Royal Rumble runner-up should have been surprise entrant instead of Gunther, WWE legend says

WWE Hall of Famer Bully Ray (aka Bubba Ray Dudley) would have booked the conclusion of Cody Rhodes' Royal Rumble win differently.

The first entrant in the 30-man match, Gunther, finished as the runner-up after a lengthy battle with Rhodes, who entered the contest last. Had Bully Ray been part of the creative team, he would have booked surprise entrant Logan Paul in the runner-up spot instead of Gunther.

On Busted Open, the WWE legend explained that Rhodes would have received an even bigger babyface reaction if he eliminated Paul at the end:

"If Logan Paul eliminates Gunther, I don't think that takes anything away from Gunther because he still would have been in there for like an hour," Bully Ray said. "But, man, people would have been booing the hell out of Logan Paul, and then Cody eliminates Logan Paul."

Rhodes threw Logan over the top rope in the closing stages of the match. He then battled Gunther for more than seven minutes before finally eliminating the Austrian.

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Cody Rhodes, Gunther, and Logan Paul put on an impressive performance at the Royal Rumble

After a seven-month absence, Cody Rhodes eliminated five men en route to winning the Royal Rumble for the first time. He will apparently challenge for at least one WWE world title at WrestleMania 39 on April 1-2.

Gunther also emerged from the Royal Rumble with a lot of credit. He spent an hour, 11 minutes, and 40 seconds in the match, setting a new 30-person Rumble record.

Logan Paul was also involved in a high-profile moment towards the end of the match. The 27-year-old collided with Ricochet in mid-air after both men leaped from the top rope on opposite sides of the ring.

Bully Ray was critical of the way Rhodes reacted to the feat of athleticism. He felt that The American Nightmare should have waited longer than 26 seconds before picking Ricochet up from the mat.

Should Logan Paul have been the runner-up? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below.

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Please credit Busted Open and give a H/T to Sportskeeda Wrestling for the transcription if you use quotes from this article.