Surprise entrants in the Royal Rumble are always one of the highlights of that event. Sometimes, WWE management lets the fans down by failing miserably at the booking. 2020, in particular, was an awful year for the men's Royal Rumble. Edge was the big surprise return, and that was definitely awesome, but no other surprises (big or small) happened in that match.
I'm not entirely sure what will happen at this year's Royal Rumble. It's the first Rumble under Triple H's management (assuming that Vince McMahon doesn't regain creative control before then). Really, anything could happen. I'm assuming Shane McMahon won't be an entrant or involved in any of the planning, but Bad Bunny, Logan Paul, The Rock, or John Cena could all show up.I'm assuming Cody Rhodes returns, but that's more of an expected surprise. I would honestly not mind if he didn't take part in the Rumble and showed up the following night on Raw, or a few days later on Smackdown, to challenge whichever champion has their dance card open for Wrestlemania.
Will someone like Randy Orton, R-Truth, Rick Boogs, A.J. Styles, or Robert Roode return from injuries sooner than expected? Will any famous Texans make their way down the aisle for a hometown pop? Shawn Michaels, Bradshaw, Steve Austin, The Undertaker, Stevie Ray, Booker T, and Chavo Guerrero Jr are all from Texas. I doubt WWE would use Steve Austin or Taker for an unadvertised Rumble return. Wrestlemania would be more likely, but I doubt they'll wrestle there ever again either. The others? I wouldn't be surprised. Even Shawn Michaels. He has a long history with the Rumble.
There are a lot of possibilities in the women's Royal Rumble, too. Jacqueline, Sharmell, Kaitlyn, Roxanne Perez, Michelle McCool, Raquel (she's certainly going to be in it this year) are all from Texas. There are other x-factors when it comes to the ladies, though.
B-Fab and Scarlett haven't wrestled a match in WWE yet, but they could enter the match. We haven't seen Carmella, Aliyah, or Doudrop for a while. There are plenty of women on the NXT roster who could make a main roster debut, too.
Heck, maybe Mickie James shows up again, with or without the Knockouts Title. If she loses to Jordynne Grace at Hard to Kill next week, she could 'retire' from Impact and have another run in WWE. Triple H does seem to be a fan of Mickie's work. If she wins the Knockouts Title, it could be the second year in a row that Mickie walks to the ring as the Knockouts Women's Champion.
Then there's always the possibility of a Naomi or Sasha Banks / Mercedes Moné appearing. Certainly, a Mercedes appearance would be a wild thought, but Triple H's management style is different than Vince's. He'd definitely get the wrestling world talking if some kind of one-off deal allowed Mercedes to compete in the Rumble the same month that she showed up in New Japan Pro Wrestling and possibly in AEW. Or, if Mercedes hasn't signed anywhere yet, maybe she does debut in AEW as Saraya's tag team partner as a one-off match and then returns to WWE on a full-time basis. It's doubtful, but anything can happen.
Speaking of that, here's my wish list for the men's Rumble this year:
Jamie Noble (maybe even with Nidia?) - This return already happened in December. Well, kind of. Jamie made his in-ring return to WWE at a live event in his home state of West Virginia. WWE produced a segment for it on WWE.com. Now, I know Noble won't be returning on a full-time basis, but a return in the Royal Rumble doesn't seem out of the question, especially since he is obviously in good enough shape to wrestle a match at a live event.
The Rumble should be an easier appearance because he likely wouldn't be going from start to finish. Jamie would get a good pop, and, if he was somehow able to make it to the final three, I have a feeling he'd be over in a big way. Wrestling fans love underdog stories. We saw that with Santino in his Elimination Chamber match. Jamie is well-known enough and talented enough to pull something like that off.
Carlito - Yeah, we saw him return already in the 2021 Royal Rumble, but that was a COVID return. Showing up in front of 70,000 fans in the Alamodome would be an entirely different experience than the 2021 return. I wish WWE had saved his return for a Rumble in front of a crowd, but they didn't, so I can only hope that he returns at another Royal Rumble event at some point. This year is as good a year as any. If John Cena is involved, WWE could play up Carlito's history with him.
Carlito hasn't really interacted with a lot of the newer WWE superstars either. It'd be nice to see him throw punches against the Usos, Dominik Mysterio, The Miz, A.J. Styles, Austin Theory, and Seth Rollins. For anyone who hasn't kept up with Carlito, the man maintains his health. He's in incredible shape, so the Royal Rumble wouldn't be out of the question, at all, for him. He could enter and maybe even last until closer to the end, giving fans the idea that he could end up winning it. It wouldn't just be a legend making a cameo. Carlito is one of the few former superstars who could return and legitimately go toe-to-toe in the match with some of WWE's top stars today.
