5 Superstars who won't be returning at the Royal Rumble

The 2019 Royal Rumble will be the 32nd Royal Rumble event in WWE's history, and will be held at the Chase Field in Phoenix, on 27th January.

The PPV will see the return of Brock Lesnar, who will defend his title against Braun Strowman, while AJ Styles will look to regain the WWE Championship when he faces off against Daniel Bryan.

The RAW and SmackDown women's titles are on the line, as Ronda Rousey defends her RAW Women's title against Sasha Banks, while Becky Lynch will go one-on-one against Asuka for the SmackDown women's title.

The matches that most fans want to see will be the 30-man and 30-woman Royal Rumble match, with the winner getting a shot at the title of their choice.

The Rumble is the first PPV of the year and is an important one, as we build new storylines and feuds heading into WrestleMania season. The PPV has historically been the show where new Superstars have been introduced, and the buzz going around this year is that Kenny Omega will finally sign with the WWE and make an appearance at Royal Rumble.

But there may be some Superstars who will not be making an appearance on the PPV. Let's take a look at 5 Superstars who won't be returning at the Royal Rumble

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#5 The Undertaker

The Undertaker's last match in the WWE was at Crown Jewel

Let's get the obvious one out of the way first. The Undertaker will most certainly not be wrestling at Royal Rumble, let alone taking part in the 30-man Royal Rumble match. The Undertaker has only taken part once in the last decade in the Royal Rumble match, back in 2017.

It is highly unlikely that we will see him in that match, or any of the other matches as he currently doesn't have any suitable feud on the roster, heading into WrestleMania season.

His last appearance and match in the WWE was at Crown Jewel, where he and Kane teamed to face off against Shawn Michaels and Triple H, a match that they lost.

#4 Triple H

Triple H, after being operated upon, following an injury to his shoulder

Speaking of Triple H, the head of NXT will most likely be donning his suit at Royal Rumble rather than his wrestling boots.

At the very same match at Crown Jewel, The Game tore his pectoral muscles which needed surgery, back in November. It is almost impossible for Triple H to have healed so quickly, and hence he will most likely be watching - and producing - the show from the back.

Triple H, along with the McMahons - Stephanie, Shane, and Chairman Vince, have taken over control of RAW and SmackDown and are back to being on-screen authority figures, whom we will see often on both shows, and maybe on the PPVs as well.

We could maybe see him return to wrestling sometime during WrestleMania, with a potential feud with Batista in the offing.

#3 Shawn Michaels

Shawn Michaels

Another person who was a part of the Crown Jewel main event, Shawn Michaels will most definitely not be a part of the 2019 Royal Rumble, at least in a wrestling capacity.

The 53-year-old wrestled for the first time in 8 years at Crown Jewel, with his last match prior to that being his match against The Undertaker at WrestleMania 26.

In a recent interview with Sky Sports, Michaels said that he is done with wrestling and that the last match at Crown Jewel was his final one.

"No, it was a really special thing and I really felt that one for a while. I'm good with what I've done," said Michaels.

While speaking at the launch of the UK Performance Center, Michaels revealed that it was now time for him to help young Superstars have their WrestleMania moment and that his time was done.

#2 Kane

Kane, like The Undertaker, last wrestled at Crown Jewel

The final component of that tag match at Crown Jewel, Kane is another Superstar who will most likely miss Royal Rumble.

The Big Red Machine, who goes by the name Glenn Jacobs, is now the mayor of Knox County in Tennessee. Kane last wrestled at Crown Jewel, and recently revealed why he did so, despite the backlash that WWE received following the death of Saudi Arabian journalist Jamal Khashoggi.

He revealed that the WWE promised to donate $100,000 to the Knoxville Public Safety Foundation for Kane's appearance at Crown Jewel, and the ceremony happened at a recent WWE live event when the WWE Superstars wrestled in Knoxville, where Mayor Jacobs made an appearance.

Despite this recent appearance, it is unlikely that Kane will be a part of Royal Rumble considering his duties as a mayor, as well as not having a storyline or feud coming into the PPV.

#1 Jason Jordan

Jason Jordan has been out since February 2018 after needing neck surgery

It's been almost a year since we last saw Jason Jordan in the ring, as the former RAW and SmackDown tag team champion is still recuperating from neck surgery.

The former American Alpha is rumoured to be in much better condition than previously reported, as per Wrestling Observer, but he still has some difficulty using his hands, or even making a fist.

Jordan is rumoured to have worked backstage as a producer during his hiatus, but the 2019 Royal Rumble will come a little too soon for him as he is still not fully fit.

The former NXT tag team champion is one of many WWE Superstars who are currently out injured, with the likes of Fandango, Harper, Rowan, Kevin Owens, Sami Zayn, Tye Dillinger, and Sin Cara all out injured.