Whether you like it or not, the 2000s and early 2010s nostalgia is real.
Wrestling has adapted to this. Carlito returned to WWE in late 2022, Edge and Christian had been feuding in AEW lately and Rey Mysterio, just before his injury, was the US Champion.
Why should the 2024 Royal Rumble be an exclusion? As we move further into the mid-2020s, lots of adults who grew up in the past decades want their favorites back for one last hurray.
The Rumble is the perfect place to bring back stars from the decade known for Windows XP, the CD, and the introduction of the iPhone.
Some of which can still go, so let’s splash into the fun in 3…2…1
11. Chris Masters
The Masterpiece Chris Masters was a star of the 2000s and was able to submit many WWE wrestlers with his patented Masterlock Finisher.
Many things speak for a Rumble return in 2023. Bobby Lashley has adapted his finisher and is calling it the “Hurt Lock”. Lashley is the first and only wrestler to break the master lock. Something that won’t sit right with Masters to this day.
In addition, his good friend Carlito returned to WWE last year and if Masters wants to win his first gold in the company it should be with his good Caribbean pal.
On top of that CM Punk is back in the company. When Masters was released in 2011, Punk called out John Laurinaitis and Vince McMahon for doing so.
Lastly, Masters expressed his hope to come back to WWE for one final run a couple of days ago. It is just time for one final Masterlock Challenge.
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10. Mr Kennedy
“From Greenbay, Wisconsin. Misterrrrr Kenneddyyyy…..Kenneddyyy”… Imagine the pop heard around the world when one of the most remembered phrases on the Ruthless Aggression Era shattered to the arena during the Rumble!
Kennedy is most likely one of the biggest missteps of that era and was about to win the big gold on several occasions.
The former WWE United States Champion has not wrestled a match since this past summer, but the picture of him coming out to eliminate his real-life rival Randy Orton would be amazing.
The 40th Edition of WrestleMania should be a celebration of the many eras of the company and Kennedy surely is a face that we all remember, even though he never won the big one. Give Samantha Irvin time off and let him do his thing one more time.
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9. Hornswoggle & Finlay
As a kid, I loved this act. Although Fit Finlay had already made a name for himself way before the year 2000, the wider audience only got familiar with him as Finlay, the man who loves to fight.
Convinced by Vince McMahon he came out of retirement for one more run. What followed were runs as the United States Champion and multiple WrestleMania matches.
One more last hurray together, with Finlay now aged 63, who never got his retirement match, would certainly a memory worthy of the Royal Rumble spotlight.
Together they fought the likes of JBL, Chavo Guerrero, and of course their biggest foe…
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8. The Great Khali
Oh yes. Former World Heavyweight Champion The Great Khali.
At one point this man was an unstoppable force that not even The Undertaker or Triple H were able to defeat.
Given the recent hype around Jinder Mahal, maybe his fellow Indian competitor The Great Khali is stopping by for one more Vise Grip.
Imagine the Omos and Khali staredown. There is just one other staredown that could mean more in the grand scheme of things.
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7. Hardcore Holly
Holly has a fair share of memorable stories at the Royal Rumble in the 2000s.
At the 2024 edition, it might be time to start finishing “the story” where it all began.
Cody Rhodes, who is on the quest to finally finish his story might have to go through the man he started it with all those years ago: Hardcore Holly.
Cody won his first gold in WWE alongside Hardcore Holly and fans will be intrigued to hear the answer to the question “How do you like me now?”
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6. Yoshi Tatsu
Tatsu made his WWE main roster debut in 2009 and most will remember him for his great feud with a certain Canadian wrestler over an action figure.
You don’t? Well, I was just kidding. It’s probably because of that banger theme. Unfortunately, Tatsu suffered a career-defining injury during a Styles Clash in 2016, but he has recovered since.
AJ Styles, who recently turned heel, being given a moment in the ring with Tatsu would certainly be quite emotional.
Speaking of that certain Canadian wrestler I talked about earlier…
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5. Tyson Kidd
Edge, Saraya, Bryan Danielson. The list of people who returned from career-ending neck injuries is long. But they all eventually did it.
Someone who has not returned is Tyson Kidd. The producer behind almost every WWE match that is labeled as “Match of the Night”.
The husband of Natalya had an incredible NXT run before his injury. In addition, he and Cesaro formed one of the best WWE Tag Teams of all time.
A surprise return of the man who made his first big splash in WWE as part of The Hart Dynasty in 2009, would be a wholesome moment in the Royal Rumble. But only if he’s healthy enough to bump given the severity of his neck injury.
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4. Victoria
The WWE Women’s Legend Victoria always deserved one more run in the company.
Maybe 2024 will be the year when she finally gets to show the world that she was way ahead of her time when gets to show the world that she was way ahead of her time.
Her run could last way past the Rumble, eventually securing her the rightful place in the WWE Hall of Fame.
To all the Women in the 2024 Rumble who do not know it yet: She is not the lady to mess with.
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3. William Regal
We all know that William Regal has retired from in-ring competition. The 2008 King of the Ring and multi-time champion in WWE has already jumped into a successful career behind the scenes.
Since Regal returned to WWE in 2023 he has not appeared in or around the ring at any point.
Giving the man, who will certainly be a Hall of Famer one day, one more Power of the Punch in the Rumble would be fantastic, though.
Be honest. You’d pop as well when that epic theme of Regal hits one more time.
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2. AJ Lee
Listen. I know. AJ Lee’s WWE career mostly took place in the 2010s. However, she first signed a WWE contract in 2009 and she does wear 2000s nostalgic gear. I don’t make the rules…well I do. So this is where we are.
The former Divas Champion has been demanded back by WWE fans for years and now that CM Punk magically reappeared in WWE, this seems to be likely.
There are several dream matches to do with AJ Lee in today’s era. Let’s hope this becomes a reality.
Besides the “Crazy Chick” the is only one more name that might create a bigger pop and longer career in WWE post the Royal Rumble…
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1. Zack Ryder
Is this year, the year?
Ryder rose to the top of WWE in 2011, but was a star before that when he won tag team gold alongside Curt Hawkins in 2008 and retired Tommy Dreamer later in ECW.
Zack Ryder was not supposed to make it, but did anyway, all without the WWE machine behind him. And since being released by WWE in 2020 he’s only gone and shown the world he could do it again.
He became, and still is, an indy-wrestling star with bookings around the world and all across the United States.
Carving a path outside the company littered with gold, presumably, he might have won the most championships out of anyone that ever was released by WWE.
A return to WWE to write the final wrong of his career by having a great Royal Rumble performance and a substantial run afterwards would the the pay-off to extremely hard work.
Here’s hoping The Indy God can join his wife Chelsea Green and make his own poetic return to where it all started.
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