WWE Royal Rumble 2017: Superstars Who Deserve Biggest Pushes Leading Up to PPV

The Royal Rumble is the perfect opportunity for new stars to emerge. Lasting in the Rumble match for over 30 minutes is a feat. Making the final four is even better. And winning the thing? It's the stuff that legends are made of.

Part of the Royal Rumble's appeal is its unpredictability. WWE likes to promote that "anyone" can win the Rumble. But for that idea to work, the fans must perceive multiple Superstars as threats. Otherwise, the booking becomes obvious, and if there's one thing that sinks matches, it's predictability (see: Royal Rumble 2015).

Here are six Superstars who deserve the biggest pushes leading up to the Royal Rumble. Some of them are new stars who deserve shots. Some of them are flailing stars who need smart reboots. And one of them is a former world champion who deserves a second shot at the big time.

The Club

At the beginning of the year, The Club was on the tips of fans' tongues.

But the WWE draft was the worst possible thing for Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson. WWE split them from their ring leader and real-life friend, AJ Styles. And these days, they are little more than two archetypal thugs—the end result of horrific booking and sophomoric, "humorous" writing. Does anyone remember The Old Day? Yeah. It's best not to remember The Old Day.

Between now and the Rumble, Gallows and Anderson deserve a stronger presence that befits their ring experience and initial promise. They should be defending the Raw Tag Team Championships instead of fighting for screen time. And dominant performances on Raw and at the Rumble could signify their return to relevancy.

Bray Wyatt

Credit: WWE.com

Bray Wyatt is not fighting for the world title. He's not fighting for the intercontinental title.

He's on the losing end of a tag team feud with American Alpha, and he's the weaker link in a gimmick partnership with Randy Orton. It's the latest humiliation in a young but disappointing WWE career.

WrestleMania season has never gone well for Wyatt. John Cena beat him in 2014. The Undertaker beat him in 2015. The Rock and Cena destroyed him and his family in 2016. And as more Superstars get called up from NXT, Wyatt's window of opportunity shrinks. More doors close than open.

WWE should either do something with Wyatt now or cut him loose to negotiate with New Japan. Enough is enough because he's running out of time.

Nia Jax

Women rarely enter the Royal Rumble, but when they do, it's notable.

Chyna entered twice—once in 1999 and again in 2000. Beth Phoenix entered in 2010. Kharma entered in 2012. And Nia Jax should enter in 2017.

Jax is a great worker with impressive showings against both Bayley and Asuka in NXT. She's currently bullying Sasha Banks, and she's probably going to cost Bayley her title match against Charlotte Flair. WWE needs to continue booking Jax strongly for the rest of January.

If Jax then enters the Rumble and makes a strong, dominant impression, watch out. It'll be her launching pad to the upper echelon of female talent, and it'll establish her as a dangerous threat to any of The Four Horsewomen down the line.

Braun Strowman

Credit: WWE.com

During last year's Rumble, Braun Strowman performed well. He tied Triple H for the most eliminations (five). And now, one year later, Strowman is stronger than ever.

On Raw, Strowman should continue his impromptu destruction of the roster. And then, at the Rumble, he should dominate and rack up the highest number of eliminations again.

Strowman is still too inexperienced to win the Rumble—a slow build is preferable to a rushed build anyway. But an excellent performance can solidify Strowman's status as a future threat. Expect the big man to last nearly to the end. 

Baron Corbin

If Strowman is the monster of Raw, then Baron Corbin is the monster of SmackDown.

The Lone Wolf lost some steam after last year's WrestleMania. He won the Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal that evening, but it never led to any sort of title run. Since the draft, however, Corbin has become one of the top Superstars in the company. He has an emphatic finisher. He carries himself like a natural heel. All he needs is a little more experience on the mic, and he's golden.

It's clear WWE officials see a lot in Corbin and are investing in his future. A strong showing over the next several weeks will position Corbin as a dangerous Rumble competitor—another steppingstone to becoming a main event attraction in 2017.

The Miz

Seven years ago, The Miz cashed in his Money in the Bank briefcase and won the WWE Championship. His run was largely unimpressive, and when he dropped the belt and shuffled down to the midcard, few fans complained. WWE gave The Miz a shot, and it simply didn't work out.

But now, The Miz is doing the best work of his entire career. His charismatic, worked shoots go viral on YouTube. His ring work looks more snug and crisp than it's ever looked before. And Maryse, more so than Alex Riley or Damien Sandow, is the perfect ringside accompaniment.

Should WWE give The Hollywood A-Lister one more chance at the biggest prize in the company? Absolutely. The man has more than earned the opportunity. He knows how to draw heat, which means that he knows how to draw money. And now that he's lost the intercontinental title, it's time for him to move on to bigger, better things. A strong push over the next couple of weeks will propel him to that next level of WWE Championship contention.