WWE News: Former WWE Referee recalls John Cena's 2008 Royal Rumble return
What's the story?
Former WWE referee Marty Elias said that he was one of the few people who knew John Cena was returning at the Royal Rumble in 2008, revealing how they managed to do it.
In case you didn't know..
The 16-time World champion was the reigning WWE champion for the majority of 2007, holding the title for 380 days prior to suffering a right pectoral muscle tear - which forced him to vacate and recover for a sustained period of time on the sidelines.
He sustained the injury at the start of October and was expected to be out of action for at least six months, making his return even more of a genuine surprise.
The heart of the matter
Elias, who now serves as a senior official for Lucha Underground, was one of the referees for the 2008 Royal Rumble match and told Wrestling Inc. that there were not many people made aware that Cena would be making his return, as he was kept hidden all day backstage.
"I was one of only a handful of people who knew he was coming back and was going to win the Rumble. Cena was hidden all day and when it was time for him to enter, he was walked through the hallway covered so no-one knew it was him."
The fans watching at Madison Square Garden gave Cena an immense response when he entered in at the number 30 spot. As expected given his divisive character, he started to receive a negative reaction toward the latter stages of the match but the fans mostly gave him a positive reaction after he won the Rumble itself.
The "Doctor of Thuganomics" would then go on to make history, becoming the first superstar to use the guaranteed world title match clause at a non-WrestleMania event when he challenged Randy Orton for the WWE Championship at the No Way Out pay-per-view.
Cena defeated Orton via disqualification, but would receive another title shot against Triple H and Orton at WrestleMania 24.
What's next?
Cena has appeared in seven Royal Rumble matches and has won two in his career thus far. If he wins again this year, he'd tie Stone Cold Steve Austin's record for three Rumble victories.
Author's take
The 2008 Royal Rumble match was one of the best in recent history and Cena's return, as well as the eventual win, was one of the main reasons why.