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

24. 2004 - The Return Of Mick Foley

Edge Royal Rumble
WWE Network

An outstandingly well booked Royal Rumble saw numerous storylines serviced ahead of a big and important WrestleMania in March, but only eventual winner Chris Benoit's journey was as hot as Mick Foley's dramatic and violent return.

Last seen getting spat on by Randy Orton shortly before his beloved Christmas time, the 'Hardcore Legend' found himself in time to steal a spot in the match on the night and obliterate 'The Legend Killer' to move their angle forward.

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Contributor

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