It’s January and that can mean only one thing for WWE fans. It’s almost that time of the year – time for the Royal Rumble. As always, intrigue surrounds this year’s Rumble with speculation running rampant about potential debuts, returns and call-ups from NXT. Who’s turn could it be this year, to get a shot at headlining ‘Mania? The stakes are high as always with many Superstars looking at the Rumble as a means of impressing early on in the year.
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The 2017 Royal Rumble will also be the first Rumble since the brand split, which adds an added layer of intrigue to this year’s event. Which brand will leave the Rumble with bragging rights? Also, any potential debuts will have to later reveal which brand they will be a part of, which adds intrigue of it’s own.
Early betting odds for the Rumble are out already and everyone seems to have their own theory about who’s going to win – from rumours of Braun Strowman winning to Goldberg.
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Last year’s Rumble saw the biggest Royal Rumble surprise that we’ve gotten this decade with the ‘Phenomenal’ AJ Styles finally making his WWE. What surprises could the 2017 Rumble hold for us?
10: Tye Dillinger
Who better to start off this list at #10 then the “Perfect 10” himself, Tye Dillinger. Dillinger had a great 2016, going from being glorified enhancement talent to getting truly recognized for the great work that he’d been doing and having a small brush with the NXT main event scene near the end of the year – not to mention his stellar match against Bobby Roode at NXT TakeOver: Toronto.
Dillinger’s “Ten” chants hijacked Survivor Series weekend and still continues on the main roster. This seems like the perfect time, no pun intended, to have Dillinger debut at the #10 slot in the Royal Rumble. Dillinger can debut at the Rumble and go back to NXT till after Wrestlemania 33, having his NXT farewell at NXT TakeOver: San Antonio.
A brand like SmackDown Live could use Dillinger as a solid midcarder.
9: Shaq
Another possible surprise entrant for the Royal Rumble is NBA legend Shaquille O’ Neal who will probably be facing the Big Show at Wrestlemania 33 in a match that no one is particularly excited about. Shaq made a surprise appearance at the Andre The Giant Memorial Battle Royal at Wrestlemania 32 and with his match with Show at Wrestlemania 33 in the pipeline, WWE could bring out Shaq as a surprise entrant at the Rumble.
It would be a chance to possibly build up his match with the Big Show (if Big Show takes part in the Royal Rumble match) or give Shaq a little time inside the WWE ring ahead of ‘Mania.
WWE love surprises at the Rumble and having Shaq come out seems like a no-brainer.
8: Shelton Benjamin
Shelton Benjamin was supposed to return to WWE right after last year’s brand split only for him to learn that he had a torn rotator cuff during his WWE physical. Benjamin went on to have surgery and his WWE return was put on hold.
However, the “Gold Standard” could finally make his WWE return as a surprise entrant for this year’s Royal Rumble. Benjamin spent 8 years in the WWE before leaving in 2010 and is a former 2-time Tag-Team Champion and a 3-time Intercontinental Champion.
Benjamin’s return would add another solid midcarder to WWE’s roster as well as a huge pop at the Rumble for a man who was a fan favourite during his last WWE run.
7: Diamond Dallas Page
According to the rumours, Diamond Dallas Page is almost certain to be inducted in the WWE Hall Of Fame this year. With that being said, it would a great time to have Page come out at the Rumble as a surprise entrant.
Page deserves to be in the WWE Hall of Fame for both his in-ring achievements and everything he has done for the business outside the ring. WWE almost always has one or two legends return at the Rumble and having Page come out and deliver a couple of Diamond Cutter’s could be the perfect choice this year.
6: Samoa Joe
The rumours of Samoa Joe debuting on the main roster have been doing the rounds since he first lost the NXT Championship to Shinsuke Nakamura at NXT TakeOver: Brooklyn II last August. It’s now January, 2017 and it finally looks like Joe is set to be called-up to the main roster.
Although there have been rumours of Joe interfereing in the WWE World Title match between AJ Styles and John Cena, it is much more likely that Joe will make his main roster debut as a surprise entrant in the 2017 Royal Rumble. Could Joe, the former 2-time NXT Champion, create an immediate impact and win the whole thing? We’ll just have to wait and watch.
5: Triple H
Triple H was last seen on Raw when he cost Seth Rollins the WWE Universal Championship. ‘The Game’ came out of the crowd during the Fatal-4-Way elimination match for the WWE Universal Championship on Raw. HHH took out Roman Reigns before turning on Seth Rollins to help Owens win the Universal Championship.
HHH has been conspicuously absent from Raw programming since then even though Seth Rollins has repeatedly called him out. Triple H won the 2016 Royal Rumble after a surprise return and counting ‘The Game’ out from making another surprise appearance at this year’s Rumble would be ludicrous. There’s a good chance that Triple H will be in the Royal Rumble and could eliminate Rollins to set up their Wrestlemania 33 match.
4: Kurt Angle
Kurt Angle is one of the greatest WWE Superstars of all time. A former Olympic gold medalist and a former 5-time WWE world champion, Angle left the WWE in 2006 stating health reasons as the factor behind his departure.
Angle himself has spoken recently about being open to a WWE return, not to mention rumours of WWE opening talks with him for a possible return. All these factors take into concern, Angle making a surprise appearance at the Royal Rumble is definitely a possibility and no longer just a pipe-dream.
The only thing seemingly standing in the way on a Rumble return for Angle in time. Angle will return to WWE in 2017 but whether or not it will be at the Royal Rumble remains the question.
3: Shinsuke Nakamura
Of all the surprise call-ups from NXT, the one that excites the most (Samoa Joe will disagree) is the surprise main-roster debut of the current NXT Champion, Shinsuke Nakamura.
Nakamura will face Bobby Roode at NXT TakeOver: San Antonio for the NXT Championship on the night before the Royal Rumble. Regardless of whether he retains, a main roster debut should be on the cards for him on the following night.
Nakamura is one of the best wrestlers on the planet today and at the age of 36, it’s high time that he comes up to the main roster and the Royal Rumble would be the perfect opportunity to introduce the former IWGP Heavyweight Champion to casual WWE fans.
Nakamura has the charisma, ability and experience to immediately enter the main event scene on whichever brand, Raw or SD Live, he ends up on.
2: Finn Balor
Finn Balor won the WWE Universal Championship in his first WWE PPV match at Summerslam against Seth Rollins. He injured his shoulder on the same night and had to vacate the championship on Raw, the night after.
Finn underwent surgery to his shoulder and it is unclear whether ‘The Demon’ will be fit in time for the Royal Rumble even though there have been rumours of him making a return at the Rumble and winning the whole thing.
Will Balor be fit enough in time for the Royal Rumble? It’s hard to answer that question with the information we have right now. But, if Balor does pass a late fitness test, WWE would be sure to include him in the Rumble. If he returns and wins the whole thing, even better.
1: Kenny Omega
The pro wrestling world has been abuzz since Kenny Omega’s cryptic Tweet about leaving Japan just a few days after Wrestle Kingdom 11. Things took an even more interesting turn a few days later when John Cena posted a picture of Omega on his Instagram.
Cena had also posted a photo of AJ Styles last year, before Styles’ debut at the 2016 Royal Rumble. Obviously, this led to speculation that Omega’s arrival in WWE was imminent.
Omega is one of the best in the world today and if WWE are indeed on the verge of signing him, a Rumble debut would be the best possible option for ‘The Cleaner’, barring contractual obligations of course.
If Omega does debut at the Alamodome, expect the roof to come off the place.
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