We’re only a few days away from the 2016 Royal Rumble match and anticipation is at an all time high. This year’s match will feature Roman Reigns defending his WWE Championship against 29 other men. The Royal Rumble is always good for a few surprises, so here are 10 surprise entrants we would love to see fight for Roman’s belt.
#10 – Goldberg
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qKcF96yhTug
With so many members of the WWE roster out of action at the moment, WWE needs to add some star power to their big events. Goldberg could be a nice addition to the Royal Rumble and it would get a big reaction out of the crowd.
It would be a lot of fun to see Goldberg rush to the ring then hit spear after spear after spear. Goldberg and WWE aren’t on the best of terms, but Goldberg has said in the past that he would be interested in doing business under the right circumstances. It’s time for both sides to put their issues aside and wipe slate clean because Goldberg is a name that could be an asset to WWE at the moment.
#9 – Samoa Joe
Samoa Joe has been kicking a lot of ass down in NXT. But the fans want to see him on the main roster and it’s not hard to picture Joe making his main roster debut at some point in 2016. So why not have it happen during the Royal Rumble match?
Samoa Joe is an unstoppable force and there are a lot of immovable objects we would like to see him face off against in the Royal Rumble.
#8 – The Undertaker
We saw a lot more of The Undertaker than we expected in 2015 and we hope to see more of him in 2016. Taker is expected to work WrestleMania 32 but could we see him return a little bit earlier, perhaps at the Royal Rumble?
The Undertaker usually provides us with a memorable moment when he enters the Royal Rumble match and it’s been a while since he’s participated. The Undertaker appears to be in great shape but there’s no denying that he’s in the twilight of his career. But before he goes we want to see him enter the Royal Rumble one last time and 2016 is the perfect year to do it.
#7 – Austin Aries
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t9K-9PQqPB0
Austin Aries got a lot of people talking when he was spotted at a recent set of NXT tapings but things have been quiet on the Aries/WWE front ever since. Aries is a seasoned veteran and he’s really good at getting creative when he steps in the ring. If WWE does decide to throw Austin Aries into the Royal Rumble match you can expect to see the unexpected.
#6 – Hardcore Holly
It’s been a while since we’ve seen Hardcore Holly in WWE hasn’t it? Holly and WWE went their separate ways about 6 years ago so he’s long overdue for a quick appearance. Holly seems to still be on good terms with WWE so it would be great to see him hit a few Alabama Slams as well as a few of his picture perfect dropkicks in the Royal Rumble match.
#5 – Scott Steiner
We’re being told by various sources that a Scott Steiner appearance at the Royal Rumble has a 33 1/3 chance of happening.
#4 – Ken Shamrock
We put this one on the list ever year, and at this point it doesn’t seem likely to happen, ever. But Shamrock’s contributions to WWE deserve to be recognized in some capacity. The man was a huge part of The Attitude Era and he also paved the way for future MMA/wrestling crossover stars.
Like we said it’s probably never going to happen. But it would be a nice bookend to Shamrock’s often overlooked professional wrestling career.
#3 – Shane McMahon
The McMahon family has been waging a war against Roman Reigns for many weeks but is it time for them to call in some backup? If the McMahons are looking for reinforcements then the best place to look is in Shane McMahon’s direction.
During his time in the squared circle Shane McMahon was highly entertaining and fans have been dying to see him return to the company that his family built. Seeing Shane McMahon make his return at the Royal Rumble match would get a lot of people talking and the pop from the crowd would likely blow the roof off of the arena.
#2 – Triple H
Triple H has been noticeably absent from WWE television (minus the NXT TakeOver: London appearance from Earth-2 Triple H) following the the beating he received at the hands of Roman Reigns at TLC. Triple H and Reigns have been butting heads for quite some time now, so from a storytelling standpoint it would make a lot of sense for Triple H to return and attempt to take the belt from Roman himself.
Either way, whether you’ve enjoyed the feud between Roman and Triple H so far or not, you have to admit that Triple H’s return would make for a scene stealing moment. The second his music hits it will stop the Royal Rumble dead in its tracks.
#1 – AJ Styles
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=68d_fdyVR7E
Is there really any other entry that deserved the number 1 spot for the 2016 Royal Rumble? The wrestling world has been buzzing for weeks about the possibility of AJ Styles coming to WWE. WWE has only been adding fuel to the fire themselves through their own website.
All signs point to AJ Styles making his WWE debut in the near future. But will it be in the Royal Rumble match? All rumors aside, plans are always subject to change so it remains to be seen if he’ll make an appearance. But if Styles did make his debut in the Royal Rumble match it would make for one hell of a mark out moment that’s for sure.
