When The Undertaker threw his famous black hat into the ring on Monday Night RAW this week, his name was added to an already bulging list of Royal Rumble entrants.
Bill Goldberg facing off against Brock Lesnar, Seth Rollins, Chris Jericho, The New Day, Braun Strowman, Baron Corbin, The Miz and Dean Ambrose – these are just some of the names already signed up.
It promises a stacked deck with those Superstars making up more than a third of the 30 entrants.
The storyline potential is huge and it will be crucial for WWE Creative to make the most of it in the run up to WrestleMania.
With such an overwhelming pool of talent, the stakes are remarkably high.
Equally, the possible reward is one of the best Royal Rumble matches in recent memory.
Either way, it is certainly the most intriguing Rumble in a long time and the WWE must be praised for putting together such an ensemble.
The dilemma for WWE is who they have go over and earn the title shot at WrestleMania.
Goldberg entered on the premise that he would have one more title run but WWE are far more likely to plump for a third and final bout against Lesnar at Mania.
There has also been talk of The Undertaker claiming the win and facing John Cena in a dream bout on the grandest stage, which could also serve as a farewell for The Deadman.
The problem is that wins for Taker, Goldberg or Lesnar would be a hard pill to swallow for the full-time members on the roster.
Rollins and Miz, in particular, will want a Rumble win to add to their CVs and they are more than deserving of the accolade.
Likewise, having Corbin or Strowman as the last man standing would have them looking every bit the giants they are while finally giving them the big win that puts them over.
You can’t say that the New Era doesn’t deserve it either and any one of those four would ensure that faith is placed in the right place, in the hands of those leading this next generation of Superstars – one of the WWE’s greatest locker rooms in history.
The Taker-Cena and Goldberg-Lesnar rivalries also don’t need the extra gravitas of a title being on the line, they are already massive crowd pullers.
That is not to say they wouldn’t be extra special for a title being up for grabs, just that they don’t need it as much as some others in contention.
The temptation to have one of these legends win must be incredibly hard to resist but, regardless of the outcome, the WWE has ensured that this year’s Rumble will be a must-see event.
