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WWE Royal Rumble: Ranking The Top 10 Surprise Returns

By Granger Chapman

John Cena appears rattled by this blow from Edge Lita during the WWE RAW Superslam event at Acer Arena, Homebush Stadium in Sydney on August 4, 2006. (Photo by Don Arnold/WireImage)
John Cena appears rattled by this blow from Edge Lita during the WWE RAW Superslam event at Acer Arena, Homebush Stadium in Sydney on August 4, 2006. (Photo by Don Arnold/WireImage) /
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6. Rey Mysterio (2018)

After getting one of the most undeserving assaults by booing fans a few years before, Rey Mysterio was showered with love when he returned at the 2018 Royal Rumble. When Rey showed up as number 30 in the 2014 rumble match, the fans booed him almost out of the building. Rey was a victim of circumstance as fans were so disappointed that it wasn’t Daniel Bryan.

The fans would have likely booed anybody that came out, but it just happened to be Mysterio. A year later, Rey found himself out of the company. Three years later, he surprised everyone when his music hit at lucky number 27 in 2018. This time around, the fans gave Rey the reception that he deserved. They nearly blew the roof off the place.

Rey lasted nearly ten minutes in the match before being eliminated by Finn Balor, who spent nearly an hour in the match. He only eliminated one person, Adam Cole, during his time in the match. Despite being a one-off opportunity at the time, this led to a full-time return for Rey later on that year that is still going to this very day.

5. Trish Stratus (2018)

It was no surprise that everybody was expecting big names to return for the first-ever Women’s Royal Rumble match. We were delighted to see the likes of Lita, Molly Holly, and Michelle McCool make their returns but it was Trish Stratus that stole the show on this night. The crowd went absolutely crazy when Trish’s iconic music hit.

This was a night that number 30 was expected to be one of two people: Trish Stratus or Ronda Rousey. Those fans that were expecting Ronda, sure had no issue when it was Trish instead. Trish’s time in the rumble was something special. She was able to square off for the first time with the likes of The Bella Twins and had a special moment with old rival Mickie James.

She would be able to get three eliminations during her relevantly short time in the match. She eliminated James, Natalya, and helped eliminate Nia Jax before being eliminated by Sasha Banks. Since her major return on this night, Trish has returned a few more times including a dream match between her and Charlotte Flair last year at SummerSlam 2019.

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