Unexpected star to make WWE return as surprise entrant at the 2024 Royal Rumble? Inspecting possible prospect

The 2024 Royal Rumble is weeks away, and the fans are already speculating about potential returns. The premium live event will go down at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, Florida, on January 27. Thus far, only three superstars have confirmed their participation in the Men's and Women’s Royal Rumble Match.

It is possible that a former WWE Superstar could return to the company as a surprise entrant at the 2024 Royal Rumble. The person in question is none other than Deonna Purrazzo. The former TNA/Impact Knockouts World Champion is nearing the end of her contractual obligations with the promotion.

According to a report, the 29-year-old star will become a free agent after her contract expires on December 31. She has not agreed to a new contract at the time of this writing. Her last match for the promotion on her contract took place at Impact Wrestling Final Resolution 2023.

WWE in legal trouble after Brock's return? - Check out!

Purrazzo made sporadic appearances for WWE from 2014 to 2017. She signed a contract with the Stamford-based promotion in 2018 and made her full-time return as part of the second Mae Young Classic. She advanced to the quarterfinal, where she was defeated by IYO SKY.

Her last match in WWE was a squash match against Nia Jax. The bout took place on the April 6, 2020, episode of RAW. It remains to be seen if the former WWE Superstar will make her return to confront Nia Jax at the 2024 Royal Rumble.

Which WWE Superstars have announced their entry in the 2024 Royal Rumble?

As mentioned, only three WWE Superstars have thus far announced to compete in the 2024 Royal Rumble. The superstars in question are Cody Rhodes, CM Punk, and Bayley. The American Nightmare and the Second City Saint made their announcements two weeks apart.

The Role Model announced that she would be entering the Women’s Royal Rumble Match on the December 15, 2023, episode of Friday Night SmackDown. It remains to be seen if any of these three superstars will win their respective high-stakes matches next month.

Sportskeeda Wrestling will have full coverage of the premium live event as it airs in January 2024.

Are you excited about the 2024 Royal Rumble? Sound off in the comments section below!

About the author

Manik Aftab writes Exclusive articles for Sportskeeda Wrestling’s WWE division. A BA (Hons) in English Literature helped him improve his writing skills before starting his career as a pro wrestling writer.

Before joining Sportskeeda, Aftab worked for Ringside News and The Sportster, where his wrestling articles and feature pieces consistently ranked on the first page of Google SERPs.

He prioritizes accuracy, relevance, and ethics in his reporting by conducting thorough research, verifying sources, and adhering to professional journalistic standards.

While Aftab’s favorite wrestler in AEW is Hangman Adam Page, he doesn’t have a favorite in WWE yet. However, he considers Stone Cold Steve Austin to be the greatest professional wrestler of all time. His earliest memory of watching pro wrestling was when The Rock faced The New Age Outlaws in a handicap match, but it was the John Cena vs. Edge match from Unforgiven 2006 that got him hooked. If given the chance to manage a star from the Attitude Era, he would choose The British Bulldog, as he believes Davey Boy Smith was a terrific worker and could've benefitted from having a mouthpiece for his lack of mic skills.

When not watching pro wrestling, Aftab enjoys reading science fiction and watching anime.

Know More

WWE has no solid plans for Rhea? Here's the update!

Edited by Pratyush Rai