9 WWE Royal Rumble Tropes That Have Been Perfected

by John Bills

1. Surprise Return & Shocking Number 30 - John Cena (2008)

John Cena Royal Rumble 2008
WWE.com

It may well have been the loudest pop in Royal Rumble history. John Cena returned from injury at the 2008 Royal Rumble, entering the match at number 30 and winning the whole thing. To call it a shock was an understatement - Cena was expected to be out for at least another four to five months with a torn pectoral.

When the buzzer sounded for the final time at Madison Square Garden that night, not a single paying member of the crowd expected the trumpets to sound. But sound they did, and Cena emerging with his iconic pose is another incredible Royal Rumble moment.

The only problem with Cena’s return was that it conditioned fans to expect something big at number 30. Until then, the final spot in the Rumble had been the domain of musclebound heels like Adam Bomb, The Warlord and Crush. Now fans expect a big surprise to end the night, almost guaranteeing themselves disappointment. It isn’t going to get any more exciting than John Cena returning in the final spot, so stop dreaming.

Just watch Jim Johnston’s version of Flight of the Valkyries blast from the speakers on Sunday night…

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Born in the middle of Wales in the middle of the 1980's, John can't quite remember when he started watching wrestling but he has a terrible feeling that Dino Bravo was involved. Now living in Prague, John spends most of his time trying to work out how Tomohiro Ishii still stands upright. His favourite wrestler of all time is Dean Malenko, but really it is Repo Man. He is the author of 'An Illustrated History of Slavic Misery', the best book about the Slavic people that you haven't yet read. You can get that and others from www.poshlostbooks.com.