10 WWE Pay-Per-View Shocks Nobody Could Predict

6. John Cena's Royal Rumble Return

John Cena 2008 Royal Rumble
WWE.com

Going down with a painful torn pectoral muscle during a match against Mr. Kennedy on the October 1, 2007 edition of Monday Night Raw, WWE poster boy John Cena looked to be out of action for up to seven months. Some even suggested it'd take a full year for Cena to recuperate from the injury, meaning he was a real doubt for WrestleMania XXIV and definitely out of January's Royal Rumble.

Defying the doctors, a smiling Cena visibly knew he had pulled a fast one on every WWE fan by returning in the #30 slot in the 2008 Rumble match. Less than four full months after tearing a major muscle, the often-derided hero was back in action and won the 30-man match in front of an enraptured New York crowd.

Even those who might normally boo the guy had to admit that he had superhuman healing powers.

Watching the 2008 Rumble via the WWE Network shows just how stunned fans were to see Cena. The #30 slot in Rumbles is usually a disappointment, so it was amazing to see everyone in Madison Square Garden come together and admit they didn't suspect a thing.

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Lifelong wrestling, video game, music and sports obsessive who has been writing about his passions since childhood. Jamie started writing for WhatCulture in 2013, and has contributed thousands of articles and YouTube videos since then. He cut his teeth penning published pieces for top UK and European wrestling read Fighting Spirit Magazine (FSM), and also has extensive experience working within the wrestling biz as a manager and commentator for promotions like ICW on WWE Network and WCPW/Defiant since 2010. Further, Jamie also hosted the old Ministry Of Slam podcast, and has interviewed everyone from Steve Austin and Shawn Michaels to Bret Hart and Trish Stratus.