The Royal Rumble PPV is this Sunday night and there are so many variables that it is almost mind-blowing. The rumours and speculation have no less than 5 or 6 men pegged to be the winner. There is a lot of talk of surprise entrants, debuts, and returns.
There are also a lot of things that may be a little bit far-fetched but actually could happen. And that’s what we will delve into here. Twists are one of the Royal Rumble’s biggest attractions, but these five may not be far from what you might expect, even when you are expecting the unexpected.
#5 Samoa Joe does not enter the Rumble match
By many accounts, it has been set in stone that Samoa Joe will be a surprise entrant in the Royal Rumble match. This is by no means a guarantee, no matter how many people are convinced of it.
There are multiple outlets that have claimed that he is set to win the match on his WWE debut. That's a huge deal, and it would absolutely be out of left field for that to happen.
Also read: 30 Amazing Stats and Facts From 30 Years of the WWE Royal Rumble
Could it happen? Of course. Will it happen? There's a slim chance. Will Joe even be a participant in the match? I believe that he will be, Samoa Joe has been off-TV because he has been recovering from some nagging injuries when they were last taping and he didn’t show up as he wasn't needed.
No matter the reason why, but that absence has led to rampant speculation that he will show up on Sunday.
It's possible that much like Finn Balor, if Samoa Joe isn't set to win, he might not even appear, instead choosing to have his debut happen under more dominant circumstances.
#4 Bayley wins the RAW Women’s Championship
It may seem incredibly far-fetched, but Bayley could become the RAW Women's Champion on Sunday.
Charlotte may have a 15-match win streak going for PPV title defences, but what a shocker would it be to have the underdog Bayley knock off the champ for a third time, with this one being for the gold and on PPV. It would be huge.
This is called a twist for a reason, because it goes against what is most likely to happen, but waiting until WrestleMania for Bayley to win the title might be too long. The Royal Rumble could turn out to be the best time for the title to change hands between these two.
Even if Bayley loses the title between Royal Rumble and WrestleMania, it still moves the story along, which is important with there being so much time between then and now.
#3 Gallows & Anderson win the RAW tag titles
Chances are high that the Sheamus-Cesaro team is going to be the top team on RAW for the foreseeable future. The company has invested a lot of time and energy into them, and they get amazing reactions from the live crowds.
Thus far, the feud with Gallows and Anderson has been simple but effective, and the crowd reacted well when it looked like they became Tag Champions. That may have been WWE testing the waters on a title switch.
With that in mind, it could lead to a surprise win for The Club on the Royal Rumble kickoff show on Sunday.
For one, WWE wants the Kickoff to appear to be important so people will watch (therefore staying engaged with WWE programming for six hours on Sunday), and secondly, it's only a matter of time before the former Bullet Club members become champions.
The long reign of The New Day was an anomaly. The tag belts may not be safe around the waists of Sheamus and Cesaro.
#2 Shaq is a surprise Rumble entrant
We know that The Big Show is in the Rumble match. He's a staple of the match because it's a feat to eliminate him, so it's important for him to be there.
This year, though, the plan is still reportedly to do Show vs. Shaq at WrestleMania. That could mean that Big Show is in the match specifically to initiate a build-up towards the WrestleMania match.
Shaq could enter after Show clears the ring and they could have a stand-off. Eventually, someone else comes in and they eliminate him together, but then Shaq dumps Show out while he has his back turned.
WWE loves the celebrity involvement, and if Shaq vs. Big Show is the plan for WrestleMania, then I would not be shocked to see the former NBA All-Star as a Rumble match entrant.
#1 The Miz Wins The Royal Rumble Match
The Miz had a great year in 2016. It was a breakout year for him after having a number of less-than-stellar years prior. He was a major part of making Smackdown Live successful and in his time as Intercontinental Champion made the belt relevant again, just like he claims.
With that being the case, and him no longer being the champion, he is free to move up higher on the card. He already called out and wrestled the WWE Champion AJ Styles in a competitive match, so clearly, WWE sees him as close to being on that level.
Could that mean that there is a chance that he will be the last man standing when the dust settles in the Royal Rumble match?
Guys like Goldberg and The Undertaker are in there and are major favourites to win, but the field is up in the air and there are a lot of men who could potentially win the match and go on to headline WrestleMania.
The Miz should not be counted out and could be on the shortlist of possible victors.
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