On this day in 2008, John Cena had arguably the greatest return in WWE history. Despite having a torn pec, the Leader of the Cenation Army recovered earlier than expected and entered the Men's Rumble match as the 30th entrant. Fans, commentators, and wrestlers were all in shock as Cena made an unexpected return to make a massive statement.
As the count began for the last entrant, all eyes were on the entrance. That was when John's music hit and the fans went crazy. It led to one of the loudest pops of all time and Cena walked out as if he never had an injury. Cena's smile pis*ed everyone in the arena, especially Triple H who never expected him to be in the match.
Watch John Cena's return at the Royal Rumble 2008 here -
Cena wasted no time and went after the wrestlers. The commentators and the fans could not believe their eyes as they saw Cena earlier than expected. Cena singlehandedly took on Carlito, Mark Henry, Chavo Guerrero, and Jamie Noble. The star wrestler eliminated Carlito, Henry, and Chavo in no time.
Greatest return in WWE history?
John then shifted his focus towards Hunter who was not too happy with his return. The duo had a confrontation and got the crowd on its feet before punching each other. Triple H and Cena had a great night as they were the last two competitors in the match.
Randy Orton and Batista were the other two wrestlers in the top 4. Cena eliminated Triple H by delivering an Attitude Adjustment. The entire return was planned beyond expectations and his win was like an icing on the cake. To date, it is regarded to be one of the greatest returns in the history of the company.
Not a lot of returns match John's return. Edge in the Men's Royal Rumble 2020, the Hardy Boyz's return at WrestleMania 33, Cody Rhodes' return at WrestleMania 38, CM Punk's return at the Survivor Series 2023, and Roman Reigns's return at Summerslam 2024 are some of the honorable mentions.