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Surprise entrants – The USP of the Royal Rumble matchIt’s become a yearly tradition in WWE to have a handful of surprise entrants enter the annual Royal Rumble match.Usually, the surprise ends up being someone from the past, however, this year, we could end up seeing some new faces debut in WWE during the Rumble match. As of right now, there are only a few current WWE superstars who have been announced as participants in the Rumble match, which leaves a lot of room for surprise entrants.Most of the superstars who have been announced are guys who pretty much have no shot at winning the match, and it’s likely that none of the surprise entrants will win the match either, as WWE is likely planning on having Roman Reigns win for the second year in a row.
#10 Kurt Angle
Kurt Angle is in the midst of wrapping up his retirement tour with TNA wrestling.
But, just because it’s called a retirement tour, doesn’t mean that the ex-WWE star is hanging up his boots and singlet for good. The idea of Angle returning to WWE at the Royal Rumble does seem far-fetched, but hey, stranger things have happened.
#9 Sting
Sting hasn’t wrestled since this past September, where he was badly injured at the hands of Seth Rollins.
There is a big chance that Sting will never wrestle again due to his age, and the severity of his neck injury. But if he does, he could very well end up being a surprise entrant in the 2016 Royal Rumble match. The WCW legend is the first inductee in the Hall Of Fame class of 2016 and having the Icon in the match would be a great way to hype up the honor he is set to receive.
And also, the interactions of Sting with other stars in the match would be intriguing to watch.
#8 Daniel Bryan
Daniel Bryan has been out of action due to concussion issues for nearly a year, and WWE has been very hesitant to clear him.
However, he is scheduled to meet with WWE’s head of medical – Dr. Joseph Maroon – this week, so he may end up being cleared to return, which could mean he’ll get a spot in the Royal Rumble match.
There’s also a chance that, even if Dr. Maroon clears Bryan, WWE won’t allow the former WWE champion to return until after WrestleMania, due to them fearing that he’ll overshadow their main-event plans.
#7 Road Dogg
Road Dogg is currently working with WWE as a producer, so he’s at all of the events, which could mean that WWE could ask him to suit up, and get in the ring at the Royal Rumble.
Apart from the new faces that are needed in a Royal Rumble match, the nostalgic veterans also hold great importance in amping up the impact of the match. After Billy Gunn was kicked out due to a failed drug test, Road Dogg is on his own and a potential entrance in the Rumble match could very well be on the cards.
#6 Samoa Joe
Samoa Joe is clearly ready for the main roster. In fact, he was ready for the main roster before he even stepped foot in NXT. But, as of right now, WWE doesn’t want him on the main roster.
But, that doesn’t include a one-off appearance at the Royal Rumble. An established name in the pro wrestling business, Samoa Joe deserves a spot in the Rumble match and if his music does end up playing this Sunday, expect the IWC to go completely nuts.
#5 The Undertaker
The Undertaker last wrestled back in November, where he and his brother Kane defeated the Wyatt Family.
It’s been rumored ever since then that he would return at the Royal Rumble as a surprise entrant, and possibly win it. With the WWE World Heavyweight Championship being on the line in the match, it doesn’t seem likely that The Undertaker will end up winning the 30-man match on Sunday.
It’s that time of the year when Undertaker returns for the customary WrestleMania match and the initial build up could very well happen at the Rumble, that is if the Deadman shows up. He could get eliminated by the star he would face at the show of shows and could set things up nicely for the weeks leading up to WrestleMania.
#4 Sami Zayn
Sami Zayn made his WWE main roster debut back in April after he accepted John Cena’s US open challenge. During his entrance, Zayn blew out his shoulder, forcing him to miss several months of action.
Zayn accepting Cena’s open challenge was supposed to be his official call-up to the main roster, however, due to injury, WWE called up Kevin Owens to replace him. Also, in storyline, Zayn’s injury was caused by Kevin Owens.
So, maybe Zayn will be a surprise in the Royal Rumble, and end up eliminating Owens to get his revenge.
#3 Finn Balor
Finn Balor is currently the NXT champion, so, why not go for some more gold, and try to become the first ever man to hold the NXT and WWE world heavyweight titles?
Balor has been rumored to be a possible surprise at the Royal Rumble, and if he is, it’s likely that he’ll get a huge response from the crowd in Orlando. Vince McMahon also feels Balor is ready for the main roster jump, but Triple H thinks otherwise, as Balor’s exclusion from the NXT roster could hurt the budding product according to Hunter.
#2 Triple H
Following Roman Reigns completely destroying Triple H at the WWE TLC show in December, Vince McMahon warned Reigns that Triple H would be coming for revenge, and when he did, Reigns wouldn’t see it coming.
So that could possibly be at this Sunday’s Royal Rumble.
From a storyline point of view, Triple H has to enter the Rumble and confront Reigns and set up a match for either, Fastlane or WrestleMania 32. With Reigns starting off the match as the first entrant, and with Brock Lesnar also in the scheme of things, WWE has its hands full when it comes to booking the Game.
#1 AJ Styles
AJ Styles told New Japan Pro Wrestling earlier this month that he was heading to WWE, and since then, he’s strongly hinted that he’ll be in the Royal Rumble match this coming Sunday night in Orlando, Florida, which is the home-base of TNA, in which Styles was the face of for so many years.
The reports have gathered steam after Styles revealed he was ‘available’ on Rumble night to make the much-anticipated appearance. Furthermore, John Cena posted an image of AJ Styles on Instagram, which pretty much confirms something big being in the works.
