10 Ways WWE Can Guarantee Royal Rumble 2017 Sell-Out
9. Stick With 30 Participants
WWE have a huge talent roster, and there’ll be great pressure to expand the Royal Rumble this year. 15 Raw superstars and 15 from SmackDown isn’t a whole lot, and that’s without leaving spots for surprise entrants. They might not have enough room to cram everyone they want to into a 30-man Rumble, and the idea of shifting to a 40-man match will surely crop-up over the coming weeks.
This would be a big mistake. WWE experimented with a 40-man Rumble in 2011, and while it wasn’t the worst Rumble match of all-time, it was a disjointed mess. The first half consisted of CM Punk and the New Nexus dominating the competition, but the second became a joyless slog as it hit the 30th entrant. It made the year’s longest match even longer, and it’s hard enough to maintain your energy for a 30-man match, let alone one with 10 more.
Thus, WWE must resist this temptation and stick with 30. It’ll mean a lot of people missing out, sure, but it’ll also prevent burnout and help keep the match exciting. The Rumble is long enough as it is, and it certainly doesn’t need another 20-30 minutes added to the end. Here’s hoping WWE aren’t panicking to fill four hours of airtime, because we don’t want another 2011 situation on our hands.