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The WWE Royal Rumble match is usually the most anticipated match of the year and always the most exciting to watch, whether it turns out to be good or bad. The main reason for this is because you never know who will enter the match next. Could it be someone from RAW, SmackDown, NXT or 205 Live?
Maybe we could see someone making their return from an injury, perhaps a new superstar making his or her debut, or maybe even what is usually the most exciting, the return of a legend from the past making a cameo appearance.
Yes, whether many fans will admit it or not, the most exciting part of the Royal Rumble is quite often seeing an old familiar face. And to an extent, it is hard to argue as it is very fun to see and has before, been the best part of the match. So with that, I take a look at what I think are the top 10 best cameo appearances from WWE legends in a Royal Rumble match.
#10 Road Dogg - 2012
Before his cameo appearance in the Royal Rumble, Road Dogg had returned to WWE TV just a few weeks earlier to present CM Punk with a Slammy Award for the 'Pipebomb of The Year'. It had been almost 11 years since we had last seen the former WWE Intercontinental Champion and tag team specialist on WWE TV.
Road Dogg had made his official return to the company as an agent the previous October. Dogg would enter the 2012 Royal Rumble match at #23 and he lasted just under 5 minutes before he was eliminated by Wade Barrett. Road Dogg got a pretty big pop for his appearance and the live audience loved seeing his vintage move set.
#9 Michelle McCool - 2018
It had been a whole seven years since we last saw this former WWE Women's and Diva's Champion in WWE before this appearance.
The first of very few women to hold both the WWE Women's and Diva's Championships was last seen at WWE Extreme Rules in 2011, losing a 'Loser Leaves WWE' match to her former Laycool partner, Layla. She was then laid out by the debuting Kharma and she wasn't seen again, that is until this night.
Michelle McCool entered the inaugural women's Royal Rumble at number #14 and lasted just under 9 minutes, which is pretty impressive for a legends cameo appearance, and was actually the longest surviving legend in the match, other than the Bella Twins, who's 'legend' status, is up for debate.
In another impressive move, McCool actually eliminated most women in the match, with 5 eliminations. McCool was eliminated by Natalya. Her performance was so good, I don't think anyone would dispute seeing her show up again.
#8 'Rowdy' Roddy Piper & Jimmy 'Superfly' Snuka - 2008
This one was pretty fun.
The late 'Rowdy' Roddy Piper and Jimmy 'Superfly' Snuka's rivalry is legendary, dating back to Snuka's infamous appearance on Piper's Pit in 1984 when the Rowdy one hit Snuka on the back of the head with a coconut. Not only did this make their Rumble appearances more fantastic, but the two also both have such a rich history in Madison Square Garden, the home of the 2008 Royal Rumble.
Jimmy Snuka was the first to enter, at number #18, followed by Piper at #19. Snuka had received a pretty big pop, while Piper got a huge one, and their interaction was very well received. Both men were eliminated by entry number #20, Kane, just after he entered the match. Due to their age and conditioning, Piper and Snuka's appearances were not meant to last long, but it was fun while it lasted.
#7 The Honky Tonk Man - 2001
The 2001 Royal Rumble match is arguably the greatest Royal Rumble match in history. It just had so many different kinds of segments that made it spectacular, but one other thing that it will also be remembered for is its surprising entries.
The Rumble featured such surprises as Comedian and actor Drew Carey, the Big Show, who hadn't been seen in 5 months, the reigning WCW Hardcore Champion Haku and this entry, The Honky Tonk Man.
The self-proclaimed greatest WWE Intercontinental Champion of all time entered the match at number #12 and would be one of Kane's record 11 elimination victims. Honky, who we hadn't seen in WWE since the 1998 Royal Rumble, briefly sang his theme song before Kane clocked him on the head with his own guitar and tossed him out after less than 2 minutes.
Honky later said that his biggest worry about the match was if any of his rhinestones on his jumpsuit breaking during his elimination, as the jumpsuit had cost him $10,000 to make.
#6 Booker T - 2011
This is one that I really loved. When legends appear in the Royal Rumble, they typically last just a mere few minutes, several have even lasted less than a minute.
This was also the case for Booker T, who entered the 40 man Royal Rumble match at number #21 and lasted just over a minute before he was eliminated by New Nexus member Mason Ryan. I found this to be a major shame as Booker T is one of the all-time greats, and this was our first time seeing him in WWE since SummerSlam 2007. Booker was (and still is) in great shape and should have been given more time.
Just before this appearance, Booker T had actually signed a new contract with WWE to be a commentator on SmackDown and returned to SmackDown the following Thursday after this event. Booker made another Rumble appearance the following year, where he lasted just under 5 minutes. The 6 time World Champion still works for WWE today.
