The 40-Man Royal Rumble Is The Way Forward
According to Aaron Grant of RingsideNews.com, the WWE announced at the latest Smackdown tapings that the Royal Rumble will be extended to 40 superstars. The last time ten more combatants were added to the traditional 30-man format was in 2011, where it was won by Alberto Del Rio. There were mixed reviews towards this change from both fans and commentators. Despite having ten extra superstars, the match only went seven minutes longer than the longest 30-man edition of this famous contest. This meant that a great deal of filler talent was used to fill-up the remaining spots, resulting in rapid eliminations and the use of ‘comic relief’ in the form of Hornswoggle and Santino Marella.
Live Feed
Bam Smack Pow
However, after three years of the 30-man version, it has become clear that in today’s WWE, the additional ten superstars makes all the sense in the world. It will undoubtedly mean more filler would be required, but quite frankly it’s not like that can be avoided anyway. If you are going to have somebody dominate the match, like Roman Reigns managed last year, you need jobbers and lower-card talent to build up their elimination stat. Furthermore, most people recognize who the favorites are weeks before the Rumble itself, so anybody who isn’t them is just making up the numbers and trying to get a little exposure.
The current WWE roster has upwards of 50 superstars, which means even in this extended format, there would still have to be decisions as to who sits out. If you look at the lower rungs of the roster totem pole, you would see names like Heath Slater, Titus O’Neil, and Adam Rose, and would consider if they might have to sit out the battle royal. Of course, there will the lukewarm attempts at making the audience laugh, so you’d imagine El Torito or Hornswoggle will also make an appearance at some point. The abundance of talent that has resulted in hours of programming per week in WWE needs to have some representation in the Rumble. Of course, the PPV isn’t just about the Rumble match, and so this roster will be thinned out by those competing in other spots on the card.
WWE.com
But it isn’t just about the main roster anymore and the excess of talent. One of the most compelling elements of the Rumble match in recent years has been the surprise returns of past superstars. The 2011 40-man edition saw cameos from both Booker T and Diesel, whilst recent years have heralded the returns of Mick Foley, Road Dogg, Goldust and JBL. These surprise entrants add to the spectacle of the match, and ensure that every time the clock ticks down for the next arrival, the crowd is left gripped with suspense and wonder. Finding out who is making a brief cameo becomes almost as significant as witnessing the final elimination itself. Therefore, the WWE needs to accommodate both these shock returns and those on the main roster.
Perhaps the biggest change though since the last 40-man Rumble has been the incredible growth in significance of NXT. The WWE’s developmental roster has become almost the equivalent of a third brand, and unquestionably the biggest selling point of the WWE Network. Its superstars and divas have personalities and distinctive appeals that are now being broadcast to an ever growing audience. And the live crowds, that are usually savvier wrestling fans, would certainly be intrigued by the emergence of an Adrian Neville, Sami Zayn or Hideo Itami from the curtain to strut their stuff for a portion of the match.
WWE.com
Finally, the 2011 Royal Rumble was not bad at all. Whilst I was not particularly fond of Alberto Del Rio’s victory and the fact that it was pretty much inconsequential on the Road to WrestleMania. But, it went for a strong length of time, featured all the elements of a good Rumble match, and also gave an opportunity to tell some stories, including the CM Punk/Nexus domination early in the match. Arguably, it would be even better for the 2015 edition due to the stronger talent that is available for this.
More from Royal Rumble
- CM Punk will return to WWE after 10 years at Royal Rumble 2024 (Prediction)
- Early predictions for WWE Royal Rumble 2024 winners
- Top three moments from the 2023 Royal Rumble
- Listing 5 wrestlers who should have won a Royal Rumble match
- Top five Iron Man (and Woman) performances in the WWE Royal Rumble
Depending on who challenges Brock Lesnar for the WWE Championship at the January spectacular, this Rumble could be one of the most star-studded of all time. Though it will require some lower card talent to play as fodder to the stars and will feature some temporary returns, the battle royal will be carried by some serious star power. The likes of John Cena, Dean Ambrose, Roman Reigns, Daniel Bryan, Randy Orton, Seth Rollins and Big Show would all be contesting this match. Throw in a supporting cast of Dolph Ziggler, Sheamus, The Miz, Cesaro, Rusev and the always-innovative Kofi Kingston, and you already have the foundation for an explosive event.
So, it’s not a time to bemoan the stream of filler that will partake in this January’s premier match, but instead see these as adding a new layer to an event already sure to be littered with star power. If it seems obvious which three or four superstars will be contesting the main event spot at WrestleMania, you might as well give some of the Rumble to those lesser-spotted roster members to try and make an impression. At the very least, they’ll get to enjoy the pop of the buzzer, and the more filler there is, the greater the roar of excitement will be for an actual star’s arrival.
The more the merrier, right?