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The Royal Rumble is the beginning of the highly anticipated road to Wrestlemania. The Royal Rumble match itself is usually well received as the winners etch their names in the WWE history. It is also a demonstration of the company's belief in a particular individual and how it wants to shape its biggest show of the year.
Having said this, not every Royal Rumble has gone as per plan. There have been instances over the last few years where the crowd has turned on the winner, forcing WrestleMania plans to change drastically. Think Batista winning the Royal Rumble at Daniel Bryan's expense.
With that being said, there is no question that WWE needs to look handle certain Superstars with care. Here are five of them.
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#5 Rusev
Rusev has seen his popularity surge over the last few months. His non-inclusion in the US Title tournament was a surprise. It could either be a sign that he has been relegated lower than Aiden English, or creative could potentially have bigger things in store.
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His popularity certainly rivals that of anyone on the roster. Everything from his "Happy Rusev Day" merchandise to his rendition of "Lana Number One" is resonating with the fans. At this moment, he can do no wrong. His elimination, if handled incorrectly, could spawn resentment among the fans. WWE creative needs to ensure that they have a well-defined role for the Bulgarian at the January extravaganza, or they could see a repeat of the Roman Reigns or Batista incident.
#4 Baron Corbin
Baron Corbin has had a mixed ride in the WWE. As a Money in the Bank winner, he was seemingly destined to be the WWE champion. His performance in the Elimination Chamber, which Bray Wyatt won, saw him dominate his opponents, and he looked like a legitimate threat to the WWE Champion.
Fans were buying his rise and he had a lot going for him. But his momentum was seemingly derailed when he squandered the Money in the Bank contract. Rumors of backstage heat followed. This turned out to be short-lived as he ended up defeating AJ Styles for the United States Championship.
Dropping the title to Dolph Ziggler theoretically frees him up for bigger things. He is one of the young members of the WWE roster who can potentially be pegged in the main event and upper mid-card segment in the future. He has already proved he belongs. Squandering Corbin at the Royal Rumble could end up permanently endangering his long-term prospects. WWE needs to ensure he has a prominent role in the event and has to make him look strong even in elimination.
#3 Shinsuke Nakamura
There was a lot of hype behind Shinsuke Nakamura's main roster debut. Big things were expected of him. While he was thrust into the main event scene relatively early, it never felt like he belonged there. After his challenge for the WWE Title ended in a loss, he was thrown into a meaningless tag team with Randy Orton. It is safe to say that his stint has been lacklustre. We haven't witnessed the full potential of what he can achieve. He hasn't been granted a proper feud nor a strong storyline.
The Royal Rumble match can provide plenty of opportunities for Shinsuke Nakamura to showcase his strong style abilities. Dream opponents, trademark strikes, big spots, a start to a big rivalry, everything can fall into place leading up to a big match at WrestleMania. His potential start power is too big for the WWE to screw it up in the Royal Rumble. Hopefully, it is the beginning of a structured run for the Japanese Superstar.
#2 Finn Balor and the Club
Finn Balor, as well as the Club, had a good start in the WWE. For varying reasons, both have lost the momentum of late. Finn Balor owing to the injury and the Club have just got lost in the shuffle. Their union, while delayed, is great news for all parties involved. The Club proved to be a valuable asset for AJ Styles as he was rising through the ranks in the WWE.
With the Shield reunion plans nixed by Dean Ambrose injury, the Club is potentially poised to be the dominant faction on WWE Raw. The Royal Rumble would be a great opportunity to showcase the Club's dominance. It could be the start of a dominating run for all parties involved. The WWE can ill afford to miss this opportunity.
#1 Dolph Ziggler
Dolph Ziggler's career has seen so many false pushes and starts and stops that it was difficult for even the most die-hard fan to think that he can have a serious main event run any more. He seemed destined to be a workhorse forever. His age was definitely not doing him any favours. Even his latest character arc, although seemingly with a lot of potentials, seemed to be dragging on and on without any payback.
In the spate of two nights, everything changed. He won the US Title, and then he walked out. His status has been in limbo ever since. There is an eagerness among the fans on his next move. An eagerness that possibly hasn't ever been seen for his characters.
If he makes a return at the Royal Rumble, he is bound to have one of the biggest pops of the night. The fans would anticipate a major payoff for the return. Possibly even at the cost of established stars such as Randy Orton and John Cena. For a change, it is the Showoff that needs people to stomp over on his way to greatness. We just hope WWE doesn't continue their trend of false promises with Ziggler. This could be his last, yet greatest run as the top guy in the WWE.
