Backstage WWE Rumors: Latest on Charlotte Flair, Royal Rumble Surprises, More

Charlotte Flair seemed set for an extended period out of action after suffering a knee injury last month, but could the most decorated women's champion in WWE history return sooner than expected?

It's a topic at the forefront of this collection of WWE rumors, which also includes the latest on potential surprises in this year's Royal Rumble and a new name for the Karrion Kross-led faction that dominated Bobby Lashley and The Street Profits on last week's SmackDown.

Charlotte Flair Injury Update

Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter reported that Charlotte Flair could return from injury sooner than the expected nine months.

The Queen suffered a significant knee injury on the December 8 episode of SmackDown, when she tore her ACL, MCL and meniscus during a match with Asuka.

It was a devastating blow for Flair, who had recently inked a new deal that made her one of the top-paid performers in WWE. That the injury occurred just before the start of the Road to WrestleMania only made things that much worse.

The 37-year-old will miss The Showcase of the Immortals, but any chance WWE has of getting her back sooner than expected is beneficial to a women's division that is starting to heat up on Friday nights and could use all of the star power it can get.

Having Flair back in time for the likes of Money in the Bank and SummerSlam should be the real goal, as long as it does not threaten further injury or any long-term adverse effects.

Potential Royal Rumble Surprises

Mike Johnson of PWInsider reported that Liv Morgan, Sean "X-Pac" Waltman and Naomi are among the names being considered for surprise entries into the Royal Rumble matches.

Waltman would fit the "returning legend" role that has been a staple of Rumble matches over the last decade, a Hall of Famer with ties to both D-Generation X and the NWO. He also happens to be one of the great workers of his era and is still good to carry his side of things in any opportunity he may get.

Morgan has been gone for a while due to injury, and she would be a welcome addition to a field of competitors that could use the boost that a former women's champion would bring.

Naomi would be the big return here, though. Fans have not seen her in a WWE ring in nearly two years and she's someone with an established connection with the audience. She would generate a big pop, and her return would create one of the more buzzworthy moments of the show.

It would not be surprising to see her win the entire women's Rumble match, either.

As is often the case, expect more surprises as WWE looks to establish itself in what is the official start of the Road to WrestleMania 40.

Name for Karrion Kross' New Faction?

Karrion Kross reintroduced the wrestling world to Authors of Pain on the January 5 episode of SmackDown via a beatdown of Bobby Lashley and The Street Profits.

According to Randall Ortman of Cageside Seats, we may have a name for the newly formed faction, which also includes Scarlett and Paul Ellering: The Final Testament.

WWE recently filed a trademark for the name, creating speculation that it would be used for Kross and Co. If so, it's a solid title that reflects the "harbinger of doom"-style promos that the former NXT champion has specialized in.

It's marketable and gives the group a sense of unity rather than being a few different acts thrown together for the sake of finding opposition to Lashley, Montez Ford and Angelo Dawkins.

Most importantly, the fact that WWE went to the trouble to give them a name suggests there is real intent to push Kross and his teammates as a force, something the leader has not had since his call-up to the main roster in 2021.