WWE Royal Rumble 2017: 10 Potential Main Events

6. Shawn Michaels vs. AJ Styles

Undertaker Aj Styles
WWE

When the news was announced that the upcoming Royal Rumble would be taking place not only in San Antonio, but in the 70,000+ seat Alamodome, one former superstar came to the mind of millions of longtime fans. That would be the man that main-evented the Alamodome's last Royal Rumble, the hometown hero Shawn Michaels.

As is often the case with pro-wrestling fans, the unfounded rumor mongering and speculation regarding Michaels' imminent return instantly spread like wildfire. While a tweet by AJ Styles showing off a fan-made poster featuring HBK and The Phenomenal One certainly added fuel to this fire, it is far from the "confirmation" that many fans were hoping for.

While this match would undoubtedly be capable of selling out the huge San Antonio dome, fans shouldn't hold their breath. For that reason, this match cannot be ranked any higher on this list.

Yes, Shawn Michaels showed he was in incredible shape back at WrestleMania 32 (albeit 8 months ago) and yes, the Royal Rumble is emanating from Shawn's hometown again. But after nearly seven years of happy, legacy-enriching retirement, why should Shawn throw it away for one match at the Royal Rumble?

There's no bigger HBK fan than me, but part of what made Shawn great, even in retirement, is that he stuck to that WrestleMania XXVI career-ending stipulation. As much as it'd be great to see one more HBK match, especially against AJ Styles, Shawn's better off leaving well enough alone.

Contributor
Contributor

A former stuntman for Paramount Pictures, Matt enjoys sports, water skiing, driving fast, the beach, professional wrestling, technology, and scotch. At the same time, whenever possible. Having attended many famous (and infamous) shows including WrestleMania XV, In Your House: Mind Games, and the 1995 King of the Ring, Matt has been a lifelong professional sports and wrestling fan. Matt's been mentioned in numerous wrestling podcasts including the Steve Austin Show: Unleashed, Talk Is Jericho, and Something To Wrestle With Bruce Prichard. As a former countywide performer, Matt has been referred to as Mr. 300 for his amazing accomplishments in the world of amateur bowling. He is also the only man on record to have pitched back-to-back no hitters in the Veterans Stadium Wiffle Ball League of 2003.