WWE Royal Rumble 2012: Mock Royal Rumble Including All 30 Projected Entrants

From WWE.com

WWE's Royal Rumble spectacular is less than 24 hours away, and what started out as a perceptibly wide-open field has really been whittled down to a two-horse race as Jericho and Randy Orton have emerged as front runners. 

Jericho briefly breaking his silence this past Monday on RAW followed by Orton's return to SmackDown have created some serious momentum for the two favorites, but looming surprises and last-minute booking changes will keep impending Royal Rumble wins for the two former world champions from being a sure thing.

The Royal Rumble isn't only about the winner, as year-in and year-out it is the most productive match the WWE has to offer. 

Through one Royal Rumble alone, feuds can be created or continued, young stars on the rise can put fans on notice through voluminous eliminations or impressive staying power, heels can get immense heat for eliminating an overwhelming fan favorite or surprise entrant, and—of course—somebody gets to go to WrestleMania. 

For your speculative pleasure, here is the projected 2012 Royal Rumble match arranged by participant.  Math nerds need be cognizant of the fact that projected stay times and no. of eliminations are simply rough estimates and do not take into account the numerical possibilities of a certain number of stars having a certain amount of statistics.  If that type of thing bothers you, go count rocks.  

I do realize that there are already rumors floating around as to who the surprise entrants in this year's Royal Rumble could be.  I haven't read any of them nor will I as I would like to be just as surprised as the next man in order to maximize my viewing experience. 

Watch Big Nasty's latest entry on B/R video, and follow Big Nasty on Twitter @ThisIsNasty.

1. The Miz

Projected Stay: 15:43

Projected No. of Eliminations: 3

Eliminated By: Sheamus

The Miz has served as unfavorable example of the "what a difference a year makes" proposition as in one short year he has gone to WWE Champion to no-shot Royal Rumble curtain jerker. 

Miz seems to have lost his mojo for the time being, and nobody expects him to win the Royal Rumble.  Hopefully, a healthy stay in the Royal Rumble match will help him regain some much-needed heat. 

2. Brodus Clay

Projected Stay: 9:17

Projected No. of Eliminations: 4

Eliminated By: Multiple Superstars

In order for Brodus Clay's funk to be truly maximized in the Royal Rumble, he has to come out second and be afforded a proper entrance equipped with fanfare and thick-bootied female dancers. 

Clay probably won't last very long in the Royal Rumble, but he will figure to be booked like a monster through multiple eliminations and it's highly likely he'll entertain in some capacity come Sunday. 

Following each Brodus Clay elimination, look for the Funkasaurus to follow up by saying "My bad!"

3. Kofi Kingston

From WWE.com

Projected Stay: 6:23

Projected No. of Eliminations: 1

Eliminated By: Cody Rhodes

Kofi Kingston is currently in no-man's-land after his tag-team partner went all Cheech and Chong on him, then got suspended for a second wellness violation of an apparently unrelated substance.

Poor Kofi won't figure to last very long in this one. 

4. Cody Rhodes

Projected Stay: 31:53

Projected No. of Eliminations: 6

Eliminated By: Randy Orton

Cody Rhodes is a very viable workhorse candidate to enter the Royal Rumble early and outlast most of the field.  

Rhodes is certainly a star on the rise and even a dark-horse pick to win the Royal Rumble, and he needs to be protected in this high-profile match with a standout performance. 

5. Hunico

Projected Stay: 4:42

Projected No. of Eliminations: 0

Eliminated By: Brodus Clay

Hunico's feud with Ted DiBiase continues to gain steam as Hunico exploited DiBiase's hand injury this past Friday night on SmackDown.  Should DiBiase recover in time to make the Royal Rumble match this Sunday, expect revenge.

6. Jinder Mahal

Projected Stay: 7:22

Projected No. of Eliminations: 0

Eliminated By: Sheamus

The Royal Rumble is always in need of a handful of Washington Generals responsible for filling up the ring, getting eliminated, and collecting a paycheck. 

And while Jinder Mahal's current feud with Sheamus has placed him back on the radar, the Punjabi punching bag will likely be hitchhiking on the road to WrestleMania. 

7. Dolph Ziggler

Projected Stay: 38:59

Projected No. of Eliminations: 4

Eliminated By: Randy Orton

Dolph Ziggler will serve as a moderate surprise entrant as he will be competing against CM Punk for the WWE Championship. 

