Approaching the end of January means only one thing for fans of WWE: it’s time for the undisputed king of the gimmick match, the Royal Rumble!
Speculation is rife over who will win the Royal Rumble match and go on to main event Wrestlemania. So far twenty-two participants have been announced, such as up and coming superstars Baron Corbin and Braun Stowman, all members of The New Day and The Wyatt Family and also ex-WWE champions The Miz, Chris Jericho and Dean Ambrose. However, the most exciting participants to be announced by far are the legendary trio of The Beast Incarnate Brock Lesnar, Goldberg and The Undertaker.
The current line-up leaves eight empty spots available for any superstar who has not confirmed their involvement. WWE has a habit of throwing in one or two surprise entrants into every Royal Rumble and there is no reason to expect any different this year.
So who can WWE possibly pull out the bag as a surprise participant for this year’s Rumble? Below is a list of 10 Potential Surprise Entrants in the 2017 Royal Rumble.
1. Daniel Bryan
Before you roll your eyes at this entry, hear me out. We all know that Daniel Bryan has retired from in-ring action due to medical reasons and that one serious bump could potentially be fatal. But the Royal Rumble match is a unique proposition. It’s not a one-on-one match where Bryan might be tossed around by a much larger wrestler. Bryan could quite easily enter the ring, dish out some of his trademark “Yes! Kicks” before being eliminated and without taking a huge bump.
Of course there is the question of why Daniel Bryan would even enter the Royal Rumble? What is the long term gain? In recent months, WWE have teased a potential feud between Bryan and the Miz which began on an episode of “Talking Smack” on which The Miz blurred the lines of Kayfabe, calling Bryan a coward for not returning to the ring when he promised the fans he would. Bryan could enter the Rumble to prove Miz wrong and potentially eliminate him from the match.
Likelihood – 2/10
Let’s be honest, it probably isn’t going to happen, but can you imagine the roar of the crowd if following the buzzer the sound of Ride of the Valkyries filled the arena.
2. Tyler Bate
On Jan 15th 2017, WWE held the finals of the WWE United Kingdom Championship Tournament. Sixteen wrestlers from the UK competed over two days after which nineteen-year-old year old Tyler Bate from Dudley was crowned the first ever WWE UK Champion.
Rumours on the internet have suggested that Bate is no longer able to appear at a wXw event in London on January 28th due to WWE-commitments, which is only one day before the Royal Rumble match.
WWE may see this as an opportunity to showcase the newly crowned UK Champion to the US audience and potentially transition Bate into the Cruiserweight Division and a feud with fellow countryman Neville.
Likelihood – 7/10
WWE needs to encourage fans to subscribe to the WWE Network. Creating the UK Championship tournament was an excellent addition to the content library, but showcasing Bate at the Rumble would be the perfect way to introduce Bate the wider WWE audience and invest in him as a competitor.
3. Shinsuke Nakamura
The current NXT Champion has certainly made an impression on the NXT audience since his debut on 1st April 2016 at NXT TakeOver: Dallas defeating crowd favourite Sami Zayn. The man they call “The King of Strong Style” has won the NXT title on two occasions, beating Samoa Joe for his first title win on 20th August 2016 and, more recently regaining the title from Samoa Joe whom he lost the title to in November.
Nakamura’s unique personality and mannerisms would certainly add something different to the Rumble and make for some interesting encounters.
Likelihood – 7/10
Seeing NXT stars enter the Royal Rumble is not a new thing. Nakamura is a sure thing for a call up to the main roster over the next few months; this would be a chance to show the WWE universe what the former three time IWGP Heavyweight Championship is capable of.
4. Sting
The ex-posterboy of WCW has been out of action ever since he took a knuckle bomb into the turnbuckle from Seth Rollins at Night of Champions 2015. The legendary wrestler suffered a legitimate neck injury which pretty much sent him into retirement.
Although Sting officially confirmed his retirement at the 2016 Hall of Fame ceremony, in August 2016, Sting appeared on the WWE Network show “Legends” and stated that he has not undergone surgery as that would definitively be the end of his career and he still holds hope for a match with The Undertaker, claiming that to be his “unfinished business” in wrestling. With The Undertaker seemingly on his farewell tour, this could be the last time we see these two transcendent characters clash inside the squared circle.
