Every January, the WWE hosts one of its most memorable matches – the Royal Rumble. With this being the company’s 30th Rumble, one would expect it to be far more memorable than most in recent memory.
The past three years have put on decent Pay Per Views, however the company’s choice in the winning superstar has been highly questionable. In 2014, the company made the horrendous mistake of letting Batista have his hand raised. The significance of his victory was overshadowed by the fact that Daniel Bryan was the biggest thing going in the company that year, being entered into the WrestleMania main event through story line cut down on the actual importance of even winning the Rumble as Batista would be the one to submit to Bryan to close the show.
Then there were the last two years of Rumble victories, both revolving around the WWE’s insistence on pushing Roman Reigns. In 2015 Reigns was victorious, the crowd support he had the previous year had turned, and the Big Dog was nearly booed out of the arena. Following that was a highly questionable Triple H win, this time for the title itself, and again having much to do with building up Roman Reigns.
Thankfully, this year the WWE doesn’t seem to be pushing Reigns. Holding onto the US Title, it’s safe to say another Roman Reigns WrestleMania journey is not in the works, and the WWE will allow a new WrestleMania main event rivalry to play out. That said, here are my top five choices of superstars that may win the Rumble.
Honourable Mention – The reason neither Lesnar nor Goldberg will make this list is entirely because the two will again square off at WrestleMania. With Batista’s win in 2014, the WWE will know better than to allow a part-timer to win the Rumble and go on to compete in WrestleMania’s main event. Also, I am writing this before Roadblock – if Owens for some reason drops the Universal title to Reigns expect him to be a top contender.
5. Dolph Ziggler – The Showoff may not be on everyone’s radar come the Royal Rumble, however there has never been a better opportunity for Ziggler to emerge victorious. Since the brand split, Ziggler has feuded for both of the blue brand’s single titles, most recently putting on an incredible feud with The Miz. It’s obvious that Ziggler won’t be facing Miz at the Royal Rumble for the IC Title, leaving him fresh and ready to fight for the main event.
Ziggler has been a top talent for years, and it’s well known of the company’s reluctance to push him.
Ever since the brand split, it’s been mentioned time and time again by Ziggler’s foes how he can never win the big one, how he digs and digs yet comes up short when finally given the opportunity. Dolph is capable of building an emotionally driven feud leading up to April, and for the man who uses Mr. WrestleMania’s finishing maneuver, there’s no better place to showcase it than stealing the show at WrestleMania.
4. Finn Bálor – A healthy Finn Bálor would be a spot or two higher on this list, however since Bálor has been absent since his injury in August, it’s very likely we may not see him until WrestleMania itself. Since his first day on Raw, the WWE has not hesitated to push Bálor – having him emerge victorious against guys like Reigns and Owens before winning the Universal title over Rollins – so it’s obvious the WWE has big plans for Bálor.
The only thing holding him back at this point is his injury. If the WWE wishes for him to be a full 100% before returning, he may have to wait until after the Rumble to come back. Either way, if Bálor does make the Rumble, expect the Demon King to regain his throne come WrestleMania.
3. Dean Ambrose – I don’t want Ambrose to win the Rumble, and I’m sure the majority of people reading this would agree. Dean is a solid in-ring performer, and granted he has his moments. But as he proved following his win at Money in the Bank this year, he is not championship material. Ambrose was a boring WWE Champion, nearly as bad as Reigns, and the WWE doesn’t seem quite as keen on pushing him with the title.
The one thing going for Ambrose entering the rumble however is story – he’s one of the main guys on SmackDown, and from Styles to Ellsworth there are several directions the Ambrose story can take. Whether they’re strong enough to lead him to main-eventing WrestleMania, however, is uncertain.
2. John Cena – Not everyone will be excited hearing John Cena’s name thrown into the realm of possibilities, however Cena does stand a very good chance if he chooses to return for the Rumble. There is no better way to tie Flair’s record than at the main event of WrestleMania, and that’s what the WWE might have planned for Cena.
Should the spot be given to a more worthy superstar? Absolutely, however the WWE will not hesitate to give the face of their company one last WrestleMania moment, and one final run with the gold.
1. Seth Rollins – Want a guaranteed spot in the WrestleMania main event? Start beef with Triple H. It worked for Bryan and Reigns and I guarantee it will work for Rollins as well. Rollins has the makings of a great champion, from his in-ring work to his much improved mic work he’s proven that he’s a surefire main event star.
The company has been heavily focused on pushing the former Shield members since they disbanded, and expect this year to be the same. If Rollins loses, expect it to be because of Triple H, setting up the match anyway.
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