The WWE has made sure to announce that "every WWE Superstar" is eligible to appear in the Royal Rumble match, so the chances of Ziggler pulling yet another double-duty performance at a pay-per-view look good.

While I do not expect Ziggler to win the WWE Championship come Sunday, I do expect him to win the endurance crown at this year's Royal Rumble, lasting longer than any other participant. 

8. Justin Gabriel

From WWE.com

Projected Stay: 9:14

Projected No. of Eliminations: 1

Eliminated By: Brodus Clay

Justin Gabriel has slowly, but surely, made his way back onto the television landscape over on SmackDown, but he won't figure to do much in this year's Royal Rumble match. 

Another year or two of seasoning could produce a strong babyface in Justin Gabriel, who, would have opportunities to make some noise in future Royal Rumbles. 

9. Sheamus

Projected Stay: 30:11

Projected No. of Eliminations: 7

Eliminated By: Wade Barrett

Sheamus will figure to win the Elimination title this Sunday, as the monster babyface will look strong before finally getting eliminated. 

Sheamus is one of a select few stars in the Rumble who the WWE should be wary of protecting with an impressive performance.

10. Ted DiBiase

Projected Stay: 8:26

Projected No. of Eliminations: 1

Eliminated By: Brodus Clay

Ted DiBiase's appearance in the Royal Rumble, should it happen, will likely be used to further his feud with Hunico, as DiBiase will look to get his heat back for an attack he suffered at the hands of Hunico this past Friday on SmackDown. 

11. Tyson Kidd

Projected Stay: 4:18

Projected No. of Eliminations: 0

Eliminated By: Brodus Clay

Last year, Tyson Kidd was dominated in the Royal Rumble.  By Hornswoggle.

No matter what happens this year, it can only get better for the Hart Dungeon descendant. 

12. Wade Barrett

Projected Stay: 21:33

Projected No. of Eliminations: 4

Eliminated By: Randy Orton

Wade Barrett will figure to be a likely final four candidate as he too has been surging en route to the Royal Rumble match.

Randy Orton's return won't bode well for his chances of winning the Royal Rumble as he now seems destined to be on the short end of the stick for whatever's left of that feud. 

13. Dusty Rhodes

Projected Stay: 2:14

Projected No. of Eliminations: 0

Eliminated By: Cody Rhodes

Dusty Rhodes will probably be the resident legend in this year's Royal Rumble to promote the upcoming WWE Network reality show Legends House.

Expect a wildly entertaining dance-off with Brodus Clay that the old school, St. Louis wrestling crowd should appreciate. 

 

14. R-Truth

Projected Stay: 12:18

Projected No. of Eliminations: 1

Eliminated By: The Miz

The WWE seems to be intent on booking the Truth-Miz feud backwards, as for weeks Truth has upended the Miz on television. 

Expect the heel Miz to get his heat back on pay-per-view with a sneaky elimination of R-Truth. 

15. Kane

Projected Stay: 15:14

Projected No. of Eliminations: 3

Eliminated By: Sheamus

Kane's record streak of Royal Rumble appearances is too long for him to not be utilized in this year's match, especially given the fact that he just returned.

Kane's Royal Rumble arrival will rely heavily upon the outcome of his match with Cena, but I'd bet on the greatest Royal Rumble competitor never to win the event to make an appearance and possibly break Shawn Michaels' record for career eliminations. 

16. David Otunga

Projected Stay: 6:30

Projected No. of Eliminations: 0

Eliminated By: Sheamus

Talk about a Washington General, David Otunga is the pound-for-pound king of cannon fodder. 

Laurinaitis' legal adviser isn't expected to do much of anything in the Royal Rumble, but he sure has some cool wrestling boots. 

17. Epico

From WWE.com

Projected Stay: 7:14

Projected No. of Eliminations: 0

Eliminated By: Sheamus

Epico and Primo are seemingly being used  as pawns to get Rosa Mendes over, and the current tag-team champions will likely go the way of past tag-team champions in the Royal Rumble match. 

In event history, a reigning tag-team champion has never won the Royal Rumble match. That trend will continue.

18. Jack Swagger

Projected Stay: 10:01

Projected No. of Eliminations: 0

Eliminated By: Sheamus

Jack Swagger has shown a glimmer of hope in recent weeks having won the United States Championship from a fading Zack Ryder, but for the most part, Swagger has had a tough time escaping from the role of glorified jobber.

Swagger could work closely with potential Rumble standout Dolph Ziggler, but that's where his potential begins and ends.

