Tonight the WWE will present the 2014 Royal Rumble pay-per-view. It is the second to last PPV before the WWE Network launches. I think WWE should have started the Network for this show. Royal Rumble is always one of the most exciting and fun pay-per-views due to the big thirty-person main event match. I understand why WrestleMania is the first PPV for the Network, but a guy can still wish.
Kickoff: WWE Tag Team Championship: Cody Rhodes and Goldust © vs. New Age Outlaws
This is a fantastic way to start the Royal Rumble pay-per-view. I love the intrigue of the New Age Outlaws possibly winning the tag team titles. There are very few heel tag teams in WWE right now and this is much more enticing than seeing the Real Americans challenge for the titles.
At some point I expect to see Cody Rhodes and Goldust begin to split in order to set up a WrestleMania match. However, I don’t see it happening here. I think there’s a better chance of it happening in the rumble match. I also don’t see the point in the Outlaws as champions. If the Rhodes were able to beat the Shield multiple times, they shouldn’t lose the belts to Road Dogg and Billy Gunn.
Prediction: Rhodes Brothers retain tag team titles
Big Show vs. Brock Lesnar
What’s the point of this match? Just to give Lesnar a match? I would have preferred to see Mark Henry in the place of Big Show, but either way it’s kind of a waste of a match. Wouldn’t the rumble match have been even more intriguing with Lesnar as an entrant? I guess he still could be. Either way, this is just a way to give Lesnar another match and an easy win.
Prediction: Brock Lesnar wins
Daniel Bryan vs. Bray Wyatt
Bryan’s absence from the rumble match is questionable, but he will definitely be facing Bray Wyatt in what I hope will be end of their feud. Not that it is bad in anyway, but the road to WrestleMania begins on Sunday. After Sunday, WWE should be starting to set up Bryan for his WrestleMania match. Whether that is against the WWE World Heavyweight Champion, the Undertaker or someone else, it should not be another match with Bray Wyatt.
I could see Bryan winning this match and not entering the rumble, losing and not entering the rumble, winning and not entering the rumble or winning and entering the rumble.
The way I could see it happening is that he wins, but is attacked by the Wyatt Family after the bell. This could lead to an exciting return during the rumble match.
Prediction: Daniel Bryan wins
WWE World Heavyweight Championship: Randy Orton © vs. John Cena
To me, the world title picture has been boring ever since Randy Orton became champion. His heel turn at Summer Slam was great, but since then every match of his has been underwhelming and disappointing. Even he and John Cena ending Raw this past Monday fell flat to me.
I don’t see WWE taking the title away from Orton here, especially not to Cena. Although Cena is the superhero WWE loves, they have put too much time and effort into Orton’s run that it can’t end so abruptly. Hopefully, this match ends in a more creative and interesting way then last month.
Prediction: Randy Orton retains WWE World Heavyweight title
2014 Royal Rumble Match
This is one of the more difficult rumble matches to predict. With Bryan’s uncertainty as an entrant and CM Punk being named number one, my mind is going a little crazy. I would love to see Punk and Bryan be the first and last two entrants in the rumble. To me, the winner has to be Punk, Bryan or Batista. Anyone else would be very surprising. Though, there are dark horses in Roman Reigns and Bray Wyatt. However, those two just don’t seem likely this year. Perhaps in the future one or both will win. After becoming the longest reigning WWE Champion in the modern era, there isn’t much Punk hasn’t accomplished. Winning the rumble is one of those though. At the same time, Bryan is the most over star in the WWE today and has yet to be rewarded for it. Then again, bringing Batista back to WWE has some sort of big WrestleMania match in the plans. I am going with my gut(tenplan) and sticking with Daniel Bryan.
Prediction: Daniel Bryan wins the Royal Rumble.
Seth Guttenplan is the owner of GuTTWrenchPowerBlog. When Seth is not writing about wrestling, he is a Special Education teacher in New Jersey. To read more from Seth, follow him on twitter (@sethmikey) and visit http://guttwrenchpowerblog.com
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