100 Greatest WWE Royal Rumble Moments Ever

2. An Emotional Rated-R Return From Retirement (2020)

WWE Royal Rumble 2020 Edge
WWE.com

If you want an example of the sheer emotion professional wrestling can drum up from those involved in the business or those simply watching as fans, the return of Edge at the 2020 Royal Rumble is all you need to see.

While 11 World Championships, various other titles, and a bunch of classic matches meant that Edge’s career was very much a Hall of Fame one, that career was tragically taken away from Adam Copeland in 2011 when he was forced into retirement at the age of just 37.

This wasn’t a case of someone opting to retire with the ability to possibly be lured back into the ring, this was a man being permanently put on the sidelines while at the peak of their career and with no say on the matter.

So, when Alter Bridge's Metalingus hit at #21 in 2020’s men’s Royal Rumble, it was genuinely one of those moments of disbelief, of ecstasy, and of a whole range of emotions - all as perfectly summarised in the face of Adam Copeland.

Nine years of his career had been taken from him, and now Edge was standing in Houston's Minute Maid Park in front of more than 40,000 rabid wrestling fans.

Seriously, if that moment didn’t bring a tear to the eye, you’re clearly dead inside. This was wrestling at its emotional best, and not just from a kayfabe storytelling aspect, but also because an all-time great did what was deemed impossible for the longest time.

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.