WWE Royal Rumble 2021: 5 possible surprises at the PPV

Pat McAfee enters the Royal Rumble match

Pat McAfee has been a huge highlight each week in NXT, though he’s reportedly off television for the foreseeable future for reasons that are unclear. Perhaps it’s all a smokescreen designed to have McAfee as a surprise entrant in the Royal Rumble match.

At first, I was very critical of McAfee and him feuding with Adam Cole, who is, for all intents and purposes, the top male star in NXT. But McAfee really proved me wrong with his performance in that match. Then, he won me over on the mic with his excellent promos, which turned a skeptic into a believer. McAfee has the gift of gab, and I don’t think it’s blasphemous for someone to say that he is the best talker on the Black and Gold brand.

The current leader of the anti-Undisputed Era stable of Pete Dunne, Oney Lorcan, and Danny Burch, McAfee’s stock has risen swiftly in NXT. A former Indianapolis Colts punter and current radio show host, McAfee reaches an audience beyond wrestling fans, which is something WWE may be keen to tap into. And there’s a way to protect him in the Royal Rumble so that he gives the match the right boost without getting exposed.

Look, though, if the guy can put in a damn good shift in a freaking WarGames match, then he can absolutely make things work in a Rumble match. Do I think this is a likely scenario? No, but that’s why it’s a “surprise”. McAfee could be an NXT entrant in the 2021 Rumble, and I’m absolutely OK with that. Again, he’s already made me eat crow once.