Who could be the 10 unannounced entrants in the men's Royal Rumble match?

The big show is only two days away. Excitement is guaranteed in the Royal Rumble match, as everyone is always looking to see who might make a surprise appearance. It's the most enjoyable hour on WWE television all year.

Thus far, 20 of the 30 participants in the men's Royal Rumble match have been announced. They are:

1. R-Truth
2. Drew McIntyre
3. Big E
4. Kofi Kingston
5. Xavier Woods
6. Seth Rollins
7. Jeff Hardy
8. Dean Ambrose
9. Bobby Lashley
10. Samoa Joe
11. John Cena
12. Elias
13. Baron Corbin
14. Jinder Mahal
15. Apollo Crews
16. Andrade "Cien" Almas
17. Mustafa Ali
18. Rey Mysterio
19. Titus O'Neil
20. Randy Orton

That leaves 10 contestants unannounced, which is always the most fun part of the Royal Rumble. Who might make a splash from NXT? Which legend or two will show up this year? Will we see the return of some part-timer?

With 10 people left, there are a lot of ways to fill out the roster. Here's who could show up in Phoenix unannounced.

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#1 Aleister Black

Arrival.

Aleister Black has stayed in NXT for longer than expected, but there's still the feeling that his main roster debut is imminent. He doesn't have a good chance of getting his title back against Tommaso Ciampa at TakeOver: Phoenix, and after that, there's nothing left for him at Full Sail. He'll probably debut the night after WrestleMania 35 at the latest.

WWE is keen to promote new stars from the yellow brand at the Royal Rumble, and Aleister Black stands out more than most. There's no better way for him to make his maiden main roster appearance (not counting that one match on Main Event) than by making a huge impression on one of WWE's biggest stages of the year.

When those chords sound off and the lights go dark, the crowd is going to explode.

#2 Tye Dillinger

#10 again?

Tye Dillinger has been off television (what else is new), having last made an appearance for the blue brand in October. He might have some heat on him backstage and has not so subtly signaled that he's thinking about leaving the company.

With AEW starting up, WWE will want to keep as much of its talent around as possible. Dillinger will get a bone thrown at him and make an appearance in the Royal Rumble match this year, even though it will do nothing for his long term position in the company.

He's unlikely to make a big impression. He'll be one of those jobbers that get tossed out fairly quickly, but his appearance will be more than he's done for most of his main roster career.

The only question is - will Tye Dillinger enter at #10 again or has the company become clued into the fact that the joke is old?

#3 Bray Wyatt

Returned.

Speaking of people that haven't been seen in WWE for a while, Bray Wyatt has been off television since last summer, when he and Matt Hardy lost their Raw Tag Team Championships to the B-Team.

Numerous false rumors have arisen since then about his potential return, but the Royal Rumble would be as good a place as any. It needs to fill out the numbers and returns matter more in that match.

There would also be the potential of amusing interactions with Aleister Black, which alone would generate pops and interest. It could also foreshadow a future feud between them, though we should be skeptical about WWE's ability to pull such a feud off.

Bray Wyatt has no chance of winning the contest, and might not even last long, but his return to the fray could be one of the most memorable moments on the night.

#4 Matt Hardy

Woken return?

Matt Hardy had seemingly announced his retirement after an injury in 2018, but now there are rumors that he could appear at the Royal Rumble, just as his old tag team partner, Bray Wyatt, makes his return. The two of them teaming up could make for some fun.

Whether this is used to bolster the Raw tag team division in the long term or is just a one time thing remains to be seen, but Matt Hardy could have a lot of fun interactions with the likes of Aleister Black, John Cena, and the SmackDown personnel that we don't see him go up against.

Samoa Joe dealing with his bizarre persona could also be a potential standout on the night. Matt Hardy probably won't be a standout, but it will be fun to see him back in the fray, even if it might not be a long lasting thing.

#5 Pete Dunne

Bruiserweight.

Last year, there were rumors that Pete Dunne would make an appearance at the Royal Rumble, but they didn't come true. This year, he's certain to make the appearance.

WWE will want to promote the UK brand on one of its biggest stages after its first major event in Blackpool. There's no one better to do that than its 600-day plus reigning champion.

