WWE Royal Rumble 2017 rumor mill

Keep up with everything going through the WWE Royal Rumble 2017 rumor mill about possible surprises and much more

WWE Royal Rumble 2017 and every Rumble show offers a unique experience for wrestling fans. There’s no time like the Rumble when fans can be surprised to this degree, especially on a show with the kind of consequence as one of the Big-4 shows. Part of that is certainly the Rumble match itself, which lends itself to massive surprises, pops and so on.

Particularly when it comes to WWE Royal Rumble 2017, there is a lot to be excited for. Though some hopes of returning stars have already been dashed, there are surely going to be some big surprises. Whether those surprises are returning legends, debuting superstars, debuting NXT guys on the main roster, or something in between, the rumors always begin to swirl when it comes to the Royal Rumble.

Rather than let you get overwhelmed by it all, though, we’re going to instead look at all of these rumors and possible hints about WWE Royal Rumble 2017 in one place. Starting earlier in the week, we’ll keep track of them all right here. Welcome to the WWE Royal Rumble 2017 rumor mill on Sunday to prepare for the Alamodome.

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Monday

Speculation began swirling when Kurt Angle was announced as an inductee into the WWE Hall of Fame that he might show up in the Rumble match. That seems increasingly likely as, on Monday, Angle cancelled his independent bookings in the United Kingdom for Royal Rumble weekend. After all, you can’t be in San Antonio if you’re across the pond.

Thursday

Those hoping Kenny Omega would show up at the Royal Rumble got an unpleasant surprise in the form of the New Japan star essentially saying that he’s returning to NJPW and outright saying that he’s not going to be in San Antonio.

Friday

Finn Balor was initially said to be returning in March. However, reports on Friday said that the first ever Universal Champion was set to see a doctor about his health and possible return. There is no word on how that visit went, but it does open the door for the Demon making a Rumble surprise entry.

Saturday

During the NXT TakeOver: San Antonio show, one internet sleuth on Twitter looked at the Royal Rumble nameplate and saw an interesting name: Zack Sabre Jr.

Obviously this doesn’t mean anything and could just be filler. However, it’s definitely something worth keeping an eye on for Sunday’s Rumble.

Sunday

Tommy Dreamer is heading to San Antonio, per his Instagram:

While that may not be a confirmation or anything, that surely means there’s a possibility that the Hardcore legend makes an appearance.

• Also worth noting as of Sunday morning is that Randy Orton is listed as they heavy favorite to win the Royal Rumble match, per 5Dimes.

• Ric Flair teased an appearance in the Rumble match on Twitter. However, that seems ultimately unlikely.

• Take this with a whole shaker of salt, but Reddit user claimed that someone served Kurt Angle an omelet in Pittsburgh around 3 p.m. ET. That would seemingly indicate that Angle wouldn’t be in the Rumble. However, it doesn’t rule it out completely and this is all hearsay at this point.

• Orton’s odds have winning the Rumble according to 5Dimes still have improved from -900 to -2000 since this morning.
• Also looking at the odds of entry per SkyBet, Finn Balor is listed at -400 to be a surprise entrant, the best odds of anyone not yet announced. Following him are Kane at -250, Angle at -150, UK Champion Tyler Bate at -120, Triple H at EVEN odds, and Rey Mysterio at +110. Samoa Joe isn’t even listed, almost confirming that he’s in. Shelton Benjamin, JBL, Shinsuke Nakamura, Bobby Roode and Shaquille O’Neal all also have reasonable odds lower than 3-1.

• Once again looking to SkyBet, Balor is now -800 to appear in the Rumble match. What’s interesting, though, is that he also now has the second best odds to win the Rumble. Orton now the heavier favorite, though, at -2,500.

• Less than an hour before the start of the show, the odds on SkyBet for Pete Dunne to enter the Rumble match shot way, way up. He’s now -200 to be an entrant.

• Jason David Frank—better known as the original Green Power Ranger—is at the Rumble. Let’s hope just as a spectator or working on something else.

Obviously this doesn’t confirm anything as lines can shift throughout the day. But being that heavy of a favorite on the day of the PPV is a pretty good sign that, at least at the start of Sunday, the plan is for Orton to get the win on Sunday.