5 WWE Royal Rumble 2023 dark horses and 1 compelling reason why each might win

The 2023 WWE Royal Rumble is just days away, and the excitement for the event is through the roof. Almost two dozen superstars have declared for the men's and women's battle royals, and several incredible matches are set for the event.

Favorites have already emerged, with the likes of Cody Rhodes, The Rock, and Rhea Ripley widely expected to be pointing at the WrestleMania sign in San Antonio. WWE, though, has been known to pull off massive swerves, and there are a few superstars with an outside chance of winning the event for one compelling reason.

Let's list these five Royal Rumble 2023 dark horses and one compelling reason why they could each steal the win from the established favorites

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#5 & #4: Solo Sikoa or Jey Uso could win the 2023 Royal Rumble as a backup plan for The Rock not returning to WWE

Both Jey Uso and Solo Sikoa have plenty of reasons to want a Royal Rumble win.

The Rock's WWE return has been highly anticipated for months due to Roman Reigns being the world champion and WrestleMania going Hollywood. The company has done little to curtail the buzz surrounding The Great One's potential return, dropping multiple hints that he's on his way back.

Even The Brahma Bull has dropped clues in media appearances and his show Young Rock that he will return to face his dominant cousin. Now that it is being reported that the 10-time world champion will not be in shape to challenge Reigns at WrestleMania 39, the stage could be set for other family members to step up.

Solo Sikoa and The Usos have legitimate reasons to want The Tribal Chief's spot. Should the company wish to replace The Great One with another family member to save the Bloodline from the Head of the table, Jey and Sikoa would be the strongest candidates.

What if The Rock returns but, instead of fighting Reigns himself, helps his cousins stand up to The Tribal Chief, perhaps as a special guest referee?

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#3: Asuka could steal the spotlight from the favorites and become the first-ever two-time winner of the WWE Women's Royal Rumble

The field for the 2023 Women's Royal Rumble is shaping up much slower than the men's, but a few favorites have still emerged. Raquel Rodriguez and Rhea Ripley are strong contenders to go to WrestleMania 39 and dethrone Charlotte Flair and Bianca Belair, respectively, and rightly so.

They are two of the most physically dominant women in WWE history, with Ripley, in particular, holding her own against male competitors over the past year.

While the two are correctly billed as favorites, one superstar whose dominant history has been overlooked in recent years could upstage them. Asuka is the first-ever Women's Royal Rumble winner and the longest-reigning women's champion of the modern era, with a 522-day reign in NXT and a 931-day unbeaten streak overall.

She teased a character change for weeks before disappearing from WWE, so we wouldn't bet against her returning in blockbuster fashion with a Rumble win. It would be a fitting way to bring back the Asuka who unleashed unbeatable dominance on the women's division for almost three full years.

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#2: LA Knight is an early MITB favorite, but he could shock the world with a Royal Rumble win

With rumors going around on social media, LA Knight is the early favorite to win the Money in the Bank briefcase come July.

The legendary contract is arguably the second-biggest star-making title opportunity after Royal Rumble itself. The megastar has been extremely impressive in the Triple H era, rising to a main event spot in a matter of months.

What if WWE executes the mother of all swerves and pulls the trigger on him early? The megastar has never interacted with Roman Reigns, but it wouldn't take them long to create magic together.

Would they win over fans who want The Tribal Chief to face Cody Rhodes, Sami Zayn, or The Rock? We wouldn't bet against it.

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#1: A Vince McMahon power move could see Austin Theory win the 2023 WWE Royal Rumble

Could the chairman tear up plans and impose his will on the 2023 Royal Rumble?

Austin Theory was one of the WWE Superstars to undergo the most changes when Triple H took over creative duties from Vince McMahon.

He lost the MITB contract and underwent a metamorphosis into a more serious heel character, making it on his own instead of being The Chairman's protege. This earned him more respect within the WWE Universe at the cost of what seemed to be a meteoric push planned by McMahon.

Now that the 77-year-old is back in the company, many fear he will extend his influence to the creative process again. What better way to assert his dominance than influencing one of the year's most important decisions?

Seeing how he catapulted Theory to the MITB briefcase shortly before retirement, returning his "Chosen One" to the front of the line is a distinct possibility.