Well, that happened.
It was one of the most “star-studded” Royal Rumble matches in history, with many famous legends like Undertaker, Brock Lesnar and Goldberg. It had people pushed as favourites like Braun Strowman. It had someone from 205 Live. It had Mojo Rawley for some pointless reason.
It had the normal things you would expect from the Rumble like fresh stare downs, comedy spots and many potential matches being set up for the “Road to WrestleMania 33”. And with Randy Orton winning the whole thing, it sure was a surprising Rumble match.
But what were the most surprising parts of the unpredictable 2017 Rumble Match? With that, I present my list of top five most surprising moments of the 2017 Royal Rumble Match:
#5 No real surprise entries
We knew 22 of the 30 entries in the Rumble match before it even started. With that in mind, people were excited to see some fun surprises in each Rumble match. This year those shocking names could have included the likes of Kurt Angle, Finn Balor and Samoa Joe. We got none of those possible shock returns.
The only ‘surprise’ that came to fruition was Tye Dillinger at number ten. I mean it was almost too perfect to not do it but he still didn’t last very long in the match itself. It was a shame for the “Perfect Ten”. Even more shocking was that he was the only NXT guy in the Rumble at all. Poor yellow brand.
What about the rest of the “surprise” Rumble entries? It was a list of forgettable mid-card wrestlers: Enzo Amore, Jack Gallagher, Kalisto, Mark Henry, James Ellsworth and Apollo Crews. None of these wrestlers got the crowd super excited and didn’t provide that normal fun surprise moments we get in see in most Rumble matches.
#4 Brock Lesnar is wiped out by Goldberg again
I will admit this was quite shocking.
Brock Lesnar has run over the roster since his return in 2012. He has dominated the likes of Undertaker, John Cena and Triple H. Then he met the then 49-year old semi-retired Golberg at Survivor Series 2016 and was destroyed. It was shocking. It was even more surprising to see it again on Sunday night.
Brock was pretty dominant in the 2017 Rumble until his expected face-off with Goldberg. A few seconds later, it was over again. I see the story they are trying to tell: Goldberg has Brock’s number. That doesn’t make seeing it twice in three months any less surprising.
#3 No Samoa Joe
Samoa Joe could have made a huge impact by appearing and looking strong in a Rumble debut. He is poised to be a star for either WWE main roster brand that he eventually debuts on. He has put in more time than he needed to, carrying the NXT brand for most of 2016. It was time for a big debut in front of 52,000 people. And then it didn’t happen.
Sure, Samoa Joe might make a big impact soon. I mean we do have two months left on the “Road to WrestleMania”. But you could tell it was a deflating moment when he wasn’t #30. Especially with who it actually was.
#2 Roman Reigns at #30
You could hear the excitement leave the arena when Roman Reigns came out at the final Rumble spot. We expected many surprise returns that didn’t happen and out comes the guy who already had a main event title chance earlier in the night.
The crowd was quite verbal with lots of choice profanity directed at Reigns. They didn’t want to see Roman again on this night.
I think that Roman is clear turning heel at this point. Why else would he eliminate the extremely popular Undertaker? It surely sets up a possible WrestleMania 33 match, where I can see no possible way the ‘Mania fans will cheer for him against the Dead Man. I was certainly not expecting the Roman Empire to be the last entry and finish as the runner-up.
#1 Randy Orton the Winner?
Going into the Rumble did anyone expect Randy Orton to be the winner? The focus has surely been on the Raw brand with the part-time legends for sure as the favourites. Orton had been busy losing the Tag Team Championship and feuding with his Wyatt Family members. It certainly didn’t scream 2017 Royal Rumble winner. But that is what happened.
I guess when it came down to Bray Wyatt, Randy Orton and Roman Reigns, it seemed more possible. That being said, I think Bray winning would have been the stronger choice. The 12-time World Champion winning his second Royal Rumble was not what any of us expected in 2017.
It is proof that the WWE is always nervous about pushing new talent. We will see where it goes now with WrestleMania 33 two months away.
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