WWE Royal Rumble 2015: Projecting Most Likely Surprise Rumble Entrants
One of the most entertaining aspects of the WWE Royal Rumble event is watching the clock count down and being shocked at the latest entrant, and 2015 shouldn't be a year where that doesn't happen.
Although there are only 30 Superstars in the match per usual as opposed to the 40 from 2011, which makes it tougher to add a lot of surprises, there still should be a few coming our way.
Keep in mind that this could be anything from a WWE legend such as Mick Foley to someone with limited appearances like Chris Jericho and everyone in between.
While it would be amazing to see a wide range of competitors show up, the majority of the focus will undoubtedly be on the biggest stars of today.
Keeping that in mind with a realistic set of expectations, who are some names that could potentially pop up where they aren't necessarily expected?
Let's break down some of the most likely surprises who might end up joining the fray.
5. Rob Van Dam
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Rob Van Dam has been in a number of Royal Rumble matches and has previously been a surprise entrant in the 2009 event as well as in 2005, when he had been out with an injury for a few months beforehand.
The last time Van Dam wrestled in a WWE ring was in August, although he would appear at the Slammy Awards at the tail end of 2014.
Since his deals as of late have consisted of him making steady appearances for several months and then taking off for a few more months, it's about time to see him return before leaving again around WrestleMania.
Van Dam fits comfortably in that level where he has status as a bit of a legend from the past, but he's still able to go in the ring. Meanwhile, many former stars are unfortunately too broken-down to make an appearance in this type of match.
That fact alone makes it a possibility that he will show up, even if you ignore the fact that he's always been popular with the audience, so his return would be welcomed with open arms.
For added measure, if Van Dam does become an entrant in this match, there is a good chance he appears in the late teens to kick off the ramp-up toward the finale when the pace picks up.
It isn't set in stone as an obvious certainty that he will appear, so don't be disappointed if "The Whole F'n Show" goes on without him, but you should definitely keep your eyes open just in case.
4. Sheamus
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When a wrestler is injured at exactly the right time, he or she can usually take the time off for surgery around the fall season and not miss out on the big WrestleMania payday.
Recently, we've already seen the returns of Bad News Barrett, Roman Reigns and Daniel Bryan, but there are still some other Superstars who are currently inactive.
One of the biggest names in that list is The Celtic Warrior, who has been out of action since dropping the United States Championship to Rusev in November.
While there is nothing that explicitly points to Sheamus being healthy enough to return, there's nothing that states the alternative to this.
WWE has a habit of allowing these injured wrestlers who have healed to return as a surprise entrant in the Royal Rumble, if only to momentarily pop the crowd by taking advantage of how they haven't heard that particular theme music in a while.
The best example of this was from 2008 when John Cena made his surprise entrance, but there have been far too many other times when this has happened to compile a list of them.
That being said, this match could go on without Sheamus and it wouldn't greatly hurt it, but if you are betting on some returns, his is definitely one you should consider putting money on.
3. Adrian Neville
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The past two years have included one person from the NXT roster in the Royal Rumble, so it can be expected that the same will happen this year as well.
Many fans are clamoring to see Sami Zayn on the main roster as soon as possible, but all signs point to Adrian Neville being promoted to that spot sooner.
Not only is Zayn the current NXT champion, which is a bit of a conflict of interest, but history has shown that when someone drops a title in NXT, they aren't too far off from the main roster.
It happened with The Ascension, Paige, Seth Rollins, Big E and Bo Dallas, so it will likely happen with Neville this year.
This would be a surprise to anyone who doesn't see that pattern, particularly if they aren't following the NXT product to begin with, as this guy would be relatively brand new to them.
Neville's appearance in the Royal Rumble could be used as an early shock to keep things fresh and interesting around the 10th entrant, allowing him enough time to fly around the ring and showcase his skills before being tossed out when the big guns come in the 20s.
2. Randy Orton
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The more star power that is in the Royal Rumble the better it is, as the worst of the bunch from history tend to be the ones where everyone knows that there is only one person who could possibly win.
Although the chances that Randy Orton will go on to WrestleMania aren't as strong as some other candidates', like Daniel Bryan and Roman Reigns, his return will come as a babyface with a lot more momentum than he's had recently.
Orton hasn't been seen since before Survivor Series, and in that time frame, he has been healing from nagging injuries and taking care of some other business. But rest assured that business will indeed pick up when he shows his face at this year's event.
Barring some unforeseen circumstances like another random injury, it is almost a guarantee that you will hear voices in your head after the buzzer goes off at some point, whether it is the 30th spot or sometime earlier than that.
As previously said in regards to Sheamus, this would be a surprise in the sense that he would be returning from injury.
As there is unfinished business between Orton and Seth Rollins, it strengthens Orton's chances of appearing, if not just to eliminate him if Rollins finds himself in the match.
Look out for Rollins to lose his attempt to win the title from John Cena and Brock Lesnar but find himself being inserted into the Royal Rumble by The Authority as a backup plan to secure power.
In exchange for the chorus of boos that will happen when Rollins comes into the match, WWE will match it with a chorus of cheers for the returning Apex Predator.
1. The Recent WWE Firings: Dolph Ziggler, Erick Rowan and Ryback
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To most fans, this isn't even a surprise, but in theory, it's still applicable.
If WWE does not reinstate the active roster status of these three men by the go-home show of Monday Night Raw, then on a technicality, they would appear as surprise entrants even if you can see it coming from a mile away.
The truth of the matter is that there is no way that the 2015 Royal Rumble event goes down without Dolph Ziggler, Erick Rowan and Ryback appearing in some fashion.
True, there is a slight chance that they are placed in a tag team match to get their jobs back and they don't appear in the Royal Rumble itself, but there's nothing stopping them from doing both.
In fact, with the roster being so thin, it seems as though the big match cannot go down without at least Ryback and Ziggler being two of the 30 names.
Those two are simply too big in terms of star power to be left out of the mix in favor of some potential rejected wrestlers such as Los Matadores, David Otunga, Darren Young or The Bunny.
The same concept applies partially to Rowan but to a lesser extent, as fans wouldn't likely be too upset to see him missing from the match.
Nonetheless, in terms of kayfabe surprises keeping up the storylines, these three showing up in the match constitutes an almost surefire bet of an appearance more than anybody else in the company's Rolodex.
Who are you hoping to see show up as a contender for the championship shot at WrestleMania?
Are there any inactive stars from the past whom you are aching to see make an appearance?
Out of everyone out there, who would surprise you the most as an entrant?
Tell us your theories, thoughts and predictions in the comments below!
Anthony Mango is the owner-operator of the wrestling website Smark Out Moment as well as the host of its podcast show Smack Talk on YouTube, iTunes and Stitcher. You can follow him on Facebook and elsewhere for more.
