Ranking EVERY WWE Royal Rumble's Biggest Surprise 1988-2022

12. 2016 - A Phenomenal Debut

Royal Rumble 2016 AJ Styles
WWE

Entering at #3 to maximise his WWE debut as the massive moment it was and give the audience just a sliver of what AJ Styles Vs Roman Reigns might one day look like, the inspired presentation of the unannounced, hugely well known newcomer might be one of the best new signing debuts ever.

Same name, same look, same prestige he'd built elsewhere, all used to full and dramatic effect. 2016 WWE felt like a one that had finally caught up to how to do this.

Contributor
Contributor

Michael is a writer, editor, podcaster and presenter for WhatCulture Wrestling, and has been with the organisation over 8 years. He primarily produces written, audio and video content on WWE and AEW, but also provides knowledge and insights on all aspects of the wrestling industry thanks to a passion for it dating back over 35 years. As one third of "The Dadley Boyz" Michael has contributed to the huge rise in popularity of the WhatCulture Wrestling Podcast and its accompanying YouTube channel, earning it top spot in the UK's wrestling podcast charts with well over 62,000,000 total downloads. Within the podcasting space, he also co-hosts Benno & Hamflett, In Your House! and Podcast Horseman: The BoJack Horseman Podcast. He has been featured as a wrestling analyst for the Tampa Bay Times, Fightful, POST Wrestling, GRAPPL, GCP, Poisonrana and Sports Guys Talking Wrestling, and has covered milestone events in New York, Dallas, Las Vegas, Philadelphia, London and Cardiff. Michael's background in media stretches beyond wrestling coverage, with a degree in Journalism from the University Of Sunderland (2:1) and a series of published articles in sports, music and culture magazines The Crack, A Love Supreme and Pilot. When not offering his voice up for daily wrestling podcasts, he can be found losing it singing far too loud watching his favourite bands play live. Follow him on X/Twitter - @MichaelHamflett