WWE Royal Rumble 2012: How the Prestige of the Rumble Is Waning

Since its inception in 1988, the winner of the Royal Rumble has traditionally been awarded the chance to main event WrestleMania by challenging for a championship of his choosing. Being declared the winner of the Royal Rumble is an impressive accomplishment in itself. It is a title held by the likes of The Rock, Steve Austin, Shawn Michaels, Ric Flair, and many more legendary names.

As the 25^th anniversary of the event quickly approaches, one can’t help but to question if the Royal Rumble is as meaningful as it once was.

The Royal Rumble is often regarded as the beginning of the “Road to WrestleMania.” Because the winner of the Royal Rumble receives a championship match at WrestleMania, the pay-per-view usually marks the beginning of the WWE’s main event storylines for WrestleMania.

Throughout the PPV’s history, the Royal Rumble has been a medium in which WrestleMania main event feuds were catalyzed. WWE Championship matches like Shawn Michaels vs. Bret Hart in 1996 and Steve Austin vs. Bret Hart in 1997, for example, illustrate the importance the Royal Rumble plays in building towards high caliber WrestleMania matches.

However, in the last five years, the Royal Rumble winner has only wrestled in the last match on the WrestleMania card once. It’s also worth noting that last year’s WrestleMania marked the first time that the Royal Rumble winner received his championship match in the opening bout of WrestleMania. Many criticized the idea of having Edge vs. Alberto del Rio for the World Heavyweight Championship because it insulted the prestige of the Royal Rumble and the World title.

Not getting the last match on the card doesn’t devalue a Royal Rumble victory too much. After all, the aforementioned Steve Austin vs. Bret Hart match from WrestleMania 13 didn’t last.

Rather, patterns like these that have emerged in recent years have contributed to the overall decreasing value of a victory in the Royal Rumble. Consistently denying the winner of the right to the headline match at WrestleMania surely has its impact on the reputation of the Rumble.

In addition, Alberto del Rio’s Royal Rumble victory, as well as his subsequent booking, aided in the devaluation of the title of Royal Rumble winner. After winning the 2011 Royal Rumble, Del Rio went on to lose in his WrestleMania match. He would challenge for the World Heavyweight Championship once more at Extreme Rules before being traded to Raw and dropping down the card for a short while.

The way Del Rio was handled coming off his Royal Rumble win is awfully reminiscent of how many Money in the Bank winners have been booked. More than anything, it is the WWE’s apparent lack of confidence in Del Rio at the time that insulted the prestige of the match.

The Royal Rumble has been used as a way to push wrestlers up the card before. In 2003, Brock Lesnar won and went on to defeat Kurt Angle for the WWE Championship at that year’s WrestleMania. The difference is that the WWE got completely behind Lesnar and established him as a mainstay main eventer.

For over eight months now, we’ve known that this year’s WrestleMania will be no different. The day after WrestleMania 27, it was announced that John Cena vs. The Rock would headline WrestleMania 28 on April 1, 2012.

If you consider that, along with the rumored third installment of Undertaker vs. Triple H, which may possibly be Undertaker’s last match, what exactly does winning the Royal Rumble match guarantee? The winner won’t be headlining the show and one of the top spots on the card may already be filled.

The WWE has done a lot to devalue the achievement that is winning the Royal Rumble. Using it as a way to experiment with Alberto del Rio in the main event, along with consistently delivering the message that the winner will not necessarily get to headline WrestleMania. At this rate, it wouldn’t shock me too much if a Royal Rumble winner was to challenge for the United States or Intercontinental Championship.

Don’t get me wrong, I still love the Royal Rumble. The match, as well as the PPV itself, is one of my favorite things in the WWE. Even with all the devaluing of the reward for winning the match, it’s still a great event to kick off the best three months of the WWE’s year.

As a fan, I truly believe that correcting some of these points could help re-establish the prestige that once coincided with winning the Royal Rumble. By doing so, it would make the Royal Rumble, Road to WrestleMania, and WrestleMania itself more exciting.

Make sure to check my B/R Writer Profile for more articles previewing the 2012 WWE Royal Rumble. I will be writing a live results and reaction article as the show airs. In addition, PW 24/7 Radio will host a “Think Tank” special. Tune in to PW 24/7 immediately after the show as the different hosts come together with their various points of view to provide the most collaborative and comprehensive review of the Royal Rumble!