Previewing the 2017 Royal Rumble, WWE's Most Unpredictable Rumble in Ages (2024)

Every year, WWE’s Royal Rumble marks the beginning of WrestleMania season, that stretch from late January to early April when WWE actually buckles down to tell a cohesive story. Every year, that story is roughly the same, but it’s usually compelling nonetheless: the winner of the Royal Rumble, a 30-man timed battle royal, faces the top champion at WrestleMania.

The concept sounds pretty simple, but the permutations have proven to be endless, if not always great; when I say it’s “usually compelling,” the word “usually” is doing some heavy lifting, as last year’s abysmal Roman Reigns–centered WrestleMania can attest. But sometimes it’s magic and unpredictable, as when Batista’s return faded into a triumphant Daniel Bryan at WrestleMania 30, or Ric Flair lasting almost the whole match to win the belt. Sunday will mark WWE’s 30th Royal Rumble, and the event is much needed.

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WWE has been in something of a doldrums lately. Last summer’s brand split, with Raw and SmackDown getting separate rosters and titles, translated into more pay-per-views, but there’s been a strange fallow period since December 18th’s Roadblock to the Rumble. What had been too much wrestling, with the pay-per-views coming at a biweekly rate sometimes, has suddenly become not enough. Monday Night Raw has been a mostly listless, joyless affair for weeks now. SmackDown Live has been better, but still risked slipping into the same rut. Royal Rumble is coming at precisely the right time to prevent that.

Not only does the timing work out—this Rumble is shaping up to be the most unpredictable in ages. Usually, we have an idea of who the winner is going to be, or we can at least whittle it down to three or four finalists, but between the company’s aging stars, the influx of new blood, and the brand split, the 2017 edition is truly wide open.

Previewing the 2017 Royal Rumble, WWE's Most Unpredictable Rumble in Ages (1)

Goldberg (right) is the favorite, but Braun Strowman and Samoa Joe loom. Via WWE/YouTube

Bill Goldberg and Brock Lesnar are both going to enter the Rumble, and they are absolutely going to have a match at WrestleMania. The question is whether one of them wins the Universal title, while the other wins the Rumble, setting up a clash for title as well as pride. The most likely scenario is that one of them screws the other out of a win, leading to a white-hot Round 2 (after Goldberg’s unexpected demolition of Lesnar at Survivor Series).

Goldberg is the current favorite to win based on betting odds—yes, people bet on a scripted athletic exhibition, yes, it’s weird, and yes, it’s sometimes a fairly accurate place to start. It’s certainly not outside the realm of possibility that Goldberg gets one last run, however brief, and enters the Hall of Fame.

Still, other names loom as possible winners. Last week, the favorite was Braun Strowman, a former strongman and a legitimate physical freak billed at 6-foot-8 and 350 pounds. His early work in WWE was raw (no pun intended), as might befit a guy who came in fresh, but he’s gotten good, albeit with a limited set of moves due to his sheer size. He can cut an OK snarling promo and it’s really impressive when he throws other men around like they’re basketballs. Vince McMahon has always preferred to have a massive guy in the main event scene, from Andre the Giant to the Undertaker to the Big Show. Strowman fills that niche, even if there are questions as to whether he’s ready.

The Royal Rumble is also known for debuts and returns. Kurt Angle may show up briefly after the announcement of his Hall of Fame induction. He’s in rough shape, with an extremely bad neck and an absolute unwillingness to tone down his at age 48, but he’s also so popular and the pop he’d get would be so huge that it’s tough to see WWE turning Angle down if he was willing to go out for 10 minutes or so. He won’t win, but it’s not always about who wins.

One debutant who might get a surprise win is Samoa Joe. Joe is a former NXT champion and just finished a long program there with Shinsuke Nakamura, but like Nakamura and A.J. Styles, he’s never really needed the polish—NXT needed him more than he needed it.

Joe’s an old pro of the Styles/CM Punk generation. Indeed, his first taste of a sustained national spotlight was during TNA’s brief golden age in the late 2000s, where he regularly wrestled both Angle and Styles. Before that, he was an indie legend who worked an absolutely brutal style, becoming ridiculously over in the process.

Of all the people mooted as winner, Joe is the most intriguing. He’s not young, at 37, but the prospect of him and Styles updating their old TNA rivalry would signal several things. One, it would be one more indication that WWE has finally moved on from their reticence to give full-throated support to men and women who made their reputations at erstwhile rivals. It would also indicate that WWE has moved on from its indie-skeptical ways; we’re already basically there, with Kevin Owens et al. ruling the roost, but Samoa Joe is kind of an ur-indie guy, the primal manifestation of dangerous bingo hall matches gone national.

There are lots of other rumored names and spin-off matches. Seth Rollins is primed to be screwed over by a returning Triple H, who hasn’t been seen in months. Finn Balor, who was the first holder of the Universal title before legitimate injury forced him to vacate, is due back; whatever he ends up doing probably starts at the Rumble. And there are even rumors that the Undertaker is going to get one last run as a tribute before he finally retires in earnest.

Whoever ends up winning, the Royal Rumble is wide open for the first time in years, and there’s ample room for smaller side stories to emerge during the match. Combine that with a solid undercard featuring Charlotte vs. Bayley, Reigns vs. Owens, and Styles vs. Cena, and it’s set to be the best Royal Rumble we’ve seen in years, at least on paper. Hopefully the event lives up to its promise.