Chris Masters - Another wrestler from the same time Carlito was around is Chris Masters. You can't say he wasn't pushed in WWE because I, for one, was very tired of seeing the Masterlock Challenge. It was something that went on for months! Masters didn't ever win gold in WWE, and was almost like a new toy that WWE got tired of after it was taken out of the plastic case. His most memorable moments may be when he was insulted by Triple H for slimming down and when he broke Stevie Richards' nose.
Masters went on to compete for independent companies but never made his way to Impact or AEW. Mostly, he's worked for companies overseas or in California promotions. He's currently signed to NWA, but I'm assuming NWA would allow a one-time appearance? Chris Masters was never my favorite wrestler, but I think his work improved since he left WWE, and having a final WWE moment would be nice for him and his fans.
Jushin Thunder Liger - An absolute wrestling legend, Liger has been part of the NJPW roster since 1984. He retired in 2020, so the chances of him showing up are slim to none, and he is more known for his NJPW and WCW work, but he does have a history with WWE.
Liger competed for the WWF in 1990. He also wrestled Tyler Breeze at Takeover: Brooklyn in 2015. Finally, in 2020, Liger was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame. I would worry that some fans wouldn't know who he was, but the Rumble crowd is filled with avid wrestling fans, so I'm sure he'd get a good pop in front of them.
D'Lo Brown - I don't know what kind of shape D'Lo is in right now. He's probably heavier than he was in his prime, but as long as he can do his head shake and maybe comes out in a chest protector, I'll be satisfied. D'Lo was a guy who got over in the Attitude Era and won some prestigious gold, but never made it further than mid-card. He went to Impact and then back to WWE and then back to Impact, so it's not like he's been without work during his career.
Like many other wrestlers on this list, D'Lo likely won't end up in the Hall of Fame (unless it's alongside the Nation of Domination), but he still deserves some recognition. Most fans at the Rumble would remember him because fans at The Royal Rumble are hardcore fans. They aren't casual spectators from the local city that is hosting WWE Raw or Smackdown. I don't think he's been seen in WWE since maybe 2008 or 2009, so a D'Lo appearance isn't one fans would probably see coming.
Steve Blackman - Okay, I watched Steve Blackman since his debut and throughout his entire WWE career. I always wanted to like him. He's a legit tough man and he was always in great shape, but he lacked the charisma to keep me interested. His Head Cheese partnership with Al Snow was OK. His brief alliance with Trish Stratus worked, too. Somehow, none of it stuck.
It's 2023, however. Since then, internet fans have grown to appreciate Blackman more than they originally did, mostly because of the stories about him standing up to Bradshaw. He's got somewhat of a cult following now. WWE should give the man a spotlight, even if it's just for a few moments. He's never likely to end up in the Hall of Fame and he's retired from wrestling as far as I know (you're not going to see him work the indy scene or go to AEW or Impact), so a Royal Rumble appearance would cap off his career nicely.
Gangrel - I said it last year, and I'll say it again this year, I want to see Gangrel return for a quick entry in the Royal Rumble. Number one, he never got as much attention as he should have in his original run. No, he wasn't the best worker in the world, but he was alright in the ring and he had an entertaining act. Two, his entrance is very cool. Hearing the music, seeing him rise up out of the circle of flames, and then do the red mist would be a nice bit of nostalgia.
Finally, given Edge teasing a return to his Brood roots earlier in the year, a face-off with Gangrel in the Rumble makes sense creatively. Maybe Gangrel even teams up with some members of The Judgment Day during the Royal Rumble in order to try to eliminate Edge. Of course, that alliance wouldn't last, and Gangrel would be eliminated by one of the members of The Judgment Day.
Sycho Sid - It would be cool to see the big man again. He's one wrestler who hasn't worn out his welcome by constantly returning to every single Raw anniversary, Legends Night, or Royal Rumble that occurs. No, Sid has been relatively M.I.A. since he retired from regular in-ring competition.
Of course, we all remember that gruesome injury he had at the WCW Sin pay-per-view in 2001. If you don't remember it, you've probably heard about it or seen it. That was a disgusting looking ankle injury.
As far as I know, Sid has rehabbed from that injury, so he should be able to handle a little bit of ring time in the Royal Rumble. Not only would it be an exclamation point on Sid's carer, but it would also give a rub to one of the newcomers (presumably another big guy like Omos or Braun or Damian Priest) when he eliminates Sid from the match.
