Every installment of WWE’s Royal Rumble comes with surprises at multiple points during the 30-man match. This year’s show should be no exception, as there are plenty of big names that have been off television either due to injury or hiatus who could use a Rumble return as a launching point for a big match at WrestleMania 37. We’ve compiled a list of seven wrestlers who could make their surprise return, along with a couple who aren’t on the Raw or SmackDown rosters as of yet. Check out the list below and let us know who you think will be making a surprise arrival at this year’s Rumble down in the comments.
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The 2021 Royal Rumble event takes place on Jan. 31 at the WWE ThunderDome inside St. Petersburg’s Tropicana Field.
Edge
It’s hard to believe it’s been a year since “The Rated-R Superstar” made his triumphant return. He hasn’t been seen since suffering that tricep tear at Backlash, but that was over seven months. Plus he’s still aiming to complete that trilogy of matches with Randy Orton, who has already confirmed he’ll be in the match.
Becky Lynch & Seth Rollins
We’ll pair these two up because they’ve been gone for the same reason. Lynch has been out of action since announcing her pregnancy in May, while Rollins was written off television at Survivor Series in order to be at home with Lynch to welcome their first child. Their daughter, Roux, was born on Dec. 4.ย
Rollins was initially announced for a return on SmackDown a few weeks back but those plans were quietlyย scrapped. Whether or not Lynch is physically ready to get back in the ring remains unknown.ย
Ronda Rousey
The fact that Rousey has been back in the ring training has been one of the worst-kept secrets on social media. Whether or not this means she’ll be in the actual Rumble is an entirely different conversation, but the odds are pretty good especially if WWE is finally setting her and Lynch up for a one-on-one match at WrestleMania.ย
Brock Lesnar
“The Beast” made headlines last year when the news broke that his latest WWE contract had expired, and the fact that he didn’t make any sort of appearance at SummerSlam led to fans believing he might be gone for a while. But if WWE’s booking strategy has taught us anything over the past five years, it’s that Lesnar is never too far from a world championship match. And what faster why to book a rematch with Drew McIntyre at WrestleMania than by having Lesnar win the Rumble?
Rhea Ripley
Ripley has been ready for the jump to either Raw or SmackDown for quite some time, and a Rumble win could be what winds up putting her in a rematch with Charlotte Flair from last year’s event.
Jay White
It’s been five years since AJ Styles made his surprise WWE debut during the 2016 Royal Rumble, and ever since then fans line up every year expecting a big name from another company to make the jump to the WWE during the 30-man match. This year that speculation centers around Jay White, who proclaimed after Wrestle Kingdom 15 that he was “quitting” following the New Year’s Dash event
Now, is there any proof that White’s contract with New Japan has actually ended? Nope. But he legitimately hasn’t wrestled since New Year’s Dash and popping upย in the Rumble would send Wrestling Twitter into a frenzy. This one is the longest of long-shots, but it’s fun to think about.
