The Royal Rumble - Surprise Entrants Overdone?

[giblet55]

I know, I'm early on this, but this is my favorite ppv each year.

So, over the years the WWE has always thrown wrestlers from the past, and even non-wrestlers into the royal rumble as surprise entrants. Last year's surprise entrant was Diesel. Now last year I popped big when I saw Diesel (because I've watched him all the way back to the terrible Oz and Vinnie Vegas), but realistically, I knew he'd never win it. So my question is this...should the WWE waste valuable rumble spots this year for a cheap pop?

My opinion is no. Every spot should be filled by an active WWE superstar. There should be a lot of entrants who have a realistic chance of winning the rumble. You should be going back and forth on who will win. Now obviously some people just won't win it, ie. Santino Marella, but he's at least an active WWE superstar who contributes each week.

 

[Suxen Redael]

I was one of the few who encouraged the 40-Man rumble for the simple fact of more Surprise entrances. Sure it's better to use currently active superstars but what would change from all those random battle royals we see on TV or dark matches. Royal Rumble (to me) is one of the greatest matches of the WWE, and its always fun to watch.

The surprise entrances and obviously the outcome of the match is what people have been looking forward to since the 90's. Its an easy way for fans to get 5 minutes of viewing their favorites from the past. Without the Surprise entrances, many returns would've been delayed and nearly a hour of time wasted.

Don't get me wrong, RR can be enjoyable without it, but the question is, have we experienced a RR without the surprises. It brought back Edge, RVD, Booker T, Kevin Nash, and even when it was a big deal back in 2003, Goldust, Godfather, & Mr.Perfect (R.I.P)

The Royal Rumble is nothing but another battle royal, but with the excitement of returns, debuts, and the final 4 moment, it displays the "Royalty" of the event. My vote is Hell Yeah keep it the way it is.

 

[ITALIAN NYC]

I think surprise entrants are one of the best parts about the Rumble. That anticipation and hoping that someone you havent seen for a while will randomly show up. Id say yes give me the cheap pop every year. Keep it that way

 

[The Man They Call WMD]

Ugh...just enjoy the best pay-per view they have.

Wonderful insight you added. I agree completely. The surprise entries are what makes the rumble great. By surprise I imagine you mean 1 day performers. However it is a excelent place to return injured stars. If the WWE only used wrestlers who have a chance, the rumble would consists of 5-7 people.

 

[Jeritron5000]

I think you've answered your own question while simultaneously invalidated your one opinion. You popped huge for Big Daddy Cool cause it was fun. It was unexpected. And it was a special moment. Thats what surprise entrants are all about when initiated correctly. Did the WWE waste a spot on Diesel? Of course not. Like we've already established...it's served it's purpose and you reacted positively to it. Haha it doesn't at all take away from the fact that Alberto was going to win. It just enhanced the entertanment...what we should all really be thankful for actually. There have been some rumbles that absolutely sucked some balls. In conclusion...no...surprise entrants can not be wasted unless wrestling wasn't booked. Alberto del Rio was going to win regardless. You, and quite frankly I, just had a little fun along the way. Definitely no harm in that.

 

[reed214]

I agree with everyone else it seems. why ruin one of the best things about the best pay per view of the year? when rvd made his one night return a few years back I jumped out of my chair even though I (and everyone else) knew he wouldnt win. wrestling doesn't have many chances to surprise people with a face of the past that we loved/hated, and the Rumble is perfect that way. I vote "no" on changing it..

c'mon..without having the legends/guests in the rumble match, is evan bourne really going to have a better chance to headline wrestlemania this year?

 

[King of the Words]

I agree with having one, maybe two surprise entrants in a 30 man Royal Rumble match. But, what I`m a bit concerned about this year is that if Jericho comes back on the second, then it`s a pretty good chance he`s back to win it which will make the Rumble kinda boring. Last year Del Rio wouldn`t shut up about it being his destiny to win and headline Mania, so to me it felt like the WWE gave away the winner before the match even happened. I`m afraid this will happen with Jericho this year. I want a Rumble that is going to be unpredictable so if Jericho is coming back to feud with Punk I would wait until the Monday after the Rumble for him to show up. I would have the Rumble focus on having a Smackdown guy winning. I think that would be more enjoyable because there are a few like Sheamus, Barrett, Orton, Rhodes, possibly Kane, that could win. More selection equals more fun.IMO. But yeah, a couple of OMG moments would be sweet. If Jericho is one of them to return during the Rumble it wont be too bad, but kinda obvious whose going to win once he enters so he would have to be a late draw like edge and Cena were. I dont really like the whole suprise return and winning it. Id like it to come down to 2 guys and you still dont know for sure who will win. I always liked the Rumble and Id like its credibility to be restored a bit by having a totally unpredictable Rumble match this January.

