The 2020 Royal Rumble saw fans witness one of biggest most shocking in-ring returns of all time, the return of the rated R superstar, Edge.
Over a week later fans are still buzzing over this epic Rumble entrance and the remarkable career turn around this former world champion has undergone. After retiring from action nine years ago, leaving the WWE Universe in floods of tears, it was made clear Edge would never compete again. However in January of this year the Rated R Superstar left us in floods of tears yet again when he surprised us all and made his huge comeback.
But Edge isn’t the first to make an epic return to action and over the years many superstars have shocked fans with their return to the ring following a huge injury.
There aren’t many moments in pro wrestling that have brought me to legit tears like Daniel Bryan’s retirement speech. As a key figure of this era of pro wrestling, it truly was a heart-breaking moment to see him forced to retire back in February of 2016. However, Bryan really did fight with every single fibre of his being to return to the ring and his true love in professional wrestling and in 2018 Bryan surprised the world when he returned to action coming out of retirement.
He had us crying on the night of his retirement speech and again on his comeback night! The WWE universe never gave up on Daniel and he never gave up on his dream and there is something to be inspired by here whether you’re a fan or fellow competitor in the industry.
There can be no denying just how memorable the 2009 Royal Rumble match was and one of the most iconic moments of the evening came from the shock return of John Cena. Entering at number 30, Cena surprised the entire WWE universe with a massive shock return to action in what remains noted as one of the biggest crowd reactions of all time. In October of 2007 during an episode of RAW Cena suffered a complete tear of his right pectoral muscle.
The incredibly serious injury required surgery the following day and he was expected to be out of action for a year, so when his music hit at the Royal Rumble only three months after going under the knife fans were left utterly stunned! Can you get any more proof this man is Iron Man? The return was so massively unexpected it will forever be noted as one of the most shocking comebacks and Royal Rumble moments of all time!
Tommaso Ciampa is one of the key figures in the black and gold brand and so when he suffered yet another huge injury back in March of 2019 the NXT universe and the landscape of the roster were rocked. Undergoing neck surgery, he was forced to relinquish the NXT Championship and was set to be out of action for several months to over a year, but we all know Ciampa is unlike any other human being.
In October of last year, only seven months after undergoing surgery, Ciampa made a surprise return during the first big NXT show after moving to the USA Network. The reaction from the live crowd spoke volumes – after what could have been a career-ending injury to see him return to action only seven months later makes for something pretty amazing!
One of the most memorable wrestling injuries of all time was Triple H and his legitimate career-threatening 2001 injury. During the RAW is WAR episode Triple H tore his right quad! The gruesome and career-altering injury was enough to leave many wondering when and if Hunter would ever return to the ring. However, Triple H was only out of the ring for eight months which, considering just how serious this was, made for an incredible recovery time and when The Game made his return in 2002 during an episode of RAW the arena erupted. The moment will forever be highlighted as one of the biggest returns and greatest moments of all time! It’s a moment that to this day gives me goosebumps.
And finally, we have the man who inspired this list in the first place, the rated R superstar, Edge. Growing up, Edge was always on my screen and I became such a huge fan, with him going down as one of my all-time favourite WWE superstars and this was the case for so many other fans. So when Edge revealed he had no choice but to retire from in-ring competition the hearts of the WWE universe really did break, as it became clear the former world champion would never step in the ring to compete again.
However, as we all know, never say never and at this year’s Royal Rumble PPV Edge shocked the world when his music hit, and he entered the men’s Royal Rumble match. In a moment that will go down in history, this was enough to bring a tear to anyone’s eyes, for the passion and emotion were written all over his face and deep within his eyes. With a Wrestlemania match on the cards for this year, a second neck surgery and an inspiring story Edge shows us all why we should never give up and why its never too late to turn fate around.
Of course, over the years we have seen so many incredible shocking returns within the WWE and other wrestling promotions. A name we didn’t mention today is Roman Reigns, who after beating Leukaemia made a huge return to action, inspiring us all in a way no one else ever has done.
So many superstars have defied the odds and fought for their passion and the names we have spoken about today have sent fans a clear message and inspired us all, while making some of the best wrestling moments of all time.
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You can find the author of this article on Twitter @TezangiVictoria. Thanks for reading!