WWE Returns: Royal Rumble 2017 Surprise Entrants Could Include Kurt Angle, Kenny Omega And More

Most of the field for the 2017 Royal Rumble has been announced, but a few spots have yet to be filled. One or more could be filled by wrestlers that either haven’t appeared in WWE in years or are ready to make their WWE debuts.

The biggest potential surprise entrant in Sunday’s battle royal is easily Kurt Angle. The wrestler hasn’t performed in WWE since 2006, and there have been rumors for years that he might make his return. With the recent announcement that Angle will headline the 2017 WWE Hall of Fame class, there is speculation that he’ll soon return to the ring.

While Angle doesn’t deny that he might wrestle again for WWE in the future, he claims he won’t be one of the 30 Royal Rumble entrants.

“I’m sure they’re gonna want to do something eventually, I don’t know if it’s wrestling related or not, but I would imagine that I will be attached to WWE most likely for the rest of my life, but there aren't any clues or anything that has led me to that,” Angle told TMZ this week. “I just believe this is the start of our new relationship, and we’re only focusing on the Hall of Fame.”

Angle might be telling the truth, but there’s certainly a chance that he’s simply trying to keep his in-ring return under wraps. The 48-year-old was reportedly scheduled to appear at an event for an indie wrestling promotion Saturday in Scotland, but he has since been pulled from the show.

Angle isn’t the only possible surprise entrant that has commented on the Royal Rumble. New Japan Pro-Wrestling star Kenny Omega recently discussed the possibility of showing up at Sunday’s pay-per-view.

Omega has never wrestled in WWE, but he’s become arguably the biggest name in wrestling outside of the company. Many have called his match against Kazuchika Okada at Wrestle Kingdom 11 earlier this month one of the great matches in professional wrestling history, and Triple H recently indicated that WWE might be interested in signing Omega.

AJ Styles was Japan's biggest wrestling star this time last year, and he was a surprise entrant in the 2016 Royal Rumble. Omega’s contract with New Japan is reportedly coming to an end soon, though he says it’s a longshot that he’ll make an appearance for WWE this weekend.

“If some of you guys are subscribers to the Network and you’re looking forward to something happening, or not happening, on the 29th … I’m not sure if I can pull a rabbit out of a hat by that date,” Omega said, via Pro Wrestling Sheet.

“But that doesn’t mean it’s impossible. I’m not saying anything. I’m just … that might be asking too much at this point in time.”

Samoa Joe is probably the most likely speculated surprise entrant to actually show up in the Royal Rumble. His days in NXT appear to be numbered, and Sunday is the perfect opportunity to bring him up to the main roster. If Joe does compete in the 30-man battle royal, he could be a realistic candidate to win the match.

The same goes for Finn Balor, whom fans have been waiting for to return for months. Balor suffered an injury during his SummerSlam match that forced him to relinquish the WWE Universal Championship. After sitting out five months, Balor is reportedly undergoing medical testing this week, according to PWInsider, that could clear him for an in-ring return.

Having won a world championship title in his first ever WWE PPV match, it wouldn’t be surprising to see Balor win the Royal Rumble and fight in one of the top matches at WrestleMania 33.