WWE Royal Rumble: 15 Surprise Entrants We Want to See

Every year, the Royal Rumble has 30 superstars face off against each other. There's always a few surprise entrants that shock the fans, like when Triple H came out for the 2016 event and won the whole thing. That got us thinking: What surprise entrants would we like to see in this year's Rumble? We went through a list of superstars of the past and present and picked out 15 stars we'd love to see at this year's event, taking place on Sunday, January 29.

If video is more up your alley, check out the condensed, video version of this list.

In the past, the Royal Rumble has featured female wrestlers like Chyna, Beth Phoenix, and Kharma. However, we haven't seen a female superstar in the match since 2012. Now, with the WWE pushing the Women's Revolution, which completely revitalized the whole division, it's time for some of WWE's top female talent to have a spot in the Rumble. Why not have the current Women's Champion, Charlotte, be the one to enter the match? She's imposing, tough, and could easily stand her own against the majority of the men's roster.

Finn Balor's journey to the main WWE roster has been a roller coaster ride so far. After a successful run at NXT, Balor was drafted to Raw in July, and he ended up winning the new WWE Universal Championship. Sadly, he had to give up the title after sustaining a shoulder injury, which required surgery. He has not been seen since August, so now that he's had successful surgery, the Royal Rumble would the perfect place for Balor to return. Not only would this be exciting, but he'd be the best sort of surprise entrant--the kind that has an actual shot at winning the match.

Earlier this month, Kenny Omega fought Kazuchika Okada at New Japan's Wrestle Kingdom event. It is considered one of the best matches in the history of wrestling. After the match, Omega announced on Twitter that he's leaving New Japan to reassess his future. Considering that fellow Bullet Club members Karl Anderson, Luke Gallows, Finn Balor, and AJ Styles all made their way to WWE, maybe Omega could be next? To make this even more plausible is John Cena's Instagram account. Last year, he sent out a picture of AJ Styles, and Styles ended up appearing in the Rumble. Recently, Cena sent out a picture of Omega. Could Omega actually be appearing at the Rumble, or are we all being trolled?

Samoa Joe has come a long way at NXT. He's always been an incredible entertainer, but he's slowly transformed into this terrifying beast, especially in his matches with Finn Balor. Now that Joe is no longer NXT Champion, it's time for him to move up to either Smackdown or Raw, and the best way to make your mark is to show up at the Royal Rumble. While there's a lot of confirmed stars in this match who are favored to win already, if Joe enters, we could see a situation similar to Balor where Joe is fast-tracked to the main event, so a win for him isn't out of the question.

At 2016's Wrestlemania, during the third annual Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal, one of the competitors in this 30-man match was none other than former basketball player Shaquille O'Neal. He and the Big Show squared off in the ring, before both were eliminated by Baron Corbin. Recently, Big Show instagrammed a picture of himself, which mentions "Shaq" and "Wrestlemania season." He did it again a few weeks later. It would be great to see this rivalry heat up with Shaq entering the Royal Rumble. Hopefully, Big Show is in the match as well.

Back in July, Smackdown aired a promo for the return of Shelton Benjamin. However, he never showed up, and it was announced he need surgery in August. Fans were excited to see the return of this long-absent Ruthless Aggression era star. The Royal Rumble would be the perfect place for him to return. He may not have a huge shot at winning the event, but we're all looking forward to his return and run on Smackdown.

There is no rule saying the current NXT Champion can't get in on the Royal Rumble. The King of Strong Style would be an awesome entrant into this year's event. The average WWE fan may not know who he is, but as many NXT and New Japan fans are aware, Nakamura is a sight to behold. He's eventually going to make it to the main roster, so the Rumble would be the perfect time to give the WWE Universe a taste of what's to come.

Steve Austin has said a few times on his podcast that he has one match left in him, and normally, the WWE lets a legend or two appear in the Rumble. Why not let Austin appear this year? Maybe we can reunite the Austin/McMahon rivalry that made the Attitude Era so great. The Rumble is one of those matches that doesn't put as much strain on a wrestler's body, so if we're worried about Austin's health but still want to see him wrestle again, this is the best place for him.

The Rumble normally includes a wrestler or two from WWE's developmental show, NXT. While we love Samoa Joe, Boddy Roode, and Austin Aries, no one is more over with fans right now than "The Perfect 10" Tye Dillinger He's so popular that he's even gotten the crowd chanting "10" during other people’s matches when the ref starts counting, even at major WWE events. That's how much people love him. Dillinger is incredibly entertaining to watch, so we really hope to get to see him in this year's Rumble.

Daniel Bryan appearing at the Rumble should be on every fan's wishlist. Obviously, Bryan has not been cleared by WWE's doctors to wrestle, but it would be amazing to see him in the ring one more time. His career was cut short due to injury, but luckily, the WWE put him in a position to be on television each week as the general manager of Smackdown. However, like we noted with Austin, the Rumble isn't a high-impact match, so if there's the slightest possibility of Bryan appearing, we'd love to see it.

When Ronda Rousey appeared at Wrestlemania XXXI, fans wondered how soon before she'd end up in WWE for real. She's had a tough year in UFC, with a recent loss to Amanda Nunes, and while you can't say her career with that company is over, she'd have an excellent home in the WWE. She's one of the toughest women on the planet, so why not throw her into the Rumble? And while this scenario will probably never happen, how cool would it be to see her and Lesnar, team up in the Rumble and take everyone out?

In one of the most shocking and surprising moments in Rumble history, Triple H entered the 2016 match at #30 and ended up winning. The award for last year's Rumble wasn't a main event match at Wrestlemania: It was the WWE Championship. This may sound like trolling, but we think Triple H appearing at this year's Rumble is a good idea, if only to put over someone else. We'd hate to see him win, but we'd love to see him take a beating in this year's event.

We've already mentioned Ronda Rousey joining the Rumble, so we thought we'd throw another UFC fighter into the mix, aside from Brock Lesnar. Conor McGregor isn't just an amazing fighter; he's an excellent trash-talker. You could throw him into the Rumble with just a mic, and it would still be the most entertaining thing we've seen in the past couple years. He's at the height of his career at UFC, so there's little to no chance of him staying in the WWE, let alone appearing at the Rumble, but McGregor is the perfect fit for the WWE.

We'd love to see Kurt Angle return to the WWE. It's true! It's true! The online rumor mill is spinning, as there are numerous reports that Kurt Angle will not only come back to the WWE, but that he'll make his first reappearance in the Royal Rumble. Ignoring all of that, the reason we want to see Angle return is that he was a great character at WWE that continued to evolve with the programming. He's extremely talented in the ring, and there is still a ton of fight left in him.

You know who has "no chance in hell" of winning the Rumble this year? Vince McMahon. The reason we would want to see McMahon in this year's Rumble rests on one thing: Steve Austin making a surprise entrance. McMahon won the event back in 1999, throwing Austin out of the ring to win the match, so maybe it's time for some Rumble revenge? More than anything else, we just want to see him strut to the ring again, as long as he doesn't hurt himself getting into it.