January is here, which means the road to WrestleMania is about to kick off with the WWE Royal Rumble in less than a month’s time.
30 women and 30 men battle it out to reach the main event of WrestleMania. The biggest honor possible in professional wrestling.
25 years after the millennium, it is the perfect timing to cash in on some 2000s nostalgia with some surprise names entering the fray.
Let’s take a look at who could enter the Royal Rumble this year and make us jump out of our seats in pure joy.
11. Rob Van Dam
After making several appearances for AEW over the last year and a half, it seems like Rob Van Dam is once again back involved in WWE after making an appearance at the ECW themed edition of NXT in early November.
Whilst on the show he also set up what could be an eventual return angle with one Wes Lee, someone who some fans believe could be called up to the main roster in 2025.
RVD has teased getting some payback on Lee following his attack on him during the NXT show in Philadelphia, so perhaps the Rumble could be when he cashes in his chance.
RVD is no stranger to Rumble returns, and 2025 could give him the chance to run the clock back one more time.
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10. Chris Masters
Once considered a top prospect in the mid 2000s, few expected Chris Masters’ to be gone from WWE by 2011.
However, that setback did not result in him stopping on his path in the industry, with Masters carving out a great career outside WWE, most notably in TNA and NWA as Chris Adonis.
While Carlito is rumoured to be split from the Judgment Day, maybe this is the time where his former tag team partner comes in to save the day.
Much like Carlito, Masters remains in great shape and certainly wouldn’t look out of place back in the company for a Rumble cameo.
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9. Yoshi Tatsu
Earlier this month, Omos was sent on an excursion by WWE to Pro Wrestling NOAH in Japan, where he quickly captured the GHC Tag Team Championship with Jack Morris.
Furthermore, he joined the faction Team 2000x and in that faction is none other than Yoshi Tatsu, winner of the WrestleMania 26 Battle Royal.
Perhaps this could lead to a small talent exchange, where Team 2000X’s Tatsu heads back to WWE to create another wonderful memory at a top four PLE for Tatsu.
Bonus points if Tatsu retains his extremely bouncy entrance theme from back in the day.
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8. Armando Estrada
While he did begin his WWE career as a wrestler in OVW and eventually return to the ring towards the end of his run in ECW, Armando Estrada is not known for his in-ring work, instead playing a memorable role as Umaga’s manager in the mid to late 2000s.
Naturally that raises the question of why Estrada would be a surprise entrant at the Royal Rumble. In what would be an unexpected twist, Estrada would not enter the 2025 Rumble to wrestle, but instead announce his latest signing: Zilla Fatu, son of his former client Umaga.
Estrada is currently signed to a WWE Legend’s deal and WWE have reportedly got their eyes on Fatu, making this somewhat plausible as crazy as it sounds.
This could be the perfect opportunity to start the inevitable storyline between Solo Sikoa and Zilla Fatu with a bang.
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7. Finlay
His name is Finlay and he loves to fight.
While he is currently 66 years old, he may be fit (no pun intended) for a final goodbye in the WWE Royal Rumble.
Sadly the legendary Northern Irish competitor never got his chance to have a big farewell in WWE after being quietly calling time on his career in 2010.
A final appearance could potentially also mean he takes his rightful spot in the Hall of Fame, while his two sons usher in a new Finlay-Era in NXT and New Japan respectively.
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6. Hardcore Holly
Somewhat surprisingly, despite exiting WWE in 2008 Hardcore Holly is only six years out from his final match in 2019.
While that is six years, and Holly is now 61, there could be one final moment for Hardcore Holly inside a WWE ring.
With Cody Rhodes breaking in to WWE in a tag team with Holly, it’d be a nice callback to see the pair run into each other backstage before Holly made a surprise Rumble return, in a bid to face his protege at WrestleMania.
Obviously that wouldn’t happen, but with Holly playing a role in Rhodes’ early career it would be cool to see him brought back for at least this one cameo appearance.
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5. Kharma
Unfortunately, Kharma, otherwise known as Awesome Kong, has retired from the ring.
But, there is always room for a Royal Rumble spot and if the Rumble is full of WWE divas-era cameos, this is where you put Kharma.
Ultimately Kharma is the one who build the path that the current women are walking on, so giving her one moment to shine inside the Royal Rumble would be rather kind.
It would also make for a nice follow up to her appearance in the 2012 Rumble, something that still ranks as one of the more memorable moments of that era of Rumble matches.
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4. Melina
Melina has not slowed down since leaving WWE in 2011, competing fairly consistently up until 2022.
2022 was also the year that Melina made her one and only Royal Rumble cameo appearance, but sadly she has not been called back the previous two years.
2025 may be the year, where the paparazzi come out once more, with it being a treat to see her tie up with the female stars of today, even if it’s only for a brief cameo.
Triple H has rightfully favored featuring the active roster rather than loading the women’s Rumble up with legends, but Melina being among a small selection would certainly pop the fans that followed her in the 2000s.
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3. Tajiri
Aged 54, Tajiri is still going strong in the Japanese wrestling scene, competing on a very regular basis throughout 2024.
Surprisingly his last WWE appearance was not that long ago either, competing in the Cruiserweight Classic back in 2016.
So, as random as it would first seem Tajiri is arguably one of the stars most ready to go for a WWE Royal Rumble cameo, and a memorable one at that.
Bringing the former Cruiserweight and Tag Team Champion back to WWE would be a joy for everyone to see, well apart from William Regal probably.
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2. Mickie James
Mickie James signed a WWE Legends deal in 2024 and is also the real-life wife of SmackDown General Manager Nick Aldis.
In addition, the former WWE Women’s Champion has a lot of experience in Royal Rumbles in the past, even so showing up in a cameo role, with her last surprise appearance coming in 2022 when she showed up in the Rumble whilst holding TNA’s Knockout’s Championship.
What if we change it up for this one and actually give James a huge elimination, leading to a future program?
Ideally, it could be a familiar run as Trish Stratus had a couple of years back, with a long-term goal of getting a new female talent over with the crowd.
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1. AJ Lee
Let’s light it up, shall we?
Correctly speaking AJ Lee might be a star of the 2010s rather than the 2000s. HOWEVER, in my defence, she was signed to a WWE developmental deal in 2009, so she makes the cut.
Ever since her real-life husband CM Punk made his return to WWE in late 2023, speculation has been running wild on if, or even when AJ Lee would follow him back.
Unquestionably, the Lucas Oil Stadium would explode if the former record-breaking Divas Champion made her entrance at the WWE Royal Rumble, making for one of the biggest returns in quite some time.
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