WWE Royal Rumble 2016: 10 surprise entrants we would love to see

PipeBombA plethora of things is exciting about Royal Rumble. Ranking them would be nearly impossible, but one thing that we always enjoy is the surprise entrances. The match is designed in such a way to make the fans pop every 90 seconds and this year, and the intensity of this pop is guaranteed to double if the entrant is a returning superstar.Everyone in WWE and the WWE Universe is well aware of this fact and this is why we could expect some interesting names in the 2016 Royal Rumble match. With that said, here is a look at some of the superstars that we would love to see at the Rumble.And for the record, this list excludes John Cena and Brock Lesnar as the surprise factor will be less if they enter.

#12 Honorable Mention: Corey Graves

WWE has a habit of introducing commentators into the Royal Rumble match. We’ve seen the likes of JBL, Booker T, and Jerry Lawler make get their share of the Royal Rumble action and now, they could do the same with Corey Graves.

The difference, however, will be the story of Corey. He was a promising superstar that had immense potential but injury cut his career short.

Corey would have dreamed of working the Royal Rumble match at one point and if WWE could let him live that dream, the fans are going to love it. He will be protected physically as well, making it a win-win situation for everyone involved.

#11 Undertaker

Undertaker coming in as a participant at the Royal Rumble is going to be a sure shot headline maker. We have not seen him since his Survivor Series bout alongside Kane but WWE will definetly book the dead man for WrestleMania. The details of the same are not available for us right now, but Taker is going to be involved in some big angle.

So why cannot this big angle involve the WWE championship? Undertaker winning the Royal Rumble and going on to headline WrestleMania will be an exciting prospect. Also, Taker could put over Reigns perfectly if he is given the proper chance and the proper stage.

#10 Chris Jericho

Chris Jericho’s on and off appearances have always managed to capture the attention of WWE fans. He has a string of surprise returns in his resume and Jericho could add one more if he shows up at Royal Rumble.

The experience factor of Jericho is something that WWE could make use of in the Rumble match.

In addition, he could spark off a feud with someone in the roster, which could in turn help WWE to book a WrestleMania match. The frontrunners to feud with Jericho would be Dean Ambrose, Tyler Breeze or even Kevin Owens, in case WWE gives the feud some importance and a whole lot of microphone time.

#9 Daniel Bryan

If it were not for the injury of Daniel Bryan, the WWE landscape would have been a different one right now. In fact, WWE would not have been in such trouble if Bryan was healthy. His return dates and status are still a clouded mystery but that might not stop WWE from letting him appear at Royal Rumble.

If Bryan manages to convince the WWE officials, he will get in there and he will perform.

Just like we saw with Corey Graves in the earlier slide, Bryan could be protected due to the design of the match. If Bryan is indeed fully fit, WWE could let him be a major figure throughout the match or even choose him as the winner.

#8 Hardy Boyz

The New Day does not have any more teams to defeat. They were rubbing this fact into the face of every tag team out there. This whole scenario will take an interesting turn if the Hardy Boyz makes a return.

If New Day is not ready to take on the Hardy Boyz, WWE could always book another Dudleys vs. Hardys match.

The two teams did have few exchanges in Twitter lately and all of it indicated towards an imminent clash between them. Royal Rumble provides the best stage for a return and hopefully WWE and the brothers would agree to some kind of deal soon.

#7 Baron Corbin

I could have included any NXT superstar in here. I could have put Hideo Itami, Finn Balor, Samoa Joe or even the charismatic Chad Gable, but all these superstars don’t need their negatives to be hidden.

This is because they only have a few negatives. Corbin, on the other hand, has a different story.

Although he is on rampage down in NXT, there are still a lot of things that he needs to improve. He has the potential to be a solid superstar but he needs experience and a truckload of it. Letting him enter the Royal Rumble is one way to solve the problem.

WWE could assess how good he is on the big stage and Corbin could earn some priceless experience as well.

#6 Sting

Just like the Undertaker, Sting’s entrance will break the Internet. The Icon has been suffering from numerous injuries after his match with Seth Rollins, but that does not give us freedom to count him out.

He still has some gas left in him and since Sting has never appeared in a Royal Rumble match, WWE might just give him a chance to shine under the limelight.

Sting need not go all the way and win the Rumble match, but he could make a good last-four member. The one eliminating Sting will get some good momentum which WWE could make use of, heading to WrestleMania.

#5 The Rock

Cousin vs. Cousin, The Samoan Superman vs. The Brahma Bull, Roman Reigns vs. The Rock. All of this sounds great. A Rock vs. Roman Reigns match is mainstream gold. They are bound to get wide coverage and all of it could start at Royal Rumble.

Rock could enter last and go on to win the Rumble match, and set up a bout with his cousin.

The problem, however, is predictability. The fans will tag Rock as a part-timer and probably jeer him when he wins. Secondly, everyone knows that Rock is not going to stick around. So the WrestleMania match will be predictable.

#4 Rey Mysterio

Lucha Underground recently announced the signing of Rey Mysterio. But this does not rule out a WWE return completely. Alberto Del Rio was working in AAA when WWE snatched him and similar thing could happen with the Master of 619 as well.

With the likes of Kalisto and Sin Cara getting some positive reaction, bringing back Rey would help WWE set up a dream match between Kalisto and Rey.

Despite his long absence, Rey is still a bankable superstar and his merchandize sales will also help WWE on their Road to WrestleMania. But then again, Rey’s return is a long shot on different levels.

#3 Rob Van Dam

Rob Van Dam still has one more spell under his arsenal. With Team ECW looking all set to stay until WrestleMania, the addition of Rob Van Dam into the WWE roster will benefit everyone. He is miles away from his prime, but RVD has many tricks up his sleeve.

If WWE doesn’t want RVD to hang out with his old ECW buddies, he could be put into a singles feud just like the possibilities with Chris Jericho. The youngsters could get some good experience working with a veteran like Rob Van Dam and WWE needs to put this fact into good use if indeed Van Dam is going to make a return.

#2 Honorable Mention before the top guy: CM Punk

Do you want CM Punk back in WWE? Even if you no, in some deep dark corner of your mind, you are still wishing to see him back. He is preparing himself for his UFC debut and the chances of Punk showing up at Royal Rumble are below zero, but the best part about wrestling is: we never say never.

#1 Kurt Angle

Kurt Angle recently announced that he was going to retire from the sport. We have all the reasons to believe him, but the problem with professional wrestling is, we cannot always set apart kayfabe and reality.

Now that Angle announced his retirement, he is one of the least expected superstars to show up at Royal Rumble or even WWE for that matter.

This sets up the stage perfectly for a great return from the Olympic Gold Medalist. Angle deserves to retire on a grand stage and this will be possible if he returns to WWE at Royal Rumble as a surprise entrant.

He could stick around till WrestleMania and have a farewell match at the pay-per-view.

Bayley gives us a HUGE update on a top Superstar's upcoming return RIGHT HERE.