Presenting 5 Worst Royal Rumble Surprise Entrance that shocked the world. Some of the honorable mentions who didn’t make the cut include Beth Phoenix in 2010, Randy Orton and Dolph Ziggler in 2011, Ricardo Rodriguez in 2012, El Torito in 2014, and DDP and The Boogeyman from last year.
#5 Bob Backlund (2000)
Bob Backlund has the distinction of being the first true surprise competitor. In previous Rumbles, all 30 competitors had been previously announced. Backlund’s entry came completely out of nowhere. He hadn’t been in active competition in years, and was last seen trying to run for president in 1996.
Backlund only lasted two minutes before being eliminated by Chris Jericho, and rather than leaving through conventional means, he went through the crowd. It was a really hilarious sight in a Rumble that was filled with many funny moments. Backlund, who may have been treated as a joke in recent times but was a truly respected performer in his day, received a great pop from the MSG faithful.
#4 Rob Van Dam (2009)
Rob Van Dam left WWE in the spring of 2007, less than one year after winning the WWE Championship. During that time, he wrestled on the independent circuit, but still kept ties to the company. At the 2009 Royal Rumble, he was the only surprise entrant, making a one-night-only appearance which was very well-received by the crowd.
RVD lasted almost 14 minutes before being eliminated by Chris Jericho and didn’t return to WWE for another four-and-a-half years. He ended up going to TNA for a couple years, before returning to WWE on a part-time basis in 2013.
#3 Drew Carey (2001)
Actor and game show host Drew Carey was announced a surprise competitor the night of the 2001 Royal Rumble by Vince McMahon after he caught Drew harmlessly talking to Vince’s on-screen squeeze Trish Stratus backstage.
The final entry in the Rumble was actually supposed to go to a member of the tag team Lo Down, who defeated Kai En Tai in the Free For All to earn a spot. So when D-Lo and Chaz went backstage to ask Vince which of the two earned the spot, he informed them that their spot had been given to Drew Carey. Ouch.
Drew didn’t last long in the match, as he was alone in the ring when he came in (the Hardy Boyz had eliminated each other), and then Kane came in with the next pick, and scared Drew so badly that he eliminated himself.
Kurt Angle was originally not supposed to be in the 2005 Royal Rumble. He was already competing at the event in a Triple Threat match with Big Show and JBL for the WWE Championship. After losing the match, Angle confronted Nunzio backstage and basically bullied his way into Nunzio’s spot.
Angle went nuts in the Rumble match, suplexing everybody before being eliminated by Shawn Michaels. Angle then snapped and attacked Shawn, bloodying him and eliminating him. This started an inter-promotional feud between Angle and Michaels which culminated in a classic match at WrestleMania 21.
#1 John Cena (2008)
When John Cena tore his pectoral muscle in October 2007, fans thought he’d be on the shelf long enough to miss WrestleMania. What we didn’t know then (but know now) is that Cena is a total freak of nature, and was able to recover in time for the Royal Rumble just a few short months later. He came in at the number 30 spot, sending Madison Square Garden into an absolute frenzy.
Before the Rumble, the smart money was on Triple H to win the Rumble, which was groan-inducing to say the least. Despite Cena’s mixed reactions everywhere he goes, he was a much better option to win than Hunter, and he finally eliminated Triple H to win it. Even though Cena lost his title opportunity (twice), his surprise entrance was enough to top this list.
5 worst Royal Rumble surprise entrance
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