The Royal Rumble match is arguably the most exciting of the year with 30 entrants all battling out for a huge prize; the chance to main event WrestleMania. The match is always packed with the biggest stars and has storylines intertwined that keep fans hooked throughout the lengthy match.

However, while the action and excitement are all good and well, the thing that the WWE Universe gets most excited about when it comes to the Royal Rumble matches are the surprise entrants that join the match.

Unannounced names that WWE brings in for one night only, to compete in the Rumble and then leave again, keeping the fans on their toes and adding another level of excitement to the match itself.

Speculation goes on for months ahead of the match about who could show up with wrestlers often teasing appearing as it is seen as such a big deal and at times it can create some of the biggest pops of the year.

However, on the opposite it can also lead to a lack of reaction if the fans don't actually care about who comes from behind the curtain. It's just such a letdown sometimes when a random entrant walks through the curtain and they are either an incredibly underwhelming surprise, or they take a spot in the match that fans would've preferred to see go to a full-time star. If a surprise entrant is taking someone's spot, the pop better be worth it.

In this list we will look at the 10 surprise entrants that fans loved and 10 fans didn't care about.

20 Fans Loved: Rey Mysterio (2018)

The most recent example of fans loving a surprise entrant came in this year's Royal Rumble match which saw the return of WWE legend, Rey Mysterio who came out of nowhere and produced possibly the biggest pop of the year.

Nobody expected to see the master of the 619 at the Rumble as there had been no speculation online or anywhere beforehand and that only made the entire thing even greater with Mysterio coming out and having a fantastic showing in the match.

Rey mixed it up with some of his former rivals while having a cool face off with the talent of today and the reaction for him was so good that WWE made sure they re-signed him on a two-year deal, proving just how much the fans loved it.

19 No One Cared: Dolph Ziggler (2018)

While the 2018 Royal Rumble saw the incredible return of Rey Mysterio as well as an equally popular appearance from The Hurricane, WWE's big surprise for its 30th entrant was none other than... Dolph Ziggler, and it sadly didn't gain the same reaction.

Ziggler had been absent for around a month from WWE, simply taking a break for the first time in his career and it was clear WWE was hoping that there would be a big reaction for his return to the company, but the fact was that he hadn't been away for anywhere near long enough for that to happen.

The number 30 spot is best reserved for a major talent who can be considered a favorite to win the match, but from the moment Ziggler's record scratch theme song hit it was clear he wasn't going to win and his big return was wasted in a very short appearance in the match eventually won by Shinsuke Nakamura.

18 Fans Loved: Bubba Ray Dudley (2015)

The roof was blown off during the 2015 Royal Rumble when Bubba Ray Dudley popped out of nowhere, especially because it took place very close to where the ECW Arena was and the level of nostalgia was huge.

After spending years away from the company working with TNA, fans had expected to never see Bubba Ray compete in a WWE ring again and the fans were incredibly excited to see him back in WWE.

While D-Von Dudley wasn't around to fully complete the moment, that came later on down the line, but he smartly teamed up with R Truth within the match to recreate some classic Dudley Boyz spots that the fans bought into.

17 No One Cared: The Godfather (2013)

Throughout the years, WWE Hall Of Famer, The Godfather has made several surprise appearances in Royal Rumble matches and sadly none of them have been very exciting, mainly because he has made no impact in the matches.

While it's nice to have a blast from the past appear in a Royal Rumble match, The Godfather was never really known for being an incredible in-ring worker and therefore the reactions from the WWE Universe don't match up to other surprises WWE has given us.

Godfather walked down to the ring, with women by his side (of course), and was eliminated as soon as he stepped in, before walking back the same way he came which made the whole thing seem a little pointless.

16 Fans Loved: Sami Zayn (2016)

With the rise of NXT, WWE has been given another method of creating iconic surprise appearances in Royal Rumble matches as the company is now able to give upcoming talent their first exposure to the main roster.

That is exactly what WWE did with former NXT Champion, Sami Zayn at the 2016 Royal Rumble, bringing the incredibly popular superstar to the main roster so that he could continue his epic feud with Kevin Owens who had been promoted months earlier.

Zayn received an incredible reaction from the fans and it was a clear indication that he was ready to be moved to the main roster, which is what happened at WrestleMania when he took part in the Intercontinental Championship ladder match.

15 No One Cared: Triple H (2016)

While Triple H was technically a surprise entrant in the 2016 Royal Rumble, The Game was expected to appear by pretty much everyone in attendance and at home. Therefore when he did come out it didn't quite create the classic reactions that most surprise entrants do.

