5 Best Royal Rumbles ranked by surprise entrants
As we approach WWE's second biggest event of the year, we all gear up for the Royal Rumble match. By far, it is the most unique and thrilling match. As we move closer to the end of January, the field of 30 starts to fill out. We await each week seeing who is entering into the race for a shot to main event WrestleMania.
Over the years though, it is who is not announced that always has us talking and wondering just who might show up. No doubt the thrilling part of the match is when that countdown clock hits zero and the buzzer sounds, we anxiously wait to see who is coming down that aisle. While we want to see our favorite superstars, we also want to see the unimaginable.
The best part about this match is the unpredictability. It is about superstars from the past coming back to be in the spotlight one more time. It is about superstars making their debut. It is about the reaction the fans make when these superstars make their way to the ring. As Matt Striker once said:
"This is what the Royal Rumble is all about because you never know!"
Those words could not be any truer. The true magic of the Royal Rumble is you never know. You never know if a legend is coming back, who is starting the Rumble, who drew number 30, or if we are going to see superstars square off we have never seen nor could imagine. The Royal Rumble truly is special for moments we never thought we would see. Here are the 5 best Royal Rumbles ranked by surprise entrants.
#5 2001 Royal Rumble
Some call this possibly the greatest Rumble ever assembled. While it is known for its records (Kane eliminating 11 men and Stone Cold winning his 3rd Rumble), it had some very notable returns. However the first of those was not a return, it was a celebrity.
Earlier in the broadcast, Drew Carey stopped by for a little promotion of his new show. After an accidental flirtation with Trish Stratus, Vince decided to enter Carey into the Royal Rumble.
While he was in the ring, the Hardy Boyz eliminated each other leaving Drew all by himself. That is when it was time for entrant number 6 to come out, and as the fire blasted the stage, Kane made his way to the ring. Kane was not amused by Carey's attempt at a handshake and bribery and wrapped his hand around Carey's throat. As he was about to deliver a chokeslam, Raven came out and made the save. Carey climbed over the top rope, eliminating himself from the match.
Soon after at entry 12, the "Cool, Cocky, and Bad" music of the Honky Tonk Man sounded throughout the New Orleans arena. After about a minute he like 10 other men felt the wrath of Kane and was eliminated.
Later at entry 23, The Big Show returned after a 5-month hiatus. He quickly had his eyes set on The Rock. However, like the previous year, The Big Show was eliminated by The Rock. This angered Show as he was only in the match for less than 2 minutes. He dragged The Rock under the bottom rope and proceeded to chokeslam him through the announce table.
The last surprise of the night was a returning Superstar who made his debut 15 years earlier in WWE. At entry 29 was Haku. The former "King" who was previously managed by the likes of Bobby "The Brain" Heenan and the "Mouth of the South" Jimmy Hart lasted about 3 minutes before being eliminated by eventual winner Stone Cold.