Arguably, the most exciting element⁠ of WWE's Royal Rumble matches every year is not knowing who may show up.

Even if the outcomes are telegraphed well in advance, the surprise entrants can make or break a Rumble. They tend to make for the most memorable moments, with Edge triumphantly coming out of retirement at the 2020 instalment being a prime example from recent years.

One-off appearances can be fun as well. The Hurricane's quick cameo in 2018 was dumb fun, while Carlito resurfacing for the first time in over a decade was a highlight of the 2021 men's match.

The Royal Rumble is the perfect place for someone to make an impact as The Road to WrestleMania gets underway. It's also important for fans to temper expectations and not believe former WWE Superstars such as CM Punk or AJ Lee have any real chance of competing.

There are plenty of forgotten faces from the last decade who could realistically return at the Rumble on January 28, but the following seven would be the most satisfying for longtime viewers.

Zack Ryder

Given the vast amount of Superstars Triple H has brought back to WWE since assuming creative control of the company last July, there's no reason to believe Zack Ryder won't be among them eventually.

The former intercontinental and United States champion started working under his real name of Matt Cardona after being released from WWE in April 2020. Following a short stint in All Elite Wrestling, he reinvented himself with runs in Impact, NWA and most notably GCW.

It has been strongly rumored for months that his real-life wife, Chelsea Green, could be returning to WWE in the near future. She would be a fine addition to the Raw or SmackDown women's divisions, but she'd be much more interesting with her husband by her side.

The couple have been the perfect package deal for the last two years, and their act would fit right in at WWE, starting with a return at the Royal Rumble for Cardona (and potentially Green as well in the women's match).

Kairi Sane

Following a successful stint in WWE that included runs as NXT women's champion and WWE women's tag team titleholder, Kairi Sane left the U.S. in July 2020 and resumed life in Japan as an ambassador for the company before exiting when her contract expired in December 2021.

The 34-year-old hasn't missed a beat since then, picking up where she left off with Stardom and recently becoming the inaugural IWGP women's champion. She's been tearing it up in Japan and has put together a terrific resume of matches in the last year alone.

Sane leaving WWE on amicable terms increases the odds of her being a surprise entrant at the Royal Rumble. Her being IWGP women's champ changes nothing seeing as WWE was willing to include Mickie James in the women's match a year ago in the middle of her reign as Impact Knockouts world champion.

Of course, her confrontation with Mercedes Moné (f.k.a. Sasha Banks) at Wrestle Kingdom 17 makes it a lot less likely for this year. It's safe to assume New Japan Pro-Wrestling and/or Stardom wouldn't want Sane to lose or be made to look weak before that huge match happens.

Nonetheless, The Pirate Princess would be welcomed back by WWE fans with open arms if she did resurface in the women's Rumble match.

Ted DiBiase Jr.

Despite not having wrestled in over five years, a Royal Rumble return for Ted DiBiase Jr. shouldn't be considered completely out of the question.

At one point, the multi-generation star was considered a prodigy and a possible future world champion. Unfortunately, he didn't amount to much singles stardom following the fall of The Legacy, and his career faded into obscurity until his contract expired in September 2013.

DiBiase wrestled sporadically beyond then before declaring himself retired in a 2021 interview with Chris Van Vliet. He also noted the door is open for a return if the right opportunity presented itself.

Considering he was linked to Cody Rhodes for a majority of his WWE career, it would make sense for the two to have a mini Legacy reunion in the Rumble this year if The American Nightmare returns from injury.

Bo Dallas

Within days of Bray Wyatt of returning to WWE at Extreme Rules in October, rumors began to circulate that Bo Dallas was set to follow his brother back to the company.

The 32-year-old was last seen on WWE TV in late 2019. He didn't make another appearance before being released by WWE in April 2021, and he has largely laid low since then.

We still have no idea for certain what Wyatt's current angle is all about and where it's headed, but Dallas could easily factor into it eventually. Reintroducing him at the Rumble would be perfectly logical in that case, and perhaps it could be tied into the Uncle Howdy shenanigans somehow.

Interestingly, it was 10 years ago that Dallas made his main roster debut in the Rumble match (a precursor to his 2014 call-up). He can repeat history at this year's version by entering the men's match and being the bout's comic relief, assuming he plays the delusional motivational speaker he portrayed earlier in his career.

That could then pave the way for whatever Wyatt has planned for him on SmackDown or simply serve as a one-off to entertain the fans.

Damien Sandow

It's been so long since Damien Sandow last graced the WWE audience with his presence that it's easy to forget just how entertaining he was throughout his tenure with the promotion.

He arrived on SmackDown in 2012 as The Intellectual Savior of the Masses and knocked it out the park, even winning the men's Money in the Bank ladder match the subsequent summer. After failing with his cash-in, he underwent several gimmick changes before settling on being The Miz's stunt double.

Mizdow was a big hit, but WWE never properly capitalized on his popularity in that role. He was released in 2016, had a short stint in Impact and has spent the last several years rejuvenating his career in NWA.

Hitting his old entrance music one more time in the Royal Rumble, or even having him emerge as Damien Mizdow for a special encore performance, would give the match some much-needed levity. He wouldn't have to last long, but it could be a fun cameo for the former tag team champ.

His current standing with NWA likely wouldn't matter if Melina's Rumble return last year is any indication.

Eve Torres

Of the six years Eve Torres spent on WWE's main roster, her best work by far came at the tail end of it when she turned heel and betrayed her on-screen squeeze Zack Ryder.

She served as an on-air authority figure for a brief period and had an enjoyable reign as Divas champion in the final few months of 2012. Immediately following her loss of the title to Kaitlyn on a January 2013 edition of Raw, she "quit" the company and hasn't wrestled a single match since.

Torres made the decision to explore other ventures outside of wrestling in addition to becoming a mother. As a member of the Gracie family, she obviously remains in excellent shape and would be ready for an in-ring return at any time if she so chose.

WWE has brought back seemingly every former female who worked for it since the debut of the women's Rumble in 2018, but Torres has never been among the entrants. This year will likely be no different, but she would be a great surprise due to how long she's been out of the squared circle for.

Torres was a pivotal part of the Divas Revolution long before it was referred to as such and deserves her flowers in the form of one more match via the Rumble.

Wade Barrett

Wade Barrett has been back with WWE as a commentator since the fall of 2020 but has yet to make an in-ring return of any kind. In fact, the five-time intercontinental champion hasn't competed at all since leaving the company in 2016.

It's been entirely his choice to stay out of the ring these last seven years, though. He told BT Sport (h/t WrestlingNews.co) last year that he'd be down to lace up the boots again if it made sense to do so, and the Royal Rumble could be where it finally happens.

The timing is perfect with Barrett having done commentary for SmackDown these last three months, so he's very much fresh in the minds of fans. The men's Rumble match has featured plenty of active announcers in the past, so it's not far-fetched to think Barrett could simply stand up from the commentary table and enter the ring if his music hit.

The 42-year-old was a decorated competitor with plenty of untapped potential. If he isn't interested in wrestling full-time again (especially as he excels at commentary), then a brief run in the men's Rumble match should be right up his alley.

It would be good news for the audience and bad news for everyone unlucky enough to experience the Barrett Barrage first-hand.

Graham Mirmina, aka Graham "GSM" Matthews, has specialized in sports and entertainment writing since 2010. Visit his website, WrestleRant, and subscribe to his YouTube channel for more wrestling-related content.