One of the most interesting things to come out of the RAW 1000th episode a couple weeks ago was The Rock announcing that he would be wrestling at the 2013 Royal Rumble. Now it won’t be in the Royal Rumble match or in some sort of random Tag Team match like he did at Survivor Series 2011 either. Instead he will be going one-on-one against the current WWE Champion at that time for the title at the kick-off for “the road to WrestleMania 29.”
With that being said I have compiled a list of wrestlers who I believe could be the WWE Champion at that time:
[adinserter block=”2″]CM Punk: The current WWE Champion CM Punk has to be the clear-cut favorite to fill that spot at Royal Rumble 2013 to take on The Rock with the title on the line. He ended the 1000th episode of RAW by taking out The Rock and leaving the door wide open to some sort of program/match between the two. If CM Punk is the Champion at that time you have to wonder if he could hold onto the title from his current title reign which would also make many wrestling fans happy at that time.
Sadly as much as I enjoyed CM Punk as WWE Champion and believe he should be headlining even this coming year’s WrestleMania at Metlife Stadium, I just don’t believe the WWE will be booking such a thing to happen for this year. The seeds were planted the day after WrestleMania when The Rock came out and stated he would be chasing after the WWE Championship yet again. Once those words were uttered that day it was a foregone conclusion that he would be going for or defending as the WWE Champion come WrestleMania 29. With that announcement at the 1000th episode of Monday Night RAW it’s safe to say he will be leaving Royal Rumble 2013 as the WWE Champion, which will be sad for many CM Punk fans out there.
John Cena: Despite how the WWE advertised their match at WrestleMania 28 as being “once in a lifetime,” there is going to be another John Cena/Rock match at some point in the next 365 days or so. I believe if I was an odds maker I’d say that will happen at WrestleMania 29 but I won’t discredit it happening at Royal Rumble 2013 for the title, especially if the WWE believes CM Punk has improved enough to be “the guy” against The Rock for the title at WrestleMania 29.
If that were to happen that would mean The Rock would have two victories over John Cena which is something I also can’t see happening at this point. Wrestling booking 101 tells us that something like that typically doesn’t happen with two such big forces like John Cena and The Rock but I wouldn’t bank on it not happening either. If WWE wants to make Royal Rumble 2013 a big seller then having The Rock vs. John Cena II for the title could certainly bring fans to tune in and watch the PPV.
Daniel Bryan: While the seeds were planted for CM Punk to take on The Rock at some point during the 1000th episode of Monday Night RAW the same could be said for Daniel Bryan. Bryan has had a rollercoaster of a ride in the WWE the past year and has finally broken through the way many wrestling fans thought he would/could. You just have to wonder if the WWE sees money when they look at a potential Rock/Bryan match-up for Royal Rumble 2013.
A lot can change in the next couple of months and the growth of Daniel Bryan could surprise us as much as it has the last nine months. It could very well be come January 2013 that Daniel Bryan is the top heel in the WWE and the perfect person to take on The Rock for the WWE Championship. One thing is for certain and that is a match between the two would make wrestling fans very happy that the WWE decided to pull the trigger on the match-up.
Dolph Ziggler: By the time January 2013 rolls around its safe to say that Dolph Ziggler would have a World Heavyweight Championship run under his belt and will be looked at as one of the top heels in the company heading towards WrestleMania 29. Besides Punk & Bryan, Dolph Ziggler is one of the top pound-for-pound wrestlers in the company today. He has gained so much respect from fans lately that want to see him finally break out that it reminds me a lot of The Rock’s rise during the summer of 1998 heading into the fall where The Rock would win his first WWE Championship at Survivor Series 1998.
[adinserter block=”1″]I honestly believe that The Rock vs. Dolph Ziggler for the WWE Championship at Royal Rumble 2013 could be the “sleeper pick” out of all the potential match-ups already listed. Ziggler can make ANY wrestler in the WWE look good and with that trait gives you the quality of matches we haven’t seen since Bret Hart, Shawn Michaels, Steve Austin and the man himself, The Rock. Ziggler vs. The Rock could be a huge headlining match-up at Royal Rumble 2013 and even if The Rock walks out with the gold could put over Ziggler more then he could by beating The Rock that night.
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rock vs cena
i'm a little surprised that the Miz wasn't on that list, while miz doesn't have an ounce of the potential Ziggler has, he certainly has been booked lately as the guy who could very well be one of the top three faces of wwe in the near future, having him win the IC title at the historic Raw 1000 is a clear sign that wwe have some serious plans for him, plus there were some seeds about a possible Rock/Miz match planted two years ago, maybe it can still happen
Ziggler COULD be a great choice IF the WWE was committed to building up a huge star for the future. Unfortunately, they persist in pushing Cena down our throats. It would be great business sense to give us either Ziggler/Bryan v. Rock. I think it would make even more sense for Punk and Cena to blow off their feud AT Wrestlemania, thereby making it one of the most compelling feuds of the last decade. These things can be very easily and organically arrived at. Ziggler's Mr MITB. Punk and Cena have a long and storied rivalry, and both of them put on stellar matches. Insert the Rock with a guaranteed title shot at the Rumble and do not forget the Elimination Chamber PPV in between WM and RR. The stories write themselves.
i think ziggler would be a mistake. Bryan would be good, but I don't see it happening. I see Rock vs Punk and Rock vs Cena happening between RR and WM. Which will happen at RR and which will happen at WM? That is what I am least sure about.