#9 Shawn Michaels
Shawn Michaels has said numerous times he has no desire to get back in a WWE ring. But the Royal Rumble is a much different animal.
The Royal Rumble has been a hotbed for legendary returns in previous years. Michaels appearing in this year’s Rumble would not mean that he has to have another singles match or another match of any kind afterwards.
When he says he’s happy being retired, he’s probably telling the truth. But entering the Rumble is more of a fun one-off thing to do rather than a serious return to wrestling.
HBK’s hometown is none other than San Antonio. That means that this year’s Rumble is basically taking place in his backyard, so he would get a phenomenal reaction if he entered the match in front of his home crowd.
He would also be the perfect person to get eliminated by a heel, potentially someone like Baron Corbin.
Obviously, Michaels wouldn’t win the Rumble if he entered, but that wouldn’t stop his hometown fans from rooting for him. Therefore, whoever throws him out would become public enemy number one.
There may not be another babyface in the entire match that would cause that kind of reaction by getting eliminated.
