Ronda Rousey's Debut and the Most Shocking Reveals in WWE History

Thanks to a little subterfuge, Ronda Rousey was able to surprise the WWE Universe with a special appearance at the end of the Royal Rumble pay-per-view.

Rousey showing up and signing with the company was shocking mainly because she had denied the rumors to TMZ Sports a few days earlier, citing the need to travel to Colombia to finish filming a movie with Mark Wahlberg.

Of course, it was all a ruse. Rousey's music played after Asuka won the women's Rumble match, and the former UFC megastar came out wearing one of Rowdy Roddy Piper's jackets.

While we may not have gotten to see her mix it up with any of the other WWE Superstars, it did generate a ton of buzz for both her and WWE.

Thanks to the internet and cameras on cellphones, it's hard for the company to keep anything under wraps these days. Being able to make Rousey's arrival a real surprise for the WWE Universe was a rare treat.

However, WWE has been pulling off these kinds of moments for years.

Let's take a walk down memory lane and look at some of the most shocking reveals in WWE history.

Vince McMahon Buys WCW

When WCW was at the height of its popularity during the Monday Night War, WWE seemed like it was the company we might see fold, not the other way around.

WCW eventually ran out of good ideas while WWE began to thrive with new top stars such as The Rock, Triple H and Steve Austin, while veterans like The Undertaker and Shawn Michaels helped them find their voices.

Vince McMahon eventually won the war by outright buying his competition. When an episode of Raw opened with the Chairman declaring victory, people didn't know what to think.

Once fans tuned into that week's Nitro, it became clear he was serious. Shane McMahon showed up and planted the seeds for what would become the Invasion angle by claiming he purchased WCW's assets under Vince's nose.

While hardcore WWE supporters loved seeing their favorite promotion come out on top, a lot of wrestlers lost their jobs when the company didn't bring them in for the Invasion, and WCW's entire fanbase was forced to either watch Raw or give up wrestling on Monday nights.

AJ Styles Debuts at the Royal Rumble

New signings are often touted by WWE ahead of a Superstar's debut to get people excited, but sometimes management keeps things secret to have the biggest possible impact.

That was the case when AJ Styles showed up at the 2015 Royal Rumble. Technically, this wasn't his WWE debut since he had worked some matches for the company many years previously, but it was the first time he was portrayed as the main event player he is.

Styles didn't win the Rumble that night, but just showing up was enough to make the WWE Universe happy. 

An early concern for some fans was the possibility of WWE not booking Styles the right way. Fortunately, Vince knew what kind of talent he had and strapped a rocket to his back to shoot him all the way to the top of the mountain.

WWE has done a lot of things to upset its followers over the years, but booking Styles below his station is not one of them.

Vince McMahon Is the Higher Power

One of the biggest angles of 1999 involved a merger between The Corporation and The Ministry of Darkness stables to form The Corporate Ministry.

It appeared to be a group of wrestlers fighting against McMahon and his allies, but what it actually ended up being was far more sinister.

Vinnie Mac was eventually revealed as the real power behind the group and made it his mission to get rid of Stone Cold once and for all. 

The decision to make McMahon the higher power didn't go over with some fans, but it's hard to deny how surprising it was to find out The Undertaker and the CEO were aligned after everything they had done to each other.

One of the more memorable moments from this storyline involved Austin saving Stephanie McMahon from being crucified by The Undertaker and his followers.

John Cena Is Superhuman

When John Cena's pectoral muscle was torn from the bone in the fall of 2007, many expected him to be out of action for close to a year.

However, those people didn't seem to realize Cena is actually a superhero in disguise with a healing factor well above that of us normal humans.

It all happened at the Royal Rumble in 2008. Triple H was dominating the match and looked to be on his way to winning when it came down to the final entrant.

Cena's music hit, and Madison Square Garden exploded. Trips looked stunned as a healthy Cena ran to the ring and proceeded to eliminate Mark Henry, Carlito and Chavo Guerrero before throwing Triple H out last to win the Rumble.

WWE was able to keep Cena's return under wraps, which led to the crowd having a genuine reaction when he returned instead of waiting for it after reading spoilers.

Hulk Hogan Is the Third Man

Scott Hall and Kevin Nash turned WCW upside down when they arrived on the scene in 1996, but nobody could have predicted what would happen next.

Hall and Nash claimed they had a third member of their group, but when it came time for them to face Sting, Lex Luger and Randy Savage at Bash at the Beach '96, The Outsiders showed up alone.

Toward the end of the match, Hulk Hogan's music hit and the red and yellow warrior marched to the ring looking like he was about to send Hall and Nash back to WWE with their tails between their legs.

Then it happened. Hogan looked at Hall and Nash, smiled, and proceeded to hit two leg drops on Savage, officially turning The Hulkster into a heel.

