Sheamus On When WWE Stars Find Out Royal Rumble Entry Numbers
The WWE Royal Rumble is no stranger to St. Louis, Missouri. Prior to this year's event, WWE held the Rumble in the Gateway City in 2012, where Sheamus punched his ticket to WWE WrestleMania 28.
Speaking to GiveMeSport, Sheamus discussed the planning that goes into the 30-man battle royal.
"We all know our numbers. We all know when we're going in the match, but I'm not going to spoil the magic for anybody," Sheamus said. "What we do is entertainment. I don't like taking some of that stuff away or peeling back the curtain. We know our numbers and what we got to do in there. In the past, a lot of guys have started early, like Edge and [Dolph] Ziggler. Guys with great stamina. That can help when you set up the card."
While he wouldn't give away too many of the Rumble's secrets, the Celtic Warrior noted that arguably the biggest aspect of the match comes into place at the very last minute.
"They won't find out what number they are until pretty much like two or three hours before the show," Sheamus said. "It's been a couple of them that have been really, really close. It can be stressful if you're new, but for me now there about 12 years, it doesn't really bother me at all."
The magic of the Royal Rumble is the surprise factor, as WWE is known to reserve many of the match's 30 slots for superstars of yesteryear. Sheamus mentioned two former WrestleMania main-eventers as shock entrants he'd like to see in a future Rumble.
"If the opportunity was there, I'd love for [Steve] Austin and The Rock to come back," Sheamus said. "I remember for years, Wade Barrett would always say Papa Shango was coming back to the Rumble. It was a joke. One year, he was told to stop tweeting it because Papa Shango actually did come back for the Rumble [as The Godfather]."
Much to fans' dismay, WWE announced a number of non-active talents for this year's Women's Royal Rumble ahead of the match itself, like Mickie James and Michelle McCool. Sheamus said he much prefers the surprise element of the Rumble and mentioned that he believes this year's men's match will be packed with surprises.
"I like the fact that they just show up, you know?" Sheamus said. "I'm not a huge fan of telling people who's going to be in there. I think the men's one is a bit more secretive because they've announced ten people so far who are on the active roster. On the women's side, there's a lot of girls that are coming back. It just goes to show how much they miss the product."
If you use any quotes from this article, please credit GiveMeSport with an h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.