WWE Royal Rumble 2017: 5 Last-Minute Potential Winners
Royal Rumble, WWE.com
At Royal Rumble, this Sunday, 30 superstars will have the chance to earn a world title match at WrestleMania. Here’s five potential favorites.
This Sunday is the 30th annual WWE Royal Rumble. Taking place in San Antonio, Texas, the Royal Rumble is the official start of the Road to WrestleMania.
The highlight of the show each January is the traditional 30-man Royal Rumble match. An over the top rope battle royal, the Rumble match guarantees the winner a world championship match at WrestleMania.
In the past, several superstars have gone on to make the most of their WrestleMania title match. Others, well, not so much. But most of the Rumble winners have used it as a springboard to bigger and better things in their careers.
This year, the outcome of the Rumble is very much up in the air. There’s no one person who stands out as a potential winner. While Batista, Roman Reigns, and Triple H were somewhat obvious choices to win the past three years, one would be hard-pressed to select one clear cut favorite in 2017.
The results of the two world title matches have a lot to do with the direction of the Rumble. Depending on who walks out of San Antonio with the WWE World Championship and the Universal Championship, the Rumble winner could be any number of competitors.
With that in mind, here are five potential winners for the 2017 Royal Rumble. To date, there have been 22 confirmed entrants for this year’s Rumble match. With one exception, the following potential favorites are all already confirmed for the match.
Credit: WWE.com
5. Samoa Joe
Let’s get the unconfirmed entrant out of the way early, shall we?
Samoa Joe hasn’t even debuted on the main roster yet, so his entrance alone would be a big surprise. And what better way to make an impact on a debut than to punch a ticket to WrestleMania?
Since losing his final encounter against Shinsuke Nakamura, Joe hasn’t appeared on NXT. His stories there are all wrapped up nicely, so it’s time for him to move on to something different. The only thing that’s really left for him is to debut on the main roster.
After spending the better part of a year as the most monster heel in NXT, it’s not exactly a stretch to envision Samoa Joe entering the Rumble and causing havoc. He can easily get a “Diesel run,” where he eliminates a bunch of superstars to clear the ring, then tosses everyone entering out immediately.
As far as where Joe would end up after a potential Rumble victory, SmackDown seems the most likely bet. He has a past history with AJ Styles from their time in TNA. Provided AJ holds onto the WWE World Championship until WrestleMania, Styles vs. Joe could be a tremendous matchup.
Alternatively, Joe taking on John Cena might be a possibility as well. There isn’t much precedent for those two to throw down, but that doesn’t mean it wouldn’t be a crazy match.
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4. The Miz
Few things would be more awesome than The Miz walking out of San Antonio with another chance to main event WrestleMania.
For a long time now, The Miz has been one of WWE’s most valuable players. Since at least the draft this past summer, he’s been one of the brightest spots on SmackDown Live. And the Intercontinental Championship is more important than it’s been for some time, thanks in part to his title reigns.
What better way to cap off a career year than to win the Royal Rumble?
What many people either don’t know or choose to forget is that Miz has already main evented WrestleMania. In fact, were he to win the Rumble this year, chances are it would be a rematch of WrestleMania 27 – he’d likely be challenging John Cena for the WWE World Championship. Except, you know, no Rock this time to make it all about him.
Of course, Miz could always win the Rumble and jump ship to Raw. After his personal feud with Daniel Bryan, it’s no secret that Miz is fed up. He’s appropriated most of Bryan’s moveset and mannerisms for his own use to get under the skin of his GM. Why wouldn’t he really stick it to Bryan and leave the show?
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3. Braun Strowman
There’s one very simple reason that Braun Strowman is one of the favorites to win the Royal Rumble: physics.
At nearly seven feet tall and well over three hundred pounds, Strowman is quite literally a mountain of a man. (So, his nickname is fitting, at least.) Try getting that guy over the top rope and to the outside.
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The split from the Wyatt Family due to the draft was possibly the best thing to happen to Strowman. He transformed from a lackey into a real monster on the Raw roster. He has decimated all challengers in his path, sometimes two or three at a time.
Strowman has shown time and time again that he is a force to be reckoned with. He’s only got a handful of losses to his name, most in multi-man matches or via some kind of shenanigans. Yet he’s never received a title opportunity of any kind.
A Royal Rumble victory for Strowman would continue his development into a main event player. Getting a world title match at WrestleMania would be the biggest feather in Braun’s cap. The only potential downfall would be the quality of a potential title match – does anyone really want to see Braun vs. Roman Reigns?
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2. Randy Orton
Sigh. It has to be said.
Randy Orton has always been a somewhat polarizing figure to the WWE Universe. The third generation superstar has a reputation for being boring and uninteresting – usually when he’s bored and uninterested in what he’s doing. Although, a world title push may keep him engaged.
On SmackDown, Orton has been somewhat rejuvenated as a member of the Wyatt Family. All three members of the Wyatt Family have entered the Rumble, but the tension within is thick. Luke Harper may not even be in the Family anymore, after all.
If push comes to shove, Orton would have no problem fighting his brothers. Just ask Triple H, Batista, Ric Flair, Cody Rhodes, and Ted DiBiase. Randy is always on the lookout for number one – himself.
It’s been a little while since Orton was in the world title picture. Of course, there’s a 50/50 chance that if Orton goes back to the WWE World Championship scene, he’ll be feuding with longtime nemesis John Cena. How that would go over with the WWE Universe remains to be seen.
But Orton going up against AJ Styles could be a refreshing change of pace. Countering a Phenomenal Forearm with an RKO is so obvious, but still would be pretty awesome to see.
Orton getting back in the world title picture is somewhat inevitable. It’s likely that the Rumble is the jumping off point for that to happen.
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1. Sami Zayn
The Ultimate Underdog may have his work cut out for him at the Royal Rumble. But isn’t that exactly the position he wants to be in?
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Sami Zayn has long made a career out of being victorious when he seemingly has no chance at winning. It’s a characteristic he shares with his inspiration, El Generico, who of course has retired to Mexico. When no one expects anything from Sami, that’s when he wins the big one.
Even getting into the Rumble was a major accomplishment for Zayn. He had to win a match against Seth Rollins this week on Raw, and take The Architect’s spot in the process – and he did it (with an assist from Triple H’s music). Now, no one really expects anything from Sami. Sound familiar?
And where would a Sami Zayn victory in the Rumble lead us to? Possibly a Universal Championship match against Kevin Owens. Zayn and Owens have a long and complex history, first as best friends but more recently as bitter enemies. Putting that rivalry – or relationship – on the WrestleMania stage would be incredible. Think of the emotion both men would be feeling on the biggest stage of their careers.
Of course, a Zayn-Owens match at WrestleMania would be something too awesome for a WrestleMania, right?