WWE: 7 Rumored Legends Returning at the Royal Rumble

Matthew Aguilar

01/29/2022 04:51 pm EST

After a year-long wait, the time has finally come to experience one of the best events on the WWE calendar in the Royal Rumble, and fans are certainly hyped to see who shows up. We already know quite a few of the entrants in the Men's and Women's Royal Rumble match, but there are still some open spots in both lineups, and those are always perfect for surprise returning stars and legends from the company's past. Some big names have been thrown around like Asuka, Kurt Angle, and yes, even AEW's Cody Rhodes, and we've collected all of the rumored entrants right here starting on the next slide!

WWE really got fans talking about the possibilities when they revealed that Impact Wrestling Knockouts Champion Mickie James was going to be a part of the match, which obviously is a major deal since WWE doesn't really ever approach the Forbidden Door. That got fans wondering if she might be one of a few stars from other companies, but we'll have to wait and see if that pans out.

Here's the official Royal Rumble card and all of the confirmed entrants, and you can see all of the rumored returning legends on the next slide!

WWE Universal Championship: Roman Reigns vs. Seth Rollins

WWE Championship: Brock Lesnar vs. Bobby Lashley

Raw Women's Championship: Becky Lynch vs. Doudrop

Edge & Beth Phoenix vs. The Miz & Maryse

Men's Royal Rumble (Johnny Knoxville, Big E, AJ Styles, Angelo Dawkins, Montez Ford, Rey Mysterio, Dominik Mysterio, Austin Theory, Sheamus, Damian Priest, Happy Corbin, Madcap Moss, Sami Zayn, Kofi Kingston, Kevin Owens, Omos, Randy Orton, Riddle, Chad Gable, Otis, Dolph Ziggler, Robert Roode, TBA)

Women's Royal Rumble (Charlotte Flair, Mickie James, Rhea Ripley, Nikki A.S.H., Dana Brooke, Carmella, Queen Zelina, Shotzi, Natalya, Aliyah, Naomi, Shayna Baszler, Nikki Bella, Brie Bella, Lita, Michelle McCool, Kelly Kelly, Summer Rae, Tamina, Bianca Belair, Liv Morgan, Sonya Deville, Sasha Banks, TBA)

What do you think of the card so far and who else do you want to see in the Rumble matches? Let us know in the comments or as always you can talk all things wrestling with me on Twitter @MattAguilarCB!

Shane McMahon

Shane McMahon is never someone you can count out of the mix, and while he's taken a bit of a break from WWE since WrestleMania 37, he has been sighted in St. Louis ahead of the Rumble. Could that mean we hear "Here Comes the Moneyyyy" on the speakers? Guess we'll have to wait and see.

Cameron

(Photo: WWE)

Another returning face for the Women's Royal Rumble match could be Cameron, who has been spotted in St. Louis. Cameron last wrestled in WWE in 2016 after being released by the company along with several other stars. She's wrestled sparingly over that time, but did look to make a return to the ring in 2020 in Effy's Big Gay Brunch, and perhaps she will make a WWE return tonight.

Aksana

(Photo: WWE)

Well this one was rumored but now it has gone to kind of confirmed. Aksana hasn't been in a WWE ring in a while, as she last wrestled in June of 2014 before being released from her contact.

We now know she is in St. Louis and at the Rumble thanks to her latest Instagram Story, and odds are she will also be a surprise entrant in the Women's Rumble match.

Asuka

(Photo: WWE)

Another superstar in recent discussions according to reports is Asuka, who has been dealing with injuries since last year. There's been a lot of buzz about Asuka making her grand return in the Rumble match assuming she is feeling 100%, though she hasn't been spotted in St. Louis as of yet.

Kairi Sane

Another name that's come up quite a bit is Kairi Sane, who has been in Japan as an ambassador for WWE since 2020. She hasn't wrestled since July of 2020 and moved to Japan to be closer to her husband, but her name has come up in backstage discussions according to recent reports for a return of some sort, and this could be the first of several appearances if that is the case.

Cody Rhodes

(Photo: AEW)

Well, it's not hard to see that if Cody Rhodes entered the Royal Rumble match, it would be one of the biggest moments of the night if not the biggest. Rhodes has been part of the reason why there's another competitive promotion in the wrestling space thanks to AEW, and with his contract status in question, he's had some fun teasing anything could happen in recent weeks.

He even shared a photo from a plane that had the tag St. Louis Missouri earlier today, which is likely one big troll (though it is an amazing troll). Either way, fans will be hoping he actually turns up.

Kurt Angle

Kurt Angle running down the ramp would certainly draw a massive reaction, and a report from Fightful Select indicates Angle is in St. Louis for the Rumble weekend. It was also reported that he has had discussions with WWE to return to TV in some capacity, so this would certainly be a big way to bring him back into the fold.

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