Triple H Promises 'Lots of Surprises' Ahead of the WWE Royal Rumble

The element of surprise is one of the biggest draws surrounding the Royal Rumble, with both the men's and women's matches throwing up some wild debuts and unexpected returns over the years.

And if WWE's head of creative, Triple H, is to be believed, there are plenty more surprises to come at this weekend's event in Saudi Arabia.

Triple H makes major promise during ESPN appearance

The Game appeared on ESPN's Get Up this morning to discuss the upcoming Royal Rumble, which will take place outside North America for the first time in its history.

Coming live from Riyadh in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the Premium Live Event will showcase the two traditional over-the-top rope battle royals as well as a WWE title match between champion Drew McIntyre and challenger Sami Zayn, and a career-threatening match between Gunther and AJ Styles where, should Styles lose, he would have to retire.

Naturally, much discussion ahead of the event has centered on which major returns or surprise entrants could appear in Saudi Arabia. And it didn't take long for the topic of surprises to come up when Triple H appeared on the show this morning.

"The Royal Rumble is one of those events that is amazing to see," began the 14-time World Champion, as he hyped up one of WWE's biggest events of the year.

"Every two minutes there is a new entrant that enters into the fray. So as this match goes on over the hour that it takes or so, you're getting constantly surprised by who is next and the strategy of what happens next when that person comes out.

"This year is no different; there's going to be a lot of surprises in store. But also, it's one of the most star-studded rumbles that I can recall. You've got Cody Rhodes, Roman Reigns, Randy Orton, Jey Uso, Bron Breakker, Logan Paul's gonna be in there.

"On the women's side Charlotte Flair, Becky Lynch, Rhea Ripley, Liv Morgan. They're just stacked cards. This one is going to be epic."

Triple H talks about what to expect from the Royal Rumble this weekend 👏

Stream the 2026 Royal Rumble Saturday, January 31st at 2 PM ET on the ESPN App. pic.twitter.com/77UXghqfVi
— Get Up (@GetUpESPN) January 28, 2026

Which names are rumored to be returning at the Royal Rumble?

Among the names most prominently mentioned for a major return at this year's Rumble is Chris Jericho. The one-time Ayatollah of Rock and Rollah has long been linked with a return to WWE, with his AEW career now seemingly behind him after six years with the Jacksonville based promotion.

While AEW owner Tony Khan has repeatedly sung the praises of the former AEW Champion whenever the topic of his future has been brought up in interviews recently, it is believed we have seen the last of Y2J as an All Elite star, with one final run back in the old New York territory fast approaching.

A debut that is also likely to occur this weekend is that of Powerhouse Hobbs, who recently signed with WWE after his AEW contract expired. Hobbs is expected to head straight to the main roster after reportedly turning down several mega-money offers to remain All Elite. The former AEW TNT and Trios Champion is expected to debut under the ring name Royce Keys.

The Royal Rumble is set to kick off at 2 p.m. EST on January 31st.

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