2015 Royal Rumble to feature 40 participants

[Reflection]

Through the 2015 Royal Rumble match, the WWE will be looking to erase a lot of the stigma associated with the previous biggest Royal Rumble match- the one from the year 2011. Let’s take a look at some of the competitors from that match and where they are now:
1. CM Punk - Left
2. Justin Gabriel – Got sent to NXT
3. William Regal – Retired
4. Zack Ryder – Released
5. Ted Dibiase - Released
6. John Morrison – Released
7. Yoshi Tatsu – Released
8. Husky Harris – Heavily repackaged
9. JTG – Released
10. Chavo Guerrero - Released
11. Michael McGilicutty – Repackaged
12. David Otunga – Developmental (?)
13. Chris Masters – Released
14. Tyler Reks – Quit
15. Vladimir Kozlov – Released
16. Mason Ryan – Released
17. Booker-T – Retired
18. Diesel – one-time appearance
19. Drew McIntyre – Released
20. Alex Riley – NXT Commentator
21. Ezekiel Jackson – Released
22. Santino Marella - Retired
23. Alberto Del Rio – Released
Looking at the stats and the aftermath, it would not be wrong to declare the 2011 RR match as an overall flop.
As for this year’s Royal Rumble match, let’s take a look at what the card would roughly be like:
1. Brock Lesnar vs Challenger (say Dean Ambrose) (WWE WH Championship)
2. Divas Match
3. Mid card match- (say Rusev vs Cesaro for the United States Championship)
4. Royal Rumble match:
Lower carders: 1.Diego, 2. Fernando, 3. Khali, 4. Tyson Kidd, 5. Hornswoggle, 6. El Torito, 7. Slater, 8. Titus, 9. Rose, 10. Bunny. Mid carders: 11. Goldust, 12. Stardust, 13. Jey Uso, 14. Jimmy Uso, 15. Ryback, 16. Axel, 17. Dolph Ziggler, 18. Damien Sandow, 19. The Miz, 20. Erick Rowan, 21. Luke Harper, 22. Jack Swagger, 23. Kofi Kingston, 24. Sheamus, 25. Bo Dallas, 26. R-Truth, 27. Big Show, 28. Mark Henry, 29. Bad News Barrett. Main eventers: 30. John Cena, 31. Randy Orton, 32. Roman Reigns, 33. Seth Rollins, 34. Kane, 35. Bray Wyatt.
That leaves around 5 spots for the NXT superstars like Zayn, Neville and Hideo, returning superstars like Daniel Bryan and Batista, and one-show-only legends like Kevin Nash and Booker-T.
I would love to see more legends make an appearance (as long as they last longer than JBL or The Godfather did) at the expense of the under-carders who have 0% chances of winning, maybe a middle-aged man coming down the rafters too, maybe even another diva entering the Rumble! Anything, but I hope they won’t end up making this another anti-climax like the previous 40-men Rumble match.

 

[Navi]

Not trying to be a douche but I though Zack Ryder was still with the WWE. As a matter of fact it's been widely speculated that he and Justin Gabriel take turns in the Bunny suit.

 

[Richard Blonoff]

Not trying to be a douche but I though Zack Ryder was still with the WWE. As a matter of fact it's been widely speculated that he and Justin Gabriel take turns in the Bunny suit.

He is still around. The bunny is rumored to be a rotation of Ryder, Gabriel, and Zayn. He actually picked up a win over Heath Slater on either Superstars or Main Event. Forgive Smark, he isn't too bright

As far as it being 40 men, I'm cautiously optimistic. I can't help but think part of their reasoning is so Del Rio won't have the distinction of being the only winner of a 40 man Rumble, but there is potential there. You have Reigns and Bryan both expected to be back by then, so you could easily use the extra numbers to pad their elimination number and help get their push restarted. They could also use it to showcase a few of the NXT higher ups.

There is also the potential they pack it with surprise one off returns and don't fully capitalize on the opportunity they have. Since its the E, I wouldn't put it past them.

