WWE Royal Rumble 2017: Predicting Odds for All 30 Potential Entrants
Credit: WWE.com
13. Samoa Joe
Samoa Joe is the first and only NXT name to be featured on the list. If what happened at the recent NXT taping is any indication, we could see Joe make his long-awaited WWE main roster debut soon. What better way of introducing him than the Royal Rumble match?
The first sign of Joe potentially being called up came when he lost the NXT Championship to Shinsuke Nakamura in August. Following this was a continuation of the feud in the fall, including Joe winning the belt back at TakeOver: Toronto and Nakamura regaining control at the NXT live event in Osaka, Japan.
Now that the King of Strong Style has won their rematch, Joe is essentially out of the title picture. With arguably nothing left in NXT for him to do, the Royal Rumble could be the place where he shows up on January 29.
If the Samoan Submission Machine debuts here, he stands a decent chance at getting a run to show off his dominance with his size and strength. WWE has given “rookies” fair opportunities to in the past to get lengthy opportunities in this match like AJ Styles and Rusev.
The ultimate shock factor would be Joe winning the Royal Rumble and jumping straight into the title scene, potentially for Raw. It is far-fetched, but there is at least a shot of him making some noise. Given a new found direction, he would have a better chance than some of the previously mentioned veteran stars, given their own developing feuds.