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WWE has a roster filled with incredible talent, but not all of them get to be a part of the Royal Rumble match. In fact, some of them don't even get to be on weekly television.
It ultimately depends on the trust higher-ups have in featured superstars who hold promise, and at least up to ten entries will be saved for big names.
The Royal Rumble match consists of thirty superstars who enter the bout at timed intervals, with many major names and returns usually taking place every year.
Here on this list, let's look at five superstars who may be left off the titular match at the Royal Rumble on January 28 at the Alamodome Stadium in San Antonio, Texas.
#5. Humberto Carrillo and Angel Garza, the Los Lotharios
A few years back, Humberto Carillo appeared on the Premium Live Event against AJ Styles in a United States Championship match.
Angel Garza is a former NXT Cruiserweight Champion and was featured on RAW while teaming with Andrade during the pandemic era.
Cut to 2022, and both men are rarely seen on television; their most recent showing was on September 30, when the duo faced Hit Row in a losing effort. They were last seen on WWE's The Bump in October.
Chances are less come Royal Rumble next month that it's going to remain the same, with both men left on the bench for the 30-Man battle royale.
#4. Akira Tozawa
Similar to the earlier entry, Akira Tozawa is also barely seen on television. While he has a better chance of showing up in the Rumble match, it's still highly unlikely WWE will use an entry on Tozawa.
The man was not involved in any major storylines as of late, other than a couple of appearances in the past few weeks on RAW, where he faced Baron Corbin in a singles match. However, Tozawa was not featured on this week's episode of Monday Night show.
Akira Tozawa is a former WWE Cruiserweight Champion and sixteen-time 24/7 Champion. Both titles have been retired, with the latter being done recently.
#3. LA Knight and Bray Wyatt
Both Bray Wyatt and LA Knight are rumored to be competing in a singles match with a new stipulation at the Royal Rumble Premium Live Event.
If that is the case, then chances are both men won't show up in the Rumble match. Much like their peers in the past, for example, The Undertaker and Heidenrich in 2005 and Chris Jericho and JBL in 2008, Wyatt and Knight will get their moment on the card but will most certainly be left out of the main event.
With WWE going out of its way to protect the Eater of Worlds, entering the Rumble and getting eliminated would not be the best booking for the former Universal Champion.
#2. One of the two - Imperium's Ludwig Kaiser and Giovanni Vinci
With only thirty men in a Rumble match and plenty of stables in WWE today, chances are somebody will be on the bench. It could be one of the Street Profits. Still, they are much more regularly featured as competitors, barring the last few months owing to Ford's injury, as opposed to Imperium's Ludwig Kaiser and Giovanni Vinci.
Kofi Kingston of the New Day declared on the latest episode of SmackDown that he is entering the Rumble. It's too soon to rule out fellow stablemate Xavier Woods, who is yet to announce his entry.
But as we are familiar, WWE can use one superstar to represent the team à la 2009, when JTG flipped a double-sided coin to decide who should enter the Rumble, him or the late Shad Gaspard.
One can make the argument that they will enter the Rumble to back The Ring General, but they probably won't do that by entering the match.
#1. Kevin Owens would rather face the Undisputed WWE Universal Champion
Kevin Owens entered the Rumble this year, lasting for eleven minutes and thirteen seconds, before being eliminated by Shane McMahon.
At the 2021 edition of the event, he fought The Tribal Chief in a Last Man Standing match with the WWE Universal Championship on the line. However, this was not their first encounter at the annual event. The Prizefighter defended the same title in 2017 against challenger Roman Reigns in a No Disqualifications match, where KO retained his title.
Recently, Owens has expressed interest in facing Reigns at next year's event. If WWE books it, that could be a fitting end to the trilogy.
Kevin Owens will most likely steal the show along with Roman Reigns at the event, but this bout will most likely rule out the possibility of The Prizefighter entering the titular match.
