Scott,
Obviously the Royal Rumble requires some painstaking choreography and pre-planning in order for the mini-stories and overall structure to stick. Do the announcers basically sit there with a 1-thru-30 list of the entrants, or does WWE sometimes throw in legitimate surprises? Have they ever swerved the announcers with the winner, or with a surprise entrance?
Obviously the Royal Rumble requires some painstaking choreography and pre-planning in order for the mini-stories and overall structure to stick. Do the announcers basically sit there with a 1-thru-30 list of the entrants, or does WWE sometimes throw in legitimate surprises? Have they ever swerved the announcers with the winner, or with a surprise entrance?
No, they don't tend to operate that way because Vince is all about having the announcers TELLING STORIES and surprising them would be counterproductive. The announcers would have a very detailed script, including all 30 participants in order.