7 possible surprise entrants for Royal Rumble 2020

WrestleMania is less than three months away, with the main event usually featuring the winner of a Royal Rumble match challenging for their desired title. Aside from deciding the main event at WrestleMania, the Royal Rumble has enough action to start or even reignite several feuds in one match. However, the thing that makes the Royal Rumble match one of the most exciting pay-per-views of the year is how unpredictable it is, with no one knowing who comes out and in what order.

While the Royal Rumble match primarily consists of wrestlers on the main roster, part of the appeal of the match is the number of surprise entrants. In last year’s Men’s Royal Rumble match, Nia Jax shocked the WWE Universe when she attacked R-Truth, taking his spot, and becoming the first woman in seven years to enter a Men’s Royal Rumble, and fourth overall in history.

With less than two weeks to go until the 33rd edition of the Royal Rumble pay-per-view heads into Houston, Texas, there are only seventeen confirmed male entrants and four confirmed female entrants for the titular match. This still leaves plenty of potential opportunities for surprise entrants that could shock, confuse or just generate one of the biggest reactions of the night.

---

#7 Edge

Edge won the Royal Rumble in 2010.

In one of Edge’s most memorable nights of his career, at WrestleMania XXVII, the superstar successfully defended the World Heavyweight Championship against Alberto Del Rio. However, in the wake of the success, less than two weeks later, Edge gave one of the most emotional speeches in WWE history when he announced his forced retirement from wrestling at the very young age of 37. Just one year later, he was inducted in the Hall of Fame class of 2012.

The prospect of Edge returning to the WWE in a wrestling capacity was unprecedented for many years until recently when Edge reportedly signed a contract with WWE for an in-ring return. Although some Hall of Famers from the WWE tend to leave their induction as their last appearance on a WWE program, Edge has sporadically made appearances in the WWE, with his last appearance being as recent as last years’ SummerSlam delivering a spear to Elias, suggesting he may still be able to wrestle in some capacity.

Despite Edge proactively denying this, rumors are continuing to circle about Edge returning to the WWE. Furthermore, when Randy Orton was feigning an injury to attack AJ Styles on the 30th December episode of Raw, out of all of the wrestlers that were forced to retire due to injury, the one wrestler he happened to name was none other than the Rated-R Superstar. Is this perhaps a hint at the return of Edge?

#6 Keith Lee

Keith Lee was very close to winning the Men's Survivor Series match.

It is not uncommon for NXT wrestlers to be in the Royal Rumble, with appearances from wrestlers from the brand happening since 2016. In addition to this, the fact that NXT won the brand warfare against both Raw and SmackDown, means that we can almost certainly expect more than a handful of superstars from the Black and Gold Brand to make an appearance in both Royal Rumble matches this year.

Among the many potential possibilities of who could enter the Royal Rumble from NXT, one candidate that stands out from the rest is none other than Keith Lee. A combination of ambushing both Raw and SmackDown last year, giving showstopping performances in last year’s WarGames match and pushing Roman Reigns to the limit at Survivor Series is a strong sign he is ready to move to the main roster sooner rather than later. An appearance at the Royal Rumble would further suggest that this may happen in the near future and a combination of his strength and agility in the unpredictable match will be welcomed by the WWE Universe.

#5 Cain Velasquez

An appearance at the Royal Rumble could set up a rematch between Velasquez and Lesnar.

When SmackDown moved to Fox in October last year, it also commemorated the twentieth anniversary of SmackDown. The special episode was loaded with surprises, including appearances from both The Rock and Tyson Fury. However, WWE saved its biggest shock for the end. After Brock Lesnar defeated Kofi Kingston to win the WWE Championship for the fifth time in his career, two-time former UFC Heavyweight Champion, Cain Velasquez, confronted and brawled with Lesnar.

This led to a match between the two for the WWE Championship at Crown Jewel that same month, in what would be Velasquez’s debut match in the company. Despite it having been nine years since they fought in the UFC where Velasquez won the UFC Heavyweight Championship off Lesnar, their rematch was still highly-anticipated, even if it was in a different type of ring. However, their match ended up falling flat, with Lesnar squashing Velasquez in just a few minutes.

Despite Velasquez having not been seen in the WWE since his loss, there are reports that he has been booked at this year’s Royal Rumble. With the WWE Championship firmly around Lesnar’s waist heading into WrestleMania 36, an appearance at and winning the Royal Rumble to set up a rematch between the two at WrestleMania doesn’t seem inconceivable especially taking into account Lesnar has announced himself as a wrestler in this year's Royal Rumble match.

