5 WWE Legends Who Could Be Surprise Royal Rumble Entrants

Sure, the WWE may harp on about WrestleMania being the Showcase of the Immortals and the Grandest Stage of Them All – and it most certainly is – but the Royal Rumble is often the favourite annual PPV of many a wrestling fan.

Since its inception in 1988, the Rumble has gone on to be one of the most enjoyable events on the wrestling calendar. More often than not there tends to be a brilliant match or two on the main card, but it’s the Royal Rumble bout itself that has the attention of us all.

In that over-the-top-rope extravaganza, we get to see some of the biggest names in the business collide as they look to grab their ticket to WrestleMania. Away from that spectacle, of course, one of the other main attractions of the Rumble match is waiting to see which surprise entrants turn up to make an appearance.

This is the chance where legends, icons and stars of yesteryear get to perform inside a WWE ring for one more time; more often than not for one final time. For the talent, this is one more moment in the spotlight, whereas for the fans it’s one more chance to watch one of their all-time favourites lace up the boots again.

With that in mind, then, let’s take a look at 5 legendary figures who could make a surprise appearance in the 2019 Royal Rumble.

5) Jake Roberts

Could Jake the Snake slither his way into the Royal Rumble?

Here’s one for you: how about we finally get one last Royal Rumble appearance from Jake “The Snake” Roberts?

Hall of Famer Roberts has often talked over the past few years about wanting to have one final Rumble outing, and it’s seen by him and many others to be the final piece of his redemption story.

For decades Roberts has had his well-publicised demons, but 2015’s The Resurrection of Jake the Snake documentary highlighted the tough and long road that Jake has been on over the past several years as he looks to put his problems behind him once and for all.

To many longtime fans, one of the true highlights of watching the annual Royal Rumble match is waiting to see which names from the past return for a one-off appearance. From Kevin Nash, to DDP, to Honky Tonk Man, to Mr. Perfect, to Booker T, to Mick Foley, and so, so many more, the Rumble has been a brilliant place for legends to have one more day in the spotlight. And if there’s anyone who deserves that one last time to shine, it’s Jake Roberts.

All Jake would need to do is come out, drop a few people with his patented DDT, get quickly eliminated, and that’s that. A small moment of acknowledgement for one of the business’ greatest ever in-ring masters.

4) Jeff Jarrett

Jarrett is a six-time Intercontinental Champion

Hey, why not?

Okay, okay, okay. We get that he constantly booked himself to be World Champion in TNA. We get that he was involved in the majority of PPV main events during the darkest of darkest days as WCW limped to its ultimate demise. But hear us out.

"J-E-Double F J-A-Double R-E-Double T" may have been in Vince McMahon's doghouse for nearly 20 years, but the multiple-time WCW World Champion is finally back in the good graces of the WWE; as highlighted by Jarrett being inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame last year.

Not only that, however, but the six-time Intercontinental Champ has since been featured several times on various WWE Network and WWE.com shows. The point being, the name Jeff Jarrett doesn’t leave quite as much of a bad taste in the mouths of WWE brass as it once did.

Jarrett is still in good shape, is still even competing in the occasional bout, and an appearance in the Royal Rumble would certainly take many by surprise. And to The Chosen One’s credit, his time in the then-WWF during the ‘90s was an incredibly successful one and he was a valued talent who could work at several spots on the card.

With the air seemingly cleared over his controversial 1999 WWF departure, a Royal Rumble cameo appearance would be a nice way to pop the crowd and to give Jarrett once last chance to perform inside a WWE ring. Plus there'd be the opportunity to maybe do something fun with Jarrett and fellow guitar enthusiast, Elias.

3) Booker T

Despite now being 53 years of age, Booker T is in absolutely ridiculously shape. To look at the WWE Hall of Famer, you could easily see him stepping back in the ring tomorrow. And that’s exactly what he’s set to do very shortly.

Surprisingly, the 5-time WCW Champion is coming out of retirement to fight ROW Heavyweight Champion Rex Andrews at Reality of Wrestling’s The Last Stand show on January 12th. Of course, Reality of Wrestling is a Texas-based wrestling organisation owned and ran by Booker and his wife Sharmell.

So with Book’s one-time return now confirmed, what’s to say that he doesn’t fancy one more in-ring appearance for the WWE? And what better time to do that than when the Royal Rumble takes place on January 27th?

To be fair to Booker T, he has previously said that if he ever had one more match it would be for Reality of Wrestling and that would be it. Then again, a short cameo stint in the Rumble doesn’t really constitute a full-blown match, does it? Plus Booker would certainly be in peak physical condition due to training for his ROW bout.

2) The Undertaker

Could this finally be the beginning of the end for The Undertaker?

So many times over the years we’ve seen the Royal Rumble match be used as the launching point for one of WrestleMania’s biggest matches, not least where a certain Phenom is concerned. And with The Undertaker currently without a confirmed opponent for this year’s WrestleMania 35, the Rumble could be the perfect way to get the Dead Man’s ‘Mania bout lined up.

Many have been speculating that this really could be Undertaker’s final match – but then it feels like we’ve been saying that for a decade or more, right? – and there are several contenders in the frame as potential opponents for this most iconic of figures.

From a fan perspective, the likes of AJ Styles, Braun Strowman, Drew McIntyre, Shawn Michaels and even one last match with Kane (please, just no) have been suggested to battle The Undertaker at WrestleMania, and one way to get to any such match could be by having some interaction at the Royal Rumble between ‘Taker and whomever.

As such, The Undertaker making a splash at the Royal Rumble could well be a very realistic prospect. Regardless, it’s getting to that time of the year where the Phenom starts to rear his head and weigh up the landscape ahead of the Showcase of the Immortals.

1) The Rock

Could The Rock be getting ready for one last run?

Right now, Dwayne Johnson is the biggest movie star on the planet. Despite other wrestlers having struggled to really make much of a splash upon transitioning from the squared circle to the acting world, The Rock has made the move with ease. Well, The Tooth Fairy notwithstanding, of course.

Still, every year there’s the question whether The Great One will dust off the boots, dig out the trunks, and return to electrify WWE audiences once again. And that time of the year is usually as we begin our journey along the Road to WrestleMania.

If online reports are to be believed, the plan at one stage was to have The Rock be a surprise competitor in this year’s Royal Rumble, win the match, and then head to WrestleMania 35 to challenge Roman Reigns for the Universal Championship.

Whether those reports are true or not, that match is clearly off the table due to the sad news that Roman currently has a more important battle on his hands in the shape of kicking leukemia’s ass.

Despite the Reigns situation, that still doesn’t mean that The Rock may not end up at WrestleMania against another. And that could all well start by The Most Electrifying Man in Sports Entertainment surprising us with a Royal Rumble appearance.