5 surprise Royal Rumble winners that would help WWE solidify the 'New Era' promise

When the McMahons returned to Raw in order to address the recent troubles on the show, they promised both the wrestlers and the WWE Universe a lot of things. One thing they promised was that several superstars who hadn't been getting opportunities would now be getting some opportunities.

While that sounds great in theory, it only means something if a wrestler who hasn't been in the main event now gets there and/or wins a major title. Promising change and following through with it are two completely different things. If the same men and women are always the ones in the title picture, then it was an empty promise.

While it is necessary for some superstars to remain at the highest level on either Raw or Smackdown, new wrestlers need to be added and maintained in order to keep the main-event scene from being stagnant.

If WWE truly meant what they said on that episode of Raw, then having a surprise winner take home the Royal Rumble victory would be a huge way to show the fans it wasn't an empty promise.

By having a former winner or a part-time superstar triumph in the Rumble, it would only show us that they were blowing smoke in our faces in order to stem the tide of the sinking ship of Raw's ratings.

Here are five possible winners of the male Rumble match that would help give some credence to the McMahons' claims that things would be changing for the better in 2019. They likely won't win, but stranger things have happened.

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5. Big E

Big E has the most potential as a huge singles' star when and if the New Day splits up

Several reports, including one from Comicbook.com recently stated that Mr. McMahon has considered breaking up the New Day in the new year.

It would help freshen up all three wrestlers as well as provide them with potential singles pushes in the future. Kofi Kingston has already had decent success as a singles star but has never been considered a main-event level superstar. Xavier Woods is a good supporting character or member of a tag team. He's the one who has been helped the most by the New Day pairing and he's the one who would suffer the most if the team split up.

He would be a good mouthpiece for anyone needing one, but Big E wouldn't need one if the group split up. He's hilarious on the mic and has always been favored by Vince McMahon due to his power-lifting background and muscular physique.

Should the group disband in any fashion, he would be the one who would have the most potential as a singles star. He was never tested out in the main event, but Smackdown is in need of credible main-event babyfaces.

Big E could help fill that void and it would be a huge and positive surprise if Big E was to win the Royal Rumble. He's a believable threat to do so, and having an African-American WWE Champion is long overdue in the WWE.

Mr. E could be that man to help truly bring the WWE into the 'New Era', and a match for the WWE Championship or Universal Championship at Wrestlemania 35 would be historic.

We all know how much WWE likes to 'create history' but this time wouldn't simply be for history's sake.

4. Rusev

While booed in previous rumbles, if Rusev won the 2019 Rumble, the cheers would be deafening

Although he's the current United States Champion, the shelf-life of the US Champion hasn't been more than a few months lately. How long will he hold the belt, and will he drop it back to Shinsuke Nakamura in the inevitable rematch?

Whatever happens regarding the US Title, Rusev is someone that the WWE Universe is clearly behind. While it's nice that the WWE noticed that and gave him a few title shots, a United States Championship run might not be enough.

Rusev has proven that he can hang with all types of wrestlers and all types of styles. If they need to push someone in the 'New Era' who hasn't been a consistent main-event player, then look no further than Rusev.

While he did get over organically on his own with the 'Rusev Day' gimmick, WWE often doesn't like that. But when the constant crowd cheers become too loud to ignore, perhaps they should position him as a main event threat permanently.

Like I mentioned on the previous slide, Smackdown needs more credible babyfaces in the main event. Having Rey Mysterio or Jeff Hardy win the WWE Championship would just be a step backwards and a true sign that the 'New Era' promises were all false.

If Rusev were to triumph in the Rumble match, it would be refreshing for the crowd. It would provide us with another new winner like Shinsuke Nakamura and it would be cathartic for the man himself who has had to work hard since being punished for simply getting engaged a few years ago.

3. Mustafa Ali

The ascension of Mustafa Ali would continue if he was a surprise winner of the Royal Rumble

The rise of Mustafa Ali to major player on Smackdown has been fun to watch. He was immediately one of my favorite wrestlers when I watched the Cruiserweight Classic.

While he started out as a heel, the WWE did the right thing by turning him into a face. His style is indicative of a face, like Seth Rollins, and he's a great guy in real life as well.

His current booking has had him in main-event level matches and even winning some. One way for WWE to truly cement the 'New Era' claims would be to follow through on Ali's current push by having him win the Royal Rumble.

It probably won't happen, but Ali is everything they should push in superstars - in great shape, highly athletic, great in-ring worker, hard working and a good guy.

What better way to follow through on their promises than to have a guy who used to be on 205 Live win a Rumble?

2. Andrade Almas

Andrade Almas stands tall with Zelina Vega

Andrade "Cien" Almas has delivered in every match he's had on Smackdown since his promotion from NXT. While he's yet to win a title yet or make a huge mark, he seems primed for the main-event.

WWE desperately wants a new Latino star around which they can market, and although his English needs work, Almas could be that star.

He can clearly be counted on for more than just 'guy who loses to AJ Styles and Daniel Bryan' and he needs to be able to string together wins so that he doesn't lose interest in his WWE run.

Almas is a guy that hardcore fans will cheer for no matter his allegiance, but a huge surprise win in the Royal Rumble would help propel him to stardom.

It did take him some time to find his footing in NXT, so perhaps he still needs to adjust to the main roster of WWE. It doesn't appear as much, but you never know.

1. Elias

Will the cheers for Elias ever amount to a big push?

Elias is a guy who seems to be ready for mega-stardom, but who WWE is seemingly reluctant to truly push hard. He clearly is super over with the live crowds, and was even so when he was a heel.

Like Almas, he had trouble initially finding his niche in both NXT and on the main roster, but between those levels, something just clicked with him. His simple gimmick of insulting the cities WWE was in was easy to love or hate but it was effective in practice nonetheless.

Even though it seemed he was simply a gimmick, it's an effective one. He's also actually a pretty talented worker who is both strong and explosive in the ring.

If anyone on this list were to embody the 'New Era' promise, it would be Elias. They wouldn't lose much by pushing him since he's already hugely popular and given freedom with his promos.

Imagine the thunderous reaction if he was the last man standing on January 27th in Arizona. If he won, he could truly claim that WWE stands for 'Walk With Elias'.