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Mandatory Credit: Jason Silva-USA TODAY Sports
The Royal Rumble always features a fair amount of returning superstars, but could we see an appearance from someone who doesn’t make their living in a WWE ring?
In less than a month, one of the most popular WWE PPVs, likely trailing only WrestleMania, will return for the 30th time. The Royal Rumble will take place at the Alamadome in San Antonio, TX, as we officially kick off WrestleMania season by determining who will main event this year’s Show of Shows by challenging for either the WWE or Universal Championship. And while the current stars of WWE will certainly make their presence known, there are always a few surprise entrants who usually won’t win the match, but will add plenty of excitement.
In recent years we’ve seen AJ Styles, Bubba Ray Dudley, Diamond Dallas Paige, a returning Sheamus, and plenty of others make surprise entrances into the Royal Rumble. However, current/former WWE superstars are not the only ones who have ever entered the Rumble. In the past we’ve seen commentators like Michael Cole, managers like Ricardo Rodriguez, and even celebrities like Drew Carey enter the match. And while celebrity entrants like Carey aren’t exactly common, you can never rule anything out when it comes to the Royal Rumble.
So, which celebrities could we potentially see make an appearance in the 2017 Royal Rumble? We have a few ideas.
(Photo by Cheriss May/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
3. President Barack Obama
OK, hear me out on this one. Barack Obama has absolutely no wrestling experience, he is 55 years old, and it’s not even clear if he has much of an idea of what WWE actually is. But that doesn’t mean the 44th President of the United States of America can’t make an appearance in the 2017 Royal Rumble.
You might be wondering, what is the basis of this ridiculous suggestion? Well, Donald Trump’s presidential inauguration is set for January 20th, nine days before the Rumble is set to take place. That means Obama will have a lot of time available since he’ll be done ruling the free world.
Obama also seems like the kind of guy who would love to do something fun like this. He’s always involved in sports and pop culture, and now he could check a Rumble appearance off his bucket list.
But the question remains, what would be the point of this? WWE wouldn’t put a celebrity in the Rumble just for the fun of it; it would have to serve to advance some kind of storyline. The obvious choice is something involving Rusev since he’s the default anti-American character. How about Obama enters, Rusev comes out next looking like he’s going to destroy him, only for Sargeant Slaughter to come out and save him? Or maybe a returning Kurt Angle? Or even poor ole Jack Swagger?
This may sound ridiculous to some, but as long as Obama doesn’t have to take a bump or get hurt in any way, this just sounds like some good, fun publicity. Let’s get the President in the 2017 Royal Rumble.
WWE.com
2. Shaquille O’Neal
Shaq is no stranger to a WWE ring, and he could make his return to one in the very near future. We already know that he is set to have a match with the Big Show at WrestleMania 33, but what better way to re-introduce this rivalry to the fans that with a confrontation in this year’s Royal Rumble?
Big Show hasn’t exactly been a staple of WWE TV lately. He made his return a few weeks ago on Raw, but he had been absent for several months prior to that and he hasn’t been seen since. Regardless, it would be surprising not to see Big Show in the Royal Rumble simply because they love to play up the fact that he’s a giant and that he’s difficult to eliminate. Usually it takes several superstars to eliminate him, or one or two men as large as Show is. This year? The answer could be none other than Shaq.
Shaq could run out to his theme song of what we can only hope will still be “Panda”, and clothesline the Big Show out of the ring while also eliminating himself in the process. This would the perfect way to re-hash this feud just in time for WrestleMania. Big Diesel vs Big Show will be a showdown for the ages.
Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
1. Conor McGregor
Conor McGregor’s interest level in WWE is extremely unclear. One minute he’s calling all WWE superstars vulgar names that can’t be repeated here, but can be seen here via Rolling Stone. The next minute his agent is saying on ESPN that if a WWE offer comes along, McGregor would be willing to consider it. So right now, nobody really knows if McGregor has a WWE future or not. But we do know one thing: if he decides to jump ship to the world of sports entertainment, his personality and swagger will bring him nothing but success.
That brings us to the Royal Rumble. Obviously, McGregor is still actively part of UFC and that will not change before January 29th. But per ESPN, he will not fight again before May, so it’s not like he’ll be very busy over the next few months. Of course, all of this depends on UFC president Dana White’s willingness to let McGregor make a one-off WWE appearance. But after Vince McMahon allowed Brock Lesnar to fight in UFC while still under contract with WWE, White probably owes him one.
As mentioned with Obama, McGregor would not appear unless there was a purpose for it. But in this case, there may not have to be an immediate purpose. Even if McGregor is still unsure about a potential WWE future, this would be the perfect way to plant the seed. He could come in, beat some people up, and either get eliminated by someone like Braun Strowman or just leave the match on his own terms like the bad man he is. Then we would all wonder when and where he would show up next. If it’s never, then so be it. But if he does eventually come to WWE, this would be a great moment to look back on.
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