Former WWE champion could make Royal Rumble debut this weekend - Reports
A two-time WWE champion is a topic of discussion at today's RAW, and they could be making their Royal Rumble Match debut next weekend.
WWE has booked several names to be in Tampa next weekend for the 37th annual Royal Rumble. The big event always brings surprise returns and debuts for the 30-Woman and 30-Man matches. The company loads each match up with non-stop action as they usually go just over 1 hour in time.
Maryse has been added to the list of names scheduled to be at the Royal Rumble next weekend. PWInsider adds that the former WWE Divas Champion was being discussed backstage at the arena ahead of tonight's RAW.
It remains to be seen if the 41-year-old mother of two will be used on TV or in the Women's Rumble, but she will be at the show.
The Ultra-Dangerous superstar would be making her Rumble debut if she's used on Saturday. The 41-year-old has never competed in a Royal Rumble Match, but she has worked 9 Battle Royals since arriving in 2006, including the Miss WrestleMania Battle Royal in 2009. She actually won the Divas Battle Royal on June 7, 2010 at the Viewer's Choice RAW.
The Miz's wife has not wrestled since their loss to Edge and Beth Phoenix at the 2022 Royal Rumble. Before that, The It Couple defeated Daniel Bryan and Brie Bella at Hell In a Cell 2018. Her last singles match came days before as she and Brie wrestled to a no contest on SmackDown.
Backstage talk on WWE Royal Rumble surprises
Surprise returns and debuts are the highlights of the annual WWE Royal Rumble event. This year the company is expected to deliver another explosive stop to really kick off The Road to WrestleMania 40.
A backstage source noted to PWInsider that it will be very easy for officials to conceivably call a wrestler at the last second and have them appear at The Rumble because there are so many current and former talents, and the WWE NXT roster, living in Florida.
The report stated that the presence of so many wrestlers in Florida makes it a little harder to lock down the potential surprise entrants.
Rey Mysterio, The Undertaker, and Michelle McCool are reportedly booked for Tampa next weekend. Taker has his one-man show the next day, while McCool was a surprise entrant in 2022 and 2023. Mysterio underwent knee surgery in mid-November, and was slated to be out for 6-8 weeks.
A few names rumored to be surprise entrants at the Royal Rumble include Jade Cargill, Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson, Andrade El Idolo, Naomi, Brock Lesnar, and AJ Lee, among others.
Who do you want to see as a surprise entrant in the 2024 WWE Royal Rumble? What are your bold predictions for next weekend? Sound off in the comments below!