With the WWE Royal Rumble 2026 coming up at the end of this month, there could be plenty of surprises in store for the big event.
However, most anticipated in every year’s Rumble is who will come in at lucky #30 and whether or not they can convert the golden opportunity into a Royal Rumble victory.
Here are seven potential #30 entrants in the WWE Royal Rumble 2026.
7. Bianca Belair
One enjoyable surprise that could happen with a big return at #30 might be the return of Bianca Belair to WWE.
With Belair having been out of action due to injury since last year’s WrestleMania 41 battle against Rhea Ripley and IYO SKY, it could be that she’s returning to the Royal Rumble in a big way.
Able to shock and delight fans with a surprise return well into the battle, it would be really fun to see the fan favorite join the match and end up taking the win.
Setting up what could be a legendary showdown with Jade Cargill for the WWE Women’s Championship — it would be great to see “The EST of WWE” back in action.
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6. Brock Lesnar
He’s done it before and he could very well be poised to do it again in Riyadh at the Royal Rumble 2026.
Back in 2022 it was Brock Lesnar who crashed the Royal Rumble at #30 and ended up winning the entire thing in short order.
Potentially able to repeat that feat again in 2026, Lesnar could enter at #30 and make an immediate beeline for a WrestleMania 42 main event.
With mystery able to continue about who Lesnar will choose to face in Las Vegas, winning the Royal Rumble 2026 would be just the beginning of the story.
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5. Chris Jericho
With plenty of fan speculation continuing, it will be interesting to see if Chris Jericho appears in the Royal Rumble 2026.
Potentially saving a major return for the last minute, it would be incredible to see Chris Jericho enter the Royal Rumble 2026 at #30 to keep the anticipation high throughout the bout.
Bringing about a huge crowd reaction, delaying the entry would also leave less room to divulge future storylines.
Entering at #30 and immediately interacting with the top of the current division like Randy Orton and Cody Rhodes could be an amazingly fun nod to the legendary status of WWE’s active roster.
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4. Paige
Throwing in a surprise entrant at #30 in the Women’s Royal Rumble, it would be legendary to see the return of former two-time Divas Champion Paige.
While she was previously not medically cleared to return to WWE in-ring competition, after departing the company she would go on to wrestle in AEW where she captured the AEW Women’s World Championship before departing the company in March 2025.
Presumably with the Rumble set to see the entries of the likes of AJ Lee and Nikki Bella, there could be the ultimate Divas reunion this year in Riyadh.
Able to be an enjoyable addition to the bout but not necessarily have to take any major bumps, Paige could be the perfect #30 entrant to keep excitement high.
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3. Cody Rhodes
Looking to join Stone Cold Steve Austin in the history books as the only other person to have won three Royal Rumbles in their career, it could be Cody’s year once again.
Attempting to get back the WWE Undisputed Championship title that he lost to Drew McIntyre after shenanigans erupted with the return of Jacob Fatu — McIntyre is set to move on at Royal Rumble to his brand new opponent.
With the stakes high for Cody, it would make for an intense storyline to have him be prepared to succeed as the #30 entrant but face heartbreak instead.
Perhaps being eliminated by a friend or even in an intentional ‘botch’ to ramp up speculation and drama amongst the fanbase — there could be some very fun moments for Rhodes in this year’s Rumble even if he doesn’t win.
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2. Tiffany Stratton
While her length of absence hasn’t been quite as long as some of the other potential returns in the Royal Rumble, Tiffany Stratton could still be a powerful #30.
Able to join the match near the very end and dominate her way into victory, Stratton could go from being off TV since early November, to back in action for a main event match at WrestleMania 42.
Since Stratton stars in the female focused WrestleMania 42 ads about Las Vegas already alongside the likes of fellow SmackDown stars Jade Cargill and Charlotte Flair — it would seem that she could already have plans for the big event locked in.
Potentially winning the Royal Rumble for the first time, Stratton could take her time in considering which of the WWE Women’s Champion she wanted to target, leading to a lot of fun speculation ahead of April 18-19.
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1. Stone Cold Steve Austin
As ever with WrestleMania season, fan hopes and rumors will no doubt be picking back up again regarding Stone Cold Steve Austin returning to the ring in 2026.
Since this year’s Royal Rumble is being held in Riyadh, it could be that the excited crowd in Saudi Arabia finally gets to see “The Texas Rattlesnake” live and in action.
Potentially joining at number 30 and immediately capturing a big moment, whichever star ends up eliminating him could end up becoming his Las Vegas opponent.
From serious opponents that could create a dream match at WrestleMania 42, or a more wacky opponent choice like Kit Wilson — Austin could get one final match in Las Vegas.
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