WWE Royal Rumble 2019: 10 Surprise Entrants We Could See

8. Pete Dunne

Rob Van Dam
WWE.com

'The Bruiserweight' has been main roster-ready for over a year, and with his United Kingdom Championship now stretching beyond 600 days and WALTER emerging onto the NXT UK scene, it won't be long before Dunne moves onto bigger things.

Whether those bigger things are also better things remains to be seen, knowing WWE's propensity to screw awesome wrestlers and characters up when they hit the main roster. Still, the timing feels right for Dunne to make the leap. NXT UK undoubtedly needs another star of his magnitude, but he'd be a more valuable asset to Raw or SmackDown, given how polished his act has become, and he's more than capable of throwing down on the biggest stage.

NXT's Adam Cole and Andrade 'Cien' Almas both appeared in the 2018 Rumble. Including Dunne would allow WWE to tick both the mainline developmental and UK boxes, given that he still shows up at Full Sail University semi-regularly. His participation would generate a good pop, and even allow the company to set up his first proper main roster feud via a mid-Rumble clash, before bringing him over to mainstream television full-time.

Channel Manager
Channel Manager

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.