#5 Trish Stratus - 2018
This entry was pretty much expected to happen, but that doesn't take anything away from how awesome it was.
Trish Stratus was a big part of WWE revitalizing the women's division in 2002. The matches from that 2002 and beyond era are not a patch on today's women's wrestling, but Trish is among the few who helped make it as entertaining as it could be, given their big restrictions at the time.
Trish is also still considered to be arguably the best women's wrestler ever, so her inclusion in this match was pretty necessary for my opinion. Trish entered the inaugural women's Royal Rumble as the final entrant, at number #30.
She received a massive pop from the Philadelphia faithful and lasted just over 5 minutes before being eliminated by Sasha Banks. Trish made 3 eliminations and gave us a great staredown moment with former rival Mickie James, which the crowd went crazy for.
#4 Bubba Ray Dudley - 2015
So it is no secret that the 2015 WWE Royal Rumble is possibly the most hated Rumble match of all-time. Everyone knew Roman Reigns was winning for months, so come ready to give a similar overwhelmingly negative loud reaction to this match.
It wasn't a complete failure, however, as there were two things from the event that everyone seemed to love, the WWE Championship Triple Threat match with Brock Lesnar retaining over Seth Rollins and John Cena, and the legends cameos in the Rumble match, particularly this entry. Diamond Dallas Page and The Boogeyman would also show up and receive pops, but none was louder and more enjoyed than Bubba Ray Dudley.
The tag team great hadn't been seen in WWE in almost 10 years and when he entered the match at number #3, the building roof nearly blew off. Fans were ecstatic to see the former Bully Ray, who had only been last seen on TNA Impact Wrestling just a few weeks earlier. As D-Von Dudley did not make an appearance, R-Truth substituted for him, hitting some vintage Dudley Boyz moves.
Bubba eliminated R-Truth and The Miz and was eliminated himself by Bray Wyatt after just over 5 minutes of action.Bubba returned to WWE, along with D-Von, for a poor return later that summer until the following year. This was the only time that a Dudley Boy ever entered the Royal Rumble match.
#3 Diesel - 2011
As then WWE announcer Matt Striker called it, this was a mark out moment. Much like Booker T earlier in the match, when Kevin Nash entered the match, the roof nearly blew off the building.
Like Booker T also, this was another entrant who fans had found out about in online reports, as well as being spotted in the area over that weekend. Never the less, fans went crazy for Nash's first WWE appearance in over 7 years, and first appearance for 'Diesel' since 1996.
Big Daddy Cool would last for just under 3 minutes before being eliminated by Wade Barrett and remains the only ever #32 entrant in Rumble history.
Kevin Nash's Rumble appearance was so well received that he would return to WWE in a recurring TV role for feuds with CM Punk and Triple H, from the late summer until the end of the year. Big Daddy Cool would also make an appearance in the 2014 Royal Rumble match.
#2 Rey Mysterio - 2018
Perhaps the most surprising Royal Rumble entrant in recent memory, former WWE Champion Rey Mysterio entered the 2018 Royal Rumble match at number #27 to a monster pop.
The master of the 619 hadn't been since the post-WrestleMania XXX episode of RAW in 2014, losing to Wade Barrett. Rey spent the next four years making big appearances and making big money all over the world, which made his Rumble return that more surprising.
Rey lasted just under 10 minutes before being eliminated by Finn Balor. The crowd was electric during his time in the match.
After much speculation and another Royal Rumble appearance, in the Greatest Royal Rumble match, Rey finally came to terms with WWE on a new full-time contract in October 2018. It had seemed like for several months that Mysterio wouldn't be returning to WWE, but today he is back home on WWE SmackDown.
#1 Mr Perfect - 2002
I have always thought the 2002 Royal Rumble match was a great one, and its 'surprise' entries were pretty damn awesome too.
But one thing I will never understand is why they chose to announce who the surprise entries were on an episode of RAW a few weeks before the event. Never the less, despite everyone knowing who they were, it was still awesome to see them.
The 'surprise' entries were Goldust, who was returning full-time after a 3 year absence, The Godfather and Val Venis, whom both had been out of action with injuries since the early summer of 2001, and the best entry, WWE legend Mr. Perfect, Curt Henning, who left WWE for WCW in 1996.
Mr Perfect entered the Royal Rumble at number #25 to an earth-shaking ovation and lasted for just over 15 minutes, making it to the final 3, before being eliminated by eventual winner Triple H. Even when walking up the ramp after, Perfect received a big ovation.
WWE was so pleased with Mr Perfect's response and condition, that he was offered a full-time contract to return to WWE. He would be used poorly and was fired that May, but his Rumble appearance will still go down in history as one of the best. Curt Henning sadly died just over a year after his Royal Rumble return.
