The WWE Royal Rumble is one of the most prestigious and anticipated Pay-Per-Views of the year. There is always a sense of excitement
throughout the arena as the fans anticipate the arrival of the next entrant. Over the years the names of surprise entrants and
special appearances is endless. Obviously some years better than others, but
all in all an exhilarating experience to say the least.
I thought about this for a while and wondered if you were given the opportunity to pick 5 Wrestlers from another organization, retired, or inactive to compete in the Royal Rumble, who they might be. I am configuring this list by leaving out the likes of
wrestlers such as The Undertaker, Stone Cold, Hulk Hogan and the Rock; all of
whom (among others) have participated in plenty of Royal Rumble matches in the past. After
pondering this question for a few moments, these are the wrestlers I came up with:
1) Nikita Koloff – Throughout the 1980s and early
1990s, he wrestled as “The Russian Nightmare” and was a force to be
reckoned with inside the ring. Nikita was brought into the National Wrestling
Alliance by his “Uncle” Ivan to prove Soviet superiority. Their
ultimate goal was to dethrone NWA World champion Ric Flair. His bruising
in-ring presence could be a nice match for the likes of Roman Reigns and John
Cena.
2) A.J. Styles – The former TNA and NWA World
Champion could prove to be an accomplished adversary for the WWE. He has always
been a favorite of mine and I think his athletic ability inside the Rumble
could be a nice addition to Kofi Kingston’s usual thrills.
3) Ricky Steamboat – Steamboat was always more of a
player with the NWA where he had several main event matches with the likes of
Ric Flair that still stand up today. He was a one-time World Heavyweight
Champion with the NWA and was remembered as one of the greatest
Intercontinental Champions of all time.
4) Bruno Sammartino – Former WWF Champion The
dominant wrestler of the Sixties. Call him Mr. Madison Square Garden, where he
headlined forever and set a record for sellouts. Great ring psychologist who
was better than a lot of people thought, especially before his back injury
limited him.
5) Verne Gagne – Founded the AWA, where he reigned for many years as its champion. He was a top-notch amateur who turned pro and could work any style, in any era. He was a fantastic draw and it would be nice for him, along with the organization to get their due.
After reading this list, please understand that I left off all
the deceased wrestlers in respect to their trademarks and history. My main focus was on the
stars of yesterday and ones with allegiances to other federations. I personally
think it would be interesting to see how these stars would be perceived by the
crowd and the wrestlers alike. One of the most interesting things about these
kinds of lists is how different they can range from one person to the next. I
am curious to see what you guys think about this list and hope to compile as
many comments as possible when stating your own.
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