Many WWE fans are expecting some surprises in the two Royal Rumble matches at Sunday night’s Royal Rumble pay-per-view. But there’s a chance one of the biggest surprises could be a familiar face that hasn’t been seen for a while. According to PWInsider’s Mike Johnson, Shane McMahon has been spotted in Houston ahead of Sunday night’s show at Minute Maid Park, which opens the door for him to play some sort of role in the 30-man Men’s Rumble match. McMahon was a staple of WWE television from 2016-19, mostly as a commissioner for SmackDown Live. However after losing a ladder match at SmackDown’s FOX premiere in early October, he was written off of television after being fired by Kevin Owens.
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He hasn’t been appearing at television tapings on a regular basis since then, but since big former stars like Ric Flair travel for the event it’s possible he’s just there to enjoy the show. At the 2019 Royal Rumble McMahon formed an unlikley tag team with The Miz and captured the SmackDown Tag Team Championships. But after dropping them weeks later McMahon turned heel and began abusing his power in feuds with Miz, Owens and Roman Reigns. At 50-years-old, McMahon has never competed in an official Rumble match though he was one of the competitors in the Greatest Royal Rumble match in Saudi Arabia back in April 2018.
The latest betting odds for the Men’s Royal Rumble has Roman Reigns booked to win. However Drew McIntyre, Brock Lesnar and CM Punk (despite not making his comeback after joining WWe Backstage) have all been given decent odds as well.
Check out the full card for the Royal Rumble below:
- WWE Universal Championship: Bray Wyatt vs. Daniel Bryan (Strap Match)
- Raw Women’s Championship: Becky Lynch vs. Asuka
- SmackDown Women’s Championship: Bayley vs. Lacey Evans
- United States Championship: Andrade vs. Humberto Carrillo
- Roman Reigns vs. King Corbin (Falls Count Anywhere)
- Shorty G vs. Sheamus
- Men’s Royal Rumble — Winner gets a world championship match at WrestleMania 36 (Brock Lesnar, Roman Reigns, AJ Styles, Erick Rowan, Randy Orton, Rey Mysterio, Ricochet, Drew McInytre, Elias, King Corbin, Dolph Ziggler, Otis, Tucker, Rusev, Bobby Lashley, Aleister Black, Buddy Murphy, Braun Strowman, Shinsuke Nakamura, Seth Rollins, Kevin Owens, Samoa Joe, Kofi Kingston, Big E, R-Truth, John Morrison, The Miz, TBA)
- Women’s Royal Rumble — Winner gets a women’s championship match at WrestleMania 36 (Chralotte Flair, Alexa Bliss, Nikki Cross, Sarah Logan, Natalya, Carmella, Dana Brooke, TBA)
