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As 2018 is winding down, it is time to prepare for the Royal Rumble and the start of the Road to WrestleMania. This coming WrestleMania season seems like the most exciting one in a very long time. There have been minimal clues as to what we should expect on April 7th.
The one storyline synched in for the Grandest Stage of Them All is Ronda Rousey defending her Raw Women's Championship against Charlotte Flair, Becky Lynch, or possibly both. Besides that, WrestleMania is an open book for now and WWE must take advantage of it.
The Royal Rumble will set the tone for a massive year for the company, meaning that it needs to be good. The addition of the women's Royal Rumble last year was a fantastic move and has made the first event of the year even bigger.
However, this year's men's Royal Rumble match seems like the most unpredictable one in the past decade or so. There are a lot of candidates who could win the whole thing and with no clear picture for WrestleMania, it will only get more exciting.
The Rumble is all about surprises. They are a big part of what makes it so special. 2019, like any other year, seems to have some real potential for surprise entrants in the Royal Rumble. Whether they are imminent call-ups from NXT or returns from injury or absence, we are sure to see a ton of surprises at Chase Field. Here are five possible surprise entrants for the 2019 men's Royal Rumble match.
#5 Lars Sullivan
Ever since Survivor Series, there have been vignettes advertising the main roster debut of Lars Sullivan. He has not yet arrived, but with four weeks left for Royal Rumble, there is a decent chance of him directly showing up in the annual showcase. It would make complete sense and present him as a killer.
Scoring a few eliminations before getting eliminated by multiple Superstars would go a long way in solidifying Lars Sullivan as a player on either Raw or SmackDown.
Sullivan is sure to receive a push similar to the one Braun Strowman got, as he is of similar stature. While the rest of his run is not written out, it seems encouraging after considering the relatively good booking Strowman has received until the start of 2018.
We always get an NXT Superstar or two in the Royal Rumble and in 2019, it could be the Freak. He is due on the main roster anyway, so why not just debut him on one of the biggest nights of the year?
#4 EC3
Another impending NXT call-up is EC3. He was one of five acts, including Lars Sullivan, who has been announced to be making their main roster debuts soon. The former Impact Superstar seems to be tailor-made for the main roster.
His in-ring skills are decent, while his physique and character work make him stand out. Some might even say that he is in the Top One Percent. EC3 may not have worked well enough down at Full Sail, but the main roster is where he will likely showcase his skills.
Like Sullivan, a debut in the Royal Rumble match for EC3 could be huge for him. A strong showing would go a long way in introducing or reintroducing EC3 to the WWE audience.
The former Derrick Bateman had a disappointing run in the original NXT and will have a point to prove. Whichever show he ends up on - hopefully SmackDown - EC3 will likely flourish. Again, this would be a great NXT surprise and the perfect way to bring him up.
#3 Aleister Black
Speaking of surprises from NXT, how about somebody who has not been advertised at all? Aleister Black is set to face Tommaso Ciampa for the NXT Championship at TakeOver Phoenix. This could very well be his NXT swansong, as he is more than ready to make the leap to the main roster.
If WWE truly wants to 'shake things up', they should consider putting Black in the Royal Rumble match. Last year saw Andrade 'Cien' Almas and Adam Cole make surprise appearances in the 30-man match, so maybe it could happen.
The former NXT Champion has had a good run in NXT, spanning close to two years. He has had many memorable matches, against the likes of Cole, Almas, Velveteen Dream and many more. It is time for the Dutch Destroyer to unleash some of that Black Mass on Raw or SmackDown.
Black would surely make a major impact on the main roster, he and his character are too good not to. The Royal Rumble could indeed be the start of a special run for Aleister Black.
#2 Kevin Owens
Kevin Owens is currently sidelined after a double knee injury and is due to return in the coming month or two. Return vignettes have played for both him and best friend, Sami Zayn.
The pair of them could make their returns together and embark on the same path to WrestleMania, but there have been reports that Owens might be ready by Royal Rumble. This gives us the possibility of seeing him return to WWE as a surprise entrant in the Rumble match.
It would certainly garner a massive pop and further the Rumble's reputation as a surprise return machine. WWE is sorely missing Kevin Owens and his personality on Raw, he would really make a major difference as long as he gets something to sink his teeth into following his return.
Owens is too talented to not have a proper storyline in place for him. His and possibly Zayn's return timelines could both bode very well for the Rumble. It will be huge.
#1 Shawn Michaels
This is a controversial one, as Shawn Michaels is kind of retired. He did have that underwhelming return match at Crown Jewel and has not made an appearance since then.
Surely the Showstopper would want to come back for one more match to make sure that his much-talked-about and much-anticipated return is not limited to that one match in a land far, far away? Surely he would want to come back for one final match at WrestleMania?
Michaels would ideally face either Daniel Bryan or AJ Styles if he does indeed return for 'Mania. Entering the Royal Rumble would be a great way to bring him back on WWE TV.
The bald Heartbreak Kid facing the heel WWE Champion in a Student vs Teacher match is actually a pretty mouth-watering prospect, so maybe WWE might pull the trigger on a Shawn Michaels victory. That would be pretty damaging, but do not look past WWE to pass up a chance to put over a retired part-timer in one of the biggest matches of the year.
Also, the Royal Rumble is in Phoenix, the site of Shawn Michaels' final WWE match, before Saudi came calling, against The Undertaker at WrestleMania 26. Perhaps, we might see some poetic justice involving 29 broken hearts at Chase Field on 27th January.
