10 Potential surprise returns and debuts at the Royal Rumble 2017
It’s January and that can mean only one thing for WWE fans. It’s almost that time of the year – time for the Royal Rumble. As always, intrigue surrounds this year’s Rumble with speculation running rampant about potential debuts, returns and call-ups from NXT. Who’s turn could it be this year, to get a shot at headlining ‘Mania? The stakes are high as always with many Superstars looking at the Rumble as a means of impressing early on in the year.
The 2017 Royal Rumble will also be the first Rumble since the brand split, which adds an added layer of intrigue to this year’s event. Which brand will leave the Rumble with bragging rights? Also, any potential debuts will have to later reveal which brand they will be a part of, which adds intrigue of it’s own.
Early betting odds for the Rumble are out already and everyone seems to have their own theory about who’s going to win – from rumours of Braun Strowman winning to Goldberg.
Last year’s Rumble saw the biggest Royal Rumble surprise that we’ve gotten this decade with the ‘Phenomenal’ AJ Styles finally making his WWE. What surprises could the 2017 Rumble hold for us?
10: Tye Dillinger
Who better to start off this list at #10 then the “Perfect 10” himself, Tye Dillinger. Dillinger had a great 2016, going from being glorified enhancement talent to getting truly recognized for the great work that he’d been doing and having a small brush with the NXT main event scene near the end of the year – not to mention his stellar match against Bobby Roode at NXT TakeOver: Toronto.
Dillinger’s “Ten” chants hijacked Survivor Series weekend and still continues on the main roster. This seems like the perfect time, no pun intended, to have Dillinger debut at the #10 slot in the Royal Rumble. Dillinger can debut at the Rumble and go back to NXT till after Wrestlemania 33, having his NXT farewell at NXT TakeOver: San Antonio.
A brand like SmackDown Live could use Dillinger as a solid midcarder.