5 Top WWE rumors from this week: Former champion cleared for in-ring return after 8 years, Royal Rumble winners revealed? (January 16th, 2022)

Welcome to the latest edition of our weekly rumor roundup, where we will take a look at the top rumors from the world of WWE.

The most exciting pay-per-view of the year, Royal Rumble, is less than 15 days away and the excitement is at an all-time high.

WWE has already created some massive hype for the women's Royal Rumble match by kicking open the forbidden door and announcing IMPACT Knockouts Champion Mickie James as an entrant this year. As per reports, even bigger surprises could be in store for the fans.

Favorites for the 2022 men's and women's Royal Rumble matches have been revealed with some interesting names. We also have reports on the original WrestleMania 38 plans for top superstars like Universal Champion Roman Reigns, SmackDown Women's Champion Charlotte Flair, and RAW Women's Champion Becky Lynch.

Without any further ado, let's take a look at the top rumors from this past week. Be sure to comment down and let us know your thoughts on the same.

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#5 Favorites to win this year's WWE Royal Rumble matches

As has been the case since 2018, this year will also feature two Royal Rumble matches - one for the men and the other for the women. Several entrants have already been announced for both bouts, including some massive surprises and returns.

According to Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, the favorites to win the men's 2022 Royal Rumble match are Big E, Brock Lesnar, and Drew McIntyre.

While E has already announced his entry into the multi-man clash, the status of McIntyre is not clear yet and it is likely that he might miss the pay-per-view. As for Lesnar, he is the current WWE Champion and is scheduled to defend his title against Bobby Lashley at Royal Rumble 2022.

Speaking of the women's Royal Rumble match, Meltzer reported that Bianca Belair, who won the match last year, is once again the favorite to win it this year. However, he added that Bayley could make her return and win it all as well. It would be exciting to see who WWE chooses to win the prestigious match this year.

#4 Corey Graves cleared for in-ring action

WWE RAW commentator Corey Graves has been cleared for an in-ring return, according to a report by Fightful Select.

A former NXT Tag Team Champion and 24/7 champion, Graves was forced to announce his retirement from wrestling in 2014 due to concussion issues. He has since been working with the company in multiple roles, most famously as a commentator.

Fightful Select's report further added that Graves may have been cleared by doctors as early as 2020. This has now raised speculation among fans that he could be a surprise entrant at the upcoming men's Royal Rumble match. In late 2021, Corey Graves even teased returning to the ring with one of his tweets.

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#3 WWE planning unexpected forbidden door Royal Rumble entrant

The announcement of Mickie James entering this year's women's Royal Rumble match was something that no one saw coming.

The fact that WWE even specifically mentioned her as the IMPACT Knockouts Champion was even more surprising. The forbidden door has been kicked open and the possibilities seem endless.

According to WrestleVotes, the company could try to get an "unexpected forbidden door" entrant for the men's Royal Rumble match this year.

"Had more than 1 source this weekend, w/o me directly asking, state they believe WWE will try for an “unexpected” forbidden door entrant for the Men’s Royal Rumble. Personally I’m skeptical it happens, but I can confirm WWE is at least open to the idea. Which is exciting enough," tweeted WrestleVotes.

This has led fans to speculate who the surprise entrant could be. IMPACT World Champion Moose has already called out Universal Champion Roman Reigns for a match and he could possibly enter the Royal Rumble this year.

However, could the company go the extra mile and book someone from AEW to appear at the Royal Rumble? Someone like Chris Jericho or Jon Moxley (fka Dean Ambrose) entering the bout this year could blow the roof off the arena.

#2 Original WrestleMania opponents for top WWE Superstars

WrestleMania 38 is less than three months away and we now know WWE's original plans for some top matches on the show. According to Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, the following were the big four matches originally planned for WrestleMania 38:

''The original plans for WrestleMania were for the big four title matches to be Reigns vs. Brock Lesnar for the Universal title, Rollins as WWE champion defending against either Big E, Bobby Lashley or Kevin Owens, but likely whoever wins the Rumble and E was the favorite, Charlotte Flair vs. Sasha Banks and Becky Lynch vs. Bianca Belair,'' said Meltzer.

For Roman Reigns vs. Brock Lesnar to happen at Wrestlemania 38, one of the two will have to drop their title at Royal Rumble. Reigns will be putting the Universal Championship on the line against Seth Rollins while Lesnar will defend the WWE Championship against Bobby Lashley.

Alternatively, there has been speculation of a "champion vs. champion" clash between the two at The Show of Shows as well.

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#1 Status of Sasha Banks, Bayley, and Paige

Former SmackDown Women's Champion Sasha Banks recently suffered an injury during a live event. It was later announced that she will be out of action for six to eight weeks, meaning she won't be able to compete in the women's Royal Rumble match this year.

There were also questions over her WrestleMania 38 status. Dave Meltzer has now reported that Banks is expected to return before The Show of Shows this year.

He also added that Bayley, who has been out of action since July last year, could return by February or March. However, he added that her returning at Royal Rumble isn't strictly impossible.

Speaking of Royal Rumble returns, it is being speculated that former Divas Champion Paige could make a one-night return at the show. She was forced to retire from in-ring competition in 2018 but she has been teasing a return recently through her social media posts.