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It's that time of the year again when the adrenaline rushes through the veins of professional wrestling fans. We will officially kick start our journey on the road to WrestleMania. The first step on the road to WrestleMania is the traditional Royal Rumble event. Thirty men and women will square off against each other to get a once in a lifetime opportunity to compete for a world championship at the Show of Shows.
Ever since its inception, the main factor that draws the attention of the fans is the surprise entrants. We will never know who will step out when the timer stops counting, and we have had numerous feel-good moments witnessing such surprise returns. The last major surprise the WWE pulled off was AJ Styles in the 2016 Royal Rumble and the next two years didn’t live up to the expectations. That adds up the pressure for the WWE to put on a good show this year.
With all that said, let’s take a gander at the five surprise entrants we would love to see at this year’s Royal Rumble.
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#5 The Undertaker
The last time we saw The Undertaker was at the Crown Jewel event where he and Kane lost their tag team match against DX. The Undertaker has been making only sporadic appearances in the WWE for the last few years but frees his schedule to compete at WrestleMania.
The Deadman does not have much time left until he hangs up his boots. He would like to have a good retirement match which will remain in the memories of the fans forever. This year’s Royal Rumble could pave the way for that match if 'Taker decides to call it a career.
John Cena could be the opponent for The Undertaker at WrestleMania 35. After getting squashed at the hands of The Deadman last year, it is obvious the two superstars would square off once again. John Cena is also in the Royal Rumble match, so having Undertaker as a surprise entrant and rekindle his rivalry with John Cena does not sound like a bad idea.
#4 Wade Barrett
When Bad News/Wade Barrett first debuted in the WWE as the leader of the notorious faction The Nexus, he had all it takes to become a future WWE Champion. But his first run with the company has been bittersweet.
Barrett went on to become a five-time Intercontinental Champion and won the King of the Ring tournament, but unfortunately, that's all he could accomplish in the WWE.
Barrett's last appearance for the WWE was at the 4th April 2016 episode of Raw where he and his League of Nations stablemates lost a tag team title match against the New Day. WWE released him from his contract a month later on May 6th, 2016.
It's been almost three years since Barrett left the WWE and a surprise entrance from the Bare Knuckle Brawler would make the crowd go crazy at the Royal Rumble.
#3 Kevin Owens
The former Universal Champion has been out of action for the past few months after sustaining injuries on both of his knees and had to undergo surgery. Recovering from double knee surgery is never an easy job, but Kevin Owens has made his time away from the ring as a blessing in disguise.
You can ask what good can happen to a person who just had surgery on both of his knees? Take a good look at this, and you'll see the answer for yourself. Quite a remarkable feat isn't it? Owens was always struggling to shed some pounds and has been in hot waters with Vince McMahon due to his physique affecting his in-ring work.
WWE aired a vignette on the December 17th episode of Raw announcing Kevin Owens' return to the ring. That could happen at the Royal Rumble with Owens entering the match as a surprise entrant.
#2 Batista
Batista appeared on the SmackDown’s 1000th episode in a segment with his former Evolution stablemates. During the segment, The Animal teased a potential showdown with Triple H after calling The Game out for doing everything in the business except beating him. The two had a brief stare-down before hugging it out. However, the door to a future match between the two is still open.
Batista had expressed his desire to return to the WWE to work a program with Triple H after signing to play as Drax the Destroyer in Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy. However, WWE turned down the idea because they weren’t sure the movie would be a success.
But the movie received critical acclaim with Batista receiving high praise for his role in the film. The Animal reprised his role as Drax in two other Marvel Movies, and he is now a successful movie star giving The Rock and John Cena a run for their money. WWE could capitalize on Batista’s popularity and sign him to compete in his farewell match against Triple H.
Batista is a two-time winner of the Royal Rumble having won the match in 2005 and 2014, respectively. Though he will not win the Rumble this year, he can make a statement and show he’s ready to take on The Game at WrestleMania 35.
#1 Kenny Omega
Kenny Omega will be free from his New Japan Pro Wrestling contract on February 1st, and it's still unclear on where he’ll end up next. WWE made a very generous offer to Omega to sign with them. It includes a title reign along with creative control over his character which WWE does not give out too easily.
However, the news is that he had already turned down WWE’s offer and chose to go to All Elite Wrestling. But that could also be a distraction for deceiving the fans for a while to surprise them with Omega making his WWE debut at the Royal Rumble.
If he decides to come to the WWE, Vince McMahon could pay off NJPW for the rest of Omega’s contract with them which would free him for competing at the Royal Rumble.
