13 Forbidden Door Entrants We'd Love To See At The 2023 WWE Royal Rumble

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• With the Royal Rumble every year, fans have come to expect surprise entrants. When a Royal Rumble event ends without any major surprise entrants, fans are usually vocal with their reaction, sometimes even booing babyfaces who enter at the end of the lineup. AEW popularized the idea of the "Forbidden Door" in wrestling with a PPV bringing in NJPW talent to work with their stars. However, WWE hasn't ignored this since Triple H took over the company's booking when it comes to stars outside the company. From Karl Anderson wrestling in NJPW to Shinsuke Nakamura being allowed to work with Great Muta - both right before the Royal Rumble - it has opened the conversation for Forbidden Door entrants into the Royal Rumble.

As Royal Rumble season approaches, the speculation about surprise entrants in the 2023 Royal Rumble will begin, with fans already expecting the likes of Cody Rhodes and The Rock. With two Royal Rumble matches to fill, both the men and women's matches will be looked at when thinking about surprise entrants this coming year.

While it is highly unlikely that any wrestlers from AEW will enter the 2023 Royal Rumble match, there is the chance that WWE invites names from other promotions to partake in the match. Looking at companies such as NJPW, Impact Wrestling, Stardom, and NOAH, there are wrestlers fans would love to see break down the Forbidden Door to enter the Royal Rumble.

UPDATE: 2023/01/18 07:30 EST BY SHAWN S. LEALOS

With the Royal Rumble every year, fans have come to expect surprise entrants. When a Royal Rumble event ends without any major surprise entrants, fans are usually vocal with their reaction, sometimes even booing babyfaces who enter at the end of the lineup. AEW popularized the idea of the "Forbidden Door" in wrestling with a PPV bringing in NJPW talent to work with their stars. However, WWE hasn't ignored this since Triple H took over the company's booking when it comes to stars outside the company. From Karl Anderson wrestling in NJPW to Shinsuke Nakamura being allowed to work with Great Muta - both right before the Royal Rumble - it has opened the conversation for Forbidden Door entrants into the Royal Rumble.

13 Sasha Banks (NJPW)

Sasha Banks made her NJPW debut in January. This came after she walked out on WWE with Naomi and chose not to return in protest of how she felt the women's tag titles were treated. Right before she showed up in NJPW, fans thought she had also signed with AEW and would team with Saraya (Paige) on AEW Dynamite. This didn't happen.

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Now, imagine that Sasha Banks had always planned to come back to WWE. She made her debut in NJPW with WWE superstar Bayley in the back with her as support. With her as an assumed NJPW superstar now, if her music hits in the Royal Rumble and Sasha Banks makes her comeback, it would blow the roof off the building.

12 Syuri (Stardom)

Syuri might not be a name that every wrestling fan knows about, but she might be one of the best. Syuri just won the Pro Wrestling Illustrated women's wrestler of the year in the PWI Women's 150. What makes her so special? This is the first time a non-WWE female wrestler won the top spot since 2013. She is a Stardom wrestler who has something in common with Ronda Rousey.

Syuri fought in the UFC before becoming a wrestler. Since breaking into wrestling, she has won the World of Stardom Championship, Goddess of Stardom Championship, and the SWA World Championship. She has the titles in her past, and showing up in WWE could help her star rise even higher.

11 Bully Ray (Impact Wrestling)

When Bully Ray made his return to Impact Wrestling and challenged for the world title, many fans rolled their eyes. However, what happened was Bully Ray proving he could still do strong character work and turn in decent matches in the ring with his hardcore style.

With him losing cleanly to Josh Alexander in their title match earlier in January, Bully Ray proved he was there to do the right thing as well. Now, Bully can make a return to WWE for the Royal Rumble, and regardless of his age and mileage, fans would pop hard if his WWE theme music kicked in, and he made his way out for the match.

10 Deonna Purrazzo (Impact Wrestling)

Despite being used as an enhancement talent during her first run with WWE, Deonna Purrazzo rehabbed her name and overall star power thanks to her run in Impact Wrestling. Becoming the new face of the Knockouts Division, Purrazzo held several titles over the past few years, including the Knockouts Championship, Knockouts Tag Team Championship, ROH Women's Championship, and AAA Women's Championship.

While she remains under contract, Deonna's future remains a mystery, with her already having ties to AEW and her real-life best friend, Chelsea Green, now returning to WWE. Regardless of if it indicates a full return to WWE, Deonna Purrazzo representing Impact Wrestling in the 2023 Royal Rumble would be great.

9 Josh Alexander

Having one of the best 2022's out of any wrestler in the world, Josh Alexander spent most of the year holding the Impact World Championship after defeating Moose. Thrilling fans with his matches against Mike Bailey, Alex Shelley, Tomohiro Ishii, and Frankie Kazarian, Josh Alexander became the face of Impact Wrestling in 2022.

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It seems fairly unlikely that Alexander would get the call to enter the Royal Rumble, though Impact has shown they are willing to work with anyone and everyone in order to try and increase interest in their own brand. Should Josh Alexander walk into the Rumble, fans should expect to see one of the best wrestlers alive representing Impact.

