100 Greatest WWE Royal Rumble Moments Ever

16. A Perfect Return (2002)

WWE Royal Rumble 2020 Edge
WWE

Few could have predicted the final four of the 2002 Royal Rumble would be Triple H, Steve Austin, Kurt Angle, and… Mr. Perfect?

To the delight of many fans, that’s exactly what we got, with Curt Hennig making his return to WWE as a surprise entrant at the #25 spot. That iconic Mr. Perfect music hit, and out he walked in the famed blue singlet, throwing his towel behind his back (and catching it, of course), and chewing gum.

Perfect would immediately take it to Trips and Austin, eventually eliminating Stone Cold (with some help from Angle) and making it to the final three. Getting to see Mr. Perfect mix it up with Kurt Angle, Steve Austin, and a very different Triple H to their previous encounters - plus Rob Van Dam, Kane, Big Show, and Booker T - was just such a kick for fans of the veteran. That’s without even mentioning seeing the Perfect-Plex and a slew of Hennig’s greatest hits back on display in a WWF ring for the first time in over five years.

Sadly, Mr. Perfect’s full-time return to the company would come to an abrupt end just four months later after the infamous Plane Ride from Hell, but at least fans were left with that Royal Rumble memory.

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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.