5 Bold Predications for the Royal Rumble 2012: Cena, Jericho, Foley and Clay

Let's get reeeeeady to RUUUUUUUUUUMBLE! It's nearly here, and everyone is buzzing about it. Rightly so, as the WWE is the strongest it has been in a long time, and the road to Wrestlemania is heating up. I’m sure the WWE have a few surprises up their sleeves, but here are a few ideas I have…

Jericho to Win the Rumble

Jericho has been playing all the fans this past two weeks for suckers. I can't remember a wrestler having rubbed up the fans the wrong way in a long time. Him winning the Rumble would definitely cause a lot of heat, and if he found his voice again, the ensuing feud between him and Punk could result in some of the best promos in a long time.

The Funkasauraus Will Either Get Over or Get Completely Buried

This could be the decider for his push: I don’t think the WWE was expecting him to get this much over, as this gimmick definitely appeared to be an attempt at constructive dismissal, given Brodus’ failure with Twitter last year.

However, he got a good pop on Smackdown on January 13th, so the WWE might as well ride the wave. Of course, this whole angle could have been a cunning ruse on behalf of the creative team, who has seen a niche in the business that hasn’t had someone dance in it since, oh I don’t know, Rikishi?

At his debut on Raw on January 9th, it was the last thing we expected to see—and that is why it was so brilliant. As we were told that Brodus Clay became the number one trending topic on Twitter worldwide during the course of his match—a squash match, I may add—it started to become clear that this gimmick had probably worked out exactly as the WWE wanted it to: It got millions and millions of people talking about their product across the entire world.

John Laurinaitis Interferes: Will Johnny Ace Get Involved in Punk’s Title Match?

He could use this as the opportunity to properly cement his evil corporate image as the new Vince. However, on Raw on January 16th, Laurinaitis hit Mick Foley with a microphone. Foley has always stood up for fair play in wrestling, so maybe Foley will clash heads with Laurinaitis over who will be the guest referee, or maybe just over his actions during the match. Alternatively, maybe Laurinaitis will get involved in the outcome of the Rumble, and mould his own corporate champion. If he was to go for a heel, it could be Jericho. Or he could play it safe and go for someone as boring as he is...unless they are busy with another comic book coming out...

Cena Will Turn to the Dark Side

 I really, really, really, really hope he turns heel at this. I imagine someone will try and interfere on behalf of Cena, and get turned on by Cena and Kane. This has potential to be a huge storyline, and if it is done right, could bring WWE out of this PG slump. They need some more darkness, which could fit in well if the Undertaker comes back as a face.

The Godfather Returns

Ok, I don't really want to see him wrestle, I just want to hear that riff and see some hoes!