 

[Mustang Sally]

30 or 40, it doesn't really matter. The pace of the contest will be the same, with eliminations coming that much quicker, so the ring isn't overly crowded. As always, it will come down to the last few guys who were scheduled to battle it out at the very end, no matter how many entered the ring during the match.

The good thing about 40 is that we get to see more people running down the aisle.....that countdown is always exciting...... and increases the chances of some wild-card entries. I loved seeing unexpected appearances by guys like Bob Backlund, Kevin Nash and Rob Van Dam.

The more, the merrier.

 

[Dagger Dias]

I am perfectly fine with the WWE doing a Royal Rumble with 40 participants again. My only problem with it last time was the booking. I have no issues at all with the number. It doesn't HAVE to be 30. This gives an opportunity to put the entire roster onto the PPV card. You have your World Heavyweight Championship match, a Divas Championship match, some type of filler, and maybe a midcard title match, then anyone else gets to be in the Rumble. It allows for a few guys from NXT to get to show up for the Rumble too, and of course cameos from legends. The format can work and is worth trying again.

 

[hatehabsforever]

Personally I have absolutely no problem with increasing the number of participants from 30 to 40, assuming they do it properly and execute the match in a manner that makes sense.

If they increase the number of participants by 10, and use the additional entrant numbers to feature several up and comers from NXT such as Adrian Neville, Sami Zayn, or even Kevin Steen, Hideo Itami, or Devitt, that would be great. If they bring back some returning superstars, that would be excellent too, whether it be typical returnees such as Jericho or RVD, or guys who could be returning a little more unexpectedly, such as Angle, and even a nostalgic return or two, I'd be a big fan of this too. And it could even involve giving some guys some air time, guys who typically are having a hard time getting on regular TV or PPV, such as Zack Ryder. Personally, if I care to dream a little, three awesome guys to see appear in the Royal Rumble would be CM Punk, Sting, or the Undertaker. But let's be realistic, I'm not suggesting we get everything of what I've suggested, but a sampling of it would be nice.

However if they are going to add ten guys to the match, but they turn out to be a bunny, an alligator, a little bull, and Drew Carey, then I will be very disappointed and would be dead set against it. WWE has gotten far too heavily involved these days with this type of childish nonsense, flashing back to the pre Attitude Era days in my opinion, and if they use the Royal Rumble as a mechanism to force this garbage down my throat, that will be terrible and will ruin the match and the PPV as a whole for me. It would make the entire PPV a waste of money for me, even if it is only $9.99.

Let's face it, at the end of the day, regardless of how they do it, there are only a maximum of about a half dozen guys who could win the rumble. Whether there are 24 or 34 guys with no realistic possibility of winning is irrelevant really. Just don't insult my intelligence by cramming the match full of guys wearing costumes acting nonsensically. Either give me a healthy dose of NXT, or some notable surprises, even a little nostalgia, or leave well enough alone and maintain the status quo.

 

[Reflection]

Not trying to be a douche but I though Zack Ryder was still with the WWE. As a matter of fact it's been widely speculated that he and Justin Gabriel take turns in the Bunny suit.

Oh shit, just noticed that error Damn it!
I guess he's happy to be featured on RAW; haven't heard about him complaining about a push lately.

 

[Brian440]

I'm one of those few on this board who doesn't really have a huge issue with the 40-man Rumble concept. As a fellow poster said, as long as the match is executed well, no stupid and pointless comedy entrants, just give us a good solid Rumble match, let the ring fill up and just sit back and watch the guys battle it out, throw in some surprises here and there, and it could be fun. I don't care whether it's 20, 30, 40, or 50, I love the Royal Rumble and next to WrestleMania, it's one of the only PPVs I look forward to.

I'm getting the impression the 40 entrant idea is something they are going to bring back every few years. 2011, back to 30 for 3 years, and now it's 40 again.

 

[stingray11214]

Where are they going to get the talent for 40 in the Rumble? It is a waste of time and energy. Do you think Zack Ryder, Sami Zayn or Sting have a legit chance of winning to Main Event WrestleMania? Get real. Thirty is enough. More than enough.