— Cody Rhodes is set to make his return to WWE at the Royal Rumble though in a somewhat unexpected development, the company went ahead and announced that he would be in the men’s Rumble match instead of keeping it a secret and having him make a surprise return as has been tradition with Rumble matches.

— There is reportedly a good reason for WWE going this route according to the WrestleVotes Twitter account, which stated that WWE decided to make his return pubic because “everyone expected it to happen” but also because the company is “more than pleased” with other surprise entrants that are lined up.

Asked a source the reasoning behind Cody’s Rumble return being announced as opposed to a surprise…

Source said it’s twofold, one being that nearly everyone expected it to happen already & two, source states they are “more than pleased” w/ the other surprises that are lined up.

— WrestleVotes (@WrestleVotes) January 19, 2023