Three surprise returns that can happen at WWE Royal Rumble 2023
WWE Royal Rumble is an event like none other. It’s one of the longest-running matches in WWE history dating back to 1988 and it’s been a staple ever since.
The Royal Rumble is one of the most exciting wrestling events because WWE always debuts new wrestlers, brings back some old ones, and calls some up from NXT. There have been some legendary returns in the Royal Rumble throughout the years.
So, what wrestlers can make their surprise returns in the 2023 Royal Rumble? Here are three that I think can happen.
Matt Cardona (F.K.A. Zack Ryder)
Matt Cardona spent the majority of his career with the WWE. Although he was never a main-event wrestler, he was a staple of the company and constantly a fan favorite — especially towards the end of his run in WWE, he was one of the most over-wrestlers on the roster. He had stadiums of people chanting “Woo Woo Woo” and everyone wanted to see him succeed.
Cardona finally got a brief break in WWE when he won the Intercontinental Championship at WrestleMania in a Ladder Match. However, this reign was short-lived as he lost the title the following night on Monday Night Raw. I’ll never forgive WWE for doing this because Cardona was immensely over with the crowd at the time, so it angered a lot of fans when WWE screwed him like that.
After getting released from WWE, Cardona hit the independent circuit and became one of the best wrestlers on the planet. He bet on himself and proved that you don’t need to be signed by a major company to have success.
However, Cardona has reportedly filed a trademark for his old name, Zack Ryder, and his old catchphrase, “Woo Woo Woo.” Now, this can mean a few things, but Cardona returning to the WWE under their new regime wouldn’t surprise me.
I think he’s a solid bet as a surprise return during the Royal Rumble.
Stone Cold Steve Austin
Stone Cold Steve Austin is easily one of the most beloved wrestlers of all time. The Texas Rattlesnake has influenced millions of fans throughout his career. The pop he would get if he enters the Royal Rumble would blow the roof off of the place.
Stone Cold is no stranger to the Royal Rumble match. He has won it twice before, doing so two years in a row. Austin hasn’t competed much lately, but that doesn’t matter.
Steve Austin wrestled at WrestleMania 38 against Kevin Owens and impressed a lot of fans with the number of in-ring abilities he still has. Recently, he has been sharing videos of himself getting into shape on his social media. Austin claims it’s because he doesn’t like how he looks, but I think he’s getting into in-ring shape.
There are so many cool moments waiting to happen if he enters the match. It’s giving me chills just thinking about it.
The Rock
The Rock is one of the greatest wrestlers of all time. He has been a key part of WWE for decades and has shown that he is more than a wrestler. The Rock has had the most success outside of WWE with acting and starting other companies.
The Rock last wrestled in 2016 and hasn’t made many WWE appearances since. However, there have been reports that he is going to wrestle Roman Reigns at WrestleMania 39. Although there have been newer conflicting reports, I still think The Rock will wrestle at WrestleMania.
As awesome as it would be to see The Rock in the Royal Rumble, I can’t see him entering and not winning. And I want to make this very clear, The Rock does not need to win the Royal Rumble. He can easily just straight-up challenge Reigns to get the match at WrestleMania.
So even though there are reports that he won’t be able to wrestle at WrestleMania this year, I don’t buy it and I think he will return at the Royal Rumble.
