6 WWE Superstars who will miss the 2025 Royal Rumble Match

The WWE Royal Rumble is one of the most anticipated premium live events in all of professional wrestling, and it also marks the beginning of The Road to WrestleMania. Many superstars aim for a spot at the titular match, but some stars may not be able to join this year.

The Royal Rumble 2025 will take place on February 1 at the Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, Indiana. As of this writing, John Cena has confirmed his appearance for the premium live event. However, stars like Cody Rhodes, Roman Reigns, Rhea Ripley, CM Punk, Seth Rollins, Bianca Belair, and more are also expected to appear for the first PLE of the year. Unfortunately, not every superstar will be present for the men's and women's 30-person 'Rumble Matches respectively.

For this list, we will look at six WWE Superstars who will miss the Royal Rumble 2025:

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#6. Bronson Reed was injured at WWE Survivor Series

Bronson Breed participated in this year's WWE Survivor Series: WarGames by teaming up with Solo Sikoa and his Bloodline. Unfortunately for him, he broke his ankle while jumping off from the cage onto a table.

The Auszilla has since undergone surgery to fix the injury. As per reports, it's possible that he will return in late 2025, which means he will miss not only the Royal Rumble but also WrestleMania 41.

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#5. Ilja Dragunov

Ilja Dragunov was one of the most anticipated stars who were drafted from NXT to the main roster in the 2024 Draft. Although he had a slow start on Monday Night RAW, he eventually found his footing and was even placed in the Intercontinental Championship picture. However, his run was halted during a house show.

In late September 2024, Ilja Dragunov had a match against Gunther in a house show for the World Heavyweight Championship. During a RAW episode, it was later announced that he had torn his ACL and was expected to be out for six to nine months.

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#4. Kiana James

While the Mad Dragon was making rounds on the Monday show after he was drafted, some of his fellow NXT draftees weren't exactly utilized as much, among them was Kiana James. Unfortunately, her absence seems to continue for a bit longer.

In September, it was reported by Mike Johnson of PWInsider that she was moved from WWE's active roster after sustaining a serious leg injury. It's expected that she will be out for six months, missing the Royal Rumble and possibly even WrestleMania 41.

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#3. AJ Styles

AJ Styles returned to WWE television in October after last appearing at Clash at the Castle in an Undisputed WWE Championship match against Cody Rhodes. Unfortunately for The Phenomenal One, he was immediately written off.

During his return match on SmackDown against Carmelo Hayes, The Phenomenal One sustained an injury that was later said to be a Lisfranc fracture, with the star even thinking he would have a bone sticking out from his foot. Non-surgical treatment requires six to eight weeks of rest while those who undergo treatment require three to five months of rehabilitation. If Styles required surgery, it seems like returning at the Royal Rumble will be too early.

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#2. Tonga Loa also sustained an injury at Survivor Series

Tonga Loa is one of the stars Solo Sikoa recruited to join his new Bloodline, which meant the former was also in action at WarGames alongside Bronson Reed. Unfortunately for the duo, they suffered a similar fate, with both getting injured.

After the Men's WarGames match, it was reported by Wrestling Observer Newsletter that Tonga Loa had torn his biceps and would require surgery. With this in mind, he should be out for an estimated seven to eight months.

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#1. Karl Anderson might miss more than the Royal Rumble

Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson are just some of the main roster stars who started wrestling on NXT and even picked up the Tag Team Championship of the developmental brand. While it seemed like they were just about to pick up steam again in WWE, Anderson unfortunately sustained an injury.

In November, Anderson announced that he partially tore his labrum and rotator cuff muscle, for which he had already undergone surgery. He is expected to be out for six to nine months.