WWE Royal Rumble 2012: Why This Is the Year to Have Surprise Rumble Match Winner

The Royal Rumble stirs up an interesting debate every year. 

It’s arguably the WWE’s second biggest pay-per-view, which features one of the most important matches of the year, the 30-Man Royal Rumble match. 

On one side of the fence, you have those fans who think that an established veteran should win the match and go on to compete for a World title at WrestleMania. On the other side, you have the fans who think that an up-and-coming star should win the match in a career-defining moment. 

The idea is that long-time main event stars can find another way into a high-profile match at WrestleMania, while a young star could use a Royal Rumble victory to start a mega-push toward championship gold, somewhat like the WWE did with Alberto Del Rio last year. 

While two veterans—Randy Orton and Chris Jericho—may be the favorites to win the 30-Man Royal Rumble this year, I think 2012 is the perfect time to have a rising star shock the world and outlast 29 other competitors to become the Royal Rumble winner. 

The reasoning behind that is simple: Whoever wins the Rumble will be in the third, or possibly fourth, most important match on the WrestleMania card. 

WrestleMania is shaping up to be absolutely loaded this year, and it’s no secret that the biggest match on the card—the one that will get pushed like no other—is The Rock taking on John Cena. It’s a battle of one of the biggest stars of the Attitude Era and the biggest star in pro wrestling today, and it truly will be one of the most epic encounters ever. 

It is going to get the focus and the limelight, and therefore, it will completely overshadow either of the World title matches. In fact, so will The Undertaker’s defense of “The Streak.” 

There’s a good chance that we’ll see Undertaker vs. Triple H at WrestleMania again, and that match may feature Shawn Michaels as a special guest referee, Triple H putting his career on the line and/or Taker putting both his career and streak on the line. 

You think the WWE really isn’t going to make that match its No. 2 priority? Of course it will. 

That’s where the winner of the Royal Rumble comes in. 

At the absolute best, the Royal Rumble winner will find himself in a World title match that is the WWE’s third priority come WrestleMania time, and since this match will already get overshadowed anyway, why not give an up-and-coming star a chance to compete in it? 

While it would make sense to have Orton win the Royal Rumble and then go on to face Daniel Bryan for the World Heavyweight Championship at Mania, Orton has already countless title opportunities and title reigns. He can compete in a match that doesn’t involve a title (like he did with CM Punk last year) and still make it matter. 

If the WWE can have Orton compete in another match (and therefore add another great match to the WrestleMania card), then this gives the company a golden opportunity to let a surprising star win the 30-Man Royal Rumble match. 

After all, if Chris Jericho doesn’t win the Rumble and still finds a way to challenge Punk for the WWE Championship at WrestleMania, then the Royal Rumble winner’s match (a World Heavyweight Championship) becomes the fourth-most important Mania match. 

You’d have Rock/Cena, Triple H/Taker, Punk/Jericho and then the Rumble winner vs. the World Heavyweight Championship. 

So, why not take a risk? Why not take a chance? Why not let someone like Wade Barrett, Sheamus, Cody Rhodes or even Christian emerge victorious this Sunday? 

The WWE has a rare opportunity here to give a deserving—and surprising superstar one of the biggest wins and pushes of his WWE career, and it should capitalize on that. 

After all, we don’t want another predictable Rumble winner like we got with Del Rio last tear. We want our jaws to hit the floor when we see a shocking name outlast 29 other superstars. 

Considering that the winner of last year’s Rumble was relegated to the opening match of WrestleMania anyway, it certainly can’t hurt to try.

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