WWE Royal Rumble 2017: Predicting 12 Wrestlers Not Yet Announced

8. Kane

Tye Dillinger 10
WWE.com

Kane is almost completely irrelevant to modern WWE programming at this point, but it wouldn't be a Royal Rumble without him. The Big Red Machine has never won the match, but he's one of the most impressive performers in Rumble history. Not only has Kane competed in a record 19 Rumbles, but he has more eliminations to his name than anyone else (44), and produced one of the all-time great Rumble performances when he eliminated 11 men in 2001.

His total eliminations record will probably be broken in time, but it's only right that Kane gets the opportunity to add to his total this year. Last year saw Kane eliminate just one competitor (R-Truth) before Braun Strowman ended his run, and he'll probably get the same treatment next week. After 25 years in the business, Kane doesn't need to be front and centre anymore, and a quick monster run will more than suffice.

With 23 career eliminations, Roman Reigns looks most likely to eventually beat Kane's record. Roman won't be in this year's match, however, which gives Kane the perfect opportunity to put further distance between him and Reigns. Nobody wants to see Kane thrown back into the spotlight at this point, but few would begrudge a brief run in the Rumble.

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Andy has been with WhatCulture for eight years and is currently WhatCulture's Wrestling Channel Manager. A writer, presenter, and editor with 10+ years of experience in online media, he has been a sponge for all wrestling knowledge since playing an old Royal Rumble 1992 VHS to ruin in his childhood. Having previously worked for Bleacher Report, Andy specialises in short and long-form writing, video presenting, voiceover acting, and editing, all characterised by expert wrestling knowledge and commentary. Andy is as much a fan of 1985 Jim Crockett Promotions as he is present-day AEW and WWE - just don't make him choose between the two.