Backstage Update on Roman Reigns’ Booking for the Royal Rumble Match

– The Wrestling Observer (via Wrestlezone.com) has a report on Roman Reigns entering in at No. 30 for the Royal Rumble this year, which received a very negative reaction. Per the report, the main reason Reigns was in the Rumble was to set up a planned match with The Undertaker at WrestleMania 33.

Additionally, the reason WWE opted to have Reigns came in at No. 30 was in an effort to give Randy Orton the biggest babyface reaction possible with his win. The report claims that WWE was aware of Reigns entering in at No. 30 would get a lot of negative heat from fans, since the spot is usually used for some surprises or return. However, the choice would in turn help Orton’s crowd reaction when he would win the match after eliminating Reigns.