20 Awesome WWE Royal Rumble Moments
16. TNA Refugees Return (2011)
When WWE expanded the Royal Rumble to 40
participants for the first (and thankfully, only) time in 2011, it opened the
door to a lot of possibilities. Sure, the additional 10 entrants allowed the
New Nexus and Corre members to participate, but it also created a couple spots
for some huge surprises.
With the Nexus ruling the roost, Booker T’s entrance music hit, sending the crowd into a frenzy. The roar reached a fever pitch when Booker put down all the members of the Nexus and hit a spinaroonie for the first time in a WWE ring in three-plus years. He would quickly be eliminated, but his appearance was a huge boost in the middle of the lengthy match.
Another TNA refugee who rejoined WWE that night was Kevin Nash, who appeared as his 90s character, Diesel. Nash had been away from WWE twice as long, last working for the company in 2004. Like Booker, Diesel’s appearance was brief but gave the crowd a great moment with a big return.