19. Goldust

Projected Stay: 4:23

Projected No. of Eliminations: 0

Eliminated By: Cody Rhodes

Goldust always seems to pop his head in around the Royal Rumble regardless of how frequently--or infrequently--he has been seen on television leading up to the event. 

Expect this year to be more of the same, with Goldust making a quick cameo only to be thrown out by his younger brother Cody, a la the 2009 Royal Rumble.

20. Primo

From WWE.com

Projected Stay: 6:12

Projected No. of Eliminations: 0

Eliminated By: Sheamus

Look for Primo to serve as more cannon fodder and be fed to superior superstars like Sheamus or possibly a reinvigorated Mason Ryan.

21. Mick Foley

Projected Stay: 9:00

Projected No. of Eliminations: 1

Eliminated By: Dolph Ziggler

Mick Foley will be a sentimental favorite to win the Royal Rumble, but he never really was Royal Rumble material. 

I mean, come on, we're talking about the only man in WWE history to enter the event three times in one year, and he couldn't even win it then. 

Look for a possible WrestleMania match with Dolph Ziggler to come out of Foley's elimination.

22. Michael Cole

From WWE.com

Projected Stay: 00:12

Projected No. of Eliminations: 0

Eliminated By: Mick Foley

There seems to be a theme to this year's Royal Rumble that everybody's fair game.  So at some point in the Royal Rumble, don't be surprised if Michael Cole rises from his seat and announces himself as a Royal Rumble entrant with hopes of furthering his undefeated streak at WrestleMania, only to get thrown out seconds later. 

23. Mason Ryan

Projected Stay: 10:40

Projected No. of Eliminations: 3

Eliminated By: Wade Barrett

There have been rumblings that the WWE is ready to start forcefeeding its Universe with some more Mason Ryan after previous attempts made them throw up. 

Ryan should do good things at this year's Royal Rumble, so let's hope he doesn't tear a hammy going over the top rope. 

24. Santino Marella

Projected Stay: 6:00

Projected No. of Eliminations: 0

Eliminated By: Mason Ryan 

In his last two years in the Royal Rumble, Santino Marella has broken the age-old Warlord record of least amount of time spent in the Royal Rumble, and came within an eyelash of winning the event. 

This year shouldn't be as momentous, as the SmackDown assistant to Theodore Long probably won't make much of an impact.

25. Christian

Projected Stay: 10:00

Projected No. of Eliminations: 0

Eliminated By: Mason Ryan

Christian should be close to 100 percent at this point, and what better way to return than in the Royal Rumble.  It's more than wishful thinking to expect Captain Charisma to win the event, but fans will be happy to see him back.

26. Heath Slater

Projected Stay: 3:22

Projected No. of Eliminations: 0

Eliminated By: Mason Ryan

Let's face it, Heath Slater is a one-man job band and even though his epic losing streak recently
came to an end for no eyes to see, he'll be out of the Rumble just as quickly and unceremoniously as he entered it.

27. Randy Orton

Projected Stay: 8:57

Projected No. of Eliminations: 3

Eliminated By: Chris Jericho 

Randy Orton has to be considered a favorite to win the Royal Rumble, however Chris Jericho remains the elephant in the room. 

Anything less than a final four appearance for Orton would be considered a shocker, and I expect Orton to make it all the way to the final two regardless of what happens.

28. Daniel Bryan

Projected Stay: 6:00

Projected No. of Eliminations: 1

Eliminated By: Big Show

The crazy thing about this surprise pick is I fully expect Bryan to hold on to the World Championship.  Forget about the fact that Big Show will likely take on Shaq, and Mark Henry is hurt, but there is real novelty and show-stealing ability in a never-before-seen Bryan-Orton feud.  

Bryan would really play up his heel character by entering the Royal Rumble as World Champion, something that hasn't happened since Hogan did it in '91.

29. The Big Show

Projected Stay: 5:46

Projected No. of Eliminations: 1

Eliminated By: Chris Jericho

I expect the Big Show to come away from the Royal Rumble empty handed, which could open the doors for him to enter the Royal Rumble match that same night to be one of the last superstars thrown out like he always is.

30. Chris Jericho

Projected Stay: 5:00

Projected No. of Eliminations: 2

Projected 2012 Royal Rumble Winner

Chris Jericho's return would lose a considerable amount of steam if he was eliminated from the Royal Rumble in almost any fashion. 

Jericho should come out last, and use some underhanded tactic to win the Royal Rumble in order to set up a WWE Championship showdown with CM Punk.