The last pay-per-view of 2019 is in the books, which means the build towards WWE's first pay-per-view of 2020, the Royal Rumble, can get underway.

The 2020 Royal Rumble is scheduled to take place on January 26, so while it's still over a month away, the build for the show has already begun with storylines on Raw, SmackDown and NXT.

While no matches have been announced for the Royal Rumble yet, fans can expect at least two matches to take place at the show, the men's and women's Royal Rumble matches.

Last year, the men's Royal Rumble was won by Seth Rollins, while Becky Lynch won the women's Royal Rumble.

Surprises are always linked heavily with Royal Rumble matches. A few surprising superstar returns are expected whenever a Royal Rumble match takes place, no matter if it's the men's or women's matches.

Here are five women who could make a surprising in-ring return to WWE at the Royal Rumble in 2020.

Nia Jax

It's been about eight months since we last saw Nia Jax in a WWE ring at WrestleMania 35, but she is currently on track to return very soon, possibly at the Royal Rumble.

Jax has been out of WWE action since April after tearing both of her ACLs. This is an injury that can keep someone out of the ring for up to nine months, or possibly even longer.

The former Raw Women's Champion posted a video on her Instagram account running the ropes in the video which included the caption: "Testing out the new knees 😜!"

According to Fightful, Jax is currently scheduled to return to WWE in January, which would make sense since she was expected to miss nine months of action.

Since the Royal Rumble is in January too, it would make sense for WWE to not bring her back until the show, giving her more time to recover from her injury as well.

Ruby Riott

Ruby Riott is another superstar who has been out of action for the past couple of months with an injury, but she's also on track to return in January.

Riott hasn't been seen in WWE since late April, but she competed on house shows going into May before undergoing shoulder surgery to repair a bilateral injury.

She took more time off to undergo the same procedure on her other shoulder in August, but according to Fightful, she is scheduled to return to WWE in January.

Riott also wasn't part of the WWE Draft when it took place in October, so it will be interesting to see which brand she is assigned to once she makes her return.

Like Jax, WWE could hold off bringing Riott back to the ring until the Royal Rumble in order to give her more time to recover.

Ronda Rousey

Ronda Rousey is another superstar who could return to WWE as a surprise entrant in the women's Royal Rumble match in January.

Rousey hasn't been seen in WWE since WrestleMania 35, where she lost the Raw Women's Championship to Becky Lynch in the triple threat main event alongside Charlotte Flair.

She's currently spending some time away from the ring in order to start a family, but with her involvement on Total Divas shows she still wants a future within the squared circle.

Triple H has said Rousey is constantly pitching ideas for her return to WWE, and Stephanie McMahon has said she will definitely be back, so we could see her in the ring soon, possibly at the Royal Rumble.

There are plenty of feuds for her to get involved in, whether it be with either the Raw or SmackDown Women's Champions or kicking off the highly anticipated four horsewomen storyline. A lot is on the table for Rowdy.

Naomi

Naomi hasn't been seen in WWE for a couple of months. She very well could be another woman we see make a return in the women's Royal Rumble in January.

WWE fans haven't seen Naomi wrestle since July when she faced Sarah Logan on an episode of Main Event.

Back in September, the two-time SmackDown Women's Champion revealed that she had taken time away from the ring for personal reasons and her health.

With rumours grown that her husband, Jimmy Uso, and Jey (The Usos) could be returning to WWE ahead or at the Royal Rumble, there's a possibility Naomi could be joining them.

Naomi would be a great addition for Raw or SmackDown when she returns to WWE, and a great way to bring her back would be the Royal Rumble match. 

Maryse

Maryse could be another superstar who returns to the ring during the women's Royal Rumble match in January.

WWE fans have seen Maryse on their screens recently, as she was involved in the feud between Bray Wyatt and The Miz in the build-up to their match at TLC earlier this month.

Maryse and The Miz had their second child in September, and not much has been said on Maryse in terms of an in-ring return since she took time off to have her second child.

However, since the second season of Miz & Mrs is scheduled to air on January 29, just three days after the Royal Rumble, she could come back to the ring at the Rumble to help promote the show.

This one is more of a shot in the dark, but there are plenty of ways WWE could book Maryse on SmackDown, or have her manage The Miz again if she was to return at the Royal Rumble.

The Royal Rumble is just over a month away, and there's bound to be a couple of exciting in-ring returns on the night, especially in the women's Royal Rumble match.