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The upcoming Royal Rumble event will emanate from Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The last time this city hosted the WWE Royal Rumble event was in 2015, a Royal Rumble that was marked by the negative reaction by fans in attendance. This Sunday's event will be the 30th anniversary of the event and will officially kick off the road to Wrestlemania 34.
The Royal Rumble is one of WWE's "Big Four", along with WrestleMania, SummerSlam, and Survivor Series, and is arguably the most anticipated show of the year due to the unpredictability, and surprise returns, that is synonymous with the event.
The show also has a history of having controversies. But it is the shocking moments that make the fans love the Rumble match. Unexpected occurrences are normally the talking points of the show and in this year's event, there could be plenty of such moments.
Here are 5 shocking moments that might happen this Sunday at the Royal Rumble:
#5 Daniel Bryan will be a surprise entrant
In 2016, at only 34 years of age, Daniel Bryan retired from professional wrestling due to medical issues arising from multiple concussions. In July of that year, he was named the General Manager of SmackDown following WWE's brand extension.
There has been a lot of speculation about Bryan returning to the squared circle this Sunday. Betting sites stirred up the rumours by placing him as a favorite to win the entire match. His return as a surprise entrant could get the biggest pop of the night.
It would be nostalgic to listen to over 15,000 fans screaming "YES! YES! YES!" as soon as Daniel Bryan's music hit. For a man who was told he would never compete inside the ring again, a return at the Rumble would be a shocking moment.
#4 The Undertaker to eliminate John Cena and Roman Reigns
The Undertaker was thought to have retired from in-ring competition after his painful loss to Roman Reigns at Wrestlemania 33. However, he returned at the 25th anniversary of Raw appearing to be in good shape amid speculation of a confrontation with John Cena. The Royal Rumble presents the best platform for The Deadman to set up his Wrestlemania match with Cena.
The Undertaker's promo at the 25th anniversary of Raw made no sense and just left the fans in a confused state of mind regarding his WWE future.
It is also highly likely that The Undertaker will eliminate Roman Reigns as retribution for defeating him at Wrestlemania last year. However, his biggest elimination will be Cena, which will deny The Leader of the Cenation a chance of breaking the record of 16 championships he currently shares with Ric Flair. This elimination will be the genesis of their much-anticipated feud that will lead to a match at Wrestlemania.
#3 The return of Bobby Lashley
Bobby Lashley's last match in WWE was on July 30, 2007, an episode of Raw in a match against Mr Kennedy. WWE announced that Lashley was released from his WWE contract on February 4, 2008. Lashley then moved on to TNA wrestling where he achieved immense success, capturing the World Heavyweight Championship four times.
He also competes in Bellator MMA, where he has been undefeated in five heavyweight bouts. There have been rumours of Lashley leaving Impact Wrestling before his contract expires which has caused speculation of a possible move to the WWE.
It has been a decade since Lashley last appeared in a WWE ring. His physical prowess and fighting skills can only be compared to that of Brock Lesnar. He is a big star who can elicit the kind of reaction AJ Styles received when he made is debut at the 2016 Royal Rumble match. Lashley has made a name for himself outside the WWE and everyone would welcome him wholeheartedly should he return.
A return as a surprise entrant in the Royal Rumble would just be the best way to introduce Bobby Lashley back to the WWE universe. The fans would go wild in giving him the reception he deserves if he makes his big return this Sunday.
#2 Batista returns
Batista is a six-time world champion, winning WWE's World Heavyweight Championship four times and the WWE Championship twice. He won two Royal Rumble matches, in 2005 and 2014, and went on to participate in the main events of Wrestlemania 21 and 30 respectively.
"The Animal" returned as a face in 2014 to confront WWE World Heavyweight Champion, Randy Orton, on the January 20th edition of Raw. He won the Royal Rumble match and headlined Wrestlemania 30 in a triple threat match with Randy Orton and Daniel Bryan in a match that saw Bryan win the world title.
Batista made his last televised appearance that same year on the June 2 episode of Raw when he quit after Triple H denied him a shot at the WWE World Heavyweight Championship.
Even though his last run did not turn out as he had expected, Batista is still beloved by the fans following his illustrious career. A return at this Sundays Rumble would be a truly shocking moment since the WWE fans have not seen "The Animal" inside a WWE ring for over 3 years now.
#1 Underdog winner
Nakamura is a former NXT champion and the youngest IWGP Heavyweight Champion in history, having won the title for the first time at the age of 23 years and 9 months. Shinsuke Nakamura has proved himself to be a special performer thanks to his work for NJPW. But WWE fans around the globe are yet to truly see what he has to offer inside a WWE ring and what he brings to the table.
The betting odds have placed him among the favorites to win the match this Sunday despite being an underdog in a match that has heavyweights including Cena and Reigns. A win for Nakamura could lead to a potential dream match against AJ Styles at WrestleMania.
Both Nakamura and Styles wrestled for New Japan Pro-Wrestling and they have a long history that began several years ago. The two had a memorable match when they met at the Wrestle Kingdom 10 on January 4th, 2016.
This rivalry could be rekindled at the biggest stage should he win the Royal Rumble match this Sunday. A win for Nakamura this Sunday would be a shocking moment for a man who has not utilized his full potential in the WWE.