 

[TheLastHorsemen]

I was one of the few who encouraged the 40-Man rumble for the simple fact of more Surprise entrances. Sure it's better to use currently active superstars but what would change from all those random battle royals we see on TV or dark matches. Royal Rumble (to me) is one of the greatest matches of the WWE, and its always fun to watch.

The surprise entrances and obviously the outcome of the match is what people have been looking forward to since the 90's. Its an easy way for fans to get 5 minutes of viewing their favorites from the past. Without the Surprise entrances, many returns would've been delayed and nearly a hour of time wasted.

Don't get me wrong, RR can be enjoyable without it, but the question is, have we experienced a RR without the surprises. It brought back Edge, RVD, Booker T, Kevin Nash, and even when it was a big deal back in 2003, Goldust, Godfather, & Mr.Perfect (R.I.P)

The Royal Rumble is nothing but another battle royal, but with the excitement of returns, debuts, and the final 4 moment, it displays the "Royalty" of the event. My vote is Hell Yeah keep it the way it is.

I agree. The surprise entrant has always been a favorite, as it's a great trip down nostalgic way. Listen, only a handful of a guys have a realistic chance of winning... either main eventers or guys on the cusp. Santino, Tyson Kidd, Kofi Kingston... they aren't going to win, we know this. So if a Val Venis or an Al Snow pop up randomly, we know they aren't going to win, but at least hearing their music, seeing their pop, and enjoying turning back the clock is fun. Remember, for those who prefer 'less entertainment, more action'... WWE has always been about entertainment. Don't take it so seriously.

 

[kokoBawesome]

How many cheap pops do we really get a year? Let it happen during the Rumble, nobody is getting hurt in the process, and usually these guys are old timers that paid their dues and deserve one last cheap pop. Its not like Dolph Ziggler is cut from the Rumble to make room for Kurrigan or Bobby Lashley.

Honestly it would be way more exciting for me as a fan if the Jericho countdown started during the Rumble than on Raw during a match. Or even more so, the Undertakers gong. The Rumble is the one night where anything is possible, when the right theme music hits its even better.

 

[Rockyfolifebo!!!]

It makes for great tv. It adds that "suprise,suspense, sitting on the edge of your seat" feeling. In the Royal Rumble, it's made to believe that "anybody" can enter. However, I do see your point. It's ridiculous to have spots like Drew Carey in there. What if he actually won? Would he go on to main event in the biggest WM ever against The Rock? Hell no. My theory is, as long as they're a PROFESSIONAL wrestler, they have a chance. Hell, you could throw Scotty 2 Hotty in there next year. He hasn't been relevant in years, but he has some kind of chance because he's an experienced wrestler.

 

[Pedigree1]

i agree with everyone on here 100%. I love the surprise entrants just brings back old memories from the past!! Keep it up WWE Royal rumble is second only behind WM!! All the years we have had Mr perfect Nash HHH Edge Cena Taker all back from injuries its a huge platform and i am all for it!!

 

[JJ15776]

I think you've answered your own question while simultaneously invalidated your one opinion. You popped huge for Big Daddy Cool cause it was fun. It was unexpected. And it was a special moment. Thats what surprise entrants are all about when initiated correctly. Did the WWE waste a spot on Diesel? Of course not. Like we've already established...it's served it's purpose and you reacted positively to it. Haha it doesn't at all take away from the fact that Alberto was going to win. It just enhanced the entertanment...what we should all really be thankful for actually. There have been some rumbles that absolutely sucked some balls. In conclusion...no...surprise entrants can not be wasted unless wrestling wasn't booked. Alberto del Rio was going to win regardless. You, and quite frankly I, just had a little fun along the way. Definitely no harm in that.

You hit the nail on the head. You said exactly what I was going to. If we're only going to have guys that have a realistic chance to win, you'd have about 5 entrants. There are plenty of spots for surprises, and they add a lot more to the match than the no name jobbers that would otherwise get in just because they're on the active roster. Besides, most surprises end up coming back full time anyway...either it was already the plan or, in the case of Kevin Nash this year, they were brought back in large part because of the reaction they got at the Royal Rumble.

I agree with having one, maybe two surprise entrants in a 30 man Royal Rumble match. But, what I`m a bit concerned about this year is that if Jericho comes back on the second, then it`s a pretty good chance he`s back to win it which will make the Rumble kinda boring. Last year Del Rio wouldn`t shut up about it being his destiny to win and headline Mania, so to me it felt like the WWE gave away the winner before the match even happened. I`m afraid this will happen with Jericho this year. I want a Rumble that is going to be unpredictable so if Jericho is coming back to feud with Punk I would wait until the Monday after the Rumble for him to show up.

