10 Potential Surprise Entrants In The 2026 WWE Royal Rumble In Saudi Arabia

The WWE is taking what many consider its second-biggest event on the road this year when Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, welcomes the 2026 Royal Rumble.

Much of the field for both the men’s and women’s Royal Rumble matches has already been set. But every year, the Royal Rumble provides us with a number of surprises, be it via a blast from the past, a new signing, or a wrestler returning from injury.

This year is expected to be no different, with Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund undoubtedly paying top dollar to ensure the biggest stars in pro wrestling are involved.

On Friday, we learned that both Roman Reigns and Brock Lesnar will in the men’s match. But there are still plenty of unknowns.

We’re counting down 10 of the biggest potential surprise entrants in Saturday’s Royal Rumble.

10) Tiffany Stratton

Could it be Tiffy Time in Riyadh?

The former WWE women’s champion has been out of action on TV since losing her title on Nov. 1, 2025. The folks over at BodySlam stated earlier this month that Tiffany Stratton had been off television while dealing with an undisclosed injury, though she was expected to return in the near future.

Well, the Royal Rumble is certainly in the near future, and fans would be happy to have her back.

9) Chad Gable

On July 1, 2025, Chad Gable announced on  Instagram that he underwent successful surgery on an undisclosed arm injury. He hasn’t been seen on TV since, but in late December, Sean Ross Sapp of Fightful reported that he was back at the WWE Performance Center working his way back into shape for a return.

One month later, the Royal Rumble may represent the perfect opportunity to get Gable back into the mix in an environment where he won’t have to carry a lot of the match.

8) Fahd Tuwaiq

Who is Fahd Tuwaiq? That’s a good question and one that I also asked just a number of days ago.

Tuwaiq, whose real name is Fahad Sahli, is a Saudi Arabian arm wrestler and powerlifter who recently signed with the WWE. Sahli is a giant of a man, standing at 6-foot-5 and 270 pounds, so he certainly looks the part.

As far as we know, he had no pro wrestling experience, so throwing him right into the fire in one of the biggest shows of the year would be a bold choice.

But given who’s financing this event, and the fact that the Royal Rumble would allow him to do a very limited amount of actual wrestling, don’t be surprised if he pops up as an entrant.

7) Paige

At one point, Paige was the youngest women’s champion in WWE history and the future of the women’s division in the company.

However, a number of poor personal life choices combined with several neck injuries put an early end to her in-ring career in 2017.

At least, that’s what we thought. After successful surgeries, Paige resurfaced under her real name, Saraya, in All Elite Wrestling in 2022. She spent three years in the company, including a reign as AEW women’s world champion, before the two sides parted ways in March of 2025.

Could a reunion with the WWE now be on the cards?

6) EVIL

Unless you’re really in the weeds of pro wrestling, there’s a good chance you’ve never heard of EVIL.

But he’s currently one of the biggest stars outside of the WWE, having been one of the biggest draws in New Japan Pro Wrestling over the last five years as the head of the House of Pain faction.

EVIL recently lost the NEVER Openweight Championship and NJPW reported that he had not renewed his contract with the company.WWE has had recent success with a number of former New Japan stars, and according to reports, is interested in bringing EVIL into the company. If so, why not at the Royal Rumble?

5) John Cena

Hear me out.

Yes, John Cena just had a year-long retirement tour that ended with him shockingly tapping out to Gunther in his final match in Washington, D.C.

But in the wrestling industry, anything is possible.

After all, Ric Flair retired about three different times, and C.M. Punk, the current World Heavyweight Champion, swore he’d never return to work for the company after leaving in 2014. And yet, here we are.

Cena’s retirement run was underwhelming. Saudi Arabia has a preposterously large amount of money to throw his way, and he’s the match’s defending champion. I’m just saying, it’s not impossible.

4) Powerhouse Hobbs/Royce Keys

Like above with EVIL, if you’re not paying attention to pro wrestling outside the WWE, you may not have heard of Powerhouse Will Hobbs.

But Hobbs, 35, became a star with AEW after signing in 2020, and most recently held the company’s trios titles before losing them earlier this month after he opted not to renew his contract with the company.

At 6-foot-1, 270 pounds, Hobbs has the superhero look that WWE loves, and he’s still relatively young by pro wrestling (and especially WWE) standards.

The company has even reportedly filed a trademark for the name Royce Keys, which is allegedly meant for Hobbs. Meanwhile, AEW commentary and longtime WWE announcer and executive VP of talent relations Jim Ross more or less confirmed Hobbs’ move on a recent episode of his podcast.

3) Bianca Belair

Outside of perhaps Rhea Ripley and Becky Lynch, there may be no bigger women’s star in WWE today than Bianca Belair.

Belair, a three-time world champion in the company, has been out of action since WrestleMania 41 in April after suffering a severe finger injury.

Rumors suggest she’s close to a return, and what better way to do so than on a huge stage at the Royal Rumble?

2) Chris Jericho

Ah yes, Y2J, the Ayatollah of Rock ‘N’ Rolla, the Man of 1,004 holds, Chris Jericho.

Jericho, a surefire WWE Hall of Famer when he finally calls it quits, has come and gone from the company multiple times since first debuting in 1999. In that time frame, Jericho has held just about every title there is to hold in the WWE.

His last split with the company came in 2018, before he absconded to NJPW and then eventually AEW, where he became the company’s inaugural world champion.

However, Jericho eventually fell down the card in 2025 and was taken off TV entirely in late 2025. This led to rumors that a return to WWE could be in the works. If true, it makes perfect sense for Jericho to return at the Royal Rumble, perhaps setting him up for one last WrestleMania match.

1) Seth Rollins

When we last saw Seth Rollins on television, he was being taken out by his stablemates, Bron Breakker and Bronson Reed of “The Vision.”

In actuality, Rollins suffered a shoulder injury in his match against Cody Rhodes at WWE Crown Jewel two days prior in Perth, Australia

Rollins underwent surgery and told Jay Mohr on a December podcast appearance that he has “a few more months left on my shoulder. I had rotator cuff surgery eight weeks ago, almost nine. I have another three or four months.”

But Rollins has been known to work an injury angle in the past, and a recent appearance on ESPN First Take left many wondering if he could be back sooner rather than later, despite his claims otherwise.

If so, Rollins doesn’t just become the biggest potential return, but also, perhaps, the favorite to win the men’s match.