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WWE Rumors: Former World Champion Possibly Making Return At ‘Royal Rumble’

By Shawn Lealos
Published on: 10:08 PST, Oct 29, 2016

One of the best things about the WWE Royal Rumble pay-per-views are the special surprise returns to the ring. This upcoming Royal Rumble in San Antonio is no different, and Forbes indicates that there are two names that could show up and be huge Royal Rumble match surprise entrants. Both men are also former world champions, one in the WWE and one from TNA Impact Wrestling.

This year had one of the biggest Royal Rumble surprise entrants of all time when AJ Styles made his WWE debut in the actual Royal Rumble match. These are WWE rumors, but they could end up happening so proceed with caution if wishing to avoid possible Royal Rumble surprise spoilers.

The two names that the WWE is looking at bringing back as this year’s Royal Rumble match surprise entrants are Bubba Ray Dudley and Kurt Angle. Starting off with Bubba Ray Dudley, this WWE Royal Rumble return might not be as great as it once was because Dudley was in the WWE earlier this year and was neutered by the Dudley Boyz constant losing.

However, while he was wrestling in TNA Impact Wrestling, Bubba Ray Dudley proved to be one of the best heels in the entire professional wrestling industry, and was even hotter at one point than many WWE heels.

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Bubby Ray Dudley started out in TNA Impact Wrestling as just part of the Dudley Boyz tag team, and while they enjoyed success, they grew stale over time, as evident by their last run in the WWE. However, when Bubba Ray Dudley went heel and started Aces & Eights, he skyrocketed into a main event star.

While Aces & Eights were hit and miss, Bubba Ray Dudley was money every week and ended up as two-time TNA world champion. It is that version of Bubba Ray Dudley that the WWE wants to bring back into the promotion and have him work with his Bully Ray persona. The Royal Rumble could be a perfect spot for him to make his return.

The second former WWE world champion that the company is considering bringing back for the Royal Rumble is Kurt Angle. This would be the biggest Royal Rumble surprise return in WWE history, because of Kurt Angle’s accomplishments in professional wrestling.

Kurt Angle is a former Olympic gold-medal winning U.S. wrestler and was a huge success when he transitioned to the WWE. Kurt Angle is a five-time WWE world champion and a six-time TNA world champion. Despite breaking his neck in the Olympics, Kurt Angle achieved all this success after the accident almost ended his career.

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However, Kurt Angle admitted on a recent blog post that the WWE had every reason to let him go when they did in 2006. Kurt Angle had just signed a new deal with the WWE, but asked Vince McMahon for his release and received it. The fact that Kurt Angle was abusing Vicodin at the time is part of the reason the WWE is leery to take him back.

“So I started taking more and more Vicodin, stuffing the pain deep inside of me. Before I knew it, I was knee deep (more like shoulder deep) into my addiction. I was hiding it from WWE, and at that time they weren’t drug testing for medication like they do now… I felt guilty about being a liability to Vince McMahon. So I asked for my release and I swore I’d get my life together.”

After leaving, Kurt Angle ended up getting divorced and picking up numerous DUIs, making him a huge liability. However, Kurt Angle also said he has cleaned himself up in recent years and admitted he would like one more run in the WWE before he retires. A Royal Rumble surprise return could start that and lead to one last WrestleMania match for Kurt Angle.

[Featured Image via WWE]

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