8 Mickie James

Making history in 2022, Mickie James entered the Royal Rumble Match while holding the Knockouts Championship, fully representing Impact Wrestling during one of WWE's biggest events of the year. In early January, she once again challenged for the belt and won the Knockouts Championship once again in time for the Royal Rumble.

With Mickie seemingly open to working with WWE again, at least sporadically, it would come as no surprise to see her enter the 2023 Women's Royal Rumble Match as a Forbidden Door-style entrant.

7 Kazuchika Okada

Regarded by many as one of the best wrestlers to ever live, Kazuchika Okada is the one name from New Japan that most wrestling fans all know. With him wrestling in AEW in 2022, and WWE and New Japan working together for the first time in decades through their deal with Karl Anderson, now may be the best chance for a Rainmaker Rumble surprise.

With an iconic coin drop entrance theme, should Kazuchika Okada appear in the Royal Rumble, it would most certainly break the internet, with hardcore fans losing their minds at the sight of Okada in a WWE ring, while the WWE Universe would get to see one of the greatest Japanese wrestlers for the first time ever.

6 Jordynne Grace

Having a career-defining year in 2022, Jordynne Grace was crowned the first-ever Impact Wrestling Digital Media Champion during the first half of the year. Things turned around for her in the summer, as she became Knockouts Champion during the first-ever Queen of the Mountain Match, wrestling Mia Yim, Chelsea Green, Deonna Purrazzo, and Tasha Steelz.

With Grace's stock rising significantly in 2022, and with her recently holding the Knockouts Championship, it would be a great spotlight for Impact to once again have the belt featured at the Royal Rumble if possible. Grace is one of the best women's wrestlers alive and there are few more worthy than her of breaking down the Forbidden Door to WWE.

5 Jay White

One of the most intriguing names outside of WWE and AEW is currently New Japan's Jay White. The current leader of Bullet Club, White has appeared in both Impact Wrestling and AEW throughout 2022, while also winning the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship from Okada. Throughout the year, White interacts with a number of WWE wrestlers online, notably with Finn Balor, and AJ Styles, teasing that they were all a part of Bullet Club.

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Since the Good Brothers, Karl Anderson & Luke Gallows, returned to WWE while still working with NJPW, Jay White has continued to stir the pot about teasing a working relationship between the two companies. White has been known to troll, so it could all be nothing more than a tease, though it seems within reason to believe that Jay White could shock the world at the Royal Rumble.

4 Giulia

Rising to popularity over the past few years in Japan, Giulia would finally ascend the mountain and become the World of Stardom Champion in the famous joshi wrestling promotion, Stardom. Defeating Syuri at one of the company's biggest shows of the year, Giulia won the top championship in Stardom at Dream Queendom 2022.

With her now being the face of the company in 2022, and thrilling fans with one of the best matches of the year against Syuri, Giulia's 2023 should be an interesting one. Should Stardom and WWE come to terms with being able to work together, Giulia entering the Royal Rumble match would be one of the craziest ways to kick off 2023 for Stardom, a promotion that continues to rise in popularity year after year.

3 Matt Cardona

After spending literal years as a jobber within WWE, Zach Ryder would die, and in his place, Matt Cardona rose. Taking to the independent scene in a truly shocking fashion, the former Long Island Iced Z would make waves in GCW, AEW, and Impact Wrestling, as he would totally reinvent himself as a heel. Paired with his wife, Chelsea Green, Cardona would become a breakout star outside of WWE.

While it seems unlikely that Cardona would make sense as a full-time WWE Superstar, bringing him back for a Royal Rumble match seems too perfect to pass up. With Green likely returning at the 2023 Rumble or beforehand, her husband could be a shocking entrance in the men's match come January 2023.

2 KAIRI

After exiting WWE during the COVID-19 Pandemic, KAIRI returned to Japan and eventually to the Stardom promotion, the place where she first became a star. Wrestling a number of big matches in 2022, KAIRI would become the first-ever IWGP Women's Champion, the first women's belt in New Japan Pro Wrestling.

With rumors swirling about her return to WWE possibly being dashed thanks to her winning the IWGP Women's Championship, things now are up in the air for the former NXT champion. Still, KAIRI has a relationship with Triple H and was one of the best NXT Women's Champions, meaning he could pull out the stops to try and make things work between WWE, Stardom, and NJPW.

1 Keiji Muto

The most likely option for a WWE Royal Rumble entrance in 2023 is none other than Keiji Muto. Known to many for his normal persona, Muto is also the man behind the famous Great Muta gimmick. Currently, the Japanese star is on his extended retirement tour, briefly appearing at AEW Grand Slam for a moment with The House of Black and Sting, before returning to Japan.

In January, Muto faced WWE's Shinsuke Nakamura in a huge match for Pro Wrestling NOAH, with that possibly serving as an indicator of what's to come. With Muto hanging up his boots soon, WWE sending Nakamura to Japan for a special match could indicate that Muto could appear in the Royal Rumble, before potentially being inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame.