Ranking EVERY WWE Royal Rumble's Biggest Surprise 1988-2022

27. 2001 - The Big Show Returns

Edge Royal Rumble
WWE

Sent on a humbling weight-loss excursion to Ohio Valley Wrestling the prior summer after less than two years with the company, The Big Show returned at the 2001 Royal Rumble looking no smaller but an awful lot f*cking angrier with his lot in life.

He obliterated much of the field before The Rock eliminated in a shock almost on par with the return itself. Show decimated 'The Great One' after the fact, concluding one of the hottest nights he'd had with the company since his WWE debut.

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Michael is a writer, editor, podcaster and presenter for WhatCulture Wrestling, and has been with the organisation nearly 8 years. He primarily produces written, audio and video content on WWE and AEW, but also provides knowledge and insights on all aspects of the wrestling industry thanks to a passion for it dating back over 35 years. As one third of "The Dadley Boyz" Michael has contributed to the huge rise in popularity of the WhatCulture Wrestling Podcast and its accompanying YouTube channel, earning it top spot in the UK's wrestling podcast charts with well over 62,000,000 total downloads. He has been featured as a wrestling analyst for the Tampa Bay Times, GRAPPL, GCP, Poisonrana and Sports Guys Talking Wrestling, and has covered milestone events in New York, Dallas, Las Vegas, Philadelphia, London and Cardiff. Michael's background in media stretches beyond wrestling coverage, with a degree in Journalism from the University Of Sunderland (2:1) and a series of published articles in sports, music and culture magazines The Crack, A Love Supreme and Pilot. When not offering his voice up for daily wrestling podcasts, he can be found losing it singing far too loud watching his favourite bands play live. Follow him on X/Twitter - @MichaelHamflett