12 Superstars WWE Royal Rumble 2016 Proved Are Struggling

By Kenny McIntosh / January 26, 2016

With last night's Royal Rumble now in the history books, there was a ton of news coming out of the show. From the debut of AJ Styles and the return of Sami Zayn to the impressive performances by Kevin Owens and Dean Ambrose, there was a lot to like in this year's Royal Rumble. The Intercontinental and Divas title matches over delivered in terms of expectations and after two years of poor Rumble booking, WWE finally managed to get one right. However, one of the most fascinating parts of the show was how some stars were either used or not on the card that indicates their own struggles within the world of WWE. Some of the men in this list are slipping further down the card and could be on the chopping block very soon, whereas some have just lost their way and through WWE's presentation, don't feel like special talents any longer. After watching the show back for a second time, I've come up with 13 different acts in WWE that coming out of the Royal Rumble, don't look too bright or promising at this point. Things could change, but for now, these superstars need to figure something out before they end up on an indy billboard advertised as 'Former WWE Superstar'....

12. Jerry 'The King' Lawler - Demoted To The Kick Off Panel

For over twenty years, Jerry Lawler has been the colour commentator on WWE pay per-view events. Last year he was moved to SmackDown and in recent weeks has created a great chemistry with Mauro Ranallo and even brought back the heel King character to the delight of SmackDown viewers across the globe. As I sat down to watch the Rumble, I expected to see the usual 3 man team on pay per-view of Michael Cole, JBL and The King, but much to my surprise, Lawler has now been moved to the kick off show to deliver expert analysis on the upcoming event. Reading between the lines, it seems like the 66 year old Lawler is being slowly phased out of WWE commentary. From his move to SmackDown to his demotion to the kickoff panel, it's obvious that WWE wants to move in a new, younger direction for the pay per-view events and their flagship Monday night TV show. Sadly for Lawler, this looks to be the beginning of the end for him. Can things change? Of course they can, but Vince McMahon is big on youth and looks and with the aging King, it looks like McMahon is starting to put him out to pasture.