Charlotte Flair and 2 WWE stars who could miss the 2024 Royal Rumble

With 2023 coming to an end, WWE and their fans are gearing up for what should be an entertaining 2024. The first major event to take place next year will be the Royal Rumble.

A show that has propelled greats like Stone Cold Steve Austin, John Cena, Batista, and Becky Lynch onto stardom is the first stop on the road to WrestleMania.

While many on the roster are looking forward to the show on Saturday, January 27, others may be set to miss the huge premium live event through no fault of their own.

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#3. WWE's queen

Last week on Friday night SmackDown, Charlotte Flair faced off against her longtime foe and previous WrestleMania opponent, Asuka. While the two know each other's moves inside out, an unfortunate moment took place on the top rope during the match.

As Asuka looked to throw Flair off the top turnbuckle, Charlotte's knee clashed with the top rope, causing her to lie on the floor in pain.

While many thought this may have been a work, a recent report from PWInsider has suggested otherwise, with Flair now seemingly set to be out of action until the results of her latest injury comeback.

"Charlotte Flair has returned home to Florida. WWE sources have indicated that she is not expected back in the ring until she is completely evaluated medically. She has been pulled off the road until the company gets confirmation on the nature of the injury."

Flair and the fans will no doubt be heartbroken if she cannot make the Royal Rumble. Over the years, the show has been very kind to her, with Charlotte even winning the marquee battle royal in 2020.

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#2. The Nigerian Giant

One performer who has not been seen on WWE TV since SummerSlam this past August is the former RAW Tag Team Champion Omos.

The Nigerian Giant started 2023 with a bang as he took on Brock Lesnar at WrestleMania 39 and then Seth Rollins at Backlash.

Speaking on Insight with Chris Van Vliet, an ever-confident Omos stated that he is determined to one day win the biggest prize that the company has to offer:

"I mean, of course [being] WWE Champion. That’s it, to get to the top of the list. When I first started I had goals I wanted to accomplish and I’ve met some of those goals. So I think there’s a lot of plans left, and there’s a lot that I have to achieve, but top of that list is becoming that [WWE Champion.] Holding that gold over my head and saying ‘Here, look at me now. I’m the biggest, baddest son of a gun you’ve ever seen here.’ So that is on the top of the list." [H/T WrestleTalk]

Despite Omos' surety about himself, it may be some time before he wins the big one or even appears at the Royal Rumble next year, given how out of favor he is with the creative team at this moment in time.

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#1. The former Honorary Uce

There has arguably been no star more popular in World Wrestling Entertainment in 2023 than Sami Zayn, from leaving The Bloodline to challenging Roman Reigns and then teaming up with his best friend Kevin Owens in the main event of WrestleMania.

With all that Sami has given to the company over these past 12 months, it is not surprising that he is now looking to spend some quality time with his loved ones.

After recent reports suggested that Zayn was looking to take some time off, WWE all but confirmed this news this Monday on RAW as Sami was written off of TV following the attack he received from Drew McIntyre the week before.

This year, fans saw a side of Zayn that they have never seen before, with WWE showing you images of him and his family. Now a much more recognizable star, Sami commented on the effects of fame while speaking on the Out of Character podcast.

"You can tune out most negative comments, but every now and again, one will get you," Zayn added. "And I'm used to that, even though by and large the internet has been very nice to me throughout my entire career. My point being, it's still something I kind of signed up for, and it's part of the territory. So for someone who didn't ask for it and who's probably not equipped emotionally to handle total strangers making ruthless comments about their whatever, about their existence, about their appearance, about anything, I just don't want to subject people in my life to that." [H/T Wrestling Inc]

Although he may return in time for the Royal Rumble next year, do not be surprised if Sami Zayn continues his well-deserved time off after the event has come to an end.