WWE Royal Rumble 2017: 10 Shocks That Could Happen
The most surprising event of the year!
The Royal Rumble may not always be a great show, but one thing's for sure - it's always full of surprises. Arguably the most exciting hour of in-ring action WWE offers annually, the Rumble match features a constant stream of wrestlers joining the fray, with comebacks, debuts, and storyline developments that will play out in the months leading to WrestleMania.
Just looking back at the past few years, it's evident that the Royal Rumble is a breeding ground for shocks, both good and bad. Last year, AJ Styles made his WWE debut, entering the match at number three and lasting for nearly half an hour. The year before, Daniel Bryan made his return from a neck injury, joining the bout with the goal of reclaiming the WWE World Championship. Instead, he was eliminated after 10 minutes, sending fans into a fury.
So what can we expect this year? What can WWE do - not just in the Royal Rumble match itself, but up and down the whole card - to make this year's event shocking (in a good way)? This list counts down 10 shocks WWE could pull at Royal Rumble 2017 - all plausible ones, to be sure, but after the year that was 2016, is plausible even a thing in WWE anymore?
10. Bayley Beats Charlotte
On Monday's Raw, Bayley defeated Nia Jax to claim a shot at the Raw Women's Championship. That means that she'll be taking on Charlotte Flair at the Royal Rumble with the belt on the line.
The match will undoubtedly be a good one. The women's divisions on both shows have come so far in the past year, with Charlotte and Sasha Banks especially making Raw's Women's Championship feel like a truly important prize. Bayley has the talent to continue the string of great matches, but that said, nobody really expects her to win. The Raw Women's Championship has changed hands a lot over the past several months, but it seems like it's time for some stability, at least until WrestleMania.
That said, most fans didn't expect the title to change at Hell in a Cell or Roadblock (and it shouldn't have), but it did, so anything's possible. Giving Bayley the win here would be a surprise, but it would also set up rematch that could kill time until WrestleMania. Don't count it out.