Lol, what? ADR was saying it was his destiny to win the title for months before the Rumble, which he didn't do, and he was saying it was his destiny to win the title at WrestleMania - which he didn't do. So why was it giving it away when he won the Rumble, but not the title matches? Not to mention the fact that every superstar in the Rumble who ever gets a chance to speak says they're going to win it.

This is the problem with the WWE these days. No matter what they do, the next day, everybody is going to claim it was predictable. Predictable and/or stupid. Before the Royal Rumble, everybody was sure John Cena or a returning Triple H would win it. CM Punk and John Morrison were also very popular picks. ADR was an afterthought mention along with guys like Wade Barrett...until the match ended, when everybody knew it all along. Where were these people pointing out how the WWE gave it away BEFORE the match? I digress. I also don't understand what the difference would be between him returning on the 2nd and not winning the Rumble or returning after the event...aside from the fact that you could use that extra time, including the Rumble, to set up his match with Punk. WWE loves to use the Rumble to kick off their WrestleMania fueds. I digress.

Anyway, like the other person I quoted and just about everybody else in this thread, I could not disagree more with the OP. I'm all for differences of opinion, but this one just makes no sense to me whatsoever. You would've rather had Curt Hawkins in there instead of Kevin Nash or Booker T? You'd rather have Hawkins in there because he's active, instead of Kevin Nash/Booker T who people who pop like crazy to see? You know none of them are going to win. Why put a guy in there just because he's active and rob your fans of the experience of seeing a shock entrance? This thread is one of the strangest I've ever seen to be honest.

 

[King Patrick Star]

What can the WWE do to top last year’s 40 Man Royal Rumble match!?

Currently there are:
27 SuperStars on Raw.
25 SuperStars on Smackdown
3 Legends on the Broadcast Team
4 Rookies on NXT
38 Prospects on FCW

That’s a total of 97. I think the WWE should have 2 Royal Rumble matches, one 40 Man Raw Royal Rumble match and one 40 Man Smackdown Royal Rumble match. For the Red RR match, I’d take all 27 Stars plus Jerry The King Lawler, and 12 surprise Hall of Famers / Legends / Alumni for one time returns. For the Blue RR match, I’d take all 25 Stars plus Matt Striker and William Regal, the 4 NXT Rookies, and the Top 9 FCW prospects, picked by the current WWE Champions...and the WWE Universe, of course!! Only the active SuperStars should be announced / understood to be entered in the RR matches. All others should be a surprise. It’s should be the most random PPV of the year. Raw and Smackdown should be having matches for spots in the RR matches.

 

[The Naitchhh]

I love surprise entrants... because even with an entire rumble of active wwe superstars, you can still narrow it down to 2 or 3 guys.

Did I think Mr Perfect actually had a chance to win in 02? NO But It was fun as hell watching him out last Kane, Big Show,RVD,Booker T, and STONE COLD, ( All active at the time btw) to finish 3rd. That alone makes it one of the best rumbles ever.

Best Rumble ever though.... 2001 Anyone just like me and really wanted Kane to win after about 45 to 50 min in to it?? Classic Rock Austin Staredown, & Kane just doing the damn thing. Best 2nd place finish ever....Hope he wins the Rumble Next month. He shouldn't even be in it unless he is going to win.

 

[TheLastHorsemen]

What can the WWE do to top last year’s 40 Man Royal Rumble match!?

Currently there are:
27 SuperStars on Raw.
25 SuperStars on Smackdown
3 Legends on the Broadcast Team
4 Rookies on NXT
38 Prospects on FCW

That’s a total of 97. I think the WWE should have 2 Royal Rumble matches, one 40 Man Raw Royal Rumble match and one 40 Man Smackdown Royal Rumble match. For the Red RR match, I’d take all 27 Stars plus Jerry The King Lawler, and 12 surprise Hall of Famers / Legends / Alumni for one time returns. For the Blue RR match, I’d take all 25 Stars plus Matt Striker and William Regal, the 4 NXT Rookies, and the Top 9 FCW prospects, picked by the current WWE Champions...and the WWE Universe, of course!! Only the active SuperStars should be announced / understood to be entered in the RR matches. All others should be a surprise. It’s should be the most random PPV of the year. Raw and Smackdown should be having matches for spots in the RR matches.

I would stay away from NXT and FCW guys. The Royal Rumble should be for privileged wrestlers. People should at least care about them enough to pop. Like I said before, we know who has a chance and who doesn't. The surprise entrants, while they most likely won't win, are usually wrestlers who have paid their dues and deserve to be recognized. I'd take Steve Blackman, Repo Man, and Road Warrior Animal over Johnny Curtis, Percy Watson, and Husky Harris because, while they may be taking the spot away from active people on the roster, these people aren't over enough for people to care about their presence... they would cheer for the legends.

My all time favorite Royal Rumble moment (besides Benoit winning) was Mo from Men on a Mission running down to the ring, sliding in, and being thrown out almost immediately. Hi Mo! Bye Mo!

