Jay’s Ways – 2022 WWE Royal Rumble Surprises?

With the Royal Rumble just over a week away, let’s take a look at some potential surprise entrants. Since WWE has already spilled the beans on the women’s side (minus Bayley, Asuka, or anybody else), we’re going to focus on the men’s side. Simple enough, right? Let’s go!

Bad News Barrett – Yes, I read the same prediction, and I am doing it again. Unless there is a health issue that is being kept under wraps, this has to happen. Last year was in front of ZERO fans live, so I get it. This year will be in St. Louis and surely have a pretty large audience. He deserves it. Give us some BAD news!

X-Pac – I asked Sean Waltman years ago if he would ever step foot in a WWE ring again. He said he was working on getting cleared. That was probably close to a decade ago. Now, in 2022, he is saying the exact same thing. Is this the boy who cried wolf…or could this actually happen? I think it would be pretty cool, especially with Road Dogg now out of the loop and Billy Gunn still in a different company. Minus Shawn Michaels or Triple H, he would be our only hope for some DX involvement next weekend. We’ll see.

Triple H – Speaking of…? Nah. My guess is his recent heart stuff isn’t allowing him to compete. At least now right now. Give him another year or so. No doubt he has a farewell tour in mind. I believe HHH has already spoken about this. He wants to hit all the cool spots one final time before retiring, like Chicago,, Madison Square Garden etc. Makes sense. Guessing no Rumble.

Corey Graves – Another interesting situation. Similar to other guys who have recently been cleared, it makes you think. We saw Christian last year in the Royal Rumble match. Daniel Bryan is wrestling regularly. X-Pac claims he is close to an in-ring return. Edge is wrestling pretty regularly as we speak. Never say never. I’ll admit Corey Graves is somebody I have never seen wrestle, so I have no opinion on it one way or another. NXT was just getting big when he announced his retirement. The dude can definitely talk though.

The Rock, Stone Cold, The Undertaker, Bill Goldberg – I think for as long as we live, we will have to mention our Attitude Era heroes. It just seems like it is brought up every single time. I am guessing no Taker. He is probably the WWE Hall of Fame headlining act. In Texas remember. No to Stone Cold Steve Austin. If he was going return for a match, it would have happened by now. With WrestleMania being in his backyard though, I do expect some kind of role for him on WWE television soon. The Rock is likely primed for some kind of Roman Reigns showdown…in 2023. Not this year. Next year in California fits perfectly – same with his WWE HOF induction and official retirement match.

Brock Lesnar/Roman Reigns – I wrote about this in my previous. YES! Yes, I do think one of these guys is getting screwed at the Rumble. Reigns will screw Brock or Brock will screw Reigns. Get your heads out of the gutter! I mean, a big title victory is coming for either Bobby Lashley or Seth Rollins. Shocking on the surface but fits with where WWE is headed for Mania in April. As stated before, it is NOT what I would do personally. Just how I see things shaking out.

John Cena – Now, now, now. Now we have something here. His thing with Reign is finished. However, what about the Finn Balor teases? Cena is a ‘free agent’ and can appear on any show, so there are no limitations. What about Edge, AJ Styles, Randy Orton or any old time rival for a final showdown? Okay, Orton is gearing up for a Riddle feud but still! You can never count out Cena, especially with his new show on HBO Max. We saw our the live audience reacted last time he returned in stunning fashion.

NXT 2.0 – Hey, I hear that WALTER guy is in the news. Or should I say Gunther? Either way, the name sucks. Just because it is CHANGING fans are flipping out. If he had been Gunther for years moving to Walter, the reaction would be the same. people don’t like change. He could appear. What about that Bron Breakker guy? the current NXT Champion has been killing it as of late. I dig him. Give him a big time showing and tease the future call up. Cool stuff.

Call-Ups – Ciampa has been rumored for a call up from NXT. He recently dyed his beard. Might be a sign he was told to ‘clean up’ or some kind of BS. Pete Dunne is another one. He appears to be finishing up with NXT and has just signed a new contract. Until Johnny Gargano shows up, he is still out there. Can’t forget about LA Knight or Grayson Waller. Those two are doing some great things Tuesday nights on the USA Network.

The Fiend/Braun Strowman – I’m lumping them together because of all the recent 2021 releases from WWE, these are the two I imagine are holding out for a return. Just my hunch. I would even throw in Zack Ryder. He is a WWE lifer, even after getting kicked to the curb. He’d return in an instant despite what he says. If there are any HUGE surprise entrants, it’d be these fellas coming back. Again, just my hunch.

Debuts/Returns – I know folks online are fantasy booking some Impact/All Elite Wrestling crap, but I am more realistic than that. I don’t see Chris Jericho, Dean Ambrose, Big Show, Mark Henry, or anybody like that appearing. Mickie James appearing in the Womens Royal Rumble is really just a one off cool moment for her. Nothing earth shattering or game changing like some are day dreaming about. Sorry. I would definitely love some shocking entrants though, don’t get me wrong. I’m just not expecting it.

What do YOU think?