Rikishi - This is a more contemporary pick than Sid. He's another big man. Big 'Kish hasn't worn out his welcome either. He's had brief appearances with WWE in the past few years, but never any that were on a stage like the Royal Rumble. You don't have to worry about a pop with Rikishi. He'll get one. He could also add some emotion to the match, too.
With the Bloodline storyline going, it would be very interesting to see Rikishi step foot inside the ring again, maybe only to be eliminated by one of the Usos, Solo Sikoa, or Sami Zayn. That'd get them some heat!
I'm not sure what kind of physical condition Rikishi is in. He may have back pain or bad legs due to his size, but he didn't look to be too bad during his last WWE appearance. Here's hoping he could handle throwing a couple of side kicks, doing a Samoan drop, and being thrown over the top rope. Or should I say, "guided," because nobody is going to be throwing Rikishi over the top rope.
JTG - he made his return just last year as part of Shad Gaspard's Warrior Award acceptance speech at the WWE Hall of Fame, but JTG deserves his own return (maybe leading to an actual contract). He kept his job for year after year when WWE was regularly cutting talent, but, eventually, JTG was released, too.
Since then, JTG has actually gotten in better shape than when he was in WWE and continued honing his skills in the NWA and other independent promotions. I'd love to see a Royal Rumble appearance occur as almost a tryout match for him coming back full time because it seems he could handle it. Plus, it would be a nice tribute to Shad and a way of rewarding the strong work ethic that JTG has shown since being released. Hearing 'Brooklyn, Brooklyn' come over the arena speakers would certainly get the crowd to their feet.
Damien Sandow - If Cody Rhodes makes his return at the Royal Rumble (he's pretty much got to at this point), then this would be the perfect time and place for Damien Sandow to make an appearance. It doesn't have to be a long-lasting entry, but it makes too much sense not to happen.
Damien has history with Cody Rhodes and with The Miz. A Sandow / Miz / Rhodes standoff could be a lot of fun. Who would Damien side with? Maybe he switches allegiances based on who has the upper hand. Or maybe Damien tries to get Cody and The Miz on the same page, working together.
Damien doesn't even need to be eliminated by anyone else. I want to see Damien go back to his mimic gimmick. When The Miz gets throw over the top rope and eliminated, Damien needs to throw himself over the top rope as well, eliminating himself from the match. It would be a fun, goofy moment.
Damien is currently working with the NWA, but, again, if Billy Corgan is smart, he'd allow a one-time Royal Rumble appearance. It can only get people searching for Damie's most recent work, and then stumbling upon NWA content they probably weren't familiar with before.
I could list 15 more men I'd like to see in the Royal Rumble, including Chavo Guerrero Jr., Santino Marella, Tyson Kidd, Corey Graves, Alex Wright, The Blue Meanie, and X-Pac, but the names above are at the top of my priority list.
Now, let's take a look at the women's side of things:
Cherry - Even though she was only on Smackdown for a couple of years, and she competed for an even shorter time than that, Cherry got over pretty easily when she transitioned from a valet to a wrestler and Michelle McCool's sidekick.
Seeing Cherry come out and interact with today's crop of women would make for some entertaining moments. Cherry against Rhea Ripley? That's a contrast in styles. How about the always shy Cherry and the ballsy Shotzi having some kind of interaction? Or Nikki Cross staring down Cherry. Her gimmick clashes with a lot of the modern women, so this return could be a lot of fun to see!
Plus, it would be a nicer sendoff than her surprising release in 2008. Cherry is still good friends with Beth Phoenix and Natalya, so I hope they're pushing for her to get a spot one of these years.
Plus, it would be a nicer sendoff than her surprising release in 2008. Cherry is still good friends with Beth Phoenix and Natalya, so I hope they're pushing for her to get a spot one of these years.
Nidia - Another character who excelled but didn't get a lot of the spotlight was Nidia. 20-some years later and Nidia is still remembered fondly for her run with Jamie Noble on Smackdown.
Nidia was the closest we got to ODB in WWE. Her white trash, redneck, trailer park manners gimmick led to some hilarious segments. When she moved to the Raw roster and competed regularly in the women's division, she got lost in the shuffle. Certainly capable of putting on a good match, Nidia never rose to her full potential. The few times she's been seen after her wrestling retirement, Nidia has been in great shape, so hopefully a Rumble appearance isn't out of the question.
