Edge
It’s hard to believe it’s been a year since “The Rated-R Superstar” came back triumphant. He hasn’t been seen since he suffered that triceps tear in Backlash, but it’s been more than seven months. In addition, he still aims to complete this match trilogy with Randy Orton, who has already confirmed he will be in the match.
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Becky Lynch and Seth Rollins
We will pair them because they left for the same reason. Lynch has been out of action since announcing her pregnancy in May, while Rollins was canceled on television on Survivor Series for being home with Lynch to welcome her first child. His daughter, Roux, was born on December 4th.
Rollins was initially announced for a return to SmackDown a few weeks ago, but those plans were quietly scrapped. It is unknown if Lynch is physically ready to return to the ring.
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Ronda Rousey
The fact that Rousey has re-formed in the ring has been one of the worst kept secrets on social media. Whether or not this means participating in the actual Rumble is a completely different conversation, but the odds are pretty good, especially if the WWE finally prepares her and Lynch for an individual match at WrestleMania.
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Brock Lesnar
“The Beast” hit the headlines last year when it was announced that his last WWE contract had expired, and the fact that he didn’t make any appearances on SummerSlam made fans believe he could having left for a while. But if WWE’s backup strategy has taught us anything in the last five years, it’s that Lesnar is never too far away from a World Cup match. And what’s faster why booking a rematch with Drew McIntyre at WrestleMania than making Lesnar win the Rumble?
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Rhea Ripley
Ripley has been ready for the jump to Raw or SmackDown for quite some time, and a Rumble win could be what would end up putting her in a rematch with Charlotte Flair from last year’s event.
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Jay White
It’s been five years since AJ Styles made his surprise WWE debut during the 2016 Royal Rumble, and since then fans have teamed up every year waiting for a big name from another company to make the leap to the WWE during the 30-man match. This year, speculation centers around Jay White, who proclaimed after Wrestle Kingdom 15 that he “quit smoking” after the New Year’s Dash event
Now, is there any evidence that White’s contract with New Japan has ended? No. But he hasn’t fought legitimately since New Year’s Eve and appearing in the Rumble would fall into a frenzy at Twitter Wrestling. This is the longest of long shots, but it’s fun to think about.
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