#4 Nia Jax

Nia Jax hasn't wrestled since WrestleMania 35

Former Raw Women’s Champion, Nia Jax, hasn’t been seen in the WWE since WrestleMania 35, where she tore both her ACL’s putting her on the sidelines away from the WWE. It has been nine months since the injury, but judging from both her Twitter and Instagram posts, Jax is showing signs of match fitness again and appears to be getting ready sooner rather than later to get back into a WWE ring.

Taking into account that Nia Jax created history at last year’s Royal Rumble where she became the first person to enter both a Women and Men’s Royal Rumble in the same night, where she scored eliminations in both matches, it makes sense that, pending Jax’s fitness, her return should be at this year’s Royal Rumble.

In addition to this, Jax currently has the record of most eliminations in Women’s Royal Rumble matches, with 7 eliminations to her name, and another good showing at the Royal Rumble will not only assert her as one of the most dominant wrestlers in the female division but would also boost her back to the top of the division.

#3 The Undertaker

The Undertaker hasn't wrestled since Extreme Rules 2019

The Undertaker has been in eleven Royal Rumble matches, with his first appearance being back in 1991, and even won the match in 2007. Despite The Undertaker having not wrestled in the unpredictable match since 2017 and having not had a match since Extreme Rules back in July 2019, he remains on the WWE website as an active wrestler so a surprise return at this year’s Royal Rumble match must be considered a possibility.

Furthermore, the Undertaker’s most recent match at Extreme Rules, where he successfully teamed up with Roman Reigns to beat Drew McIntyre and Shane McMahon in a No Holds Barred match, was arguably his best wrestling match in several years and proved that he can still wrestle among the top talents in the WWE.

One final possibility that suggests that The Undertaker still could come back at any given moment is the opening credits, recently updated a few months ago. Both the opening credits of Raw and SmackDown feature The Phenom, so even though he wasn’t part of the WWE draft in 2019, a return at the Royal Rumble match could open up new feuds for the final stretch of his illustrious career.

#2 Ronda Rousey

Ronda Rousey hasn't been seen since WrestleMania 35

Despite Ronda Rousey first appearing in the WWE as early as 2014, where she sat in the front row at SummerSlam, it took almost another four years before she had her first match in the WWE, stealing the show with Kurt Angle against Triple H and Stephanie McMahon at WrestleMania 34. Since then, Rousey went on to hold the Raw Women’s Championship for nearly eight months before being in the main event at WrestleMania exactly one year later. However, she would go on to lose her first match in the WWE to her rival, Becky Lynch, who still holds the championship heading into WrestleMania 36.

Since her loss, Rousey originally announced she was taking some time off to start a family with her husband, Travis Browne. However, in a more recent statement, Rousey stated she and her husband are letting ‘nature takes its course’, suggesting she isn’t in a hurry to get pregnant.

Taking this into consideration, a return to the WWE seems more of a possibility for Rousey, and a surprise appearance at the Royal Rumble would be fitting for someone of her status. Furthermore, if she was to go on to win it, a potential rematch with Becky Lynch at WrestleMania 36 would be a very exciting prospect for the WWE Universe.

#1 CM Punk

CM Punk's last appearance in a WWE ring was in a Royal Rumble match.

Out of all of the potential surprise entrants for the Royal Rumble in 2020, one wrestler that would generate one of the biggest reactions from the WWE Universe is none other than CM Punk. During his time in the WWE, CM Punk has a number of highlights to his name, including his ‘pipe bombs’ back in 2011. He became the first wrestler to win the Money in the Bank contract match twice, and also had a 4434-dayreign as WWE Champion.

CM Punk left the company in 2014 to pursue a career in the UFC, but made an appearance at WWE Backstage in November 2019. While this doesn’t necessarily mean that Punk will automatically return to the WWE (as his appearance is due to his contract with FOX, not the WWE), this is the most hope Punk fans have had for his return since he left the company.

When asked by host Renee Young on the show if CM Punk would return in a WWE ring, he gave a somewhat evasive answer with the response ‘I’ve experienced life where I know to not say no. But that’s going to be a bridge that is going to have to be built’.

With his last appearance wrestling in a WWE ring being at a Royal Rumble match, it would be appropriate if his return was at the same match, bringing his career full circle. Furthermore, with the potential prospect of Punk winning the match, he would accomplish the one thing that’s missing from his resume in the WWE, which is headlining WrestleMania.