Another intangible Rumble "moment" that has often been utilized over the years is the surprise return, but never in the gimmick's history was it handled as well than when John Cena shocked the world in 2008. At Madison Square Garden in New York City, Rumble '08 was chock full of memorable performances, but they were all to be trumped by an unforgettable #30 entrant. Months prior, Cena had been written off TV, presumably for several months that would go beyond WrestleMania XXIV. Triple H was, then, pegged as the most likely Rumble winner, set to take Cena's place in the main-event. WWE played up to this common thought process, having Trips enter at #29 after all other, lesser favorites had been eliminated. 5...4...3....2....1.... Cue familiar music. "My Time is Now"?!?! Everyone gasped. The people in attendance, already on their feet, rose a little higher to their tip toes, desperately trying to catch a glimpse of what was happening in that tiny MSG tunnel. A man walked out wearing Cena's clothes and Cena's hat, but he had his head down, so surely it was just a joke being played by a dastardly heel trying to earn cheap heat....right? Wrong! It was, in fact, John Cena! The rest is history. Cena proved to be a machine for the rest of his career. He is like a cyborg that needs to have his mechanical parts lubricated instead of a true human-being with breakable bones and tearable ligaments. His return embodied the ideal that "anything can happen in WWE" and the 2008 Royal Rumble shined because of it. Of course, it also shined because HBK and Undertaker spent the first thirty minutes recreating, in spurts, the magic on display at the previous year's climax and for a handful of other reasons, too, but the intangible quality of Cena's rapid comeback from injury is one of the greatest in Rumble lore.
"The Doc" Chad Matthews has written wrestling columns for over a decade. A physician by trade, Matthews began writing about wrestling as a hobby, but it became a passion. After 30 years as a wrestling fan, "The Doc" gives an unmatched analytical perspective on pro wrestling in the modern era. He is a long-time columnist for Lordsofpain.net and hosts a weekly podcast on the LOP Radio Network called "The Doc Says." His first book - The WrestleMania Era: The Book of Sports Entertainment - ranks the Top 90 wrestlers from 1983 to present day, was originally published in December 2013, and is now in its third edition.
Matthews lives in North Carolina with his wife, two kids, and two dogs.
