Pros and Cons of Samoa Joe Making Main-Roster Debut in WWE Royal Rumble Match

If there is one man set to be WWE's surprise entrant in the 2017 Royal Rumble match, then it has to be NXT's Samoa Joe.

The fact that Shinsuke Nakamura has moved on and found a fresh foe in Bobby Roode for the NXT Championship speaks volumes in regard to Joe's future at Full Sail University—he is bound for the main roster.

But would debuting in the annual 30-man bash on Jan. 29 be the best way for his time on the main roster to start? Here's a look at the pros and cons of Joe entering the 2017 Royal Rumble match.

Pros

If you're looking for a surprise entrant in the Royal Rumble match, Joe is the standout candidate this year.

And the Rumble, given that it is the traditional starting point for the Road to WrestleMania, garners so much attention and hype that it would be wise to throw him into the main match by way of an explosive debut.

Another major plus of Joe entering the Rumble is that there are so many options for a WrestleMania feud.

With 29 other Superstars in the mix, it makes it fairly easy for WWE to set up a program for Joe for the coming months to smooth his transition to the main roster.

In addition, with little else in the way of surprises—except for the possibility of a Finn Balor return—WWE needs Joe to fill that role.

Cons

With 29 other Superstars in the same match, there's perhaps an argument to suggest Joe could get lost in the shuffle if he entered the Royal Rumble.

With so much happening and so many rivalries being set up for WrestleMania—such as Triple H vs. Seth Rollins and Goldberg vs. Brock Lesnar—Joe may find his time to make an impact in the Rumble limited.

Plus, it's highly unlikely he would win the bout, so finding the balance between lasting long enough in the Rumble and going out too early, hindering his momentum, would be a tricky task.

Some would say that AJ Styles managed to comfortably avoid that fate last year, but Joe may find it slightly trickier in a Rumble match with real star power this time around.

Aside from that, is there a realistic future WrestleMania opponent in that match? Perhaps WWE would be better served holding off until either Elimination Chamber or Fastlane, where Joe could make an impact in the main event of one of those shows.

Verdict

When weighing the pros and cons, it seems fairly obvious that WWE would be wise to take the risk and throw Joe into the chaos of the Royal Rumble match.

Styles proved last year that the match can be the starting point for something special, and in reality, it is the one show where, if one debuts on the main roster, they are likely to make the most impact and create the most buzz. 

WWE fans will go wild if they hear Joe's music hit at any point during the Rumble, and as things stand, having him appear in that bout seems to be the logical choice.