WWE Royal Rumble 2015: Most Exciting Swerves in Event's History

Undoubtedly, part of the Royal Rumble’s enduring appeal to fans is the number of surprise returns and shocking swerves that WWE writers often pack into the Battle Royal match.

In fact, the pay-per-view has showcased some of the most astonishing, thrilling and memorable moments in the company’s history.

So, factoring in just how much shock value these storyline angles had and just how fondly they’re remembered, let’s have a look at the most amazing swerves in the history of the event.

7. Chris Jericho Returns at 2013 Royal Rumble

Credit: WWE.com

Chris Jericho made a surprise comeback at the 2013 Royal Rumble as the No. 2 entrant.

This was a truly stunning return, as no one seemed to know it was coming.

Impressively, the veteran lasted a good 48 minutes—and put on a tremendous performance—before eventually being eliminated by Dolph Ziggler near the end of the match. This was a terrific swerve and proved, undoubtedly, that the veteran star still had “it.”

That said, Jericho has left and returned so many times that this moment has now lost a bit of its impact, which is why it’s not ranked higher.

6. Kofi Kingston Avoids Elimination, Time and Time Again

Credit: WWE.com

Kofi Kingston has made a habit of avoiding elimination in the Rumble by increasingly crazy means—a chair, the barricade and even Rusev have been his methods of avoiding a loss. Indeed, the Rumble has become the often-marginalized star’s one chance in the WWE calendar year to shine. He's often one of the big highlights of the match.

But his phenomenal handstand in the 2012 bout probably stands out as his greatest—and most shocking—moment. Simply put, fans had never seen anything like it before.

5. Vince McMahon Wins the Royal Rumble

In 1999, Vince McMahon was certainly no stranger to getting in the ring and taking bumps. In fact, in his escalating battle with Steve Austin, the owner of WWE had put himself through an admirable—and almost reckless—amount of punishment in order to get the rivalry over with the fans.

However, the idea that a middle-aged non-wrestler could win the Royal Rumble event was still unthinkable—until McMahon did just that at the 1999 Royal Rumble when he shockingly eliminated Austin for the victory.

Granted, it took a ton of outside interference from The Rock and others to secure the arrogant businessman's win, but this was still a genuine surprise. And it was easily one of the most heartbreaking moments of the Attitude Era.

Of course the fact that this also reeked somewhat of a “McMahon ego trip” knocks it down a few notches on this chart. Yeah, Vince, you probably shouldn't be putting yourself over the entire roster.

4. Diesel Returns in 2011

In 2011, Kevin Nash (aka Diesel) shocked the world by showing up at the Rumble as the No. 32 entrant. This was a genuine shock—Nash had just spent several years on the TNA roster and seemed to be too old and injury-prone for WWE to give any serious consideration to bringing him back.  

As soon as he came out, fans in the TD Garden were enthralled by the star’s shock return—he received a notably big reaction from the crowd. Possibly buoyed by the Rumble appearance, WWE brought him back later that year to feud with CM Punk. Sadly, that program couldn’t really match his amazing Royal Rumble return.

3. Lex Luger and Bret Hart Become Co-Winners

1994’s Royal Rumble event marked a major historical moment: Bret Hart and Lex Luger became the first—and so far only—co-winners in the history of the event. Note the storyline that Hart and Luger eliminated each other at roughly the same time.

With the referees arguing back and forth as to whose feet touched the ground first and the recap clips proving frustratingly inconclusive, on-screen authority figure Jack Tunney came out to rule that both men had, in fact, won.

This was a genuinely surprising ending to fans, who were used to seeing a single winner. It almost certainly deserves a high-ranking spot here.

2. Shawn Michaels Wins the 1995 Royal Rumble

At the end of the 1995 Royal Rumble, Davey Boy Smith tossed Shawn Michaels over the top rope, seemingly to win the 30-man match. Smith even began celebrating in the ring as the announcers put over his victory.

But, of course, things in wrestling are never so simple: Michaels, as it turned out, had only touched the floor with one foot, meaning he was still technically in the match. The wily Michaels then sneaked up from behind to attack an oblivious Smith and throw him out of the ring.

This was truly one of the biggest surprise endings in wrestling history—it had never been done before—and surely deserves a major spot here.

1. John Cena Returns at the 2008 Royal Rumble

When John Cena suffered a serious triceps injury in a Raw match against Ken Kennedy in October 2007, it ostensibly appeared that the star would be out for many months.

Cena then proceeded to shock the world when he made his surprise and very, very early return at the 2008 Royal Rumble. As Cena debuted—at No. 30, naturally—the shell-shocked Madison Square Garden crowd went absolutely crazy.

At a time when the IWC seemingly knows everything and few secrets can be kept under wraps, it was deeply impressive that WWE bookers managed to keep this one totally quiet. This definitely deserves the top spot here—there’s been nothing quite like it since.