5 superstars who can be WWE's 'iron-man' in the Rumble match

The Royal Rumble match, over the past 30 years, has developed and maintained a legacy of its own in the wrestling world. It is a place where new superstars are born, superstars of the past appear for one more hurrah and, of course, established superstars make triumphant returns back to the company. However, it's all about surviving when it comes to the Rumble, and every year, there's one superstar who enters the match early and, somehow, manages to hang on till the very end. Last year, a re-invented Chris Jericho lasted over one hour, coming within an inch of breaking the all time record of one hour and two minutes set by Rey Mysterio in 2006. If the history of the Rumble is taken into consideration, it is certain that we would see a similar performance this year as well. Several superstars on the current roster are capable of putting on that iron-man performance this year, but who are the most viable and suitable options considering the storylines leading to Wrestlemania and, maybe, even beyond it?

Elias

Elias's heat generating ability is second to none on the roster

WWE loves to have big heel superstars enter the Rumble early and somehow manage to last for a very long period - CM Punk in 2011, Miz and Cody Rhodes in 2012, Bray Wyatt in 2015 and, of course, Jericho last year. Even though Elias has not reached the level of stardom that each of these wrestlers had in their respective years, the man is on par with them when it comes to generating heat from the crowd. The crowd just loves to boo him. Moreover, Elias needs a serious feud with one of the top babyfaces on the roster heading towards Wrestlemania. Seth Rollins seems the perfect opponent for him, given that The Architect's planned feud with The Lunatic Fringe is now hanging in the balance due to the long injury layoff for Dean Ambrose. Having him eliminate Rollins from the match would certainly generate a chorus of boos from the fans in Philadelphia.

How about eliminating a fan favorite from Smackdown Live, or perhaps a returning legend? He certainly has all the momentum needed to succeed as a heel; all he needs is a special moment and subsequent big feud leading to Wrestlemania.

Dolph Ziggler

Maybe all this could lead to a sensible storyline for the Show Off

Dolph Ziggler's stock in WWE plummeted to an all time low in 2017, following lackluster feuds with Shinsuke Nakamura and Bobby Roode. However, his US title win at Clash of Champions and the subsequent forfeiting has suddenly generated a lot of buzz around the Show Off. So much buzz that he is now among the front runners to actually win the Rumble. Although a victory at this stage seems a long shot given that there are various other suitable candidates (Nakamura, Balor, Reigns), Ziggler returning at number one or two at the Rumble and, making it to the final six or final four, would certainly add more intrigue to his current storyline, where he calls himself the best performer in the ring. Ziggler has proven before that he can last long in the Rumble when he lasted almost 48 minutes in 2013. If given a chance, the Show Off can deliver again at the Rumble.

Randy Orton

The Viper will be looking to repeat his Rumble winning performance from last year

Randy Orton is a 15-year veteran in WWE; the man has the star power to draw the attention of the crowd to the match with his impressive in-ring abilities. The Viper can wrestle long matches as evident from his series of matches with John Cena in 2009 and Christian in 2011. It wouldn't be an entirely bad idea to send Orton early in the match to generate the required response from the crowd. We have seen that he can hang on in the ring with a variety of superstars, ranging from big men like Kane to smaller high flyers like Kalisto. Moreover, with Jericho announcing that he won't be entering the Rumble this year, it's time that some other veteran take up the role of anchoring the Rumble match, and who better than a two-time Rumble winner for that role.

Roman Reigns

Possibly the last way of getting him over with the crowd

Okay, this choice might earn some backlash from, well, everyone, but this is not a totally bad one. Roman, keeping aside his constant failed pushes to the top of the WWE food chain, has developed himself into one of the hardest workers in WWE over the past two years. His in-ring work has helped him generate respect from those group of fans that appreciate wrestling, and not entertainment. Although it is not viable for someone his size and shape to last for over 40 minutes in the match (his performance in 2016 doesn't count), Kane pulled off a similar performance in 2001, which is often regarded as one of the best individual Rumble performances ever.

He should not win the match again; it would only spoil the Rumble party. Have him survive close eliminations, eliminate a bunch of superstars, stay till the final four and maybe have him eliminated by some outside interference. The wrestling fans appreciate long, impressive Rumble performances, and if he somehow manages to give them one, Roman would definitely get the reaction WWE wants him to get from the crowd.

Finn Balor

Could Balor prove the naysayers wrong?

Let's have a look at the history - Shawn Michaels in 1995, Chris Benoit in 2004, Rey Mysterio in 2006 - three of the most famous Rumble victories, and in each of them, the winner fought all the way from the beginning to the end to win the match. WWE knows well that, in such situations, the underdogs manage to get the crowd behind them and the crowd cheers for them. Reports have suggested Vince McMahon doesn't think that Balor is over enough with the fans for a Universal title shot at Royal Rumble. What if all this turns out to be part of a storyline?

Imagine the support Balor would generate from the fans in Philadelphia if he enters the Rumble at number one and stays in the match until the final two. With Shinsuke Nakamura being the favourite to win the Rumble and Balor second behind him, having these two fight at the end for their brand's respective title shots at Wrestlemania would provide WWE with that special Royal Rumble moment that has been lacking since Edge's shocking return in 2010.