Sheamus and Randy Orton Will Participate in Royal Rumble

The WWE has some exciting news, as the league's Twitter account posted that Sheamus and Randy Orton are participating in Royal Rumble:

"

#WWE PHOTO GALLERY: Sheamus and Randy Orton announce they will participate in the Royal Rumble Match: photos wwe.me/2u60oI

— WWE (@WWE) January 5, 2013"

Sheamus and Orton have a history, as Sheamus lost a championship match to Orton due to biased refereeing in 2011. 

Since then, Sheamus has continuously battled to gain the world heavyweight championship, failing to defeat Big Show in those opportunities.

Orton, meanwhile, has been feuding with Dolph Ziggler and Alberto Del Rio while also looking to gain the world heavyweight championship for himself.

The duo joins John Cena as the three confirmed participants. A Cena victory makes sense to set up a match with The Rock, leaving Sheamus and Orton in limbo.

Sheamus and Orton haven't been the big draws that they once were, but don't be surprised if this news brings them back into the forefront. Before Royal Rumble, one of these two very well could become world heavyweight champion, making this a much bigger piece of news than it already is.

That would mean Big Show would have to take on Sheamus or Orton, as has been teased at in recent months. Orton was scheduled to take on Big Show in September but was disqualified thanks to an assault from Alberto Del Rio. 

This is also interesting because Sheamus and Orton are scheduled to fight for the world title at WrestleMania 29. One of them will have to get the title before then, but participating in Royal Rumble certainly makes that fight at WrestleMania more intriguing.

This latest announcement offers plenty of reason for excitement, as the card for Royal Rumble continues to grow. Expect more announcements and more big names as we get closer to the big event.