All 10 WWE NXT stars who entered the Men's Royal Rumble Match: Where are they now? 

Several Royal Rumble surprises have come from NXT.
Several Royal Rumble surprises have come from NXT.

#8 Sami Zayn (WWE Royal Rumble 2016)

The difference between Sami Zayn at Royal Rumble 2016 and Sami Zayn now couldn't be wider. In 2016, the former NXT Champion was a surprise entrant in the Royal Rumble Match and eliminated his eternal enemy, Kevin Owens. Zayn had an excellent multi-show feud with Owens later that year.

He struggled to get going in WWE after that feud until he turned into a whiny heel. It took Zayn a while to find his footing in the role but once he got there, he's been brilliant. Sami Zayn is perfect as SmackDown's resident conspiracy theorist. He even recently had an enjoyable run as Intercontinental Champion.


#7 Tye Dillinger (WWE Royal Rumble 2017)

WWE rather appropriately booked Tye Dillinger as the 10th entrant in the 2017 Royal Rumble Match, thanks to his 'Perfect Ten' gimmick. He debuted on the main roster on the SmackDown after WrestleMania 33. However, Dillinger's WWE career barely took off and he remained on the undercard.

He ended up leaving the company in 2019. Dillinger, now known as Shawn Spears, joined AEW and was initially a big deal as Cody Rhodes' opponent. However, his run hasn't gone all too well. Spears has walked away from AEW as part of his latest storyline, saying that come back if he 'feels like it'.

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Edited by Kaushik Das
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