WWE Royal Rumble 2016: Top Dark Horses to Watch for in Battle Royal

Veering from the unexpected at WWE Royal Rumble 2016 and going with a wild card of a winner like Kevin Owens would infuse a high-voltage electricity into the event and the product as a whole.

Predictability has plagued the annual Battle Royal in recent years. WWE foreshadowed Roman Reigns' win last year in heavy-handed fashion. Batista and John Cena's victories before that were obvious, uninspired, unremarkable.

This time around, a trio of names lead the Rumble field: Cena, Brock Lesnar, Triple H.

It's easy to envision a scenario where each of those wrestlers is the last man standing at the Royal Rumble and goes on to face Reigns at WrestleMania. Cena offers WWE a passing-of-the-torch bout against Reigns. Lesnar should still be seething after not directly losing the title to begin with. And Reigns' rise included him throttling Triple H on live TV.

Credit: WWE.com

Who beyond Cena and company could possibly triumph in the 30-man match?

The story of them winning and colliding with Reigns has to make sense. Their position on the card has to be high enough to be considered for this spot. 

And while there are major issues with each of the following names, they best fit that criteria as the dark horses who could surprise us should Cena, Lesnar and The Game not walk away the winner come Jan. 24.

Daniel Bryan

It was Bryan not winning in 2014 and 2015 that had the Rumble end with fans hammering the victorious babyface with boos. The audience has long wanted to see the underdog follow in Shawn Michaels, Chris Benoit and Rey Mysterio's footsteps and outlast bigger, imposing foes.

The story is certainly there for him to face Reigns.

Bryan never lost the WWE title. And this February, it was Reigns who barreled over him to prevent him from challenging for it at WrestleMania.

With Bryan's fervent fanbase and Reigns' recent rise, there's potential for a momentous meeting between them. WWE would be making a statement with this matchup, not relying on names from the past, but instead focusing on the here and now.

Concerns over Bryan's concussions make this a long-shot scenario, though.

WWE hasn't cleared him to compete after suffering another head injury in April. Word has been scarce about what's next in store for the mat wizard. If the company has hesitated this long to put him back into the ring, it may not ever do so.

Earlier this year, in a podcast interview with The Buzz from Fox Sports (h/t Cageside Seats' Bill Hanstock) Bryan said of his potential return: "It's kind of in the hands of certain doctors, as far as them clearing me and whatnot. My goal was to be back by SummerSlam, and that's looking less and less likely, and so then you're hoping to be back by Royal Rumble."

If that's how things work out, WWE will be mighty hesitant to have Bryan lose the Rumble and suffer backlash because of it for the third year in a row.

Kevin Owens

Owens is poised for big things in 2016. He's been red-hot since storming onto the main roster and walloping Cena. He's looked like a top-tier star early on thanks to stellar in-ring performances and flourishing as a trash-talker.

If Lesnar were to somehow get the title off Reigns before WrestleMania, Owens' odds of winning the Rumble would improve.

There have been a good number of rumblings about Owens facing The Beast Incarnate at The Show of Shows. For example, former WWE writer Court Bauer mentioned on MLW Radio (h/t Wrestle Zone's Nick Paglino) that WWE has been at least discussing the idea.

The timing isn't ideal for a Owens win, though.

He's been on the main roster for less than a year, for one. And it looks as if he and Dean Ambrose are going to be fully engaged in their war for the Intercontinental Championship.

The question is when WWE scripted for Owens to smash The Lunatic Fringe through an announce table on Monday's Raw, was it to build him up for a marquee spot at WrestleMania or to simply advance a blood feud?

Credit: WWE.com

The safer bet is that Owens does significant damage at the Rumble, potentially lasting until the final four. Having him win is a bolder, more outside-the-box move than WWE normally pulls.

Vince McMahon

The craziest scenario that could actually happen is that McMahon's recent issues with Reigns have WWE repeat a story much like the one from Royal Rumble 1999.

That year, McMahon and his cronies conspired to assure him a victory at the Rumble. Should this situation unfold again, he could then hand-pick who faced Reigns at WrestleMania, be it Triple H or Lesnar. 

Brandon Stroud of Uproxx's With Spandex, for one, thinks that's a bet worth taking. He wrote, "I'd throw a few bucks on Vince McMahon. Vince has been a big focus of the show the past few weeks, they love ridiculously disappointing Royal Rumble finishes, and 100-1 could pay off big."

The issues with this actually unfolding are plentiful.

McMahon is 70 years old. There are health concerns to think of, even if he barely gets physically involved during what would be his second Rumble victory.

Plus, the narrative heading into WrestleMania would be more convoluted than Lesnar winning or Triple H coming out on top.

Still, WWE has done convoluted before. It has had the Rumble winner give up their title opportunity in the past, although Triple H and Mysterio managed to win theirs back. Could McMahon do the same, stepping aside for his son-in-law to take down the defiant Reigns?

That's a hell of a curveball, but one that WWE may consider if it plans to further spotlight McMahon and Reigns' issues.

The safe money is undoubtedly on Lesnar, Cena or Triple H. Whether a dark horse gallops to the finish line instead, though, depends on how much WWE wants to stray from being predictable.