WWE Royal Rumble 2016: Predictions for Event's Biggest Stars

WWE Royal Rumble 2016 is days away, and with the dust settling after the Jan. 18 episode of Raw, there is a full card for the first WWE pay-per-view of 2016, and WWE gold will be up for grabs in every bout on Jan. 24.

With 30 men slated to appear in the pay-per-view's namesake match, there isn't a single "filler" match on the card. That's more of a problem than many would think; those midcard matches are vital to developing storylines and feuds. 

Without them, underutilized WWE Superstars are left in a void. Monday night's episode of Raw was a perfect example of this lackluster build. It only took two segments for WWE Creative to bury 13 Superstars.

Lumping seldom-used midcard talents together into squash matches (Big Show vs. The Social Outcasts) and multi-man tag matches does little to build the fans' desire to see a stable undercard. Even when WWE Creative gets it right, as it did putting the United States Championship on Kalisto, it reverses course too quickly, leaving a bad taste in fans' mouths.  

All of this should remind fans of one fact: WWE is driven by its biggest stars, and that is where the company's focus continues to lie. The company has always done this—from Hulk Hogan to The Ultimate Warrior, Steve Austin to The Rock, John Cena to Roman Reigns.

The Royal Rumble is about building to the company's biggest event—WrestleMania—where the biggest stars shine. That's why no one should expect anyone other than the company's biggest Superstars to walk away either victorious or looking strong on Sunday in Orlando, Florida. 

Here's a look at how each of the company's biggest stars will fare at WWE Royal Rumble 2016.

Roman Reigns and Brock Lesnar

It's impossible to separate these two men, as their paths are so closely intertwined. Reigns and Lesnar are the clear favorites to win the Royal Rumble match, and one would be hard-pressed to bet the field against these two men. 

The problem is: If you peg one of them to win, the other has to lose. The biggest question then becomes how WWE makes both look strong in the process. The answer is so simple that it's hard to screw up.

Don't let either man win. 

Having both Reigns and Lesnar chase the eventual Rumble winner down the Road to WrestleMania allows both men to show their best character traits. Both Reigns and Lesnar are at their best as predators hunting their prey. 

Let Triple H be the one to eliminate both men. Have them battle each other in the middle of the ring and take each other out midway through the match. Have The Wyatt Family finally fulfill its promise of being a devastating faction and toss both men over the top rope. 

Whatever the result, both men need to be gone before the final showdown to determine the new WWE champion. Otherwise, WWE risks the kind of predictable finish that doomed this event one year ago. 

Dean Ambrose and Kevin Owens

Here's another duo linked so closely that they deserve to mentioned together. 

With the Last Man Standing stipulation attached to their Rumble match, it's a good bet that Sunday will be the end of the Ambrose-Owens feud. Barring a screwy finish (always a possibility with any WWE match), one of these two men should become the standard-bearer for the midcard title while the other moves into the WWE world title picture. 

Ambrose has gotten the better of Owens for the majority of this feud, save for the Raw immediately following WWE Tables, Ladders & Chairs. There's no reason to expect that to change on Sunday, especially since Ambrose's popularity continues to skyrocket. He's the perfect midcard champion at a time when WWE needs a top face battle amid what seems to be a slew of midcard heels currently on the roster. 

Owens, on the other hand, is needed in the main event picture.

Except for the McMahon family and Sheamus, there isn't a true heel to do battle with Reigns and Lesnar, both of whom are faces. While Owens might be a darling of the Internet Wrestling Community, he's a full-out heel who can generate heat. WWE needs that right now, with Seth Rollins on the shelf and other top heels (Rusev, Alberto Del Rio) toiling in the midcard. 

What will be interesting is what either man will have left heading into the Royal Rumble match following a Last Man Standing bout, typically a grueling match that can last more than 20 minutes. Expecting either of them to do damage in the Rumble should be out of the question, but bigger things are ahead for each on the Road to WrestleMania. 

Bray Wyatt

Wyatt was the star of last year's Rumble match, creating drama throughout his run and delivering the best moments of the night. His aforementioned proclamation was followed by singing his de facto anthem, "He's Got the Whole World in his Hands," a chant that rang throughout the crowd in Philadelphia. He tossed fan favorite Daniel Bryan over the ropes, entered at No. 6 and eliminated at No. 25, lasting more than 47 minutes. 

Stop me if you've heard this one before: The Eater of Worlds heads into a pay-per-view with tons of momentum, looking to finally break through and become the main event Superstar everyone expected him to be upon his debut. 

Sound familiar? It's the same story we've heard when Wyatt faced John Cena, The Undertaker, Roman Reigns and Dean Ambrose. It's the same lines the WWE Universe was fed during last year's Royal Rumble, as Wyatt defiantly goaded and screamed that 2015 would be his year. 

What will make 2016 any different?

First, he has the backing of his family once again. He and his flock have done plenty of damage to the main roster over the last month, culminating in Monday night's beatdown of both Reigns and Lesnar. The Wyatts are united behind Bray, making him a more dangerous entrant into the Rumble. 

Second, WWE's feud pitting Reigns against The Authority fits into a continuing storyline with Wyatt: "Anyone but Roman." Wyatt easily fits into that story. The question becomes: Do WWE fans want to see that story again, considering WWE had said that Hell in a Cell 2015 was their final battle?

Wyatt would be a good choice to eliminate Reigns during the Rumble match, only to fall short himself. The key will be to keep Wyatt in the main event picture, a force with which the new champion, heel or face, must reckon. Don't expect Wyatt to hold the title at the conclusion of the Royal Rumble match.

He may, however, be standing over the champion's battered body at the end of the night.