The 2016 Rumble, in general, is one of the weaker in history, mainly because the entire match was so obvious, with the storyline being clear that The Authority's leader Triple H was going to come in and win the match; becoming WWE Champion in the process.

The problem here was that the fans knew exactly what this meant, setting up the WrestleMania main event between him and Roman Reigns that nobody wanted to see and it created a surprise entrant that nobody cared for.

14 Fans Loved: Booker T (2011)

With a stunned WWE Universe and Matt Striker going absolutely crazy on commentary, everything about Booker T's surprise Royal Rumble appearance in 2011 clicked when he went head on with CM Punk's New Nexus.

Punk and his crew had cleaned house prior to Booker T's appearance, with only the New Nexus standing in the ring and the reaction of Punk really put over the returning legend who showed he still had it.

His return here marked his return to the company in general as he then went on to work with WWE either on commentary on as part of the pre-show broadcasting team, all down to the huge ovation he received at the Rumble.

13 No One Cared: Ricardo Rodriguez (2012)

One thing that helps make the Royal Rumble great is that the match always has a brilliant mix of serious wrestling and comedy, with WWE often placing moments of madness into the match which are simply done for comedic purposes.

However, as anyone who has watched WWE for a long period of time will know, WWE's comedy is often very hit and miss and sadly it was more of a miss in 2012 when the company decided to have ring announcer, Ricardo Rodriguez appear in the match.

While it was funny that he came out to his own version of Alberto Del Rio's entrance, with a trashed car and a cheap scarf, the humor quickly dried up when he stepped in between the ropes and it became clear why he was an announcer and not a wrestler.

12 Fans Loved: Kharma (2012)

The first time a female entered the Royal Rumble was Chyna, a feat that was then repeated by Beth Phoenix, but the most impressive time a female took part in the match was when Kharma made her surprise appearance.

Khamra had been gone for a few months after dominating the female division during her initial run with the company and therefore just her return was a big enough surprise, but it was the way WWE booked her within the match that really made it impactful.

Instead of just getting a few moves in or a kiss like Phoenix did, Kharma destroyed everyone in the ring and looked really competitive within the match and was made to look like a monster, creating an excellent surprise entrance.

11 No One Cared: Jack Gallagher (2017)

The 2017 Royal Rumble was incredibly poor from a surprise entrant point of view, with very few names being brought out throughout the match, but 205 Live's Jack Gallagher was one of them.

While seeing Gallagher was certainly cool as 205 Live was a fresh brand at the time and Gallagher was one of the stars, it wasn't exactly a big surprise as he was a member of the current roster, so fans struggled to get as excited about him as other surprises.

He had some cool interactions during the match, especially with Chris Jericho, and eventually did get the fans on board, but it lacked the immediate pop and crazy response that others tend to get.

10 Fans Loved: The Three Faces Of Foley (1998)

We have seen Mick Foley have his legends pop in the Royal Rumble at a late date, but it was during the prime of his career in the 1998 Royal Rumble where the Hardcore Legend surprised the WWE Universe several times in one match.

WWE decided to have Foley appear in the match not once, not twice, but three times, with Foley using all three of his faces; appearing as Cactus Jack, working as Mankind, and wrestling as Dude Love in the match.

Foley was a regular entrant in the match, but once he was eliminated, he then appeared again and then did so a third time in what was a very funny surprise that set the tone for what was to become a normal situation in the year's to come.

9 No One Cared: Haku (2001)

Haku was certainly a recognizable name, but it's not like fans were ever clamoring for his return. There had been some whispers that Haku was set to make his way back to WWE in 2001, but not many were expecting it in the Royal Rumble match. Haku's gimmick just seemed really out of place in the peak of WWE's Attitude Era and the crowd response told everyone all they needed to know about how his second WWE stint would fare. Pretty soon, Haku was paired with a heel Rikishi and his WWE run turned out to be a flop. The signs were all in the dead silence of the crowd for his return.

8 Fans Loved: Chris Jericho (2013)

Surprise entrances are normally reserved for later in a Royal Rumble match, traditionally when the ring is full and the surprise superstar can hit their main moves on a bunch of talent to get a huge reaction from the crowd.

That is why in 2013 Chris Jericho floored the world when he made his return to the company as the number two entrant in the match to continue his feud with Dolph Ziggler in the Royal Rumble match.