Of course, if Nidia and Jamie Noble are both in Rumble matches, Nidia needs to accompany Jamie Noble to the ring. If the women's Royal Rumble happens before the men's Royal Rumble, then Nidia can show up as a surprise in the women's Rumble first, and then still accompany Jamie Noble for the men's Rumble.
Alundra Blayze - She was on my list last year, and she's on it again this year. Alundra Blayze, or Madusa, is a WWE Hall of Famer, she's a three-time champion, and she was involved in every prestigious pro wrestling show or event in the 1990s. Starcade? Yep. Won a title there. Wrestlemania? Retained a championship there. The Tokyo Dome? She wrestled in front of a huge crowd and put on a classic! There's not much she hasn't done.
She managed, wrestled, did publicity on major TV talk shows, was featured on posters, and sold merchandise. That was just in her pro wrestling career! Still, Madusa hasn't competed in the Royal Rumble match. She also has never received the proper in-ring sendoff that she deserves. I'm sure Alundra would've received a bigger part in the battle royal at Evolution, but she was still recovering from knee surgery.
Now she's healthy, she's signed to a WWE Legends deal, and she wants a final moment or match. It's time for WWE to give that to her, especially if the likes of Rhea, Asuka, Charlotte, Beth, and Natalya are in this year's Royal Rumble match. Alundra wants to wrestle all of them, and she could accomplish that in one night if WWE allows it to happen.
Madusa - Wait, what? Yep, Madusa would be another entrant I'd like to see. Mick Foley competed in the 1998 Royal Rumble as Cactus Jack, Dude Love, and Mankind. There aren't a lot of women who have enough names and gimmicks under their belts to pull off something similar, but Alundra / Madusa could.
She could enter as Alundra Blayze earlier on in the match, have a tussle with Nattie and Asuka, perhaps, and then get eliminated. Several minutes later, she shows up as entrant 21, let's say. Now, she can have some interaction with Ronda Rousey, Rhea, Charlotte, and Beth. That would allow Madusa a bit of a break. Let's face it, she hasn't been in the ring for a long time, so she'll probably be gassed if she is in the match for over 10 or 15 minutes. It would also be a bit of a shocker since something like this hasn't been done in the women's Royal Rumble before.
If there are no other surprise entrants than Madusa / Alundra this year, then I'd like to see her pull off something like this and take up two spots. I'd be completely satisfied with that. If it's down to a choice: entering as Alundra Blayze or as Madusa, it's Madusa all the way! Sorry, Alundra.
Beth Phoenix - Yeah, Beth has returned before, but she's got more to do this year. There are some scores to settle. She needs to interact with Rhea Ripley after the situation with The Judgment Day and Edge earlier in 2022. I know Beth and Madusa would like to have some in-ring interaction as well. If Madusa is involved as a competitor, then Beth needs to be, too.
Plus, Ronda is back. A Beth / Ronda standoff would elicit quite a crowd reaction. I'm sure we'd hear a few "This is Awesome!" chants if they exchanged a few blows. Other ladies on the active WWE roster also look up to Beth, so there would be a list of eager participants who want to share a moment with her in the women's Rumble. Raquel Gonzalez and Aliyah are two of them who have mentioned Beth before.
A Royal Rumble appearance by Beth is always welcome, even if it's been done before because, of all the women who come back to compete in the Rumble, Beth is probably the most athletic and still in the best shape.
She's got a long history with Beth Phoenix, so much so that Beth thanked Candice in her Hall of Fame acceptance speech. It's true what Beth said there, too. Without Candice and her selling as a babyface, the Glamazon wouldn't have gotten over as the heel character that she was.
Candice already retired in a match against good friend Victoria, but Royal Rumble returns don't really nullify retirements. The Rumble is a special night where retirements get thrown out the window. Candice deserves a bit of shine, and the Royal Rumble is the perfect time for that to happen.
Candice already retired in a match against good friend Victoria, but Royal Rumble returns don't really nullify retirements. The Rumble is a special night where retirements get thrown out the window. Candice deserves a bit of shine, and the Royal Rumble is the perfect time for that to happen.
Jazz - This is one woman who may never get the acknowledgment she deserves. To be honest, Jazz had a hard time getting over in WWE. She was a heck of a competitor and a good heel against Trish, but Trish's feuds with Molly and Victoria, and Lita got more of a reaction than any of her matches against Jazz. I think that's simply because WWE didn't know how to utilize Jazz. She didn't fit the Diva mold.
