6 WWE Superstars who were eliminated too soon in the Royal Rumble

#4 Matt Riddle

Matt Riddle

One of the Superstars who had an especially disappointing appearance at the WWE Royal Rumble was the 'Ultimate Bro' Matt Riddle. Riddle entered the Royal Rumble at #23 and dished out a number of kicks to Edge and Baron Corbin amongst others.

Riddle then got a little more offense out before Baron Corbin grabbed him by the neck and tossed him over the top rope without much fanfare.

For someone of Riddle's caliber, who has impressed in NXT and did similarly with his performance at Survivor Series, this came as a disappointing surprise.

Before the Royal Rumble, there were rumors of a backstage bust-up between Riddle and 'The Beast' Brock Lesnar. We don't know if this had anything to do with how Riddle was booked. This was reported by Pro Wrestling Sheet. Here's what their report said:

Pro Wrestling Sheet has learned Brock Lesnar and Matt Riddle got into a backstage verbal altercation prior to Royal Rumble.

Details are scarce at this time, but sources tell us Lesnar and Riddle passed each other while walking backstage and a tense encounter ensued. One source says Brock saw Matt and wanted him to know the reality of the situation between them.