Royal Rumble 2021: The Biggest Surprises From The WWE PPV

WWE's January PPV is one of the most important ones of the year. It's the Royal Rumble, and during the course of the evening, the two titular battle royal matches feature 30 men or women trying to be the last remaining person in the ring, which will give them a championship match at Wrestlemania.

It's the PPV that truly sets the stage for the rest of the wrestling year. Some of WWE's biggest superstars will get a chance to appear during the Rumble matches, and they are sure to put on a spectacular show--especially Kofi Kingston. Taking place in the fanless Thunderdome in Florida, you can watch the event for yourself on the WWE Network.

However, some of the most fun moments from the Rumble matches are all the surprise entrants that show up and get everyone talking. Typically, these are former WWE superstars we haven't seen in the ring in quite some time. And there's always more than one surprise, so we are taking note of every jaw-dropping entrant that showed up during the January 31 PPV.

Below, you'll find every big surprise from both the men's and women's Royal Rumble matches as they happen. So make sure to keep checking back to GameSpot as more entrants are revealed.

As we wait for all of this to kick off, let us know who you think is going to make a surprise entrance at this year's Royal Rumble. Do you think CM Punk will return (no way) or will Carlito show up and spit an apple in someone's face? Anyone else think Ronda Rousey or Becky Lynch will show up? Let us know in the comments below.

For more on the PPV, check out the live results from the Royal Rumble and stay tuned later in the evening for a special episode of GameSpot's wrestling podcast Wrestle Buddies.

Naomi is a former Smackdown Women's Champion and an 11-year veteran with the company.

A multi-time Women's Champion and a staple of the Attitude Era's women's division.

One of the tentpoles of the Ruthless Aggression era and despite never having held a women's championship, she was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2019.

Captured the Diva's Championship a handful of times and won the 24/7 Championship during the Royal Rumble match.

Her title reign lasted just over two minutes.

A former NXT and Raw Women's Champion, and maybe werewolf? No relation to Max Moon.

The coolest WWE superstar made his return to the company after 11 years.

Former World Champion Kane entered the 2021 Royal Rumble, breaking his own record with the most Rumbles ever at, aptly enough, 18.

Former Cruiserweight and European Champion made a brief appearance in this year's Royal Rumble.

Captain Charisma surprised the WWE Universe by making a long-awaited return during the men's Royal Rumble.

The Messiah has returned to WWE.