She was a heel, but not exactly stellar on the mic. Then again, she had to reign it in on the mic, too. In ECW, Jazz dropped some curse words and got the fans riled up as a babyface.
There was the concussion lawsuit that Jazz was (or maybe even still is?) part of, too. If that's all been settled, then I think Triple H and Stephanie may be forgiving enough to give Jazz one final return moment in WWE. If WWE allows Jazz to compete in the Rumble, then she's got a chance at ending up in the Hall of Fame one day alongside her fellow women's division workers of that era, Trish, Lita, Jacqueline, Ivory, and Molly Holly.
WWE didn't push Jazz enough when she was there, so I'm not sure a Hall of Fame induction will ever happen. That's why a Royal Rumble appearance would be nice for Jazz and her fans. It would let them show her some love that she may not otherwise get the chance to receive.
Sharmell - Speaking of Hall of Famers, Sharmell was inducted last year. Personally, I disagreed with that decision. I was a big fan of her in the late '90s, too. She was my favorite valet in WCW. I remember her walking out with The Artist Formerly Known as Prince Iaukea and then Kwee Wee.
Her work with Booker T in WWE was entertaining enough as well, but I always wanted to see her compete a little more. Sharmell showed promise while training at the Power Plant in WCW. There are a few clips of her, and she's doing spinning wheel kicks off the second rope.
Then came her time in TNA and that horrendous match with Jenna Morasca. After seeing that, I thought, 'OK, maybe she doesn't need to compete in the ring anymore!' WWE may as well make her earn that Hall of Fame spot with a Royal Rumble appearance. It does kind of suit her. It's not a lot of in-ring work, she'd get to mix it up with Bianca Belair, psycho Nikki Cross, Queen Zelina, and others.
If Roxanne Perez is in this year's Royal Rumble, then Sharmell needs to be, too. Roxanne trained with Booker T and Sharmell to become a wrestler, so I'm sure they'd like to share the ring together. Since the Rumble is in Texas this year, it's the perfect time for that to happen.
Then came her time in TNA and that horrendous match with Jenna Morasca. After seeing that, I thought, 'OK, maybe she doesn't need to compete in the ring anymore!' WWE may as well make her earn that Hall of Fame spot with a Royal Rumble appearance. It does kind of suit her. It's not a lot of in-ring work, she'd get to mix it up with Bianca Belair, psycho Nikki Cross, Queen Zelina, and others.
If Roxanne Perez is in this year's Royal Rumble, then Sharmell needs to be, too. Roxanne trained with Booker T and Sharmell to become a wrestler, so I'm sure they'd like to share the ring together. Since the Rumble is in Texas this year, it's the perfect time for that to happen.
Layla - One lady we haven't seen much of since she left WWE back in 2015 is Layla El. The former Diva Search winner transitioned into a WWE Women's and Diva's Champion. She worked as an annoying heel with Michelle McCool and as a peppy babyface against The Bellas and Beth Phoenix.
Things were starting to change when she retired in 2015, but, during her entire run, women's wrestling wasn't really a priority. Layla was able to have some competitive matches, especially during her last few years with WWE. She, Eve Torres, Beth Phoenix, Natalya, and Kaitlyn were given a decent amount of time every now and then, but this was all pre-women's revolution. It was before Charlotte, Becky, Sasha, and Bayley came up to the roster and put a focus on in-ring work. There was no women's Royal Rumble for Layla to compete in. There were no tag team titles for her to try to win.
Unless she and Michelle McCool return for a short run, the tag titles are something Layla won't ever add to her resume, but competing in the Royal Rumble is something she could do. It's possible she ends up in the Hall of Fame when WWE starts inducting women from her era, so having a Royal Rumble appearance just adds a little bit more content for WWE to work with when they put together that video package. Michelle McCool competes in almost every women's Royal Rumble (and she will likely this year, too, since it's in Texas), so having a confrontation or reunion would tell a nice story.
Jacqueline - One final Hall of Famer and Texan should enter this match. Jacqueline was part of the first-ever women's Royal Rumble several years ago but hasn't made any kind of in-ring appearances since then. Jackie took down Kelly Kelly, Natalya, and attempted to beat up Nia Jax, but her time in that Royal Rumble was short-lived.
I love Jackie, so she's always someone I'd like to see get more time in the ring. She's older, so she's not in the shape to do a full-time schedule, but she can more than handle a Rumble appearance. Jacqueline still keeps in good shape. It makes sense to have one more WWE appearance, especially since this Royal Rumble is in San Antonio.
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