With less than a week to go until the 35th edition of the WWE Royal Rumble excitement is building for the drama to come.
The upcoming episode of Friday Night SmackDown will mark the last stop before The Dome at America's Center in St. Louis, Missouri hosts the prestigious event.
Two titanic world title match matches will take place, with one renewing a rivalry between two former brothers, while another pits two heavyweights against one another in a dream match we never thought we'd see.
Of course the men’s and women’s 30-person Royal Rumble matches will throw up the usual drama, suspense and ultimate ecstasy when your favourite superstars compete for a title match in the main event of WrestleMania.
While there are usually some surprise returns at this event, we may be able to expect a former champion to show up for the first time in nearly three years.
Ronda Rousey to make triumphant Royal Rumble return?
WWE fans last saw ‘Rowdy’ Ronda Rousey lose the Raw Women’s title to Becky Lynch in the main event of WrestleMania 35 in 2019.
‘The Man’ not only took her title that day, but also ended the former UFC star’s undefeated streak, as well as taking Charlotte Flair’s SmackDown women’s title in the triple threat match.
During her time away from the squared circle, Ronda gave birth to daughter La'akea Makalapuaokalanipo Browne last September.
But a report from Fightful Select suggests WWE are talking about the possibility of bringing the fighter back for the showpiece event.
Wrestling journalist Bryan Alvarez later confirmed on Wrestling Observer Live that Rousey will indeed be returning in the Royal Rumble.
Strap yourselves in folks because if Bad Reputation blares through the speakers on Saturday and out strolls Rousey, you can guarantee that business is about to pick up.
Lynch, who will defend her Raw women’s title against the powerful Doudrop this weekend, took to twitter to respond to the rumours of her old foe’s potential return.
"Was wondering if you'd show up again,” she said with her usual confidence and swagger.
“I've still got her [the Raw Women's Championship] and she's doing great."
Becky and Ronda still haven’t faced each other one on one, will we see the pair collide at WrestleMania 38?
6 shocking Royal Rumble moments!
When looking ahead to the Royal Rumble, it's almost impossible to not look back at some of the most memorable moments from the show over the years.
The WWE has been known to throw some shocking twists and turns in to kick the year off with mayhem and Mirror Sport have compiled a list of some of the most memorable moments from the past three-and-a-half decades.
1. John Cena’s epic return in 2008
Expected to be out with an injury for at least another few months, fans had to blink twice when Cena appeared as the last entrant for the match.
As the countdown for the #30 had the crowd fall silent, Madison Square Garden descended into meltdown as Cena’s entrance music blared.
As if the crowd’s electrifying reaction wasn’t enough to put this at the top spot, he went on to eliminate Triple H and punch his ticket to WrestleMania 24.
Cena would go on to win the Rumble for a second time in 2013, before main eventing WrestleMania 29 against The Rock, and winning the WWE title.
2. Maven eliminates The Undertaker in 2002
The Royal Rumble event 20 years ago hosted one of the most shocking upsets in WWE history let alone just the Rumble.
A rookie compared to the other contenders, Maven burst into the ring looking to make an impact.
From nowhere, Maven rose to deliver a mighty drop kick from behind and eliminated The Undertaker from the Royal Rumble match, which preceded a hellacious beatdown from the Phenom, featuring a brutal steel chair shot to the head.
Triple H, who had been back in the company less than a year at that point, went on to win his first Royal Rumble match and win the WWE Undisputed world titles in the main event of WrestleMania X8.
3. Edge’s comebacks - Ten years apart (2010 AND 2020)
The moment the entrance music of a shock return descends on an arena is like no other. Edge’s 2010 AND 2020 surprise Royal Rumble returns were two of those moments.
After being out from a brutal Achilles injury in 2009, no one expected The Rated R superstar to be back in time for Rumble. But he entered as #29 and managed to win his first Rumble.
But that wasn't the final twist in the tale. An even more shocking comeback came at 2020’s Royal Rumble, when Edge came out of a nine-year retirement to deliver some vicious Spears that left fans both nostalgic and delighted.
While he wasn’t the last man standing in 2020, a year later the Hall of Famer would go on to win the 30-man match again, this time from the number one position.
4. Vince McMahon wins the Royal Rumble match (1999)
Rewind back to 1999, when Stone Cold Steve Austin was on top of the world and the Rattlesnake’s rivalry with boss Vince McMahon was dominating the WWE Universe.
Entering at #2 into the match after Austin, McMahon shed his businessman sensibilities and managed to rattle the Texan himself.
Fans were treated to a highly anticipated head-to-head encounter as Austin was finally able to get his hands on McMahon and take the boss to town.
As more entrants joined, Austin was still laser-focused on McMahon, giving him a beating that spanned the whole venue.
After a quick trip to the hospital, Austin returned to the ring to make it to the end, before none other than The Rock appeared and distracted Austin.
Taking what may have been his only opportunity to seize victory, McMahon used the distraction to eliminate Austin and steal the win in what may be one of the most chaotic Rumbles and shocking finales to date and proved to be one of the most significant chapters in the pair's storied rivalry.
5. The Double Win in 1994
After eliminating Fatu and Shawn Michaels, Lex Luger and Bret Hart were the last two men standing in the 1994 Royal Rumble Match, going head to head for the ticket to WrestleMania X.
In one of the most unique situations in WWE history, both men went over the top rope and hit the floor at exactly the same time, leaving the referee’s, competitors and fans confused.
Eventually, both men were declared winners and off to WrestleMania they went, with Bret Hart going on to win the WWE championship for a second time.
6. Rey Mysterio winning from entry number two in 2006
Rey Mysterio was given little to no chance of winning the 2006 Royal Rumble, especially when he entered the match at number two.
However, the high-flyer used his speed, skill and resilience to navigate every challenge placed in front of him during the gruelling match.
He made it to the final three and Triple H and Orton tried to eliminate Mysterio but failed to do so, instead Mysterio performed a 619 on both men, and then eliminated 'The Game' from the match.
Orton tried to eliminate Mysterio after Triple H attacked him, but Mysterio countered and was able to eliminate 'The Viper' to win the 2006 Royal Rumble match in dramatic fashion.
Mysterio paid tribute to the late Eddie Guerrero by winning the match saying that he had won the match for his dear friend.
Along with his victory, broke the record for lasting the longest in a 30-man Royal Rumble match at 1:02:12, and it still stands to this day.
Three months later he shocked the world again, when he overcame Orton and Kurt Angle to win his maiden world heavyweight title at WrestleMania 22.
Honourable mentions
Beth Phoenix eliminates The Great Khali (2010)
The Rock comes to Roman Reigns’ aid (2015)
Ric Flair beats Hulk Hogan to win (1992)
Cactus Jack, Dude Love, and Mankind in the Same Night (1998)
Santino Marella eliminated after one second (2009)
AJ Styes WWE Debut (2016)