Likelihood – 2/10
As with Daniel Bryan, this is very unlikely due to the health concerns. However there is still hope that we see one of the last dream matches from the Attitude Era. The prospect of Sting and the Undertaker clearing the ring, then having a tense stare down sends shivers down the spine.
5. Samoa Joe
This seems like a no brainer. Samoa Joe is a seasoned veteran who has proven that he can hang with the best. After he once again lost the NXT Championship, there is no reason why Joe can’t be promoted to the main roster.
Samoa Joe’s past matches with AJ Styles are the thing of legends and it would be crazy not to reignite their rivalry in the WWE once the AJ/John Cena feud has run its course. AJ is so hot right now and a feud against someone who is as much as a threat as Samoa Joe is, coupled with the history they have, could spell multiple PPV main events.
Likelihood – 7/10
There is a good chance we will see this one happening. Samoa Joe can hang with the best and is a threat to anyone who stands in his way. His presence in the Rumble would certainly draw a reaction and spice things up a bit.
6. Finn Balor
wrestlingrumours.net
Finn Balor had the dream start to his career on the main roster. Following his stint as the longest reigning NXT champion (292 days), Balor made his debut on RAW where he first defeated Rusev, Cesaro, and Kevin Owens in a fatal four-way match and then defeated Roman Reigns for the chance to fight Seth Rollins for the newly created WWE Universal Championship at Summerslam.
At SummerSlam, Balor defeated Seth Rollins to become the inaugural WWE Universal Champion. Unfortunately for Balor, during the match he sustained a shoulder injury and an MRI revealed a labrum tear that would require surgery, meaning that Bálor would have to relinquish his newly won WWE Universal Championship due to his injury.
The Rumble could be the right time to reintroduce The Demon and begin his quest to regain the Championship which he never lost.
Likelihood – 8/10
Provided Balor’s injury has healed then there is a high probability that this happens.
7. Shelton Benjamin
On 26th July 2016, a vignette aired on Smackdown promoting Benjamin’s WWE return to the company he left 6 years earlier. However, on August 7, it was announced that Benjamin had torn his rotator cuff, which required surgery. He confirmed he was staying with WWE when he thanked the company on Twitter for giving him an opportunity to return to the company and said he will be back soon.
5 months have passed since Benjamin first suffered the injury, which is more than ample time to recover from this kind of injury.
Likelihood – 7/10
It’s quite likely that we will see Benjamin back soon, even if it is not as a Rumble participant. This would be a good opportunity to get him back into the fold.
8. Triple H
betweentheropes.com
Although it would be a repeat of last year’s Rumble, you can expect Triple H to have some involvement. The likelihood is that Triple H enters the Rumble only to be eliminated due to some kind of interference from Seth Rollins.
Rollins recently lost his place in the Rumble to Sami Zayn due to being distracted by The Game’s music but Triple H was nowhere to be seen. One would expect the favour to be returned at the Rumble leading to the long awaited match at Wrestlemania.
Likelihood – 9/10
It almost guaranteed. If it doesn’t happen, you can chokeslam me through a table.
9. Shawn Michaels
The 2017 Royal Rumble is taking place in San Antonio Texas, the current residence of the Showstopper himself. WWE have already announced that The Heartbreak Kid will be a guest on the Rumble Kickoff show, but don’t be surprised if you see The Icon make an appearance in the match itself.
Michaels is looking in incredible shape and despite insisting he has no desire to wrestle anymore, the two time Royal Rumble winner may find the opportunity for a record breaking third win too hard to turn down.
Likelihood 4/10
It’s not impossible but not that likely either. Shawn Michaels seems in a good place and doesn’t feel the need to wrestle anymore.
10. Kurt Angle
Kurt Angle is one of the most gifted natural athletes to grace a wrestling ring. He has hung with and beaten the best over his 21 year career. Stone Cold Steve Austin himself stated that he had never witnessed anyone pick up the art of professional wrestling as quickly as Kurt Angle did.
The news that Angle is to be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame means that one last run with the company is probably on the horizon. There are so many potential matches within the current WWE roster and none more mouth-watering than a match against Brock Lesnar.
Hearing the Olympic theme hit the speakers would bring a hair- raising pop from the crowd.
Likelihood – 5/10
At this point, it really is 50/50. Kurt Angle is going to wrestle for the WWE again, you can bet your house on it, but the question is when? With all the big feuds heating up, it may be a return that is best saved until after Wrestlemania.
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