#8 Shinsuke Nakamura
Shinsuke Nakamura is the face of NXT right now. His international recognizability makes him the perfect centrepiece for NXT as they tour the world. Because of this, he probably won’t be called up until NXT feels that they have enough talent to replace him. But that doesn’t mean that he can’t appear in the Royal Rumble.
Not every Rumble appearance needs to mean that the person is sticking around full-time. Nakamura could easily have a one-off appearance in this year’s Rumble and at least plant his name into casual fans’ heads for his eventual call-up.
Besides, Nakamura is NXT champion. The commentators could play it up as NXT’s best wanting to test himself against the main roster.
It’s also a good way to further add to Nakamura’s credibility. If the King of Strong Style can hang around in the Royal Rumble for 10-20 minutes or so, he would feel like a big deal to fans who may not really know who he is.
And lastly, the reaction would be outstanding. Last year, AJ Styles was worried that fans might not react to him much. But the crowd went insane for him, the same would likely happen for Nakamura.
If you pay to attend an event like the Royal Rumble, you’re probably a pretty big wrestling fan. So a majority of the arena will not only know who Nakamura is, but they’ll be absolutely ecstatic to see him come down the ramp.
