The Royal Rumble match and surprises go hand in hand. Whether it be new WWE stars debuting or legends making cameo appearances – the Rumble always feels incomplete without a few wildcard names showing up.
With the Royal Rumble being hosted internationally for the very first time on January 31, WWE may decide to dive deeper into nostalgia than usual and convince some retired names to lace up their boots again.
Here are five retired WWE stars who could potentially return at the 2026 Royal Rumble event.
5. Wade Barrett
2026 will mark 10 years since Wade Barrett last competed inside a wrestling ring, with the Englishman retiring from the sport at the young age of 36.
Despite this, and his claims that he is happily retired, fans will always remain hopeful at seeing Wade deliver some “Bad News” to some of the current WWE roster once again.
While a full return is unlikely, perhaps Barrett could be convinced to make a cameo appearance in the Royal Rumble, like many other commentators have done before him.
Even if he only lasts 30 seconds or less, it’d make for a great moment, especially if Barrett comes face-to-face with some of his old rivals such as Sheamus, Drew McIntyre or Randy Orton.
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4. Corey Graves
Prior to the 2025 Royal Rumble, there was a wave of speculation that Corey Graves could be set for a stunning return to the ring, over a decade after bing forced into retirement due to head injuries.
The speculation circulated after Graves’ had voiced his displeasure at his position in WWE after being moved from SmackDown to NXT in early 2025, something that seemed it could become an angle on TV, but ultimately came to nothing.
Graves returning to the commentary table as normal shortly afterwards would kill off any belief from fans that he could potentially return to the ring again, and there has been no indication that is in his or WWE’s plans ahead of the 2026 Rumble.
Considering Graves has been medically cleared to return for a number of years now, perhaps he could get his feet wet by making a cameo appearance in the Royal Rumble match, which could then lead to a full scale in-ring return later down the line?
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3. Bobby Roode
Another retired name who still works within the company is former WWE United States Champion Bobby Roode.
Roode hung up his boots in 2024 after undergoing neck fusion surgery. And despite being medically cleared to make a return, he instead opted to take up a new role as a producer.
While Roode’s return to the ring wouldn’t be a full-time thing at this point, he still appears to be in great shape and could certainly make a cameo in the 2026 Rumble.
Even if it’s only a reason to play Roode’s beloved ‘Glorious Domination’ entrance theme one more time, Roode is a cameo that should happen.
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2. JBL
Despite showing up at random and Clotheslining people’s heads off in promotions such as AAA and TNA in recent years, JBL has not competed in a WWE match since making a cameo in the 2014 Royal Rumble.
At 59 years old, JBL still remains in good shape and is clearly still capable of, at least dishing out some damage to the wrestlers of today.
While anything more than a brief appearance would likely not be a good idea, JBL’s music hitting during the Royal Rumble would certainly be enough to get the Riyadh crowd to pop.
Alternatively, JBL could return as a manager to a current WWE talent or potential NXT call-up like Josh Briggs.
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1. Brie Bella
In what was one of the biggest surprises at last year’s Royal Rumble, WWE Hall of Famer Nikki Bella entered the Women’s Royal Rumble at the coveted number 30 spot.
Making her first WWE in-ring appearance since the 2022 Rumble, Nikki’s return proved to not be a one-off either, instead kicking off a sustained run throughout this year that is still going strong.
With a new heel attitude, Nikki is hell bent on reclaiming championship gold for the first time in a decade, but has thus far had no luck in her pursuits of the Women’s Intercontinental Title or, more recently, Stephanie Vaquer’s Women’s World Championship.
Perhaps the missing link in getting Nikki back to the top of WWE is her twin sister Brie, who has yet to be brought back into the WWE fold despite plenty of speculation. While it remains to be seen whether WWE are interested in re-signing Brie as a talent, there is certainly a lot of potential in one more Bella Twins heel run – whether that be another word title win for Nikki, or a first-time Women’s Tag Team Title run for both.
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