By
Mat Elfring
and
Lan Pitts
on
2021 Royal Rumble
WWE’s January PPV is one of the most important ones of the year. It’s the Royal Rumble, and during the course of the evening, the two titular battle royal matches feature 30 men or women trying to be the last remaining person in the ring, which will give them a championship match at Wrestlemania.
It’s the PPV that truly sets the stage for the rest of the wrestling year. Some of WWE’s biggest superstars will get a chance to appear during the Rumble matches, and they are sure to put on a spectacular show–especially Kofi Kingston. Taking place in the fanless Thunderdome in Florida, you can watch the event for yourself on the WWE Network.
However, some of the most fun moments from the Rumble matches are all the surprise entrants that show up and get everyone talking. Typically, these are former WWE superstars we haven’t seen in the ring in quite some time. And there’s always more than one surprise, so we are taking note of every jaw-dropping entrant that showed up during the January 31 PPV.
Below, you’ll find every big surprise from both the men’s and women’s Royal Rumble matches as they happen. So make sure to keep checking back to GameSpot as more entrants are revealed.
As we wait for all of this to kick off, let us know who you think is going to make a surprise entrance at this year’s Royal Rumble. Do you think CM Punk will return (no way) or will Carlito show up and spit an apple in someone’s face? Anyone else think Ronda Rousey or Becky Lynch will show up? Let us know in the comments below.
For more on the PPV, check out the live results from the Royal Rumble and stay tuned later in the evening for a special episode of GameSpot’s wrestling podcast Wrestle Buddies.
Entrant 2: Naomi
Naomi is a former Smackdown Women’s Champion and an 11-year veteran with the company.
Entrant 10: Victoria
A multi-time Women’s Champion and a staple of the Attitude Era’s women’s division.
Entrant 17: Torrie Wilson
One of the tentpoles of the Ruthless Aggression era and despite never having held a women’s championship, she was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2019.
Entrant 21: Alicia Fox
Captured the Diva’s Championship a handful of times and won the 24/7 Championship during the Royal Rumble match.
Alicia Fox won the 24/7 Championship
Her title reign lasted just over two minutes.
Entrant 28: Ember Moon
A former NXT and Raw Women’s Champion, and maybe werewolf? No relation to Max Moon.
Entrant 8: Carlito
The coolest WWE superstar made his return to the company after 11 years.
Entrant 18: Kane
Former World Champion Kane entered the 2021 Royal Rumble, breaking his own record with the most Rumbles ever at, aptly enough, 18.
Entrant 23: The Hurricane
Former Cruiserweight and European Champion made a brief appearance in this year’s Royal Rumble.
Entrant 24: Christian
Captain Charisma surprised the WWE Universe by making a long-awaited return during the men’s Royal Rumble.
Entrant 29: Seth Rollins
The Messiah has returned to WWE.