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What's the story?
This year's 30-man Royal Rumble match had its fair share noteworthy moments but it was still devoid of the big-name surprise entrants. Jeff Jarrett was the only proper shocker on the night that saw Seth Rollins punch his ticket to the main event of WWE WrestleMania 35.
A report from the Wrestling Observer Newsletter has revealed that Kurt Angle was not supposed to be in the match in the first place as his spot was reserved for Zack Ryder.
In case you didn't know...
This year's Rumble generally garnered a mixed response from the fans and pundits as the WWE Creative booked some parts of the show fairly well. Rollins deserved the win as well as Lynch, who unsurprisingly got the best reaction of the night after she won the Women's Royal Rumble match.
Both the Rumble matches may not have had returns or cameos of Hall of Famers or yesteryear legends, however, it still managed to keep the fans engaged right until the end.
WWE had to make a few last-minute changes too along the way. Former Intercontinental Champion Zack Ryder, who has sadly been relegated to being glorified jobber in recent years, lost his spot to the Olympic Gold Medalist at the Rumble.
The heart of the matter
As per Dave Meltzer, WWE altered the script at the last moment to accommodate Angle in the match as the management felt that the former Raw General Manager would get a better pop than Ryder.
Angle came into the match at #4 and lasted for three minutes and fifteen seconds before being eliminated by Shinsuke Nakamura.
What's next?
It's sad to see the treatment dished out to Ryder, who has been with the WWE since 2005. A move away from the company seems like the best option for the former WWE Tag Team Champion at a time when AEW is offering lucrative contracts to popular talents.
The time seems right for Long Island Ice-Z to make the move!