Pete Dunne's appearance would open up all kinds of exciting interactions and possibilities for whenever he makes the jump to the main roster. Feuds with Samoa Joe, the sadistic Randy Orton, and his much larger compatriot, Drew McIntyre, could be teased.

Pete Dunne might be in a similar role to Andrade "Cien" Almas last year, lasting a long time and scoring an elimination or two before finally getting tossed over. WWE has invested a lot in Dunne, and the Royal Rumble would be a time to reap a return.

#6 Booker T

SUCKA!

This is a stab in the dark, of course, but no Royal Rumble would be complete without a returning legend or two, and Booker T stands out as one that has yet to have a big moment as a returning legend for a Royal Rumble in recent years.

Booker T is still employed by the company and it wouldn't take much for him to put on his boots and get to the ring on Sunday night. As soon as the words "Can you dig it, SUCKA?!" get announced, there would be an uproarious pop from the crowd in Phoenix, which is one of the things that makes a Royal Rumble match so much fun to watch.

We could see an amusing, crowd-pleasing spinaroonie or two, much to the chagrin of serious competitors like Andrade "Cien" Almas, Drew McIntyre, or Samoa Joe, before Booker T gets eliminated from the match.

#7 Batista

Erasing the ghost of 2014?

A second returning legend isn't out of the norm for a Royal Rumble match and few stand out more than Batista. The Animal appeared on SmackDown 1000 in October, teasing a future match with Triple H.

The Game subsequently suffered an injury at Crown Jewel a few weeks later, so we don't know if those plans are still in place, but Batista by all accounts wants another run, and a Royal Rumble return would be a good start for him, and he could erase some of the lingering ghosts of 2014.

Whether he's facing Triple H at WrestleMania or not, a Royal Rumble run would be a good way to begin a new feud for him. Interactions with Randy Orton would also be something to watch closely, though no one in their right mind would want to see those two go at it at WrestleMania.

#8 Shelton Benjamin

Where's Shelton?

Shelton Benjamin is another one of those guys that hasn't been seen on television in a long time, and he's reportedly unhappy about it. With AEW starting up, WWE will want to keep as much talent around as possible, so it's likely that Shelton Benjamin will find his way into the Royal Rumble match on Sunday.

It will be a small bone, but we should expect WWE to continue doing such things with the threat of a well-financed AEW now in place.

He won't do much besides put somebody over in a big way as he gets eliminated (perhaps by Pete Dunne?), but someone has to do that job. Benjamin can get a platform to impress with his athleticism before that time comes.

Shelton Benjamin, either way, can do his job well enough that he could impress the higher-ups and find his way over to Raw in the next draft, so he could have more time.

#9 Tommaso Ciampa

GOLDIE!

Somehow, someway, Tommaso Ciampa will retain his NXT Championship tomorrow night. WWE would be foolish not to have the best heel in the business show up in the Royal Rumble the next night. Since he's the NXT Champion, we can expect him to appear just like Andrade "Cien" Almas did last year.

With Aleister Black likely in the Rumble as well, there would be a natural carry over feud from NXT, to advertise the yellow brand on one of WWE's biggest stages.

Tommaso Ciampa would make for a fun presence in the Rumble regardless. Seeing interactions with pure babyfaces like John Cena or Mustafa Ali would make for some memorable content and Ciampa can scheme the most devious ways to keep himself alive for as long as possible.

The man who should be the eventual winner, Seth Rollins, would get a tremendous pop for eliminating him, as well, which alone makes his appearance worth it.

#10 Braun Strowman

RAWR

Braun Strowman's removal from his title match with Brock Lesnar and his competition against Finn Balor on Monday night confirmed that he indeed wasn't taken out of the former match because of injury.

Strowman also said he'd find another way to get to Lesnar. That all but confirmed that he would be entering the Royal Rumble match.

That throws a monkey wrench into things. Seth Rollins' victory might now not be quite so assured, even though he should still be considered the favorite. That's something that should make the Royal Rumble more exciting.

Braun Strowman should have won a year ago. If he wins this year, it will be a year too late. Still, the unpredictability would make for a good Rumble dynamic, even if we will be disappointed if WWE doesn't make the right decision in the end. I suspect Strowman and McIntyre will cancel each other out, though.