Royal Rumble is a staple of the WWE calendar, hitting our screens every January. A staple of the thirty (or forty) person elimination match every year are the surprise entrants into the field.
Last year set the bar extremely high when Chris Jericho shocked us all by hiding in his bus behind the arena in Phoenix. Who's music hit the speakers to shock the crown in Pittsburgh and all of us watching along in bars, theaters and our living rooms?
The developmental program didn't have a mini-Rumble to decide an entrant from NXT this year, but that didn't mean that there wasn't a representative from Florida. The Bulgarian Brute, Alexander Rusev, came in an showed of why many people thing he will be a HOSS in WWE for a long time to come.
At # 12, Dolph Ziggler was here to show the world that he was still in the game following his latest concussion earlier this month.
Big Daddy Cool, Kevin Nash showed up again, just as he had in 2011. Anyone hoping for an Authority tie-in will have to wait for tomorrow night, as there was no real connecting of the dots tonight. What we saw tonight was simply a novelty pop and a shameful elimination.
Speaking of shameful things, lobster head, a name that many of us expected to see tonight - even when his shoulder injury and subsequent surgery were announced toward the end of last summer. Sheamus hit the ring at #17; where he fits into the booking picture as we head to WrestleMania is anyone's guess.
John Bradshaw Layfield made his first Rumble appearance from the announce desk, and, like Diesel, was quickly tossed back to his commentators position by The Shield.
With only a few spots left to go, chances for surprises - by returning legends or guys coming off of the injured reserves - are slipping away.
Have you been surprised by the names announced tonight for the main event?