Doubleplay Sports

By Jacob Tozer

The time has finally come. World Wrestling Entertainment kicks off its 2012 pay-per-view schedule with the highly anticipated Royal Rumble. The card for tonight features only four matches, but all appear to be worth the money spent to watch. We are treated to two world title matches, a grudge match, and the Rumble itself.

World Heavyweight Championship Match (Steel Cage): (c) Daniel Bryan vs. Big Show vs. Mark Henry

In what is the first steel cage match to ever grace the Royal Rumble, we see our defending champion Daniel Bryan face two monsters in Big Show and Mark Henry. The odds seem stacked against Bryan because of the sheer size difference, but from watching wrestling for so long, I know different. It makes logical sense for Bryan to keep the title, simple as that. He is a young champion with excellent in-ring ability, and I feel WWE will have him as champion going into WrestleMania. Big Show is just too old to be considered a credible champion, and with Mark Henry supposedly being injured during this Friday’s taping of Smackdown, it makes sense to leave the belt on Bryan.

Prediction: Daniel Bryan retains World Heavyweight Championship via escaping the cage

WWE Championship Match: (c) CM Punk vs. Dolph Ziggler w/ John Laurinaitis as special guest referee

Here we have another typical title match in which the champion has everything going against him, but somehow manages to pull out the miraculous victory. CM Punk has been in a heated feud with Interim Raw GM John Laurinaitis for several months now, and it comes down to this match. Laurinaitis has openly stated he is going to screw Punk out of the title, but I see it differently. WWE has a habit of making things a tad too obvious, and I believe there is no exception here. Laurinaitis will probably be knocked out at some point during the match, allowing Punk to hit the GTS on Ziggler and retain the title, thus allowing Ziggler entry into the Rumble, but more on that later.

Prediction: CM Punk retains WWE Championship via pinfall

John Cena vs. Kane

This is the most anticipated singles match on the card due to one looming reason: A possible John Cena heel turn. Cena has been the biggest face in the company since 2005, literally carrying WWE on his shoulders. Last year Cena reportedly made WWE $106 Million on his own, and those figures are what makes me question the turn. For the past month Kane has been torturing Cena, telling him to “embrace the hate” that the WWE fans have thrust upon him. Recent actions suggest that Cena may indeed turn heel, but I think WWE is just trolling the viewers. With kids 10 and under buying so much Cena merchandise and making their parents pay outrageous ticket prices to see “Super Cena” make another comeback, I can’t see Vince McMahon letting Cena turn his back on the kids that allow him to live the life he does. With all of that being said, I feel Cena will continue to show heel tendencies and bring an edge to his character, and tonight he goes over that edge. He will take a beating for a while, and then snap. He will go crazy and beat the living snot out of Kane, using illegal weapons to aid him. Cena will “embrace the hate” but I don’t feel it will lead to a full-fledged heel turn.

Prediction: Kane defeats John Cena via disqualification

Royal Rumble

This match is one of the most coveted matches that the WWE offers every year. 30 superstars will enter the ring, and the only way to be eliminated is to be thrown over the top rope and have both feet hit the ground. This is the hardest of all matches the WWE offers because of the sheer number of entrants, but I have my mind set on who I think will win the right to face a world champion in the main event at WrestleMania. Firstly I think we will see the return of a couple surprise entrants in Goldust, “Hacksaw” Jim Duggan, and Road Dogg. Now then, ever since Chris Jericho returned to Raw early in the New Year, I knew WWE had something special planned for him. He has hardly spoken a word since his return, nor has he competed. His statement on Raw this past week about how at the Royal Rumble it would be the “end of the world as we know it” tells me that he is going to win the Rumble. Now, I could be wrong because WWE has been also known to fool us with making something painstakingly obvious, only to make a last minute change and throw us a curveball. With that being said I feel Jericho enters as number 30 and makes the final four along with Randy Orton, Sheamus, and Wade Barrett. Jericho will then eliminate Randy Orton in the final two to secure his first ever Royal Rumble Victory.

Prediction: Chris Jericho wins the Royal Rumble

There you have it folks, this is how I feel the Rumble with unfold tonight. It will be interesting to see just how WWE allows it to play out. Stick around to see just how close my predictions were in my next article.  Thanks for Reading.