The Royal Rumble is here, which means it’s time for WWE’s annual tradition of surprise returns, shocking eliminations, and at least one superstar pretending they definitely weren’t just standing outside the ring for 40 minutes. And according to reports, two former world champions have been spotted in Indianapolis—the host city for this year’s chaos.
According to Fightful Select, AJ Styles and Trick Williams are both in town, and while their exact intentions remain a mystery, let’s be real: If you’re showing up at a Royal Rumble weekend, you’re either entering the match, crashing a press event, or just really love Indianapolis in January.
The Phenomenal Return?
Styles has been MIA since October after suffering a Lisfranc injury, which sounds like something serious because it is. The man hasn’t wrestled in months, but last December, he was spotted backstage at TNA Final Resolution without any crutches, casts, or medical gimmicks—so he might just be Rumble-ready. And let’s be honest, WWE wouldn’t fly in AJ Styles just for a meet-and-greet unless it came with an extra zero on the paycheck.
Trick Williams: Straight to the Top?
Meanwhile, Trick Williams, former two-time NXT Champion and rising fan favorite, has also made his way to Indy. He recently dropped his title to Oba Femi at New Year’s Evil, meaning he’s either:
A) Moving up to the main roster,
B) Entering the Rumble to make a statement,
C) Just really, really likes watching the show from the best seat in the house.
Williams has already talked about wanting to headline WrestleMania, and nothing screams “push to the top” like a strong Rumble showing. Could WWE pull a wild-card move and let him go deep in the match? Or even… win it?! Stranger things have happened (see: Santino Marella almost winning in 2011).
With the Rumble only hours away, all eyes are on these two. Will they step into the chaos, or are they just here for the catering? Either way, WWE is keeping things unpredictable, just how we like it.