In the past, the WWE’s Royal Rumble has served as a golden opportunity for surprise appearances and victories.
This year’s Royal Rumble match, which for the first time ever is for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship, doesn’t have that feel to it. There really isn’t anything set up right now that makes fans feel that something big will happen.
Maybe that's because by the time the Royal Rumble match itself starts, the fans will already know who more than half the entrants will be. Or it might be the fact that the Royal Rumble will be entirely focused on WWE champion Roman Reigns, who will enter the match as the No. 1, struggling to fight off 29 other competitors.
For those who don’t know: the Royal Rumble is a 30 entrant battle royale where wrestlers enter at 90 second intervals. The last man standing usually earns a title shot at WrestleMania, but as stated earlier this year’s winner will be holding the strap at the end.
With that all said, let’s take a look at who may be victorious in the other matches on the card, including the Royal Rumble match. As of the time of publishing, there are only six matches on the card for the Royal Rumble, and one of those is on the preshow.
Preshow: Darren Young and Damien Sandow vs. The Dudley Boyz (Bubba Ray Dudley and D-Von Dudley) vs. The Ascension (Konnor and Viktor) vs. Mark Henry and Jack Swagger
The only reason to care for this match is for the stipulation: the tag team that wins will earn two spots in the Royal Rumble. That still doesn’t give anyone any incentive to sit down and watch. Just for nostalgia purposes alone, The Dudley Boyz should come out on top and earn an invitation to the Royal Rumble match. It would be nice to see one last 3-D in a Rumble.
Pick: The Dudley Boyz
Main Card: Dean Ambrose (c) vs. Kevin Owens in a last man standing match for the Intercontinental Championship
It’s really a shame this feud hasn’t gotten more attention on TV. Owens is one of the best talkers on the main roster now, but maybe the WWE has forgotten about that. This feud has been built up so poorly that there hasn’t been anything memorable since the last time these two faced at TLC. Still, this should be a brutal match as both men have a penchant for putting on good matches even with a lackluster buildup. It’s hard to see Owens getting back the championship right now because the WWE might have bigger plans for him at WrestleMania.
Pick: Dean Ambrose
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Alberto del Rio (c) vs. Kalisto for the United States Championship
Unlike their prior match, the feud between Alberto del Rio and Kalisto has actually been done fairly will over the past couple of weeks. Last week on Raw, Kalisto surprised everyone by beating del Rio to win the United States title, only to lose later in the week on Smackdown. At least there’s some uncertainty going into this match as to who will actually win. As much fun as it would to have Kalisto having the belt, it will more likely than not be del Rio who comes out on top thanks to his friends in the League of Nations.
Pick: Alberto del Rio
Charlotte (c) (with Ric Flair) vs. Becky Lynch for the Diva’s Championship
At least the WWE has time for one women’s rivalry. Charlotte and Becky Lynch have done a great job in telling a story of a friend being betrayed after the other friend finds some success. It certainly doesn’t hurt to have the one and only “Nature Boy” Ric Flair involved to help further the fact that Charlotte would rather lose a friend than a title. Unfortunately for Lynch, this is Charlotte’s time to shine as Diva’s Champion. This match really does have the possibility to steal the show...if given enough time.
Pick: Charlotte
The New Day (Big E, Kofi Kingston and/or Xavier Woods) vs. The Usos (Jimmy Uso and Jey Uso) for the WWE Tag Team Championship
There’s honestly no way The New Day lose this match against The Usos. As a side note, it really does feel like there are only just one or two tag teams in the WWE. Right now it feels like one of those times.
Pick: The New Day
2016 Roman Rumble match for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship
No, that isn’t a typo. This match is all about Roman Reigns and how he only has a 3 percent chance of retaining his championship, according to the WWE. That’s the whole angle going into this match: How will Reigns overcome the odds? It doesn’t make any sense why the WWE is trying to make Reigns John Cena-light but they’re hell bent on it.
Unless there’s some huge surprise entrant - like an AJ Styles - then this match will be as boring as last year’s Rumble was. That will most likely not happen but the return of one Triple H may very well occur. Or maybe having the Wyatt Family decimate Reigns and Brock Lesnar at the end of Raw was a sign of change but that’s highly doubtful. Regardless, fans should be excited to see Lesnar destroy several wrestlers when he enters the ring. That will be the highlight for me anyways.
Pick: Triple H
Thomas Romero-Salas is the culture editor for the Daily Lobo. He can be reached at culture@dailylobo.com or on Twitter @ThomasRomeroS.
