With just a few weeks to go until the Royal Rumble, speculation has begun swirling about who could be a surprise entrant in both the men’s and women’s namesake matches. In recent years, the likes of Christian, Melina, Booker T, and even then-IMPACT Knockouts Champion Mickie James have all shocked fans with their appearances in the Royal Rumble. On the road to what appears to be one of the most stacked WrestleMania events in years, however, the possibilities for the Rumble seem more open than ever.
One particular star fans have clamored to see make a surprise Royal Rumble appearance is two-time WWE Hall of Famer Sean Waltman, better known as X-Pac, who hasn’t competed inside a WWE ring since 2002. Waltman went on to have several stints in TNA and remained largely active on the independent scene after his third departure from the company in 2010 until his retirement in 2019.
Despite retiring, Waltman has stated that he’s still open to the idea of one last big match in WWE, leaving the door open to a possible Royal Rumble return. However, in a post to his X account earlier today, he made it clear that he won’t be making a surprise appearance at the Premium Live Event later this month.
“I can still go at the drop of hat, at least for a few minutes,” Waltman wrote.” I can do all my kicks, except the one in the corner & I can do that again with a few weeks training. I’m at least month away from taking my shirt off in public, so zero chance I’ll be in the Rumble.”
While Waltman is retired, he has since returned to the ring twice – wrestling for Game Changer Wrestling in early 2022. At the promotion’s Welcome To Heartbreak event, he and Joey Janela defeated Brian Myers and Matt Cardona. A month later, he unsuccessfully faced Janela in a singles match at GCW’s annual Joey Janela’s Spring Break event, which takes place over WrestleMania weekend.