10 Incredible WWE Royal Rumble Facts & Figures You Need To Know

4. Returns And Surprises

Roman Reigns royal Rumble
WWE.com

What’s the Royal Rumble without long-lost superstars making their triumphant return to a WWE ring?

The surprise return has become an almost-overdone trope for the Rumble, with surprises now expected every year, whether it’s someone returning from injury, an NXT callup, a legend from yesteryear, or a re-signed wrestler.

Triple H made his big return from a torn quadriceps at the 2002 Rumble – which he won. Edge famously shocked the world at the 2020 Rumble, returning from a career-ending neck injury that had him retired for nine years. Hall-of-Famers will often drop in for spot, and several legends will make an appearance, though some of these entrants are more about filling slots (see the women’s 2022 Rumble) than popping the crowd.

We already know one of the biggest returns in the 2023 Rumbles, with Cody Rhodes announced for the men’s match. Who else could make their big return on Saturday?

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Scott is a former journalist and longtime wrestling fan who was smart enough to abandon WCW during the Monday Night Wars the same time as the Radicalz. He fondly remembers watching WrestleMania III, IV, V and VI and Saturday Night's Main Event, came back to wrestling during the Attitude Era, and has been a consumer of sports entertainment since then. He's written for WhatCulture for more than a decade, establishing the Ups and Downs articles for WWE Raw and WWE PPVs/PLEs and composing pieces on a variety of topics.