WWE Royal Rumble 2017: 10 surprise entrants we would love to see

#3 Tyler Bate

A Rumble appearance by the WWE UK champion would give WWE’s new show plenty of exposure

This one might not get as big of a fan reaction as some of the other entries on this list, but it would be interesting either way. Tyler Bate is the winner of the WWE United Kingdom championship tournament.

He defeated Pete Dunne in the finals and is poised to lead the way on WWE’s new weekly United Kingdom show. So what business would Bate have entering the Royal Rumble? One word: Exposure.

WWE has yet to announce the premiere date for their new UK show. In fact, they haven’t even announced the name yet. But with the tournament in the books, one has to assume all of that will be revealed very soon. And when it is, WWE is going to want as many eyes on the show as possible.

What better way to do that than putting the show’s champion in the Royal Rumble for all to see?

There’s no question that the UK show is going to appeal to a very niche audience. Much like NXT, it is likely going to appeal to an older audience who doesn’t care much for the PG product you might see on Raw or SmackDown.

But that doesn’t mean WWE can’t try to reel in a few of their casual fans by at least making them aware that the show exists.

It hasn’t gotten much publicity on Raw or SmackDown, so this could be the ideal way to give the show the boost it needs before it premiers. Have Bate enter the Rumble, show he’s the real deal by hanging around for a while, and make fans want to see him more often.