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Previewing the 2017 Royal Rumble, WWE's Most Unpredictable Rumble in Ages (2024)

FAQs

What was the greatest Royal Rumble in WWE history? ›

1. 2001 Royal Rumble. The year following the Millennium will go down as the greatest rumble in the company's history - probably! A stacked roster, with some of the biggest stars in the business, won by its biggest name.

Which Royal Rumble was the best? ›

Revered as the greatest Royal Rumble match, the 1992 edition stands out for Ric Flair's extraordinary performance. Wrestling for an hour, Flair eliminated five participants and outlasted legends like Hulk Hogan, Randy Savage, and The Undertaker.

What happened to the greatest Royal Rumble? ›

Braun Strowman eliminated Big Cass to win the match. Strowman also got the most eliminations of a single Royal Rumble match at 13, beating a record previously held by Roman Reigns with 12. Strowman received a trophy and a green championship belt.

Who won the first Royal Rumble in WWE history? ›

Participants enter at timed intervals and the fight continues until only one wrestler is left in the ring, and the event has certainly provided unforgettable moments over the years for WWE fans. In the first edition of the Royal Rumble, held in 1988, Jim Duggan emerged as the first winner in the peculiar mass brawl.

What Royal Rumble had 50 people? ›

At the event, all men's main roster championships at the time were defended, in addition to a 50-man Royal Rumble match, titled the Greatest Royal Rumble match.

Which Royal Rumble did Rock win? ›

The Rock won the 2000 Royal Rumble match. The main event was the Royal Rumble match. During the match, non-participants Kaientai (Funaki and Taka Michinoku) repeatedly and randomly entered the ring, and attacked the participants. They were thrown out soon after each time.

Has the Undertaker ever won the Royal Rumble? ›

The Undertaker, who won the 2007 Royal Rumble match. The final match was the Royal Rumble match.

Has number 1 ever won the Royal Rumble? ›

Shawn Michaels - 1995 (Entry #1)

In 1995, Shawn Michaels became the first-ever wrestler to win the Royal Rumble match from the first spot.

Was Royal Rumble 2024 good? ›

Decent PLE to start the year off right. Predictable finishes but Predictable doesn't always mean bad. Cody attempts to go back to back with Rumble wins but standing in his way are 29 other superstars including Drew McIntyre and the returning CM Punk, who's wrestling in his first WWE PLE in 10 years.

Who was never eliminated from the Royal Rumble? ›

Carlito was never officially eliminated from the 2024 Royal Rumble.

Has a Royal Rumble winner ever lost at WrestleMania? ›

Despite entering at No. 1, Shawn Michaels held on to win the Royal Rumble Match in 1995. TV personality Pam Anderson joined HBK in celebration. There was less cause for celebration at WrestleMania XI, when Michaels lost to his ex-bodyguard, WWE Champion Diesel.

Who has won the Royal Rumble twice? ›

"Stone Cold" Steve Austin holds the record for most victories at three, achieved in 1997, 1998, and 2001, while Hulk Hogan, Shawn Michaels, John Cena, Batista, Triple H, Randy Orton, Edge, Brock Lesnar, and Cody Rhodes have all won the match twice, with Hogan, Michaels, Austin, and Rhodes the only four to win back-to- ...

Where is Royal Rumble 2025? ›

It will be the 38th annual Royal Rumble and it will take place on Saturday, February 1, 2025, at the Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, Indiana, marking the first Royal Rumble to not take place during the month of January.

Did Roman Reigns lose his title? ›

Acknowledge Him: Roman Reigns Completes Greatest Title Run in WWE History. The greatest championship run in WWE history concluded Sunday night in Philadelphia as Roman Reigns' 1,316 days as undisputed WWE universal champion ended at the hands of Cody Rhodes in a masterfully booked WrestleMania 40 main event.

Where is Royal Rumble 2024? ›

Announced on September 13, 2023, the 37th Royal Rumble was scheduled to be held on Saturday, January 27, 2024, at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, Florida, and it featured wrestlers from the Raw, SmackDown, and NXT brand divisions.

What PPV was the greatest Royal Rumble? ›

Greatest Royal Rumble was a professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) event and WWE Network event promoted by WWE for their Raw and SmackDown brands.

What is the highest grossing Royal Rumble? ›

Here are the top 10 Royal Rumble events based on monetary success:
  1. 1 Royal Rumble 2002 (670,000 PPV Buys)
  2. 2 Royal Rumble 1999 (650,000 PPV Buys) ...
  3. 3 Royal Rumble 2001 (625,000 PPV Buys) ...
  4. 4 Royal Rumble 2000 (590,000 PPV Buys) ...
  5. 5 Royal Rumble 2003 (585,000 PPV Buys) ...
  6. 6 Royal Rumble 2013 (579,000 PPV Buys) ...
Jul 7, 2020

Who has won the Royal Rumble the most in a row? ›

WWE Royal Rumble records

The record for most wins is "Stone Cold" Steve Austin with three (1997, 1998, 2001). Six other wrestlers have won the event twice: Hulk Hogan (1990, 1991), Shawn Michaels (1995, 1996), Triple H (2002, 2016), Batista (2005, 2014), John Cena (2008, 2013) and Randy Orton (2009, 2017).

Who won more than one Royal Rumble? ›

OTHER INTERESTING WINNER / WINNING NUMBER FACTS:

Four Superstars have won back-to-back Royal Rumbles: Hulk Hogan (1990 and 1991), Shawn Michaels (1995 and 1996), Stone Cold Steve Austin (1997 and 1998) and Cody Rhodes (2023 and 2024) Batista is the only person to win from the same spot twice, at #28.

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