CM Punk Says He Was Supposed To Win The Royal Rumble In 2008

John Cena's surprising return at the 2008 Royal Rumble is considered one of the greatest Rumble entrants of all time, but on but on a recent episode of the FS1 show WWE Backstage, co-host CM Punk revealed to fans that the win was supposed to go to him.

"I was supposed to win!," Punk said. "I was supposed to win that Royal Rumble, then John Cena comes back after three months from a torn pec. Thanks a lot, John."

Cena was injured in October 2007 during a match with Mr. Kennedy and had to vacate the WWE Championship. The title would then change hands between Randy Orton and Triple H, with Orton ushering in 2008 as reigning WWE Champion. Cena was reported to be out for a year, but at that year's Royal Rumble, he shocked the New York crowd with a return.

Even though Cena entered at number 30 and eliminated Triple H to win, Cena would lose in a triple threat match that year against Orton and Triple H. CM Punk, on the otherhand, would go on to win the Money In The Bank for the first time, eventually cashing in on Raw against a powerless Edge three months later.

Rumble wins are always turning points for one's career in WWE, for good or bad, so Punk winning in 2008 could have changed his whole trajectory and he could have been champion sooner. Eventually Punk would carve out his own legacy in the company so it's uncertain if this would have been his turning point.