 

[Davi323]

If the argument is not to have surprise entrants because you already know they have no chance to win, then you might as well just make it a 10 man Rumble, including only the top main eventers from each brand, and forget about everyone else.

There are only going to be 10 or so entrants with a realistic chance at winning the Royal Rumble anyway, so what difference does it make if the remaining 30 filler spots are 30 WWE wrestlers or 28 WWE wrestlers + 2 celebrity/surprise entrants? End result is still going to be the exact same.

People popped out HUGE when Diesel showed up last year. Also, the Royal Rumble surprise entrant slots have been used to bring back injured wrestlers to a huge impact without anyone knowing. Surprise entrants are a staple of the match.

 

[LODemolition]

The Rumble is perfect just the way it is. Extending it to 40 was great and the surprise participants is something that keeps everyone guessing each year who will show up and give us a blast from the past.

Speaking of surprise entrants, who do you guys think will get an invite from Vince this year? It's the 25th annual Rumble, so I'm betting on even more surprises than usual.

Here are some of my guesses...

Sean "X Pac" Waltman
"Bad Ass" Billy Gunn
"Road Dogg" Jesse James
"Million Dollar Man" Ted DiBiase
Irwin R. Schyster
Road Warrior Animal
"Hacksaw" Jim Duggan
The Godfather
Ron Simmons
JBL
Vader
Raven
Val Venis
Scotty 2 Hotty
Mick Foley
The Rock
The Undertaker

And if you really wanna stretch the imagination...

"Stone Cold" Steve Austin
Goldberg
Shawn Michaels
Diamond Dallas Page

 

[Cracka Jack]

I think surprise legends surely have a place in the Rumble. Every year we get guys we know won't win, like Bourne, Kofi, Reks, etc., so giving a spot that someone like Curt Hawkins (who I like) would have, with no chance of winning, to a legend for the sake of a big pop is fine by me. They get to come back for a night, have their moment in the sun, get eliminated (hopefully putting someone over in the process), and probably get a pretty nice paycheck for it. We get nostalgic value, they get some love and some cash, and a random jobber with no chance at winning the match loses his two-minute run before getting chucked. In the end, we all win (except the mid-carders, I guess).

 

[giblet55]

I love the responses guys, whether we agree or not. I see your points entirely, but have a few added questions...how many surprise entrants is fair? And would it bother you if a few active guys on the roster lost their spots due to surprise entrants? For instance, let's say you're a major Zack Ryder fan, how would you feel to watch the entire rumble and he doesn't end up being in it, but five spots he could have had are filled by Xpac, Billy Gunn, Al Snow, Hacksaw, Lawler. Would it bother you? Obviously insert the superstar you like into the equation if you don't like Ryder.

 

[ULTRASTARZZ]

Why fix something that ain't broke? The surprise entrants bring the "anybody can win" and the shock value to the Royal Rumble match, deemed the most unpredictable match in the WWE.

 

[#heel]

It is perfect how it is in my opinion, we have both the active wrestlers AND the legends for the big pops.we all know that a returning ddp is not going to win it. But I would rather see that than Heath slater coming in at number 37.

 

[Twocenter]

I never miss Royal Rumble and Wrestlemania. Royal Rumble specifically for only the Royal Rumble Match. This match has turned into a tradition and is full of surprises. 30 men fighting each other for one spot is very exciting to watch. Surprise returns are the main attraction of this PPV. Writing this post I am wondering who the surprise entrant/s will be this year. This is the excitement that this PPV brings to me. When the countdown starts I, watching the ppv at home, begin to chant with the crowd. I know it is stupid but this is what surprises are for. Sitting at the edge of your seat and suddenly one of your favorite stars returns. It is very exciting. You all know better than me about mark out moments. Last year it had 2 surprise entrants and some great spots eg. John Morrison's leap, Santino's comedy stint, Hornswoggle FU'ing tyson kidd etc. So, I give it a thumbs up!

 

[Skinsley]

No No No.... the majority of wrestlers that go into the RR are not believable as winners.... Diesel and Booker T were still more believable as SURPRISE winners than Santino, Bourne, Slater and a list of other Jobbers who go into the match.
I for one still Mark out like a bitch whenever I get a shock return from ANYONE especially the brief RR comebacks. Example ill be nocking one out when I see whoever returns at 2/1/12 (I do dates the propper way.)

 

[Liberty Prime]

I love the surprise entrants, its what makes the RR my favourite PPV of the year! I would rather see Booker T or Kevin Nash or RVD get a massive pop, nail some finishers and then be eliminated in 5 minutes rather than seeing Santino, or Trent Baretta or Jinder Mahal waste a spot when we all know they won't come close...

 

[Arsenal]

No way. Surprise entrants from former legends are one of the best parts of the Royal Rumble.