Braun Strowman and Top Options to Eliminate Goldberg at Royal Rumble 2017

Sunday's Royal Rumble match presents a star-studded lineup, but only one WWE Superstar will walk away with the elusive victory. This means several of WWE's biggest names will be thrown over the top rope in some fashion.

That caveat represents an opportunity for young up-and-coming stars to have their moments in the sun or premier heels to raise their profiles as the top villains in the business.

There's a good chance Goldberg, arguably the hottest WWE Superstar going, is one of the 29 men who are eliminated from the Royal Rumble. If and when that happens, there are five individuals booked in the Royal Rumble who would benefit from that moment.

Braun Strowman

WWE has a vested interest in Braun Strowman. As Brock Lesnar was tearing through a slew of high-profile WWE Superstars last Monday on Raw, it was Strowman staring him down from the apron once the dust cleared.

Strowman is a good bet to have one of the better performances in the Royal Rumble. It'd be a slight disappointment if he didn't break the record for most eliminations in a single Rumble. But even if he does break the record, few eliminations would be more important than taking out Goldberg.

Baron Corbin

Baron Corbin has shined as a sour heel who is out to upset fans and ruin a good time. Come the Royal Rumble, nothing would upset fans more than Corbin eliminating Goldberg.

The former NXT standout has gained a lot of momentum through WWE Championship matches and a recent bout against John Cena. WWE sees him as a notch above most other heels on the SmackDown Live roster, and if anybody from the blue brand is going to eliminate Goldberg, it should be The Lone Wolf.

The Miz

Corbin may have more to gain from tossing out Goldberg, but a Goldberg elimination also has The Miz's name written all over it. The Miz has perfected the art of being a truly despicable heel in an era that is littered with cool heels who don't get booed.

If The Miz used some sneaky tactic to dump Goldberg over the top rope, an arena of over 60,000 fans would come unglued in disgust, and that's exactly how The Hollywood A-Lister would like it. Following the would-be elimination, The Miz could gloat relentlessly on SmackDown as the most must-see WWE Superstar and the man who eliminated Goldberg at the Royal Rumble. All that obnoxiousness might be too much to contain on a two-hour show.

Chris Jericho

Chris Jericho has an outside shot to win the Royal Rumble, and it would be quite poetic if the former WCW star did away with a former WCW heavyweight champion.

As of right now, Jericho is still a heel, but you would never know it from the reaction he gets, especially through the success of his list. For Jericho to remind his adoring fans that he's still a bad guy, a Goldberg elimination wouldn't hurt.

Brock Lesnar

Through all the opportunity implicit in a Goldberg elimination, no scenario makes more sense than Brock Lesnar being responsible for his current rival's demise.

Goldberg embarrassed Lesnar with an 86-second victory at Survivor Series, so it's not out of the question that Lesnar returns the favor by making quick work of Goldberg in the Royal Rumble match. And while there's a possibility that both men eliminate each other simultaneously, that would do little for Lesnar in the context of this feud.

Alfred Konuwa is a Featured Columnist and on-air host for Bleacher Report and Forbes. Like him on Facebook.