As reported earlier, one of the main reasons WWE pulled the plug on the Intercontinental Cup tournament was the last minute decision to include NXT star Bo Dallas in the Royal Rumble and immediately enter him into a feud with Wade Barrett.
Another result of Bo Dallas entering the Rumble is that he took a spot from another surprise entrant. According to a source in WWE, that spot was going to used for the return of Shelton Benjamin, who was in town for an indy show the night before the Rumble.
An interesting trivia note about Bo Dallas. He is the first Royal Rumble entrant in history that was not born when the first Rumble took place back in 1988. Dallas was born May 25, 1990.
(Source: Wrestling Observer Newsletter)