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One of the highlights of the annual Royal Rumble PPV is guessing the surprise entrants who might show up and/or debut. With NXT now a more integral part of the roster, some of those surprises are likely to be reserved for members of the yellow and black brand.
After dominating at Survivor Series, the yellow and black brand has never been hotter. It has somewhat given validation to the notion that NXT has long been the best brand under the WWE umbrella. Since the members of the formerly considered developmental territory are now gaining steam, does that mean they're in for a bigger presence in the Rumble match itself?
Two years ago, Adam Cole participated in the match. In last year's bout, three members of NXT - Aleister Black, Pete Dunne and Johnny Gargano - were surprise entrants in the battle royale. With a wider audience now exposed to the yellow and black brand, NXT might have greater representation during the first stop on the Road to WrestleMania. While the likes of Cole and Gargano likely won't participate in the match again, here are five big names that might make an appearance in this year's men's Royal Rumble match.
#5 Walter
The crowd in Chicago was hot for Walter during Survivor Series. Unfortunately, his value as the current NXT UK Champion was understated as he was the first person eliminated in the melee. It was a little confusing due to his dominant run in NXT UK.
While Pete Dunne was still the Champ overseas, he graced the Rumble with his presence. Walter should be a part of the 2020 match and it would be great to see him given a featured spot throughout the match. He could either last an extremely long amount of time or he could have a series of multi-person eliminations. He's big and threatening enough to have over five eliminations, so he needs to be given a better showing during his next major brand appearance.
The fact is that Walter is the NXT UK brand ever since he dethroned Dunne for the title. The fans proved at Survivor Series that they already love him, but unfortunately, that love doesn't always equate itself to main-roster success. A big step to building up his aura once more would be to have a monster showing in the annual 30-person match.
#4 Roderick Strong
As previously mentioned, Adam Cole has already participated in a Royal Rumble match. While he's the biggest name from NXT that could possibly enter the Rumble, another member of the Undisputed Era should get the honor in 2020.
Roderick Strong has arguably been the unsung hero of the group. Sure, we all know that Cole is the top dog of the group, but Bobby Fish keeps getting hurt. Strong has already filled in for Fish in matches while they held the NXT Tag Team Championships. He was even recently forced into action following Survivor Series against Keith Lee and Dominik Dijakovic.
The Messiah of the Backbreaker also has "cardio for days" if you listen to Mauro Ranallo. That's usually something reserved for a star like Dolph Ziggler, Daniel Bryan or Seth Rollins - guys who can have a long run in the match without winning. He could easily be the iron man in the next Rumble and it would give TUE some great representation.
I can't see Kyle O'Reilly being in the match since he's primarily been used as a tag team specialist. For those reasons, I think Strong should get a spot in January. He defeated both Shinsuke Nakamura and AJ Styles at Survivor Series, so his star currently on the rise.
#3 Matt Riddle
Recent reports suggested that of all the NXT Superstars used during the invasion of RAW and SmackDown, Vince McMahon was the most impressed with Riddle and Keith Lee. The Original Bro brings the legitimacy of a UFC background to the WWE and that's something that the Chairman loves.
Riddle did get a shock elimination of Randy Orton but was eliminated himself shorty after once the Viper retaliated with an RKO. The Original Bro hasn't captured any gold in NXT and that might be the extent of his career on the yellow and black brand. Not every Superstar joins RAW or SmackDown having won gold in NXT. Elias, Baron Corbin, Lacey Evans, Nikki Cross and EC3 are all examples of that.
Since Riddle might be one of the next men to join either Monday or Friday nights, it would make sense for him to get a spot in the Royal Rumble. He's a strong striker and grappler and could have a 20-30 minute run in the match.
The former UFC fighter is at something of a crossroads regarding his path in NXT so instead of continuing on it, maybe a spot in the battle royale jump starts his career on another brand. There does need to be some shuffling around of the "developmental" roster as many prospects are waiting for television time.
#2 Keith Lee
Much like Riddle, McMahon was impressed with Keith Lee due to his size and athleticism. It's probably a huge reason why Lee was among the final two participants with Roman Reigns in the men's elimination match.
Why wouldn't McMahon be in love with a guy like Lee? He's big and over 350 pounds but can move like a cruiserweight. We all know that Vinnie Mac loves big guys and Lee just happens to be able to pull off moonsaults and tope con hilos from over the top rope. Even before Survivor Series, the man who wants us to "Bask in his Glory" was having one of the best series of matches in WWE in recent memory with Dominik Dijakovic. Let's also not forget that he had a strong showing in WarGames on the night before Series.
With some call ups likely to be made following the Rumble, Lee is a name that sticks out as a sore thumb (in the best way possible) due to his crazy athleticism. He could also be used in the monster role with numerous eliminations during the match. There's also that mouth-watering stare down they can revisit between Lee and Braun Strowman. All in all, it would be crazy if Lee wasn't a part of the Rumble due to his and NXT's monumental few months.
#1 Tommaso Ciampa
Right after the Rumble this year, Ciampa, Gargano, Black and Ricochet "joined" the main roster. They all stuck around for a month or so until Ciampa had to take time off in order to get neck surgery. Since he was the NXT Champ, it forced Gargano back to NXT while Black and Ricochet stayed on RAW/SmackDown.
Fast forward to the last half of this year and the Blackheart is back and right in the thick of things. He was the leader of NXT during the Survivor Series festivities and was one of the final four members in the match. He's also likely heading to a NXT title match with Adam Cole very soon.
The Blackheart probably wants to stay in NXT but the likes of Johnny Wrestling, Cole and Pete Dunne have all participated in the match while staying members of the yellow and black brand. It would certainly be a great moment for a man whose career was almost over due to severe neck trauma. That in and of itself is a storyline that could be played up during the match.
There are others who could be in the match, but Ciampa hasn't been in a Rumble yet. For that reason and the fact that he's already greatly over with the audience, it may be a mistake not to have him show up in the big match next month.
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