WWE Royal Rumble 2023: 10 Surprise Entrants We Could See

2. Killian Dain

Road Dogg
WWE.com

It's strange that Killian Dain hasn't been brought back already.

Triple H obviously liked him. The first and best NXT WarGames match was built around his badass, key-eating destroyer contrasting with the slimy cowardice of Adam Cole, and Dain was selected as a reliable monster heel as the brand fired the first (wayward) shot in the Wednesday Night War.

His run ground to a halt following that programme with Matt Riddle, and after a fairly nothing programme with Pete Dunne cast him as somebody the TV audience wasn't particularly interested in, he was retooled in 2020 as the cuddly, big-hearted protector of Drake Maverick. While he stopped short of actually dancing, this character repackage underscored the similarities between Triple H and Vince McMahon as bookers.

Still, Dain is better than some of the other useless t*ssers that Triple H has brought back, has a distinctive look, can go, and there's still the sense that he hasn't shown the wider wrestling landscape what he can do.

He probably won't get a massive pop - perhaps Triple H should stop telling people that AEW "only" beat developmental, if he wants his former NXT guys to be taken seriously by the mass audience - but there are worse talents for babyfaces to beat than Big Damo.

Contributor
Contributor

Michael Sidgwick is an editor, writer and podcaster for WhatCulture Wrestling. With over seven years of experience in wrestling analysis, Michael was published in the influential institution that was Power Slam magazine, and specialises in providing insights into All Elite Wrestling - so much so that he wrote a book about the subject. You can order Becoming All Elite: The Rise Of AEW on Amazon. Possessing a deep knowledge also of WWE, WCW, ECW and New Japan Pro Wrestling, Michael’s work has been publicly praised by former AEW World Champions Kenny Omega and MJF, and current Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes. When he isn’t putting your finger on why things are the way they are in the endlessly fascinating world of professional wrestling, Michael wraps his own around a hand grinder to explore the world of specialty coffee. Follow Michael on X (formerly known as Twitter) @MSidgwick for more!