Royal Rumble Predictions
Pre show-Cesaro, Tyson Kidd and Adam Rose vs the New Day
There has been a nice little feud developing between the new day and the Party Masters (stable name copyright Gary Mastriano 2015). Not really sure why they are feuding, but it feels like a good old fashioned mid card feud from the late 90s. I suspect a New Day win, and all that all 6 of these men will show up in the Rumble later on in the night. Adam Rose will have a comedy spot, probably involving the being thrown over the top rope and caught by his posse only to be dropped by the Bunny. And I cannot imagine a Rumble without a crazy Kofi spot.
The Ascension vs the New Age Outlaws
I think this match may open the show with a guaranteed crowd pleasing Outlaws pop. This feud kind of came together last minute last Monday. The Ascension has struggled to get over on the main roster and a feud with the Outlaws may be the way to do it. I don't know about you guys but I thought Billy Gunn looked great on Raw. The Outlaws proved last year that they could still go, so I suspect a fun little match that won't take up much time. The Ascension needs and gets the win here.
The Bellas vs Paige and Natalya
Did TNA have women's tag champions? I wonder if that would ever work in WWE. With the increase in talented ladies I think it may be worth a shot. Paige and Natalya, easily the top workers in the Divas division, make an awesome tag team. Niki Bella's in ring work was a pleasant surprise in the second half of 2014, therefore I think this COULD be a good match. However I don't see this match getting much time either, like most Diva's matches. I am not sure why WWE doesn't give their ladies more time to shine, especially their Total Diva stars who can actually wrestle. The Bellas steal a victory here, possibly leading to Fatal Four way at WrestleMania for the title.
Damien Mizdow and the Miz vs the Usos
I've seen people predicting the demise of the Miz/Mizdow for months. I think the WWE will continue to run with duo until Mania season. I think Miz and Mizdow will have a ton of fun in the Rumble match later on in the night, with the seeds of a break up happening there. I find it interesting that every under card match is a tag match, and not a single match on the entire PPV is a one on one contest.This has been another fun mid card feud. But with the Mizdow break up on the horizon, I cannot see the Usos losing in this one. They will hopefully move on to a well-deserved spot on the WrestleMania card proper.
Royal Rumble Match
I have spent the last week rewatching every Rumble match ever in anticipation of this one. I have noticed there are 2 types of Rumble match- one where the winner is extremely obvious (HBK in 96, Austin in 98, Orton in 09), and another with a much wider field of potential winners (Taker in 07, Del Rio in 11, Sheamus in 12). Obviously the latter is a much more fun match. This year I would say fits into that category. The top 2 choices have to be Reigns and Bryan. Bryan has been getting the most Rumble based storylines heading into Sunday, while Reigns has only mentioned that he wants to win while being occupied with the Big Show. While these two are the front runners, and have the most upside to winning, there are actually a few other candidates.
-Dolph Ziggler has to be considered the #3 choice to win the Rumble. He is on a spectacular roll the past few months, and is finally getting the push that he and many other think he deserves. Ziggler has always connected with the crowd, and delivered in the ring. Now he is finally involved in a main event storyline that has made him one of the top faces in the company. I would not be surprised at all to see him have a surprise Cinderella win.
-Dean Ambrose is another face on the verge of superstardom. Having Ambrose win the Rumble may be a better play than his Shield brother Reigns. Reigns may not be ready to main event WrestleMania yet, nor may Ambrose for that matter. But a failed Ambrose push is easier for WWE, and the Lunatic Fringe himself, to recover from. Pushing Reigns too soon may result in a Randy Orton 2004 situation.
-Bray Wyatt has been rumored to face the Undertaker in March for months. I for one have ZERO interest in seeing that match. Undertaker's in ring career died with the streak, and nor he or Wyatt benefit from a feud together. Wyatt could be a surprise winner of the Rumble leading to a potential rematch at Mania with Cena, this time for the WWE championship?
As for some other Rumble highlights, I think we will see Ziggler and/or Ambrose be the long man this year putting in great work. After Smackdown this week I believe we will see Ambrose be the first entrant. I am sure we will see a few great surprise entrants to delight the Philly crowd. If I had to guess I would say DDP, RVD, and maybe even Jericho show up Sunday.
Needless to say there are a ton of options for potential winners at this year's Royal Rumble. It is really difficult to pick a winner, especially between Bryan and Reigns. I really cannot pick a winner, but I personally want Daniel Bryan to win, so I will go with him.
WWE Title- Brock Lesnar vs Seth Rollins vs John Cena
Just like the Rumble match, the WWE title match is wide open. I could see any of these three men walk out of Philadelphia with the strap. Cena is always a safe bet to carry the strap into Mania. Seth Rollins has the insurance of the briefcase on his side. But I cannot imagine Brock Lesnar losing anywhere but WrestleMania. Lesnar has been built up like too much of a monster. His victory over Undertaker pretty much assures that whoever beats him will be a made man. Sure fantasy booking can tell you that Lesnar can win the match, only to lose to Seth Rollins, but I see Rollins walking into Mania with the case still intact (although I don't think HE will leave with it…). Lesnar gets the W here in a match I am eagerly anticipating.
