WWE Royal Rumble: Ranking Every Winner After Lynch, Rollins Wins

Credit: WWE.com

15. John Cena (2008)

For one brief moment in 2008, New York City loved John Cena. The 2008 Royal Rumble was yet another match without an obvious winner, though the way things were going heading into its closing stretches, Triple H seemed like the most likely candidate. Then, the clock ran down on the Number 30 entrant and everything changed.

The unmistakable sound of John Cena’s entrance music blared over the loudspeakers of Madison Square Garden, and Big Match John was back. Cena had been sidelined since the prior October with a torn pectoral, and estimates had him out for up to a year. Yet, Cena, in the first of his many freakishly fast recoveries, was back in the ring within three months.

Cena quickly cleared the ring, eliminating Triple H and three others to win the match. At the next month’s No Way Out pay-per-view, Cena cashed in his Royal Rumble title shot early, losing to Randy Orton. He earned his way back into the match, which subsequently became a triple threat match featuring Cena, Orton, and Triple H. Orton won the match.

Cena then moved to the tag team division, teaming with Batista to defeat Cody Rhodes and Ted DiBiase to win the World Tag Team Championships, but the two lost the titles back shortly thereafter. Cena would soon go back on the shelf with a neck injury, but would quickly return again, defeating Chris Jericho to win his first World Heavyweight Championship, which he would hold for the remainder of the year.

While Cena’s year was not great on paper, his consistent time in the spotlight, combined with his recovery from not just one, but two major injuries, places him among the top half of Royal Rumble winners.