Ah, the Royal Rumble.  Over the past couple of years the surprise entrants of this event have become almost as exciting as post-Mania debuts.  Who will join the ranks of Kairi Sane, Rusev, Bubba Ray Dudley, AJ Styles, and Tye Dillinger?  With the exclusion of every NXT call up we know about, here are a couple of names that could make sense for both the men’s and women’s Royal Rumble.

Aleister Black

This mainly depends on how the NXT Championship match with Ciampa goes the night before.  It appears that, somehow, Gargano and Ciampa are not done.  So there’s not much left for Black to do in NXT if he does not regain the title the night before.

Kevin Owens and/or Sami Zayn

Figured I’d pair these two up for old time sake.  We had some teasers released that these two would be returning soon to the RAW brand.  While we’re being told early February, it would be a very nice surprise to see these two return to the ring when the countdown hits zero at the Rumble.

Shayna Baszler, Jessamyn Duke, and Marina Shafir

If WWE wants to ramp up this WWE/UFC Four Horsewomen feud, I feel that the Rumble is the perfect place to add to the storyline.  Even if Rousey and Sasha aren’t in the Rumble due to their championship match, this would still be an interesting way to continue the story WWE is looking to tell.  If anything, I think Baszler is a shoe-in, with Duke and Shafir being less likely.

Bautista

With the rumors of a Triple H/Bautista match at Mania this year circulating months ago, this could be a possibility.  Even with Triple H being sidelined with an injury, “The Animal” has reportedly been waiting to make his WWE return for a while now.  He would certainly fit the big surprise that usually comes with the Royal Rumble.

Victoria

Late in 2018, Lisa Marie Varon announced that 2019 would be her last year as an active wrestler.  I couldn’t think of a better way for her to start her 2019 than with being in the Royal Rumble.  It would fill their surprise for the women’s Rumble, and would be a nice send off for her.

David Arquette

Alright, this one can be categorized under “WTF?”  Look, I think this would be an interesting one off for the former WCW World Champion.  He has rekindled his love for professional wrestling, and has been taking bookings regularly for a while now.  It would definitely be a surprise, that’s for sure.

Alexa Bliss

We recently found out that Alexa has been cleared to return to the ring, but no return date was set.  Two weeks from now would certainly be a surprise.  Plus, anything to stop these horrid “Moments of Bliss” segments.

Bray Wyatt

The last time we saw Bray Wyatt, it was in a surprising return at WWE’s Starrcade event.  Before that, he hadn’t been heard from since the summer of 2018.  With no injury news surfacing, he appears to just be waiting for the right time to return.  He’s been gone long enough to warrant this a surprise return.