Former WWE star wants to return at The Royal Rumble after almost 20 years
WWE is less than eighty days away from its 38th annual Royal Rumble Premium Live Event. The marquee event brings multiple surprises and swerves each year, and 2025 will be no different. A certain wrestler-turned-politician had been away from the ring for many years until recently, and now, they're thinking of a potential WWE return.
Hiroko Suzuki debuted in WWE in June 2004 as the valet to real-life husband Kenzo Suzuki, who is known these days as Kenso of AJPW, AAA, and other promotions. Kenzo and René Duprée held the WWE Tag Team Championship for ninety days in 2004, before dropping them to Rob Van Dam and Rey Mysterio. Hiroko began her biggest rivalry that year, which was the catfight feud with Torrie Wilson. The Suzukis were drafted to RAW in 2005, but released due to budget cuts one week later without appearing on WWE's flagship show.
Hiroko and Kenzo returned to Japan and worked various roles for Hustle, but eventually, the Meiji University graduate got into politics. She was elected to the Funabashi City Council in 2015 and is currently with the right-wing Liberal Democratic Party's Chiba Prefectural Assembly Members Association, which is the Japanese nationalist and conservative political party that has held power almost continuously since 1955.
The former WWE valet is currently in her second term in the Japanese Parliament, but she recently found time to wrestle in what looks to be her fifth career match. Southern Honor Wrestling in Canton, Georgia actually brought Suzuki out of retirement in August. The 49-year-old worked the 40-Man Rumblejack main event, which was won by AEW's Carlie Bravo. Other notable entrants were Colby Corino, QT Marshall, Robert Gibson, Sal Rinauro, Scotty Riggs, and Zicky Dice.
Suzuki is now seemingly interested in a return to the WWE ring for the Women's Royal Rumble. Speaking to Ring The Belle in a recent interview, Hiroko expressed interest in the Rumble, then recalled getting the phone call to work SHW in August, and the feeling she had when she actually wrestled again. It remains to be seen what the future holds.
"I want to do that. Yeah, I want to do that. It's a lot of fun. I forget that emotion. Jimmy called me and asked, 'Hiroko [can you] you do this?' I said, 'I can't do that. I'm old and forget everything.' Once I showed up and entered the ring, it was so wonderful. I love it," Hiroko Suzuki said. [H/T - Fightful]
Hiroko made her in-ring debut on November 30, 2004, teaming with her husband and Duprée for a SmackDown loss to Torrie, RVD, and Rey, who later dethroned Kenzo and Renee of the titles.
WWE Royal Rumble 2025 update
World Wrestling Entertainment will present its 38th annual Royal Rumble on Saturday, February 1, 2025, at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, Indiana. The first Rumble to not take place in January is also being billed as Royal Rumble: Indianapolis.
The Royal Rumble 2025 promotional poster was revealed recently, featuring Bianca Belair, Rhea Ripley, Roman Reigns, Cody Rhodes, Liv Morgan, and CM Punk. The pre-sale was hyped for earlier this week, but since then, Triple H has shared a hype video to push the general on-sale.
The 2025 Rumble will be the first of three PLEs held at Lucas Oil Stadium under a partnership between WWE and Indiana Sports Corp. Dates for a future WrestleMania and SummerSlam in The Hoosier City will be announced later.