Jericho is no stranger to making surprise returns, but normally he would hype it up with months of videos to get the fans talking, but this time there was no fanfare or build up, just a huge, incredible surprise.

7 No One Cared: Rowdy Roddy Piper (2008)

The 2008 Royal Rumble was host to one of the greatest surprise entrances in Royal Rumble history (we will get to that later), but it also featured one that fans didn't care about in Hall Of Famer, Rowdy Roddy Piper.

It seems strange to say that fans didn't care about a legend such as Piper, but that was sadly the case. While he was a brilliant worker during his prime it was clear when he got in the ring in 2008 that Piper was far past that.

He didn't look to be in good shape and his wrestling lacked because of that which made the fans feel awkward rather than get behind him like WWE might have expected, creating a moment that didn't quite work.

6 Fans Loved: AJ Styles (2016)

Surprise entrants in the Royal Rumble tend to be returning legends or talent coming back from sabbaticals but in 2013 WWE took the risk of debuting a brand new talent in the match and it created one of the most iconic moments in Rumble history.

Rumors had been high heading into the match that former TNA and New Japan Pro Wrestling star, AJ Styles had signed for WWE and then the words "I Am Phenomenal" flashed onto the screen, the entire world knew what was about to happen and an incredible pop took place.

Instantly, AJ Styles was positioned as a star in WWE and those who didn't know who he was were made to stand up and take notice. Many fans thought that AJ would end up in NXT, so the fact the company debuted him in such a high profile match led to an unforgettable Rumble moment.

5 No One Cared About: The Announcers (2012)

Yes, this is technically three surprise entrants all bowled into one entry, but it really was bad enough to warrant it. As we have previously mentioned, WWE likes to add comedy to the Royal Rumble matches and this is another example of where they got it drastically wrong.

WWE decided, for some reason, to have all three members of the commentary team for the year enter the Rumble match, and none of it went down well. Perhaps WWE was struggling for surprise stars or was on a budget, but it wasn't great.

First up was Jerry Lawler which was fine, and the second entrant out of the three was Booker T, which was also okay but at that point it had become a little hokey. However the last up was Michael Cole at no.20 and the less said about his Rumble spot the better.

4 Fans Loved: Edge (2010)

There are few things better in a Royal Rumble match than a major surprise of an sidelined superstar coming back way ahead of schedule and that is exactly what happened when the Rated R Superstar, Edge walked out as the 29th entrant in the 2010 match.

While he might not have been a legend making one final appearance, the fact that he managed to cut his expected recovery time in half was incredibly impressive and WWE did a great job of keeping it a secret which led to a huge reaction.

Edge made his return a triumphant success when he managed to win the entire match, securing a huge World Title match against his arch-rival, Chris Jericho at WrestleMania, which is what everyone hoped to see.

3 No One Cared: Mil Mascaras (1997)

You would think that a random appearance by the Lucha Libre wrestling legend, Mil Mascaras in a Royal Rumble would be a huge deal that would possibly make the other side of this list, but in actual fact, nobody in attendance seemed to know who he was.

The Man Of A Thousand Masks appeared in the 1997 Royal Rumble after WWE was being hammered by its Monday Night War competition in the ratings and didn't have the roster depth that it now boasts.

However, Mascaras didn't perform well in the match, refusing to be thrown over the top rope and instead actually eliminated himself as he refused to job to any WWE stars, making the entire thing seem a total mess.

2 Fans Loved: John Cena

While Edge's return was a brilliant one, arguably the greatest Rumble return  in history took place when John Cena came out as the number 30 entrant in the 2008 Royal Rumble, months ahead of his expected return date.

The Rumble was taking place and not a single person, including the talent inside the ring expected to hear Cena's music which led to an incredible visual when the wrestling simply stopped and everyone stared, stunned at Cena's return.

The fact that the show took place at the historic Madison Square Gardens and was packed with "internet fans" and not a single one of them booed shows exactly how impressive the return was, creating a moment that will never be forgotten.

1 No One Cared: Drew Carey (2001)

Another prime example of WWE thinking its humor is incredible when really it was just a waste of an entrant into the Royal Rumble and was just used to get a celebrity onto the show to gain some press attention.

Drew Carey entered the Rumble in 2001 with the comedian attempting to impress Trish Stratus as part of his storyline, but in the end was left alone with Kane, who was a one-man wrecking crew during that particular Rumble.

Kane put the fear into Carey who nearly got chokeslammed, but ended up getting out of it and eliminating himself. This made the whole thing even more pointless as the actor didn't even take a single bump.