WWE Royal Rumble 2017: 10 Potential Dark Horses
3. Samoa Joe
Samoa Joe’s NXT run is coming to a close. He lost the NXT Championship to Shinsuke Nakamura in Osaka the other week, and failed to regain it from him in Australia the week after. With two title reigns under his belt and Bobby Roode set to slot into his top heel spot, there’s nothing left for him to do at Full Sail, and he might as well head up to the main roster.
Joe would make a fantastic surprise entrant in this year’s Rumble. He’d have some real infamy from his NXT run, but he was already well-known when he signed with the company in the first place. His entrance wouldn’t go down quite as well as AJ Styles’ did this year, but it’d still be one of the year’s biggest debuts, and Joe would be treated like a star.
As a performer, Joe has very few flaws. He’s already one of WWE’s most effective heels, main roster or otherwise, and his hard-hitting, intense wrestling style is a pleasure to watch. If he comes into the Royal Rumble and throws a few big names out, fans will have no trouble buying into him as a winner, and he’d immediately be one of the main roster’s most imposing forces.
Kevin Owens’ ascent shows that the fabled “superstar look” is no longer a factor in determining who gets pushed, and the playing field has never been more open for guys like Joe. Debuting with a Royal Rumble win would make a huge impact, and set 2017 off to a shocking start.