5 surprise Royal Rumble winners that would help WWE solidify the 'New Era' promise
When the McMahons returned to Raw in order to address the recent troubles on the show, they promised both the wrestlers and the WWE Universe a lot of things. One thing they promised was that several superstars who hadn't been getting opportunities would now be getting some opportunities.
While that sounds great in theory, it only means something if a wrestler who hasn't been in the main event now gets there and/or wins a major title. Promising change and following through with it are two completely different things. If the same men and women are always the ones in the title picture, then it was an empty promise.
While it is necessary for some superstars to remain at the highest level on either Raw or Smackdown, new wrestlers need to be added and maintained in order to keep the main-event scene from being stagnant.
If WWE truly meant what they said on that episode of Raw, then having a surprise winner take home the Royal Rumble victory would be a huge way to show the fans it wasn't an empty promise.
By having a former winner or a part-time superstar triumph in the Rumble, it would only show us that they were blowing smoke in our faces in order to stem the tide of the sinking ship of Raw's ratings.
Here are five possible winners of the male Rumble match that would help give some credence to the McMahons' claims that things would be changing for the better in 2019. They likely won't win, but stranger things have happened.
5. Big E
Several reports, including one from Comicbook.com recently stated that Mr. McMahon has considered breaking up the New Day in the new year.
It would help freshen up all three wrestlers as well as provide them with potential singles pushes in the future. Kofi Kingston has already had decent success as a singles star but has never been considered a main-event level superstar. Xavier Woods is a good supporting character or member of a tag team. He's the one who has been helped the most by the New Day pairing and he's the one who would suffer the most if the team split up.
He would be a good mouthpiece for anyone needing one, but Big E wouldn't need one if the group split up. He's hilarious on the mic and has always been favored by Vince McMahon due to his power-lifting background and muscular physique.
Should the group disband in any fashion, he would be the one who would have the most potential as a singles star. He was never tested out in the main event, but Smackdown is in need of credible main-event babyfaces.
Big E could help fill that void and it would be a huge and positive surprise if Big E was to win the Royal Rumble. He's a believable threat to do so, and having an African-American WWE Champion is long overdue in the WWE.
Mr. E could be that man to help truly bring the WWE into the 'New Era', and a match for the WWE Championship or Universal Championship at Wrestlemania 35 would be historic.
We all know how much WWE likes to 'create history' but this time wouldn't simply be for history's sake.