WWE Royal Rumble 2019: 10 Surprise Entrants We Could See

What's a Royal Rumble match without awesome surprises?

Rob Van Dam
WWE.com

We're currently knee-deep in Royal Rumble season, and with just one week of main roster programming to go before 27 January, WWE's first pay-per-view of 2019 is almost upon us.

The Road to WrestleMania officially starts with a show still considered one of the most exciting WWE's annual calendar has to offer. Major surprises will always be a big part of this, with last year's all-time classic men's bout bringing Rey Mysterio and The Hurricane back from the past, and the inaugural women's Rumble showcase nine returnees, 2019 promises many more. Those empty spots won't fill themselves, after all.

A few notable omissions before we begin. All of 2018's surprise names have been omitted in the interest of variety, even though a number of them could conceivably appear again in 2019. There's no Kenny Omega, either. That man is still under NJPW contract until 31 January, so appearing in the Rumble would be very, very illegal.

That WWE have pulled off so many returns over the past few years means genuine surprises are sparser than ever before. Still, we reckon a few of these unannounced participants showing up would get the Rumble adrenaline pumping...

10. Lars Sullivan

Rob Van Dam
WWE

Lars Sullivan's inclusion in the 2019 Royal Rumble would've been a far safer bet a few weeks.

Unfortunately, the former NXT monster's main roster debut is now in jeopardy, and there's a lot of confusion as to when he'll actually arrive. Though there are conflicting reports, the big man seemingly suffered an anxiety attack before a planned dark match at last week's Raw appearance. This was rescheduled for SmackDown the following night, but Lars apparently failed to show, with the Wrestling Observer noting that he'd flown himself home. Now, everything involving Sullivan (including a pitched WrestleMania match with John Cena) is up in the air.

This is a massive shame. Mental health issues are no joke, and Sullivan taking care of himself (and the company taking care of him) must take priority if he is, indeed, struggling.

That being said, if WWE are looking for a new way to get Lars involved and the man himself is healthy enough to do it, the Rumble is the perfect place to debut. It'd be a fun surprise, and provided the company haven't already abandoned him, a great way to make him feel like a big deal from day one.

Channel Manager
Channel Manager

Andy has been with WhatCulture for six years and is currently WhatCulture's Senior Wrestling Reporter. A writer, presenter, and editor with 10+ years of experience in online media, he has been a sponge for all wrestling knowledge since playing an old Royal Rumble 1992 VHS to ruin in his childhood. Having previously worked for Bleacher Report, Andy specialises in short and long-form writing, video presenting, voiceover acting, and editing, all characterised by expert wrestling knowledge and commentary. Andy is as much a fan of 1985 Jim Crockett Promotions as he is present-day AEW and WWE - just don't make him choose between the two.