXT Champion Andrade "Cien" Almas came out. This was one night after he put on a match of the year classic with Johnny Gargano. This marked the first time the NXT Champion took part in the Rumble match.
At number 21 was the former resident superhero The Hurricane. Never a World Champion but certainly a fan favorite during his nine years with WWE. He received a huge pop, even though he was not seen in a WWE ring for eight years.
Number 23 brought out Undisputed Era's leader Adam Cole. Talk about a fan favorite, this man had one of the best debuts in NXT history. After competing in a vicious Extreme Rules match the night before, he thought his time was now to enter the Royal Rumble.
The biggest surprise was saved for last. The Ultimate Underdog Rey Mysterio made his much-anticipated return after almost 3 years. A former rumble winner in his own right, the crowd went insane when he finally came back.
A great moment in this match came when Randy Orton, John Cena, and Rey Mysterio had a staredown with Finn Balor, Nakamura and Roman Reigns. WWE's past vs. WWE's future. Time stood still for that one brief moment.
#2 2018 Royal Rumble (women)
The main event was the historic, first-ever all women Royal Rumble. The Philadelphia crowd was on edge awaiting all 30 women. As Stephanie McMahon made her way to do commentary, they were ready to make history. We all had the same things running through our head. Who would come out when? Who is coming back? Who will win? All of these questions got answered and some in a huge way.
We did not have to wait long for the first surprise as entry 5 brought of WWE Hall of Famer Lita. The former women's champion lasted close to 6 minutes before being eliminated by Beck Lynch.
Entries 9 and 12 saw Torrie Wilson and Molly Holly respectively make their return to WWE.
Entry 14 brought out former Divas Champion Michelle McCool. She looked like she had not lost a step in the ring. Lasting almost 9 minutes, she ended up leading the women in eliminations with 5.
When the buzzer sounded for the 16th entry, a screeching voice howled the arena. It was a voice they were all too familiar with and a phrase we have not heard in some time, "EXCUSE ME!" Vicki Guerrero made her way to the ring screaming, and the WWE Universe simultaneously reached to cover their ears. Thank god she was thrown out in about a minute.
The string of former champions continued followed by a string of Hall of Famer's. Former Divas Champion Kelly Kelly, former Women's Champion and WWE Hall of Famer Jacqueline and finally former Divas Champion and WWE Hall of Famer Beth Phoenix. Ironically, this was the Glamazon's second rumble even though this was first women rumble.
Entries 27 and 28 saw the return of the Bella Twins to huge ovations. The E! reality stars made their presence felt with Nikki lasting 16 minutes and accumulating 4 eliminations. She was also one of the final two participants before being eliminated by eventual winner Asuka. Brie lasted 12 minutes before being eliminated by Nikki Bella of all people.
Now we come to the beloved 30th spot. As we all waited for the countdown to hit zero, we were all fretfull of who was coming out. As the music hit, the crowd went psychotic as Trish Stratus made her way to the ring. Possibly the greatest Women's Champion in WWE history, Trish would not let a historic moment for women go by without being a part of it. Her staredown with Mickie James was nostalgic for any fan and her showdown with Sasha Banks was stunning.
Finally, the biggest surprise of them all was someone who was making her debut in the world of wrestling. As Asuka was in the ring with Charlotte and Alexa Bliss, we were waiting on her decision who she would face at WrestleMania.
The music hit and out came Ronda Rousey to a thunderous ovation. Shock and pandemonium were sent through the WWE Universe as we could not believe what we were witnessing. A UFC Hall of Famer stepping out of the Octagon into the Squared Circle. She made herself known without even uttering a word and with one point at the WrestleMania sign.
BEST: 2008 Royal Rumble
There are some places in the world that special moments just seem to find. To wrestling fans, that place is Madison Square Garden. The World's Most Famous Arena has been a staple for WWE for decades. The first WrestleMania took place at MSG. The first time Stone Cold stunned Vince McMahon was at MSG. Moments like these are cemented in wrestling history. The 2008 Royal Rumble was no different.
The beginning of the match was a surprise in itself because entries 1 and 2 were The Undertaker and Shawn Michaels. Talk about two legends who have put on some of arguably the best matches in history starting and lasting over 30 minutes.
Unlike past Rumbles, we had to wait until entry 18 for our first surprise entrant. This brought out Jimmy "Superfly" Snuka. The Garden crowd came to its feet as the WWE Hall of Famer returned to MSG. Remember, it was at the Garden where he famously leaped off the top of a cage onto Don Muraco.
The very next entrant was "Rowdy" Roddy Piper. If the roof was not blown off the building yet, it was about to be. The two Hall of Famers started trading blows that brought fans back to the 1980s. It was Piper who famously hit Jimmy Snuka over the head with a coconut on an episode of Piper's Pit.
If you have seen a theme developing while reading this, the last spot, entry 30 has been used for big name surprises. While some have been just normal roster guys, others have been superstars that shake the foundation of the wrestling world. This Rumble was one of those that made every fan's jaw drop. One man, who was loved and hated at the same time. His name was John Cena.
At the beginning of October, John Cena was involved in a match where he felt a tear in his pectoral. He was rushed into immediate surgery where it was revealed he had completely torn the muscle off the bone. A seven-month rehabilitation was planned for Cena. This certainly put his Road to WrestleMania on hiatus.
The sudden explosion of emotion when his music hit was mesmerizing to hear and witness. The look on Triple H's face said it all. He stormed into the ring with the New York crowd in a frenzy eliminating 4 men. To cap it all off he threw Triple H over the top rope and won the Royal Rumble. It was a storybook scenario at Madison Square Garden.
