Top 20 Surprise Entrants in the Royal Rumble
Are you ready to rumble? Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we’re counting down our picks for the Top 20 WWE Royal Rumble entrants that left our collective jaws on the floor.
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00:00 Welcome to WatchMojo and today we're counting down our picks for the top 20
00:04 WWE Royal Rumble entrants that left our collective jaws on the floor.
00:09 Number 20, Road Dogg Jesse James - Royal Rumble
00:26 You didn't know Road Dogg made a return to the WWE squared circle after a 10 year plus absence?
00:32 Well, your ass better call somebody! By this time, the former DX member was all but retired
00:38 from in-ring competition and was working as a backstage agent and producer for the WWE.
00:44 And even though he was back in the public consciousness thanks to a guest appearance
00:49 at that year's Slammy Awards, his return to the Royal Rumble was still a pleasant surprise.
00:55 The New Age outlaw showed that he could still mix it up with the best of them.
00:59 Number 19, Bob Backlund - Royal Rumble 2000
01:04 Former WWE Champion and Hall of Famer Bob Backlund's addition to the 2000 edition of
01:10 Royal Rumble was special for several reasons. Not only was this Backlund's first appearance in the
01:15 WWE in over three years, but it marked his return to the arena that he main-evented in during his
01:21 prime, Madison Square Garden. The fans in the garden gave Backlund a deserved, raucous ovation,
01:27 and even though he only managed to last two minutes in the bout, getting eliminated by
01:32 Chris Jericho, it proved to be an unforgettable moment in the Rumble's legacy.
01:37 Number 18, Drew Carey - Royal Rumble 2001
01:42 With the likes of Johnny Knoxville and Bad Bunny (more on him later), the Royal Rumble has featured
01:47 its fair share of celebrity entrants over the years. The first bona fide star to step through
01:53 the ropes at the Rumble, however, was none other than Drew Carey. Yep, after managing to anger
01:59 Vince McMahon in a backstage segment, Carey was surprisingly thrust into the Royal Rumble match.
02:05 Unfortunately for the comedian and game show host, he found himself in the crosshairs of the Big Red
02:11 Machine Kane, and when a little bribery didn't go his way, he chose to eliminate himself. We don't
02:18 blame you, Drew. Number 17, Carlos Colon - Royal Rumble 1993
02:24 In the early days of the Rumble, surprise entrants had yet to become the signature part of the event
02:31 that it is today. However, a 1993 match competitor sure caused some head-scratching. An unadvertised
02:39 appearance from wrestler and promoter Carlos Colon appeared to confuse the fans in attendance
02:44 at Sacramento's Arco Arena. While Colon was a legend in his home country of Puerto Rico,
02:50 he was virtually unknown to the average American wrestling fan. Making things even more strange
02:56 was Play-by-Play announcer Gorilla Monsoon's declaration that there was a lot of fire in this
03:02 youngster. The veteran was 45 years of age at the time. Number 16, Santino Marella - Royal Rumble
03:10 2020 Not all surprises at the Royal Rumble are going to be fan favorites. In the 2020 Women's
03:17 Rumble match, a so-called "comedy spot" didn't go over quite so well. During his WWE run, Santino
03:24 Marella was a hugely entertaining superstar. Unfortunately, Santino also took on an alter ego
03:31 at times, his twin sister Santina Marella. Santina infamously won a Divas Battle Royal
03:39 at WrestleMania 25 to become Miss WrestleMania, something many complained undermined the female
03:45 talent involved. So, when the character returned at the 2020 Rumble, it was a reminder of just how
03:51 despised it was. Luckily, Natalya and Beth Phoenix sent Santina packing. Number 15, Bad Bunny - Royal
04:00 Rumble 2022 It's safe to say that the 2022 Royal Rumble is not the most celebrated even amongst
04:07 fans. With Brock Lesnar losing earlier in the night to Bobby Lashley, it became clear he was
04:14 positioned to enter the titular bout and win it. It was also clear fans in attendance were longing
04:20 for a special appearance to liven the mood. And with the surprise arrival of music sensation Bad
04:26 Bunny, they got it. Bunny returned to the WWE to one of the biggest ovations in Rumble history.
