Male and Female Superstars Who Deserve Lengthy Runs in 2020 WWE Royal Rumble

Traditionally, the ironman and ironwoman roles in the annual Royal Rumble matches have been rewards for the most talented in-ring workers in WWE.

Superstars such as Ric Flair, Shawn Michaels, Chris Jericho, Dolph Ziggler and Daniel Bryan have all been honored for their superb work with lengthy Rumble runs that allowed them to tell their stories while also contributing to the overall quality of the contest.

This year, the candidates for the roles are many, but there are a few who have earned special consideration.

From a returning workhorse to a former WWE champion, a Queen to a former MMA competitor, they are the Superstars who would most benefit from the spot and whose talents would help to make sure this year's Rumble matches are memorable.

John Morrison

Fresh off returning to the company, John Morrison should enjoy a lengthy run in the Royal Rumble as a means of reminding fans that he was, once upon a time, one of the company's greatest workhorses.

One of the best-conditioned performers on the roster with an arsenal full of parkour-influenced maneuvers, he would bring a flair to the match. Furthermore, it would allow a generation of fans who may not have been watching when he left WWE some nine years ago to connect with the supremely talented, charismatic individual.

What better way to announce to an audience that Morrison is a big deal than by booking him in one of the coveted ironman roles in this year's match?

Throw in a jaw-dropping near-elimination—as he became known for alongside Kofi Kingston—and you have a great use of The Shaman of Sexy in his first high-profile pay-per-view appearance in nearly a decade.

Charlotte Flair

Charlotte Flair has long been the measuring stick for women's wrestling in WWE. The Queen has been just that: the best the Women's Revolution has had to offer. As the first to declare for this year's women's Rumble match, it only feels right that she receives a lengthy run that not only reminds fans of her greatness but also allows her to hang around and ensure the match is of a high standard.

Flair's excellence between the ropes cannot be overstated. She is as good a professional wrestler as there is in WWE, regardless of gender.

Like Ric Flair in 1992, Shawn Michaels in 1995 or Dolph Ziggler in 2013, you want an extraordinary talent in the ring for a lengthy period to make sure everything goes according to plan, to weave the story throughout the match and to create the sequences and angles that will keep fans invested.

Flair is the right choice for that role, and if she gets the long run, the quality of the contest will be enhanced exponentially.

AJ Styles

AJ Styles made his jaw-dropping debut in WWE at the 2016 Royal Rumble, entering at No. 3 and coming face-to-face with Roman Reigns.

He has not competed in a single Rumble match since.

The Phenomenal One was too busy fighting for or defending the WWE Championship at the annual spectacular and never had the opportunity to return to the match that introduced him to the company's fans.

That changes this year, as the former United States champion joins his fellow Raw and SmackDown Superstars in the match with the potential to add one of the few feats he has yet to accomplish to his sparkling resume.

As one of the most respected Superstars of his generation—and arguably the best to lace a pair of boots over that period—Styles has earned the right to enjoy a lengthy run in a Rumble match. He is the type of performer who could easily enter the bout at No. 2, survive a beating by Brock Lesnar and remain in the match all the way to the final four.

He is well-conditioned and a hell of a storyteller, two qualities you want in someone considered for the workhorse role in any Rumble match. While his ongoing rivalries with Randy Orton and Drew McIntyre appear likely to lead to his dismissal from the match, do not be surprised if WWE repays Styles' greatness over the years with that lengthy run that makes headlines and etches Styles' name into the history books.

Bianca Belair

Bianca Belair is the No. 1 contender to the NXT Women's Championship held by Rhea Ripley and will square off with The Nightmare at TakeOver: Portland two weeks from Sunday's event. What better way to establish The EST as a threat to dethrone Ripley than by giving the supremely confident, amazingly talented athlete the platform that is the ironwoman role?

Belair has improved dramatically over the past two years, becoming one of the NXT women's division's elite performers. She damn near stole the show at War Games in November, taking incredible high-risks while powering down her opponents.

She has the in-ring charisma and creativity to make a long run in the Rumble match interesting, while the credibility she earns from such a role would fuel her run to the title.

Belair has no realistic shot at winning, which may hurt fans' ability to buy into her in that role, but her raw power and athleticism will win them over and make her one of the most engaging performers in this year's match.

If she officially enters, that is.

Aleister Black

There are few Superstars who have been on the role that Aleister Black has of late.

The former NXT champion has torn through the competition, particularly new tag team champion Buddy Murphy, en route to impressive wins on the Raw brand over the past month. He can hit his Black Mass finisher from out of nowhere, not unlike Randy Orton's RKO, and that could spell the end for any Superstar who engages him Sunday.

That, coupled with the fact that he is clearly on Paul Heyman's list of Superstars to elevate to significant roles on the red brand, makes Black a prime candidate for a long run in the men's Rumble.

After a 2019 plagued with questionable booking, Black is finally building momentum and looks positioned for a significant 2020 on WWE's flagship show. A lackluster showing in the Rumble could easily cool him off and make it that much more difficult for management to convince fans he is the real deal.

We know Black can be a workhorse. We witnessed it for the better part of a year in NXT as he blew through the likes of Adam Cole, Velveteen Dream, Johnny Gargano, Tommaso Ciampa and Andrade. Now, it is time for him to prove Black Mass is not the only weapon in his arsenal and that he has an insatiable appetite for success and an unwavering drive for victory.

Sonya Deville

Sonya Deville may be the most underrated worker in the women's division.

A quick striker who can also ground-and-pound with the best, Deville has been saddled with the Mandy Rose-Otis storyline for the better part of the past two months and has consequently had her in-ring growth overshadowed by vignettes and quick matches wherein the work is not the primary focus.

A long run in the women's Rumble would earn Deville a much-deserved spotlight and add a new element to the relationship between her and Rose; when not distracted by her tag partner's chicanery with male Superstars, Deville is a badass capable of great things.

Perhaps it adds fuel to the fire of a potential breakup between the two, allowing Deville to develop into the performer she has worked hard to become.

It all starts with a significant run in Sunday's match, which is a chance to showcase what she is all about while working with some of the most gifted performers in the industry.