100 Greatest WWE Royal Rumble Moments Ever

22. Christian Returns To The Ring (2021)

WWE Royal Rumble 2020 Edge
WWE

Truthfully, this one could’ve ranked a little higher had it not taken place in the dull, depressing setting of the Thunderdome.

Quietly retiring in 2014 - no grand announcement, no pomp and circumstance, no reflective video package - Christian’s music hitting in the 2021 Royal Rumble is a moment so many fans rightly lost their mind to. Previous concussion issues meant that Captain Charisma was seemingly done as an in-ring talent, and was instead nowadays a talking head on pre-show panels, Network specials, and the like.

One of the most underrated, underappreciated talents of his generation, Christian had somewhat started to get his flowers in retirement. It was just a massive shame that this came a little too late and that the Canadian didn’t receive more praise when he was active.

While we all lost our minds watching at home, there was a tinge of disappointment that Christian entered the 2021 Royal Rumble at #24 to the flat, hollow reaction of that Thunderdome setup. Still, it was all kinds of cool to see him lace ‘em up again, and even cooler and genuinely emotional to see Christian share a hug with his ol’ buddy Edge.

Surprisingly, Christian’s WWE contract would expire shortly after this Rumble appearance, and he’d rock up in AEW just a couple of months later.

Senior Writer
Senior Writer

Once described as the Swiss Army Knife of WhatCulture, Andrew can usually be found writing, editing, or presenting on a wide range of topics. As a lifelong wrestling fan, horror obsessive, and comic book nerd, he's been covering those topics professionally as far back as 2010. In addition to his current WhatCulture role of Senior Content Producer, Andrew previously spent nearly a decade as Online Editor and Lead Writer for the world's longest-running genre publication, Starburst Magazine, and his work has also been featured on BBC, TechRadar, Tom's Guide, WhatToWatch, Sportkskeeda, and various other outlets, in addition to being a Rotten Tomatoes-approved film critic. Between his main day job, his role as the lead panel host of Wales Comic Con, and his gig as a pre-match host for Wrexham AFC games, Andrew has also carried out a hugely varied amount of interviews, from the likes of Robert Englund, Kane Hodder, Adrienne Barbeau, Rob Zombie, Katharine Isabelle, Leigh Whannell, Bruce Campbell, and Tony Todd, to Kevin Smith, Ron Perlman, Elijah Wood, Giancarlo Esposito, Simon Pegg, Charlie Cox, the Russo Brothers, and Brian Blessed, to Kevin Conroy, Paul Dini, Tara Strong, Will Friedle, Burt Ward, Andrea Romano, Frank Miller, and Rob Liefeld, to Bret Hart, Sting, Mick Foley, Ricky Starks, Jamie Hayer, Britt Baker, Eric Bischoff, and William Regal, to Mickey Thomas, Joey Jones, Phil Parkinson, Brian Flynn, Denis Smith, Gary Bennett, Karl Connolly, and Bryan Robson - and that's just the tip of an ever-expanding iceberg. Where his beloved Wrexham AFC is concerned, Andrew is co-host of the Fearless in Devotion podcast, which won the Club Podcast of the Year gong at the 2024 FSA Awards.