WWE Royal Rumble 2020: 5 Superstars who must return at the PPV

The 2020 edition of the Royal Rumble is almost upon us and as ever the WWE Universe is already buzzing when it comes to surprise entrants and superstars who will reportedly be in the area at the time of the show.

There have already been rumors linking the likes of Edge, Paige, Nia Jax, Santino Marella, Naomi and a number of others to make a return at this weekend's show, but as of yet, there is nothing solid that means that they will be part of the match.

It's worth noting that there are just three places left in the men's Rumble match, which means that any surprise that the company is planning will have to be a huge one since the match isn't set to be littered with surprises like it usually is.

Despite this, there are still a number of names who need to be part of the upcoming match if they have any kind of hope of making a splash ahead of WrestleMania 36 in April.

#5 Ruby Riott

The Riott Squad is no more. Sarah Logan has moved on to a new Viking gimmick whilst Liv Morgan is wrapped up in a feud with Rusev, Lana and Bobby Lashley, which means that the world has forgotten about Ruby Riott.

Riott was once seen as the future on RAW when she debuted as the leader of The Riott Squad, but it appears that shoulder surgery along with her unsure future has left Riott in a position where she needs to return this weekend otherwise there is nowhere that she will slot in on the Road to WrestleMania.

Of course, there could even be an argument for the former NXT Superstar winning the Women's Royal Rumble, since she has all of the skills required to be the next big star, but this could only happen if she's cleared to return in time.

#4 Kane

Kane should be part of the 2020 Royal Rumble

The Big Red Machine has been away from the ring for more than a year after making the switch into politics and winning the race to become Mayor of Knox County in Tennessee, but Kane returned to SmackDown last week and The Fiend decided that the two men still had unfinished business.

Kane is someone who used to strike fear into the hearts of many WWE Superstars and now he is an afterthought. If Kane wants to make a statement against The Fiend then surely the best one would be to be part of the Royal Rumble and attempt to win it so that he can then bow out at WrestleMania 36 in a passing of the torch match.

It could even be made a mask vs mask match if WWE felt the need to make the match even more of a spectacle, but pitching the match as Kane's final one in a WWE ring should be enough to see him want to return for The Rumble and find a way to step back into a feud with The Fiend.

#3 Cain Valesquez

Will Cain Valesquez make his return to WWE as part of the Royal Rumble?

Cain Valesquez was embarrassed by Brock Lesnar the last time he stepped into a WWE ring before it was revealed that he needed knee surgery. That being said, the former MMA star is still expected to be part of the show after rumors suggested that he will be in the mix and could be the man who eliminates The Beast Incarnate.

The WWE Champion's match at WrestleMania hasn't yet been revealed, but it appears that if Valesquez is number two in The Rumble and is then the man who eliminates The Beast, then that would be enough to put him in position to challenge him at WrestleMania.

The match between the two men has been building for the past few months, but since Lesnar already defeated Valasquez in record time in Saudi Arabia, it would take something big to ensure that Lesnar would want to step back in the ring with someone who has already given him a lasting scar.

#2 Ronda Rousey

Ronda Rousey hasn't been seen in a WWE ring since WrestleMania 35 where the former Champion was pinned by Becky Lynch, lost her Raw Women's Championship and then announced that she was taking some time away from WWE.

Becky Lynch has become the longest-reigning RAW Women's Champion in the time that Rousey has been away and still holds the title, so it's obvious that WWE wants Rousey to come back and challenge Lynch to a rematch for the title at this year's WrestleMania.

If Rousey is ready to make her return, then it's hard to see past her in The Rumble, since she has only ever lost to Becky Lynch, which means that a return would definitely set up the match that many of the WWE Universe expected to go down in April.

At present, Rousey's return plans are unknown, so if The Baddest Woman on the Planet does return, then it will be one of the biggest shocks of the night.

#1 CM Punk

Will CM Punk finally walk back through that curtain?

CM Punk shocked the world when he returned to a WWE affiliated product last year and then started to hint that he would return to the ring one day. Teases on Social Media with Seth Rollins have definitely caught the eye of many WWE fans and at some point, Punk is either going to have to put up or shut up.

Rollins is one of the biggest Superstars in WWE right now and many fans have argued that if Punk enters the match then he will have to win it, this isn't necessarily true. Punk could enter the match and then be eliminated by Rollins to set up a match between the two men at WrestleMania.

Punk was annoyed when he first left the company because all he wanted was to main event WrestleMania, Rollins could be the key to this since he himself has main evented in the past. With Lesnar's match still uncertain, it could be a good shout that if Punk appears at The Rumble then he could finally get his wish of main eventing WrestleMania, six years after he originally left the company.