04:33 There's no two ways about it, the multi-Grammy winner further cemented himself as a respected
04:38 celebrity wrestler with his performance that night. Number 14, Beth Phoenix - Royal Rumble 2010
04:46 In the year 1999, Chyna made history when she became the first female to enter the men's
04:52 Royal Rumble match. It would take over 10 years for another female to follow in the late Hall
04:57 of Famer's footsteps, enter Beth Phoenix. The glamazon shocked everyone at the 2010 event when
05:04 she entered as the number 6 entrant, creating another historic moment for women's wrestling
05:09 in the process. Phoenix's addition to the match and her subsequent elimination of The Great Khali
05:14 would go down in WWE history books as a true Royal Rumble highlight. Number 13, Hacksaw Jim Duggan -
05:22 Royal Rumble 2012 Okay, we hear you. WWE legend Hacksaw Jim Duggan had no business being in a
05:30 wrestling ring in the year of 2012. But what makes this surprise entrant noteworthy is the fact that
05:36 Ol' Hacksaw was the first ever winner of the Royal Rumble match back in 1988. And even though he was
05:43 well past his prime, the 2x4 possessing brawler was well-received by the audience. How could he
05:49 not be? Duggan has always been able to rally the crowd with his cries of "Ho!" and "USA!" Yep,
05:57 it was certainly a nice tip of the hat to the OG Rumble victor. Number 12, Dolph Ziggler - Royal
06:03 Rumble 2018 The number 30 spot in the Royal Rumble is without a doubt the most coveted.
06:10 And in 2018, the number 30 spot also signaled a surprise return. After vacating the United States
06:17 Championship and seemingly quitting the WWE a month prior, Dolph Ziggler returned to show the
06:23 world just how great he was. Unfortunately, his return was a bust. Dolph lasted just two minutes
06:29 before being tossed over the top rope to the floor by Finn Balor. It may have been a letdown for fans
06:34 of Dolph, but based on the reaction he got, it was clear most people were just happy to have him back.
06:40 Number 11, Kevin Nash - Royal Rumble 2011 In 2011, WWE fans were treated to the return
06:48 of Kevin Nash, or should we say, Big Daddy Cool Diesel. His return was a massive shock at the
06:55 time, to say the least. For all intents and purposes, it appeared Nash was set to take
07:00 part in the reformation of the main event mafia in rival company, TNA. So, when the audience heard
07:06 Diesel's signature Mack Truck horn blare at the 2011 Rumble, they lost their collective minds.
07:13 As did the WWE announce team. After all, Nash was a former WWE Champion and a larger-than-life star.
07:20 This surprise was definitely too sweet. Number 10, Booker T - Royal Rumble 2011
07:27 Like Kevin Nash, Booker T was nowhere near anyone's radar as being part of the 2011 Royal
07:33 Rumble match. Booker was also very much expected to be part of TNA's new main event mafia team.
07:40 Clearly, he had other plans. Boston's TD Garden became unglued when Booker's theme prologue,
07:46 "Can You Dig It, Sucker?" came over the arena speakers. It was a legitimate goosebump-inducing
07:52 entrance. The multi-time world champion didn't last very long in the bout, however, but his
07:57 appearance was more than enough to make the audience happy. After a prolonged absence,
08:02 Booker T was finally back in the WWE. Number 9, Karma - Royal Rumble 2012
08:09 When the former Awesome Kong was signed to the WWE, it was seen as a big deal. Something that
08:14 was truly going to shake up the then-floundering Divas division. Alas, following some personal
08:19 issues, the now-christened Karma announced she needed to step away from in-ring competition.
08:25 That is, until the 2012 Royal Rumble. Karma's return was a straight-up shocker, sending a
08:31 terrified Michael Cole out of the ring. She would go on to eliminate Hunico before being eliminated
08:37 herself. But while Karma's return was short-lived, it was very memorable, right Michael Cole?
08:42 Number 8, Christian - Royal Rumble 2021 Like his former tag team partner, Edge,
08:49 it looked like Christian's wrestling career was cut short due to injury. And like Edge,
08:55 a year prior, Christian also defied the odds in 2021. Without question, his return at that year's
09:01 Royal Rumble shocked fans worldwide. The Rumble match marked Christian's first time back in the
09:07 ring in over seven years. The moment was made even more special when Christian and Edge embraced in
09:13 the middle of the ring at point. He has since made the jump to All Elite Wrestling, where his work is
09:19 being lauded as some of the best yet. But his comeback all started at the Royal Rumble.
