With life giving us our share of surprises, let's hope the Rumble provides some pleasant ones.
As a kid, my sister and I would turn watching The Royal Rumble into a game, guessing who the entrants would be as the countdown clock ticked down. Pretty basic, but it was just something to add extra drama to the event. At viewing parties, many fans today have upped the stakes, putting money on the Rumble in a modified football pool.
Next to WrestleMania, The Royal Rumble is one of the most anticipated and popular events WWE has. The marquee match is simple to follow. The 30-man rumble starts with 2 wrestlers, as every 90 seconds (sometimes 2 minutes), a new competitor enters the ring. Wrestlers are eliminated by being tossed over the top rope, with their feet hitting the floor, and the last person standing wins.
With the 2017 version taking place next week, we pulled some names out of a hat as to which surprise participants will be involved. Some of these picks might currently be on the injured reserve list, not on the active roster, or haven’t been seen in wrestling for years. Doing my best Jim Ross impression, join me in yelling out “BAH GAWD!” for these five entrants we hope to see this year.
Samoa Joe
This would be a shocker if it didn’t happen. By all accounts, Samoa Joe’s time in NXT is just about up. After bitter feuds with both Finn Bálor and Shinsuke Nakamura and winning the NXT Championship twice, there’s nothing left for him to do down in the developmental brand. He’s helped build NXT while serving as a bridge between the reigns of Finn and Nakamura. At 37 years old, this veteran is ready to finally make his mark on the main roster.
Rumors have been linking him to Smackdown, but regardless on which show he ends up, The Royal Rumble would be the perfect spotlight for his arrival to WWE. Similar to AJ Styles’ big debut moment last year, hardcore fans would lose their minds hearing Joe’s theme song as he walks out. To make that Rumble highlight even better, he could walk right up to a big star like Goldberg, Brock Lesnar or The Undertaker and pick a fight as soon as he enters the ring!
Outlook: 99%. Chances are high for Joe to debut.
