20 Awesome WWE Royal Rumble Debuts And Returns

No matter how dour they might be, wrestling fans can’t deny that every January there’s a sense of optimistic curiosity as the Royal Rumble draws near.

For years, the Rumble has presented even the most cynical fans with an opportunity to hope for something fun and memorable. There’s the mystery of who is coming out next as the timer winds down, whether it’s a dominant superstar to clear the ring of deadwood or some hapless schmo to be fed to said monster.

But there’s also the element of total surprise: a wrestler no one expected to show up makes his (or her) appearance, sending the crowd into a frenzy. This has been more of a recent phenomenon, with WWE trying to use the surprise spot to bring back an injured superstar, debut an NXT call-up, or just juice the fans with a legend returning for one night only.

Regardless, we’ve seen a bunch of these throughout the years, so it’s worth taking a look back at some of the better Royal Rumble surprises we’ve seen, and see how they stack up against each other. Which fares better? A returning superstar, an injured wrestler showing up, or a brand-new WWE debut?

Let’s get to it…

This is the first of two entries for the Hardcore Legend, who technically retired in 2000, but made a few returns to a WWE ring. This would actually be his final in-ring appearance.

Foley was beyond the point of doing anything serious in the ring, so his appearance was merely a nostalgia deal, but we got a fair amount of comedy, which you either loved or hated. Mick entered at #7, followed at #9 by Santino Marella, which led to one of the greatest (or worst) standoffs ever.

The match came to a dead stop as Foley and Marella dug into their wrestling gear and produced Mr. Socko and the Cobra respectively, for an epic in-ring confrontation between the two. They battled momentarily before Cody Rhodes would eliminate both men.

Foley would last less than 7 minutes, but it was a memorable send-off for a beloved character that produced some genuine laughs.