3 Current AEW stars who must show up at WWE Royal Rumble 2026 

AEW, without a doubt, currently boasts one of the best rosters in all of North American professional wrestling. The company has added several big names over the past couple of years, such as Kazuchika Okada, Megan Bayne, "Speedball" Mike Bailey, Kevin Knight, and Thekla, and even former WWE superstars such as Ricochet, The Hurt Syndicate, and Mercedes Mone. However, the promotion has also lost a number of prominent faces to the sports entertainment juggernaut, some of the most recent instances being Penta, Rusev, Ethan Page, Ricky Saints, and Blake Monroe.

As 2025 draws to a close and 2026 nears, fans have already begun to feel the hype for next year's WWE Royal Rumble. The company's biggest annual Battle Royal - the winner of which is scheduled to receive a World Title opportunity at WrestleMania - usually features significant returns and debuts almost every year. At last year's event, for example, Andrade made his return to the promotion, whereas Jade Cargill made her in-ring debut at the same PLE during the women's version of the matchup.

With all this in mind, let us consider three AEW stars who could appear and compete at the 2026 Royal Rumble.

---

What's going wrong between Jey Uso & WWE? Check now!

#3. (Former) AEW executive and talent Jeff Jarrett

Early in 2025, Jeff Jarrett revealed that he had signed his final talent contract with All Elite Wrestling. He voiced his desire to finish his career on top, and as such, set his sights on trying to earn a shot at the AEW World Championship, a quest that put him in the cross-hairs of MJF. When The Last Outlaw called out Jon Moxley for a title shot, he was answered by an ambush from Claudio Castagnoli. Unwilling to surrender, Jarrett offered to battle The Swiss Cyborg for a World Championship bout, but lost to Claudio due to outside interference from The One True King himself.

Jon Moxley attacking Jeff Jarrett during his bout against Claudio Castagnoli [Image Credits: AEW's YouTube channel]

After the matchup, Double J was laid out by MJF, and since then, he has neither wrestled for All Elite Wrestling nor been featured in any major television angle in the Jacksonville-based promotion. Amidst his hiatus, it was reported recently that Jarrett no longer serves as AEW's Manager of Live Events, and has been under contract primarily as a talent for a while. In case his deal expires at the end of 2025, The King of The Mountain could return to WWE in 2026, making a surprise return during the Men's Royal Rumble match, a bout he has not participated in since 2019.

---

#2. All Elite Wrestling fan-favorite Danhausen

Despite being one of AEW's most beloved competitors, Danhausen has been missing from the company's programming for well over a year now. His booking in the promotion since his debut back in 2022 has arguably been somewhat underwhelming, as he found himself primarily slotted into mid-card programs. After sustaining a pec injury at Revolution 2023, the "Very Nice, Very Evil" grappler returned to action in November. He closed out the year by unsuccessfully participating in a Battle Royal for a TNT Title shot at Worlds End: Zero Hour.

This was Danhausen's last match in AEW, as he has been kept off the company's television throughout 2024, barring an appearance at Tony Khan's other wrestling promotion, Ring of Honor's event, Final Battle. Earlier this year, it was reported that the face-painted star had injury time added to his deal, extending his stay in All Elite Wrestling till 2026. The report also noted that the Michigan-native had been looking to part ways with the company. If he is able to negotiate an earlier release, Danhausen could sign with WWE next year.

Danhausen in action at Worlds End: Zero Hour 2023 [Image Credits: AEW's YouTube channel]

Furthermore, if Danhausen can secure his release before the 2026 Royal Rumble, he might be able to make both his WWE and Rumble debuts next January in Riyadh.

---

#3. Inaugural AEW World Champion Chris Jericho

Chris Jericho has found himself at the center of rumors of a potential WWE return ever since he liked a social media post earlier this year, noting that his AEW contract could run out by the end of 2025, freeing him to go back to his old stomping grounds afterwards. Subsequent reports have claimed that the Triple H-led company has an interest in bringing Y2J back, and his continued hiatus from All Elite Wrestling programming since this past April has lent a lot of credence to this conjecture.

As recently as last month, Tony Khan heaped praise on Jericho for his contributions to growing and legitimizing AEW as a brand since its inception in 2019. In spite of his remarks, however, speculations suggest that The Learning Tree is likely WWE-bound, especially after his recent comments regarding TNA's impressive attendance at Bound for Glory 2025, which he contrasted to the turnout at Dynamite in the ECW Arena. The signs, therefore, seemingly point to Jericho very possibly making his comeback at the Stamford-based company next year.

If that is the path he decides to take, the inaugural AEW World Champion should return to WWE at the 2026 Men's Royal Rumble, similar to his surprise appearance at the 2013 edition of the bout.

Edited by Neda Ali