09:24 Number 7, Bubba Ray Dudley - Royal Rumble 2015 Competing alongside D-Von in the Dudley Boys
09:31 tag team, Bubba Ray Dudley was a fixture during the WWE's Attitude Era. But after competing at
09:38 2005's One Night Stand, Bubba would exit the company for nearly a decade. After reinventing
09:44 himself in TNA, Bubba shocked the world when he returned to the WWE as an entrant in the 2015
09:51 Royal Rumble match. Once again donning the signature camo, Bubba kickstarted a second
09:57 run with the WWE. Oh, and did we mention this was Dudley's first time competing in a Rumble?
10:02 What took him so long? Number 6, Trish Stratus - Royal Rumble 2018
10:08 The year was 2018 and the stage was set for the inaugural Women's Royal Rumble match. The
10:14 anticipated bout would feature a flurry of past female stars returning for the occasion. Fans were
10:20 treated to the homecomings of Lita, the Bella Twins, and Molly Holly to name a few. But it was
10:27 the number 30 entrant that really sent the audience into a frenzy. WWE Hall of Famer Trish Stratus
10:33 emerged as the final participant to a prolonged pop. It was also clear to everyone that the former
10:40 Women's Champion was in top-tier shape, despite her nearly decade-long absence from competition.
10:46 Number 5, The Three Faces of Foley - Royal Rumble 1998
10:52 While Cactus Jack was announced for the 1998 Royal Rumble, Mick Foley's other alter egos
10:58 were not. That's what makes Foley's 1998 Rumble showing so legendary. After starting as the number
11:05 11 entrant, Cactus Jack was soon eliminated by Chainsaw Charlie, aka Terry Funk. So imagine
11:13 everyone's surprise when Mick showed up later in the match as Mankind. Following his elimination
11:19 at the hands of Goldust, Foley popped up once more as Dude Love. And while entering three different
11:25 times certainly increased his odds of winning, it ultimately didn't go his way. Farouk would
11:30 eventually eliminate the Dudester, leaving Mick with no other personas to step into.
11:36 Number 4, Chris Jericho - Royal Rumble 2013
11:41 When Chris Jericho lost a storyline, contract-terminating match against Dolph Ziggler
11:47 in 2012, it was no secret that the wrestler/rocker was taking time off to go on tour with his band
11:53 Fozzy. And with that, Y2J was all but removed from the collective consciousness. That's what
12:00 made this 2013 Royal Rumble arrival so exciting. Fans weren't ready for it. Making this unexpected
12:07 return even more memorable was the fact that Jericho entered at number two and lasted nearly
12:12 48 minutes. For those keeping score, that's the second longest anyone has lasted in the Rumble
12:18 ever. Number 3, AJ Styles - Royal Rumble 2016
12:23 To say AJ Styles' debut at the 2016 Royal Rumble was shocking would be a wee bit of an
12:29 understatement. A mainstay at TNA/Impact Wrestling, it was said that Styles had continually turned
12:37 down offers to compete in the WWE over the years. The reason? He didn't want to force his family to
12:43 relocate. But after conquering TNA, Ring of Honor and New Japan Pro Wrestling, the WWE was his last
12:50 hill to climb. Even still, no one expected Styles to make the leap. But a leap he did, right into
12:56 the ring in front of 15,000 fans at the Amway Center in Orlando, Florida for the 2016 Rumble.
13:03 The phenomenal one had finally arrived. Number 2, John Cena - Royal Rumble 2008
13:10 As a recent John Cena's 2008 Royal Rumble entrance is shown in nearly every hype package for the
13:17 event, what makes it an all-time great moment is that it was incredibly unexpected. You see,
13:23 Cena had been out of commission after tearing his pectoral muscle clean off the bone six months
13:28 prior. His timetable to return was not for another three to four months. But John Cena is no ordinary
13:35 man. With his injury behind him, Cena arrived as the number 30 entrant and nearly blew the roof
13:42 off of Madison Square Garden in the process. To add icing to the cake, John went on to win the
13:47 whole damn thing. Number 1, Edge - Royal Rumble 2020
14:08 Thanks to a surprise entrance at the 2010 Royal Rumble, Edge was always going to make this list.
14:14 But it's the Rated R Superstars 2020 return that cements him as the surprise entrant to beat all
14:21 others. A beloved performer, Edge was forced to retire in 2011 because of cervical spinal stenosis,
14:28 something that could lead to paralysis. Fans were shocked, saddened and heartbroken by the news.
14:34 Fast forward nine years later and the words "You think you know me" come on the loudspeaker at the
14:40 Minute Maid Park in Houston, Texas. Edge had made a miraculous recovery and was back where he
14:46 belonged. What Royal Rumble return had you jumping up and down? Let us know in those comments below.
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