20 Awesome WWE Royal Rumble Debuts And Returns

18. Bo Dallas (2013)

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WWE Network

The first real NXT Royal Rumble debut belongs to someone who today is more of a punchline, but back then was a rising star.

When Bo Dallas showed up in the 2013 Rumble, he was five months away from winning the NXT Championship. He turned in a respectable performance, lasting more than 20 minutes and eliminating Wade Barrett, who at the time was the Intercontinental Champion. Barrett would turn around and toss Dallas, setting up a mini-feud between the two.

It's quite the difference between then and now, but you've got to give WWE kudos for trying to give Dallas some shine via the Rumble.

Contributor
Contributor

Scott is a former journalist and longtime wrestling fan who was smart enough to abandon WCW during the Monday Night Wars the same time as the Radicalz. He fondly remembers watching WrestleMania III, IV, V and VI and Saturday Night's Main Event, came back to wrestling during the Attitude Era, and has been a consumer of sports entertainment since then. He's written for WhatCulture for more than a decade, establishing the Ups and Downs articles for WWE Raw and WWE PPVs/PLEs and composing pieces on a variety of topics.