Every male participant announced for the Royal Rumble as of today

The Rumble is getting crowded
The Rumble is getting crowded

The Royal Rumble is a little over two weeks away from setting the tone for the 'Road to Wrestlemania'. As of the time of writing, only 19 men have been announced as participants in the match.

Several more names will obviously be announced as the event draws closer, but just how many more of the spots will be for current members of the main roster?

WWE always tries to throw a few surprises into the match, whether they are huge surprises (AJ Styles) or nostalgia acts (Booker T, Bubba Dudley).

There are also the potential call-ups from NXT that have debuted over the last few years, including Adam Cole and Andrade Almas last year.

Anyone ranging from Lars Sullivan, Aleister Black, Pete Dunne, Velveteen Dream to Keith Lee, Matt Riddle or Richochet could make their main roster debuts in the match.

It would be an easy way for any superstar to officially start their main-roster run, and those like Sullian and EC3 have already been announced as 'on their way'.

While there are technically still 11 spots left to fill for the match, let's look over the 19 superstars who have already been announced for the Royal Rumble.


The New Day

The New Day always have an advantage with its three members
The New Day always have an advantage with its three members

As they have done since joining together as a group, all three members of the New Day will enter the 2019 Royal Rumble.

Kofi Kingston has provided a highlight-reel moment in practically every Rumble match in which he has participated, so expect that trend to continue. We've been conditioned to expect it, so it will probably involve his fellow teammates.

The New Day is always entertaining, but if they aren't holding or challenging for the Smackdown Tag Team Titles, they are a little directionless. They do need a break from the title scene as it has been dominated by the Usos, the Bar and the New Day.

If MizMahon wins the belts off the Bar at the event, however, don't be surprised if we see the New Day thrust right back into the title picture.

WWE relies on the New Day due to their in-ring ability and marketing prowess, so it's likely a matter of when and not if they jump back into the tag title race.

Apollo Crews, Andrade 'Cien' Almas, Baron Corbin

Both Amas and Vega will enter their respective rumble matches
Both Amas and Vega will enter their respective rumble matches

Baron Corbin still has some of the residual heat from his time as interim GM of Raw and is one of the guys who the commentators will build up as a threat to win.

Andrade 'Cien' Almas entered last year's match and received a positive response from the crowd in attendance. He has been losing a lot of matches since his call-up, but has pushed guys like Daniel Bryan, AJ Styles and Rusev to their limits.

If WWE truly wants a 'top Latino star' going forward in order to eventually replace Rey Mysterio, they need to start building Almas up a little bit each month. He has it in the ring but needs Zelina Vega to speak for him.

Apollo Crews has had a mini-push lately, winning the 'Fresh Start Battle Royal' on New Year's Eve. He earned an Intercontinental Championship match the same night, but was ultimately unsuccessful in his bid for the title.

WWE needs to capitalize on his elite athleticism so that he doesn't get bored or discouraged and ask for his release. He's been a team player since his call-up and is a valuable member of the roster.

Bobby Lashley, Dean Ambrose, Drew McIntyre, Elias

Will Ambrose' Intercontinental Title spot help or hurt his chances?
Will Ambrose' Intercontinental Title spot help or hurt his chances?

Simply because of his physical appearance and his placement on the Raw roster, expect Bobby Lashley to have a big run in the match. Vince loves him, and his current feud with Seth Rollins means he's sticking around in the main event scene.

He might even make a final four appearance and could set up a potential Wrestlemania program with whomever he eliminates or whomever eliminates him.

Dean Ambrose holds the Intercontinental Title, but will always be one of the more anticipated superstars to enter the match. He's a main-event player and one of the top heels on Raw at the moment.

Like Lashley, he should have a good run in the match and will probably be in it for a long time if he isn't defending the title earlier on the card.

Drew McIntyre will either be challenging for the gold at Wrestlemania or right after it, depending on who is holding the Universal Championship.

He's one of the true favorites to win the match, and if we go by how he's been booked on Raw, he's one of the top three threats to win the match along with Seth Rollins and John Cena.

Elias has been holding his own lately as a face for the first time in his main roster career. He routinely gets one of the loudest reactions from the crowd and might be one of the key wrestlers to build around in the future.

Mustafa Ali, R Truth, Rey Mysterio

Mustafa Ali has been on fire since joining Smackdown Live
Mustafa Ali has been on fire since joining Smackdown Live

Mustafa Ali has been booked as a near main-event star since he joined Smackdown Live recently. He's had great matches with AJ Styles, Andrade Almas, Daniel Bryan and just about anyone else he gets in the ring with.

He'll be entering his first Rumble match and will probably provide some highlight-reel moments during his match tenure.

R Truth has seen a resurgence in popularity ever since he mistook Maryse and Carmella. It led to a Mixed Match Challenge tournament win as well as higher-profile matches with the likes of the Miz, Daniel Bryan, and Almas.

Since he won the Mixed Match Challenge with Carmella, he holds the coveted #30 spot in the rumble. Will he squander it or could it lead to bigger things?

Rey Mysterio returned in last year's Rumble match and is always welcomed back with open arms. He lasted until the final six before being eliminated by Finn Balor. How will he fare this year?

Finn Balor, Jeff Hardy, Jinder Mahal

Balor should be considered one of the favorites to win the Royal Rumble
Balor should be considered one of the favorites to win the Royal Rumble

Balor was a final four participant and the crowd was clamoring for him to win. Since he didn't, they were at least happy that Shinsuke Nakamura did instead of Roman Reigns again.

Finn is one of the top faces in the WWE and is someone around whom the company can be built along with Seth Rollins.

Jeff Hardy has his longevity in the business despite his high-risk style. Like Mysterio, he'll be a favorite of the fans when he enters and they'll be disappointed when he's eliminated.

Jinder Mahal has dropped down far since he lost the WWE Championship to AJ Styles. He's still a good mid-carder and should have had a longer reign with the US title than he did.

The Superstar Shakeup hurt his potential run with the US Title when he was switched from Smackdown to Raw.

John Cena, , Samoa Joe, Seth Rollins

Cena returned from his break from WWE in order to announce his entrance in the Rumble
Cena returned from his break from WWE in order to announce his entrance in the Rumble

John Cena declared his intention on having a title match at Wrestlemania 35 by announcing his involvement in the Royal Rumble on this week's Raw.

If Cena is in the rumble match, he has to be considered a threat to win it all. WWE still wants to pull the trigger on his inevitable 17th title win, and a Rumble win is an easy way to do it.

But since he's basically bulletproof, he can simply just declare his intentions on an upcoming episode of either Raw or Smackdown. Someone new should win the match, and perhaps it will be... Seth Rollins.

Rollins is one of the favorites both sentimentally and logically to win the 2019 Royal Rumble. He's been positioned as the top face on Raw and routinely has 'matches of the night'. If Brock Lesnar is holding the belt in April, it will probably Rollins who wrests it off of Lesnar's shoulders.

He's already a made-man but hasn't won a Rumble match yet. If WWE wants to strike while the iron is hot, he'll be the last man standing in Arizona on January 27.

Samoa Joe is always treated like a threat and he will be entering his first Royal Rumble match. Joe is constantly hovering around the main event of either show he's on, but has routinely faltered in matches for the title. Could things turn around for Joe in this year's Rumble?

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