Surprise Entrants, Returning Legends and NXT Superstars for WWE Royal Rumble 2024

The WWE Royal Rumble is an exciting annual staple for fans, with the twists and turns the signature matches entail playing a major role.

Shock eliminations are always fun, along with the planting of the seeds for future feuds and storylines that are ultimately integral to the road to WrestleMania 40. However, its the Rumble matches' surprise entrants who have the wrestling world buzzing more than anything in the weeks preceding the pay-per-view.

For the last 36 years, the Rumble has been the perfect place for new faces to debut and where beloved legends of yesteryear have reemerged for one last hurrah.

The aura of unpredictability surrounding the upcoming installment is greater than it's been in years. There are a handful of free agents who could make an appearance, Superstars sitting on the injured reserve list ready to return, and NXT prospects anxious to make their mark.

Which of the following surprise entrants for the men's and women's Royal Rumble matches have the best chance of appearing?

Sheamus

The Celtic Warrior was last seen on the Aug. 18 edition of SmackDown losing to Edge in an epic battle. He's missed the last five months of action with a shoulder injury, but 10 years removed from his last Royal Rumble return, history could soon repeat itself.

Carmelo Hayes

Many NXT Superstars have made their first-ever main roster appearance in the Rumble as far back as 2013. That wouldn't the case with Hayes, but his handful of appearances on SmackDown in the past month could make him a likely candidate for the Battle Royal.

X-Pac

X-Pac has been a popular pick as a surprise Rumble entrant for years, but for one reason or another, it's never materialized. Having not wrestled on WWE TV in over 20 years, this should be the year it finally happens, if only for old times' sake.

Sami Zayn

Unlike Sheamus, Zayn isn't currently out injured but rather was granted time off by WWE in December, per Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter. It's safe to assume he'll soon be back for a feud with the man who put him on the shelf in storyline, Drew McIntyre, and it would make sense for Zayn to eliminate the Scot in the men's match.

Lyra Valkyria

Valyria has been riding a wave of momentum since beating Becky Lynch for the NXT Women's Championship in October. Showing up in the women's Rumble would be a fine way to give her some extra exposure and establish her as a star on the rise.

Chris Masters

This is a bit out of left field, but the Ruthless Aggression era star has long been lobbying for and teasing a Rumble return. It would make for a cool moment for those who remember him from his previous runs with WWE and have kept up with what he's been doing in the meantime.

Dave Meltzer of Wrestling Observer Radio reported earlier this week that Brock Lesnar's return to WWE TV is imminent, which was expected with the road to WrestleMania about to get underway.

WWE has wisely kept Lesnar away from programming as it attempts to figure out how it intends to utilize him next. He last competed at SummerSlam in August, doing the honors for Cody Rhodes and endorsing him afterward.

The longer The Beast Incarnate is gone, the more the inevitable comeback will mean.

Lesnar was a last-minute entrant in the men's match last year and cleaned house before being taken out by Bobby Lashley. Every appearance he's had in the Rumble for the last eight years has set up his storyline for WrestleMania, and this year should be no exception.

There's been no official word on what The Beast's 'Mania match will be this year, but anything is an improvement over the outing he had against Omos in 2023. Gunther would be a logical choice, and with the intercontinental champion already declaring for the men's Rumble, that could be where they kick off their highly anticipated rivalry.

Liv Morgan was arrested on a drug possession charge last month, but Sean Ross Sapp of Fightful reported there's "absolutely no heat" on her within WWE and it wouldn't affect any creative plans for her pending return.

Similar to Sheamus, Morgan has been sidelined with a shoulder injury since August. There's been no timetable on when she's expected back, but it could be as early as the women's Rumble match on January 27.

She had a standout performance in last year's event, entering at No. 2 and lasting almost the entire time before being eliminated by the first entrant, Rhea Ripley. It was fitting given their history as partners dating back to 2022, but the bad blood remains.

Ripley went on to capture the Women's World Championship at WrestleMania 39 and put Morgan out of action with a vicious attack during her rivalry with Raquel Rodriguez.

Morgan returning to win the whole thing and exact revenge on her former friend would be sweet justice, but an appearance alone in the women's Battle Royal would be enough to satisfy fans.

It's egregious that Bron Breakker still finds himself in NXT when he has long been main-roster ready.

A Royal Rumble appearance has also alluded him the past two years. The men's Rumble featured no NXT stars in 2022 and 2023, but the 2024 installment should be a different story.

Breakker should be among those showcased given he's been the face of the gold brand since late 2021. In that time, he's headlined countless events and held the NXT Championship twice for a whopping 424 combined days.

Currently, he has his sights set on winning the Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic with Baron Corbin, but he'd benefit greatly from a brief detour in the men's Rumble match where he can have a dominant run.

Throwing out multiple entrants and taking it to today's top talent would send the message that Breakker is the next big thing in WWE once he joins SmackDown or Raw. He's a must for the 2024 WWE draft, but an appearance in the Rumble before then would give WWE fans a taste of the unmatched intensity he brings.

Tiffany Stratton's 2023 was nothing short of stellar.

After an impressive first few months to the year, she clinched the NXT Women's Championship and had brutal back-to-back wars with Becky Lynch that raised her profile.

She is also ready for that next step in her career and could be main roster-bound in the WWE draft in the spring.

Taking part in the women's Rumble match would provide her with the opportunity to cross paths with some of those she'll be mixing it up with in the not-too-distant future. That includes rekindling her rivalry with Lynch.

She'd also be able to get fans familiar with what she brings to the table in the ring.

