10 Wrestlers Who Deserve Big Push After WWE Royal Rumble 2017
1. Randy Orton
It might seem like a cop-out to place the Royal Rumble winner at the number one spot, but it’s important to consider the context here. Randy Orton was nobody’s first choice to win the Rumble, and while he’s one of WWE’s most tenured superstars, he hasn’t exactly been booked like a top star since returning.
Orton featured in SummerSlam’s main event, but he was utterly mauled by Brock Lesnar, and the bloody outcome did nothing but send him tumbling down the totem pole. The ensuing Bray Wyatt feud was contrived, confusing, and uninteresting, and while Orton’s sudden allegiance with Wyatt helped turn things around, him and Bray haven’t been regular main eventers at all.
Everything changed at the Royal Rumble. Orton is back in the title picture for the first time in years, and he’ll now be featured in one of WrestleMania’s headlining matches. After months of playing second fiddle to the likes of Dean Ambrose and AJ Styles, Orton is back on top of the mountain, and now finds himself at the heart of one of the company’s biggest storylines in years.
Will Orton become WWE Champion at WrestleMania 33? There’s a great chance he will. Recent rumours suggest that Bray will win the title at Elimination Chamber, setting up a big showdown between the two uneasy allies. Few fans were truly excited about Orton’s comeback, particularly after the Lesnar mess, but this story has helped galvanise his support.
The options are endless should Orton win the belt. It’d open up the possibility of fresh new match-ups with the likes of Styles, Ambrose, and The Miz, and effectively keep SmackDown’s main event scene booked for the rest of the year. Whether he wins at Mania or not, however, Orton’s 2017 looks incredibly promising.