Rob Van Dam's return to the 2009 Royal Rumble completely caught the fans in Detroit off-guard. The pop upon the playing of his theme song was one of the loudest of the night, proving that WWE's attempt to surprise the audience had worked. And to his credit, Van Dam performed up to the energy and excitement in the arena, unloading on CM Punk, Cody Rhodes and a bevy of other top Superstars with the signature offense that made him one of the most popular stars of his generation. When he was finally eliminated from the match after nearly 14 minutes of competition by Chris Jericho, the reaction of the crowd indicated that they not only wanted to welcome Van Dam back into the fold after a two-year absence, they would not have minded if he won the whole damn thing! Van Dam would vanish from WWE television immediately following the bout, not to return again until 2013.