WWE Royal Rumble Preview Part 2; Predictions
The stage is set for this Sunday in St. Louis, the 25th anniversary of the Royal Rumble is about to go down.
In Part 1 of this article I previewed Punk/Ziggler, Cena/Kane, and gave my Final Four prediction. I still stand by all those picks. Now lets take a look at the other announced match and who will win the Rumble:
Steel Cage Match for the World Heavyweight Title: Daniel Bryan vs. Big Show vs. Mark Henry
Bell to bell this should be a good match. Do I care who wins? Not really. The World Heavyweight Title picture has not exactly been captivating in recent weeks. Daniel Bryan seems to be in the middle of heel turn, Big Show is the same old Big Show, and Mark Henry has not been at 100%. This is the most up in the air of the non-Rumble matches by far.
I just don’t see a scenario where Big Show wins the title. He wasn’t champion for 9 years for a reason. Big Show is what he is, an attraction. Don’t get me wrong, Big Show is probably a future Hall of Famer, but at this point in his career he’s not championship material. Of course there are also rumors that Show will face off with Shaq at Wrestlemania 28.
The Daniel Bryan situation has been odd for weeks now. There has been the whole girlfriend injury angle and a few borderline “heel” promos. It seems apparent that WWE is not quite sure what they want to do with Bryan, and I don’t blame them. To be around long term Bryan is probably best suited to be a heel, but he hasn’t found that character yet. I have not been interested in his bits at all lately. Regardless, Bryan is a great wrestler and will put on a great show win or lose in this one.
If Mark Henry is physically ready to go, he deserves a run to Mania with the Belt. With a “face” CM Punk likely holding the belt to Mania on Raw, Smackdown could use a heel story line with Henry. Let’s face it, Henry can’t have too much gas left in the tank and WWE should pay him some respect. He has arguably been the best heel in the company over the last year.
There are many different ways to get to a Title match at Wrestlemania, especially when more than 2 people are involved. I think Mark Henry is a better candidate than Bryan at this time, and Henry wins the match.
Royal Rumble Match
We know that Miz will be the first entrant, but there is no way he is going to run the table. I think Miz will stick around for awhile and give a good showing, but there is no chance he wins it. Miz really needs to gain some momentum in the Rumble, his character has become stale lately and he needs to start a new rivalry with someone other than R-Truth.
Wade Barrett and Sheamus are in pretty much the same position, and both are legitimate picks to win it. I think Barrett clearly has more momentum right now than Sheamus, and is a more likely option, but neither need a Rumble win to get into the World Heavyweight Title match at Wrestlemania. That match seems destined to be a Fatal Four Way.
Two weeks ago, Randy Orton was by far the Internet pick to win it all. He will be in his hometown and will probably get the biggest pop of the night, but Orton will also fall short in this one. Yes, it would make a great moment, but Orton has become too obvious of a pick. He has gone from being a surprise, to being announced to return this Friday on Smackdown. Perhaps Vince got wind of all the internet buzz and pulled the plug on the “surprise?” One thing is for sure, whoever eliminates Orton is going to generate some serious heat.
So that leaves one man left to win it, Chris Jericho. Yes, I know it’s arguably just as obvious a pick as Orton, however I feel it’s slightly less obvious and therefore the better option for WWE. Jericho has to get to a match with Punk somehow, and why not via a Rumble win? Jericho has never won it before and it would be a great start on the road to Miami. The Rumble can’t be a huge surprise every year, and sometimes WWE just does the right thing. This is the best option they have. There is no one on Smackdown that would make a better Rumble winner than Jericho. Sheamus, Barrett, and Rhodes are not on his level, and Randy Orton’s stock is just not that high right now.
Jericho vs Punk will be the best match at Wrestlemania, and I think it has the potential to go down as one of the best feuds ever. WWE has to fully invest in this while they have the chance.
Yes, Jericho is an easy pick, but it’s the right pick. The possibilities with him and Punk are endless, and are without question better than ANY storyline on Smackdown. The path to being the “Best in the World” starts this Sunday in St. Louis with a Chris Jericho victory.
Follow Andrew Fisher on Twitter @the_realfish
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I really can’t see anyone other than Bryan coming out of the cage with the title. They’re really building his character a lot more than Henry and Big Show.