Royal Rumble 2012 News: 3 Surprise Entrants Revealed, Notes on 2 Others

The 2012 Royal Rumble event is shaping up to be a show full of surprises from both wrestling's past and present.

In F4WOnline.com's Saturday news update, Dave Meltzer published the following:

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"Some Royal Rumble notes. Jim Duggan is pretty much confirmed for the show.  He had indie bookings this weekend that he had to cancel at the last minute.  Others expected are Road Warrior Animal (which makes sense since his son plays for the St. Louis Rams) and Road Dogg.  Other notes include Brodus Clay getting his full ring entrance at the Rumble, and they are back on the push Mason Ryan bandwagon as of this week.  That's one that can change on a moments notice, though."

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The latest, last-minute scoop for the show is indeed very interesting.

While it's always nice to see the flag-bearing "Hacksaw" Jim Duggan, his inclusion isn't a huge surprise, as we last saw him only nine months ago at the 2011 Hall of Fame ceremony.

On the other hand, it will have been over a decade since we've seen The Road Dogg wrestle inside a WWE ring. Also, it will have been nearly six years since we've seen Animal, who is the surviving member of the most dominant tag team in wrestling history.

Not to mention, Joe Laurinaitis—aka "Animal"—is the brother of John Laurinaitis, the interim GM of Monday Night Raw.

Perhaps, The Royal Rumble will mark the beginning of Animal's involvement in the Raw storylines as we approach a possible John Laurinaitis vs. CM Punk bout at Elimination Chamber 2012.

Moreover, assuming the note on Brodus Clay's full entrance includes in-ring dancing and pyrotechnics, it will be intriguing to see how the logistics of that plays out. That is, unless Clay is one of the first few participants of the match, the ring will otherwise be full of superstars when "The Funkasaurus" shimmies through the ropes.

One of two possibilities might occur—either the other combatants will rebuff his funky moves, or an impromptu flash mob will come about.

Last but not least, Meltzer's remarks about Mason Ryan being on the cusp of a push is nothing new.

Burly, larger-than-life wrestlers have always had a place in Vince McMahon's kingdom. Not only are they generally regarded with more favor in the WWE, but they also receive more opportunities to succeed than their smaller-statured counterparts.

All in all, The Royal Rumble pay-per-view signifies a very exciting road ahead as the WWE machine steamrolls toward WrestleMania 28.

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