AEW, without a doubt, currently has 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, along with former WWE Superstars like Ricochet, The Hurt Syndicate, and Mercedes Mone. However, the promotion has also lost several prominent faces to the sports entertainment juggernaut, some of the most recent instances being Penta, Rusev, Ethan Page, Ricky Saints, and Blake Monroe.As 2026 approaches, 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 receives 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, while Jade Cargill made her in-ring debut at the same PLE during the women's version of the match.With all this in mind, let us consider three AEW stars who could appear and compete at the 2026 Royal Rumble.#3. (Former) AEW executive and talent Jeff JarrettEarly 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 goal that put him in the crosshairs 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 the World Championship, but he lost to Claudio due to outside interference from The One True King.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. During his hiatus, it was reported 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 this year, The King of the Mountain could return to WWE in 2026, potentially making a surprise return during the Men's Royal Rumble, a match he has not participated in since 2019.#2. All Elite Wrestling fan favorite DanhausenDespite 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 Royale for a TNT Title shot at Worlds End: Zero Hour.This was Danhausen's last match in AEW, as he had been kept off the company's television throughout 2024, except for 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 until 2026. The report also noted that the Michigan native had been looking to part ways with the company. If he can 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 JerichoChris 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 ground 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 praised Jericho for his contributions to growing and legitimizing AEW as a brand since its inception in 2019. Despite his remarks, however, speculation suggests that The Learning Tree is likely WWE-bound, especially after his recent comments about TNA's impressive attendance at Bound for Glory 2025, which he contrasted with the turnout at Dynamite in the ECW Arena. The signs, therefore, seemingly point to Jericho possibly making his return to 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.