5 AEW stars who would be perfect surprise entrants in the 2022 WWE men's Royal Rumble

#2. AEW's Demo God, Chris Jericho, arrives in St. Louis

Out of every AEW roster member, Chris Jericho seems the most likely to enter the men's Royal Rumble. Jericho has a long professional relationship with Vince McMahon, having worked in WWE for 20 years. If McMahon were to reach out to any wrestler from a rival promotion, it's likely that wrestler would be Jericho.

Jericho's first pro wrestling appearances outside WWE came with the permission of McMahon. While still signed to WWE, Jericho was allowed to travel to NJPW, which led to a match with Kenny Omega. Jericho would later end up leaving WWE for NJPW and later sign with Tony Khan's promotion. However, the potential for him to appear in WWE in a similar capacity to his initial return matches in New Japan could certainly happen.

#1. Free agent Cody Rhodes returns to WWE

It's incredibly unlikely that Cody Rhodes will ever return to WWE. This makes him the surprising potential entrant there could be for the Royal Rumble. Having left the company over creative differences, Rhodes would go on to achieve major success in various international promotions. His wrestling journey would eventually culminate with the formation of AEW, which Rhodes helped establish.

All that being said, why would Rhodes ever go back to WWE and leave his creation behind? As recent news has confirmed, Cody Rhodes is without an official contract with Tony Khan's promotion for the time being. Hypothetically, he could appear in any promotion he so chooses. It's unlikely, yes, but his entry in the Royal Rumble would certainly be a shocking one.

If the Forbidden Door really is open now, what better way to signify a potential partnership than having AEW's founder compete in a WWE's premium live event.