The Royal Rumble is on the horizon. One of the most anticipated shows of the year will bring thousands of fans to St.Louis to witness history. Every fan that will be going to St.Louis will be excited for both Royal Rumble matches. When the clock counts down they will jump out of their seats to see who comes through the curtain. Could it be a potential winner? Or could it be an entertaining wrestler who could get a pop out of the crowd? Regardless, the best part of the match is the chance of a surprise. Every year WWE pulls out a few surprise entrants that get a great reaction from the crowd. In St.Louis who are we going to see this year? Who will WWE get to come through the curtain that we would never expect to see? Below we will look at 10 Royal Rumble Surprises!
Walter
Yes, I am going to use his actual name as opposed to WWE’s moronic Gunther. Walter has been a force on NXT U.K for some time now. Having him come across the pond has sparked rumours of a main roster call-up.
He would be a great surprise entrant at the Rumble. The matchups against other big men would be a great sight and seeing him start a chopping party on whoever is in the ring would be a fantastic Royal Rumble moment.
X-Pac
X-Pac was a huge part of the Attitude Era. Alongside D-X he helped to usher in a new era of professional wrestling and is a very recognizable face.
It has been reported, recently, that Pac has been medically cleared to compete in a wrestling ring. What a surprise it would be to have him announced as an entrant in the Royal Rumble. His chances of winning would be slim but the desired pop from the St.Louis crowd would be wonderful.
Moose
The Impact world champion would be a huge surprise and one not outside the realm of possibility. With Mickie James being announced, for the Women’s Royal Rumble, the fabled forbidden door to WWE has been opened.
Since the Impact Women’s Champion has been announced it may be a great idea to bring the Impact World Champion into the Rumble match. It would be a huge shock and would get a massive pop.
Corey Graves
After concussion issues, Graves has been limited to an announcing role with WWE. He has been serviceable in the role but has never shied away from his desire to return to the ring.
It has been reported that Graves has been cleared by WWE doctors. Having his number get called as he is announcing the Royal Rumble match would be a great moment. It would bring up memories of Jerry Lawler from years past… It’d be a nice way to bring back Corey, as a big Royal Rumble Surprises
Tommaso Ciampa
Ciampa has been the face of NXT for years now. Even when Vince decided to clean house and create NXT 2.0 Ciampa remained as a veteran presence.
Now that Ciampa has dropped goldy to Bron Breakker there isn’t much left from him on the multicoloured brand. A call-up to the main roster would make sense and open up a whole new roster of potential matchups. What better way to bring Ciampa up than have him make an appearance in the Royal Rumble.
Bayley
Since turning heel, Bayley had put in some of the best character work of her career. It was a shame that she got injured just as fans were returning to arenas. It would have been amazing to see her play off the live crowd.
Her return schedule has put her somewhere around February, which puts her close to the Royal Rumble. If she could do it, her surprise return would get a great pop from the crowd.
Bayley could have a good chance to win the Royal Rumble. Having her story arc include winning the match and vying to take back her Women’s Championship would be a great piece of storytelling from WWE.
Paige
Speaking of great return arcs. Paige has been absent from a WWE ring for years. With her neck issues, no one ever thought that Paige would be seen wrestling again.
Paige has been active in WWE since her forced retirement. She has recently been making comments about her future and that she isn’t done with wrestling yet. This could be wishful thinking on her part but if she is cleared to return it would be awesome to see her make an appearance at the Royal Rumble and another great Royal Rumble Surprises
Asuka
The Empress of Tomorrow has been absent from WWE programming for months. Needing dental surgery she took some time off from the company, and absence makes the heart grow fonder.
Asuka has always been one of the best and most popular performers on the roster. Bringing her back for the Royal Rumble would add an instant contender while injecting some more legitimacy into the contest.
It would also be cool to see her come in opposite Charlotte, giving the fans a Royal Rumble moment.
Lacey Evans
A performer that received a huge push from WWE that never really got off the ground. Vince and company didn’t book her very well and the crowd never responded the way that WWE had hoped.
Taking some time away from her pregnancy could be the best thing to happen to Evans. She is still a recognizable character and could get a great reaction from the crowd.
She has been posting workout videos to her social media accounts, which is sparking the idea that she may be gearing up for a return. The Royal Rumble would be the perfect arena for a return.
Chris Jericho
This one is the most wishful thinking of entries, but with Vince opening the forbidden door to Impact Wrestling, who knows what could happen… This could be the ultimate Royal Rumble Surprises
Jericho has made an appearance on Stone Cold’s podcast, as an AEW guy, so it has been shown that Vince is willing to bend a bit. Jericho has also maintained a positive relationship with most in WWE so of all AEW talents, he would be the best choice.
Also, Jericho is past his prime in AEW. He brought the company national attention but his role seems to have diminished. Bringing him back at the Rumble to have him get eliminated would not damage the image of AEW.
Ronda Rousey (Updated Jan. 25th)
After reading news stories today this one needs to be added to the list. According to Dave Meltzer Ronda taking on Becky Lynch for the Raw Women’s Championship is all but a done deal for Wrestlemania.
This is sparking rumours that the Rowdy One may be a surprise entrant in the Rumble, even taking home the victory. It would be a great way to pop the crowd and add some star power to the Royal Rumble.