WWE Hall of Famer makes surprise return at Royal Rumble

The Royal Rumble is the one night of the year in the WWE where anything can happen, and one of the most famous women’s wrestlers of all time made a return during the opening match of this year’s iteration.

The event held in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, kicked off with the women’s Royal Rumble, and following a match that went over an hour, Liv Morgan exited the match as the winner.

Morgan will now go on to WrestleMania 42, where she will face the world champion of her choosing in a main event-level match.

But before Morgan triumphed, the biggest surprise of the match came in the form of a WWE Hall of Famer making her return to the company in the ring for the first time in four years.

More news: WWE Fans Slam ‘Empty’ Crowd at Riyadh Royal Rumble

More news: WWE Royal Rumble 2026 Predictions: Winners, Surprises & WrestleMania Paths

After Nikki Bella entered the ring wearing a jumpsuit with “02” on the back, her sister Brie, who hasn’t competed since the 2022 Royal Rumble, came out just a few spots after her sister.

Nikki and Brie put up a strong fight in the match, even eliminating contenders Lyra Valkyria and Bayley, before ultimately being eliminated by rookie upstart Lash Legend.

Although not confirmed, the commentary team did raise the question of whether she might be returning full-time alongside her sister.

With WrestleMania in Las Vegas only two months away, the return of Brie could set up a tag team match against a slew of partnerships across the company. It could be a match between the Bellas and the pair they eliminated in Valkyria and Bayley, or the WWE could set up a money match for the tag championships between them and current holders Rhea Ripley and Io Sky.

WrestleMania 43 will be held in Saudi Arabia, marking the first time the spectacle has been held outside of North America.