It's hard to believe it's been over 20 years since The New World Order came together, because the memory of Hogan turning on WCW feels so fresh in the minds of fans who watched it happen live.

The Undertaker Is Not Unbeatable at Mania

The Undertaker's undefeated streak at WrestleMania began to take on a life of its own once The Deadman racked up more than 10 straight victories at the event.

It eventually became the de facto main event of Mania. Sure, there were always WWE and World Championship matches, but facing Taker seemed like a bigger opportunity for his opponents.

As time went on, it seemed like he would retire with his Mania streak intact, so when Lesnar defeated him at WrestleMania 30, nobody knew how to react.

The stadium sat in stunned silence for a moment before everyone realized they had actually witnessed the end of the greatest winning streak in pro wrestling history.

The decision to give Lesnar the honor of knocking Taker off his pedestal rubbed some the wrong way, but the WWE Universe was even more upset when Roman Reigns beat him at WrestleMania 33. 

Shane McMahon Returns

Shane McMahon left WWE at the end of 2009 to pursue other interests outside of wrestling. People just started assuming he would never return after a few years, but they were wrong.

On February 22, 2016, on an episode of Raw, Stephanie was set to receive the Vince McMahon Legacy of Excellence award from her father.

The crowd booed Vince and Steph as they patted each other on the back, but the tone of the arena changed the moment Shane's entrance music began to play.

He had been gone for seven years, but he fell back into his role as if he never left. The crowd universally applauded his return, which is a rarity these days.

His return led to a Hell in a Cell match against The Undertaker at WrestleMania 32. While Shane would come up short, he gave us another highlight-reel moment when he jumped off the top of the cell and crashed through an empty announce table.

Edge's Retirement

Most of the surprising reveals on this list are moments fans can look back on fondly, but one event sticks out as one of the saddest in recent memory.

Edge successfully defended the World Heavyweight Championship against Alberto Del Rio at WrestleMania 27, so it seemed like his career was still going strong.

Unfortunately, The Rated-R Superstar revealed he was diagnosed with cervical spinal stenosis just over a week later on April 11 during an emotional retirement speech on Raw.

The WWE Universe was caught completely off guard by the news since Edge had just competed eight days earlier at the biggest PPV of the year. 

Some fans in the crowd were visibly crying as Edge talked about needing to retire for the sake of his health and his family. It was a sobering reminder of how much danger these men and women put themselves in every time they step through the ropes.

Edge has found plenty of success outside the ring since then. He and Christian started their own WWE Network show and podcast, and Edge has appeared on TV shows such as The Flash and Vikings.

He married Beth Phoenix in 2016, and they have two daughters named Rose and Lyric. While Edge is missed, most fans will just be happy to know he is living a full life with his family.

Chris Jericho Debuts on Raw

Many writers have published lists of the top moments in WWE history over the years, and while we all have different opinions, one moment is almost always toward the top of the list.

WWE began airing a mysterious countdown clock in 1999 during an episode of Raw. Some assumed it was a countdown to the new millennium, but people eventually realized the timer would run out before the new year.

The clock ran out on August 9, 1999, during one of The Rock's usual promos. As the music began to play and everyone looked to the stage, the word "Jericho" appeared on the screen and sent the crowd into a frenzy.

Chris Jericho had jumped ship from WCW, and he made a huge impact by choosing to go after The Rock in a verbal battle on his first night.

He had only ever been a midcard talent in WCW, winning the cruiserweight and TV titles, but Vince obviously saw his main event potential right away.

In the 19 years since his debut, Jericho has become one of the most successful WWE Superstars of all time and gone on to start his own band, podcast and star in several TV shows and movies, but fans will always remember the first time he appeared on WWE television as one of the biggest moments of his career.

Ronda Rousey Arrives

The first women's Royal Rumble match was already a historic moment for the entire women's division, but having Rousey debut as a member of the WWE roster moments later dominated the headlines.

Ever since she appeared in the ring with The Rock, Triple H and Stephanie at WrestleMania 30, people have been wondering if her love of pro wrestling would lead to her working a match.

Rowdy Ronda follows in the footsteps of other MMA stars who have transitioned to pro wrestling, such as Ken Shamrock and Dan Severn, but she is arguably a bigger get for the company.

Rousey put women's MMA on the map, but many wrestling fans will not be so quick to accept her. Overexposure throughout her career and a lack of experience will keep some from ever considering her a true pro wrestler.

Luckily for Rousey, WWE has numerous trainers at the Performance Center who can help her gain the skills she needs to be a good wrestler.

The real question is whether she will ever be a full-time member of the women's division working house shows or if she will only be used for special occasions like Lesnar.