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Sure, the rumor is out and Roman Reigns is touted to win the first PPV of the new year. The Royal Rumble is arguably the most awaited PPV given the amount of surprises it can pull off. The concept of having superstars make their way to the ring one by one raises the excitement of whose theme song is going to ring in next. And it all boils down to whos going to win it and for the most part main event Wrestlemania.Rumors are also making way that Reigns may not be the final choice as the crowd reaction has been far away from what a heir apparent should get. His limited moveset and limited promo skills are enough to overpower him in the looks department and set off the hardcore fans.Here are the five dark horses who can score a Rumble victory
#1 Dolph Ziggler
Nobody has had a more pleasantly surprising year than Dolph Ziggler. For most part of the year, he was just selling and putting his opponents over, until he unpredictably won the Intercontinental Title from The Miz. And then began his journey of bringing relevance back to the IC title and his very own career. He has since qualified himself to be put amongst the greats in the IC title history.
He has been winning his matches in a spectacular style. And it won’t really be unreasonable to have him win the Rumble and main event Wrestlemania for the first time in his topsy turvy career. That immense crowd support puts him as a firm contender for the biggest title in WWE history.
About time I would say.
#2 Dean Ambrose
He’s the only member of the Shield to have gained some unprecedented popularity. Most expected him to thrive as a heel but many have touted him to be this genrations anti-hero. He isn’t the most virtuous, clean-chit superstar on the roster, he’s had a terrible win-loss record but he’s always been unbeatable on the microphone.
He’s already main-evented two PPV’s as a singles performer. In an era where main events have been dominated by part-time superstars and John Cena, which other young superstar can say that?
He is embroiled in a feud with Bray Wyatt and that might be the only reason to keep him away from main eventing Wrestlemania. But he has emerged to be one of the popular stars and WWE should invest in him as he has been consistently gaining more and more fans.
#3 Randy Orton
It’s about time for a Randy Orton return. And he’ll be as over as ever given the spectacular way he performed during the last few weeks before his departure. Those were arguably the best performances of his career and one of the best of this entire year.
It is no shocking news that his return is eagerly awaited and he will come back with a lot of momentum. But the only thing that keeps him away from this victory is his previous rumble victory and he’s already main evented Wrestlemania.
#4 Bad News Barrett
This is quite a long shot. may just never happen but his return may be expected. The thing is, Barret was booked to beat CM Punk at Money In the Bank in 2012 until he had a shoulder injury and Punk went on to become the longest reigning champion in recent times.
If WWE trusted Barrett then, then the only thing keeping him from the main event at this point is the series of injuries that he’s had. Otherwise, the fans support him, his in-ring skills are very impressive and he’s got a great screen presence.
It’ll be quite a pleasant surprise if he wins.
#5 Ryback
There is just one reason to really sell Ryback winning the Rumble and that is if Lesnar is the champion going into Wrestlemania. If handled with care, it’ll be interesting to watch them wrestle. Remember some time back when there were reports that Ryback and Lesnar had an altercation backstage? That’s some history for you right there. Also, these two might have some decent in ring chemistry. It’ll be a clear bout based on strength.
This can also be Ryback’s breakthrough. The only thing that hampers this is his thriving feud with Rusev.
