10 Best Things To Come From The WWE's Worst Moments

3. The John Cena 2008 Royal Rumble Return

John Cena Royal Rumble 2008
WWE

When John Cena went down with a torn pectoral muscle in October 2007, WWE very briefly went into a tailspin to try and make good what they considered to be the worst possible loss.

'The Champ' had held the title for over a year at that point, but the prospect of being out for a minimum of 12 months resulted in an immediate vacation of the belt and a long weary stint on the shelf when the company needed him most.

Or so the entire fanbase were allowed to believe.

Either through (brilliantly) gimmicking the prognosis or because the man himself is superhuman, John Cena returned to an absolutely thunderous pop at the 2008 Royal Rumble from a Madison Square Garden crowd that briefly forgot themselves at the first bar of his entrance music.

'The World's Most Famous Arena' received the returning star as if he were the world's most famous man, before hurriedly remembering what they'd regularly do and got back to booing him.

It was one of the most memorable pops in company history, and was much-needed as the company headed into a huge new year...

 
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Michael is a writer, editor, podcaster and presenter for WhatCulture Wrestling, and has been with the organisation for nearly 10 years. He primarily produces written, audio and video content on WWE and AEW, but also provides knowledge and insights on all aspects of the wrestling industry thanks to a passion for it dating back over 35 years. As one third of "The Dadley Boyz" Michael has contributed to the huge rise in popularity of the WhatCulture Wrestling Podcast and its accompanying YouTube channel, earning it top spot in the UK's wrestling podcast charts with well over 65,000,000 total downloads. Within the podcasting space, he also co-hosts Benno & Hamflett, In Your House! and Podcast Horseman: The BoJack Horseman Podcast. He has been featured as a wrestling analyst for the Tampa Bay Times, Fightful, POST Wrestling, GRAPPL, GCP, Poisonrana and Sports Guys Talking Wrestling, and has provided in-person coverage of some of the biggest pay-per-views and Premium Live Events in wrestling history, including WrestleMania, Survivor Series, All In & Double Or Nothing in destinations such as New York, New Jersey, Chicago, Dallas, Las Vegas, Philadelphia, London and Cardiff. Michael's background in media stretches beyond wrestling coverage, with a degree in Journalism from the University Of Sunderland (2:1) and a series of published articles in sports, music and culture magazines The Crack, A Love Supreme and Pilot. When not offering his voice up for daily wrestling podcasts, he can be found losing it singing far too loud watching his favourite bands play live.