Stratton is an exceptional athlete and an entertaining character with a high ceiling for success. Bianca Belair made an outstanding impression in her first two Rumbles while still in NXT, and the 24-year-old should follow that same formula.

It seems to be more a matter of when and not if we'll see Andrade back in a WWE ring, and the Royal Rumble would make as much sense as anywhere for him to be reintroduced.

The former NXT and United States champion worked his final match for All Elite Wrestling at last month's Worlds End PPV. AEW owner Tony Khan then announced that the Mexican opted to not renew his contract and he would be a free agent immediately.

The latest update from Fightful Select this week is that he's all but confirmed to be returning to WWE, where he can reunite with wife Charlotte Flair. Of course, the second-generation star is out injured for the time being, so Andrade can work any brand until she's cleared to compete again.

WWE could just as easily hold off on bringing in Andrade until closer to WrestleMania if not afterward, depending on what plans it has for him at the event. In other words, a run in the Rumble is far from a slam dunk, but it would be surreal to see him in a WWE ring within weeks of departing AEW.

WWE made a huge deal out of Jade Cargill's signing when it was announced in September, and rightfully so.

She was a homegrown star in AEW who held gold longer than anyone ever has in that company. She was defeated only twice in singles competition and jumped ship shortly thereafter.

The inaugural AEW TBS champion proceeded to pop up on Raw, SmackDown and NXT for a few weeks before disappearing from programming.

Per a November report from PWInsider, Cargill is currently training at the Performance Center a few times a week. Although WWE doesn't want to rush her progress, there'd be nothing wrong with putting her in the women's Rumble and having that mark her in-ring debut for the company.

It isn't imperative she becomes a regular on Raw, SmackDown or even NXT after the event if officials feel she isn't ready for prime time yet. A Rumble appearance would keep her limited and ensure she's spotlighted in front of one of WWE's biggest viewing audiences of the year.

Cargill is a megastar in the making, and the Rumble is where stars are born.

Commentators making a quick cameo in Royal Rumble matches is hardly unheard of.

Jerry Lawler has pulled it off a few times throughout the illustrious history of the Rumble, including in 2012 when he was joined by fellow commentators Michael Cole and Booker T.

JBL stepped away from the announce table in the 2014 Rumble to return to in-ring competition, only to be swiftly eliminated by Roman Reigns.

SmackDown's Corey Graves would be a fine choice considering he's been medically cleared for at least two years, but Raw color commentator Wade Barrett donning the tights again would be more of a blast from the past and likely receive the louder reaction from the crowd.

Amazingly, the original leader of The Nexus hasn't laced up the boots since he last left WWE in 2016. He stayed in the business as an authority figure and announcer but chose to keep his days as an in-ring competitor behind him.

A one-off Rumble return would be bad news for those he'd be sharing the squared circle with, but good news for everyone else.

It would have been almost unfathomable to include Naomi—now known by her real name Trinity—in this conversation a month ago, but as is often the case in wrestling, a lot can change in a short space of time.

Alongside Sasha Banks, Naomi walked out of WWE in May 2022 and bet on herself by signing with Impact Wrestling in early 2023. She's had an excellent run there, reigning as Impact Knockouts world champion for six months and having great matches with a variety of opponents.

In a surprising developmental, Fightful reported earlier this month that she was expected to return to WWE after her Impact run had wrapped up. Once she dropped the title at their Hard to Kill event, it became clear that was exactly what she had in mind.

It's unknown if she'd be contractually free to appear in the women's match, but if she's set to finish her commitments with Impact this weekend, a Rumble return could be in the cards.

Naomi already has two Rumble returns under her belt from 2020 and 2021, though this would be far and away her best yet.

There aren't too many WWE alumni from years past who could realistically resurface in the Royal Rumble match, be received well and haven't already had a return at the event.

It's been almost 25 years since he had his last WWE match, but Ken Shamrock is one of an elite few legends who would check all of those boxes.

The 59-year-old made a significant impact in the company despite not being there long during the Attitude Era. Becoming King of the Ring, winning the Intercontinental Championship and dominating the UFC are among his greatest career achievements.

Inexplicably, Shamrock has yet to be enshrined in the WWE Hall of Fame and that must change this year, starting with a quick run in the men's Rumble.

Anyone familiar with his recent stint in TNA is aware that he stays in spectacular shape and would be able to hold his own against today's Superstars. If anything, he could well outclass them with the legitimacy he lends to his in-ring style.

The company has had zero affiliation with the UFC and TNA Hall of Famer for decades, but WWE Shop now having a section for Shamrock on their website means this return may not be out of the realm of possibility.

CM Punk's earth-shattering Survivor Series comeback proved that anything is possible in the world of wrestling and to never say never.

Those three words have been synonymous with his wife, AJ Lee, since her abrupt retirement from the ring in 2015. All signs pointed to her never being medically cleared to compete due to prior neck issues and her not expressing interest in wanting to wrestle again, but fans held out hope because she was such a popular performer during her time with WWE.

In the 2024 women's Rumble, though, an in-ring return for the three-time Divas champion may finally come to fruition.

She posted a picture of her iconic ring boots in an Instagram post on Dec. 30, referencing her time on the Heels television series earlier in the year. On that show, she moved around the ring like no time had passed, leaving her most faithful fans to believe she had one match left in her–if not more.

Short of Sasha Banks, she'd be the biggest female star currently not in the company who could return in the Rumble. And having it happen the same night as her husband returns to the ring as well would be remarkably special.

Graham Mirmina, aka Graham "GSM" Matthews, has specialized in sports and entertainment writing since 2010. Visit his website, WrestleRant, and subscribe to his YouTube channel for more wrestling-related content.