WWE Royal Rumble 2017: Predicting 10 Biggest Spots
If these happen, this year's Rumble is going to be epic.
WWE's first major show of the year is almost upon us. The Royal Rumble returns to the Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas for the first time since 1997 this Sunday evening, and the excitement is palpable. If all goes well, this should be one of the best Rumbles in recent memory, and a perfect momentum boost on the road to WrestleMania.
The Rumble thrives on surprises, and while The Undertaker, Goldberg, and Brock Lensar closed last night's Raw, this year's winner is far from certain. You could make a strong case for at least half a dozen different wrestlers winning this year, and with nine spots to fill and just one SmackDown to go, there's plenty of room for the unexpected.
Some of the greatest moments in wrestling history came in the Royal Rumble. From shocking returns to gritty iron man performances, the Rumble is all about creating great memories, and the pressure has rarely been this high.
WWE can't afford to deliver a mundane show for an audience that could top 60,000 people, and there's no doubt they'll have some great spots up their sleeve. How will they take shape? Let's take a look.
10. Samoa Joe Debuts
There are few better ways for a wrestler to make his debut than by entering the Royal Rumble unannounced, and NXT provides a number of available options this year. There’s a slim chance that the loser of Shinsuke Nakamura vs. Bobby Roode will appear in the match, and Tye Dillinger entering at number 10 is too fun to turn down. The likeliest option, however, is the first two-time NXT Champion in company history.
Samoa Joe has been ready for the main roster since the day he walked into the Performance Center, and it’s time to pull the trigger. Joe hasn’t appeared on NXT television since failing to recapture the belt from Nakamura in December, and after running through everyone that matters at Full Sail University, there’s nothing left for him to do down there. The timing has never been better, and the Rumble is crying out for his appearance.
Rumours of Joe’s imminent call-up are snowballing, and at this point, it’d be a bigger shock if he didn’t show-up in San Antonio. Regardless, Joe can follow in the footsteps of his old TNA rival AJ Styles with a strong debut showing in this year’s match, and if played right, the crowd should lap it up. Where he goes from there is anyone’s guess, but who wouldn’t want to see NXT’s biggest monster flexing his might at the Alamodome?