10 Wrestlers Who Won't Be In WWE Royal Rumble 2017 Match
No! No! No!
We're a week out from the 2017 Royal Rumble, and credit where credit is due: WWE has managed to put together one of the most interesting Rumble matches in a long time. Not only is it hugely star-studded (with Brock Lesnar, Goldberg, and The Undertaker as headliners), but for the first time in a while, it's legitimately hard to pinpoint who's going to win. There's a ton of intrigue, to be sure.
As always, part of that intrigue involves who hasn't been announced for the match. So far, 18 WWE superstars have been confirmed for the 30-man bout, meaning that there are 12 empty slots. While many of those spots will undoubtedly go to men who are currently on the roster, there's no question that - as always - we'll get a few surprises in there. If last's year Rumble - where AJ Styles debuted - was any indication, we could get a really big surprise.
Despite all that, though, we're still dealing with the rules and regulations of the real world, and some of the most talked-about surprise entrants simply aren't plausible - or even possible.
Yes, it's shaping up to be an exciting Royal Rumble, but here are 10 men who absolutely, positively will not be part of the match...
10. Triple H
Last year, in a twist that everyone who'd been watching wrestling for more than a week saw coming, Triple H was the surprise 30th entry in the Royal Rumble and the subsequent winner. As per the unique stipulation of that Rumble match, Triple H won Roman Reigns's WWE Championship.
This year, Triple H is in a feud with Seth Rollins, though that feud has involved "The Game" making a single appearance last summer and "The Architect" incessantly talking about his former mentor. For months, people have expected HHH to return and escalate things with Rollins, but he's been content to remain the off-screen Poochie in this feud, unveiling new championships and attending the fraudulent inauguration of a demagogue.
Of course, that has to change eventually, being as how the two men are scheduled to clash at WrestleMania. With Rollins in the Rumble, it makes sense for HHH to make his next strike there, costing his ex-associate a chance to contend for a title at WrestleMania.
That doesn't mean that HHH will actually be in the match, like so many have speculated. If he was going to be in the Rumble itself, one (or both) of two things would be happening - he'd either be advertised as a focal point of the match, or he'd be winning. Since neither of those things are happening, don't expect Triple H to compete.