Royal Rumble 2012: Why CM Punk vs. Dolph Ziggler Match Will Steal the Show

Every year, the Royal Rumble is the part of the pay-per-view (PPV) that people tune in to watch. It isn't just the name that attracts fans—it is the surprises and the unpredictable way it always plays out.

Even with fans ability to guess who will be in the running to seriously win it, there are at least a half dozen names. Punk and Ziggler is a great match. Either man has to win unless it ends in a no contest.

That probably won't happen, so the results mean that any fan who guesses on a winner will have a 50-50 shot in getting it right. The Royal Rumble has a significantly lower chance of being guessed properly.

Yet at the end of the night, it is going to be Punk and Ziggler that steal the show.

I've already stated that I believe Ziggler will and should win the title from CM Punk at the Royal Rumble. It will help Punk's character, the company and give the fans something new to watch as well.

But the real story isn't about Ziggler: It is about John Laurinaitis and CM Punk, and that should be the story that gets told in the ring on Sunday. Punk should have to focus on battling Ziggler while watching Laurinaitis like a hawk and making sure he doesn't do anything to harm him.

Punk is a talented performer, but Laurinaitis's acting leaves something to be desired.

When Punk landed the GTS on him Monday night, the mood was affected by the fact that Laurinaitis didn't show any fear. When Punk picked him up and had him set up for the finish, Laurinaitis's face was stoic.

Fans who were paying attention could see that he was focusing on taking the move instead of selling the emotion. Laurinaitis couldn't do both things at the same time.

But that isn't going to be a problem in the PPV. His physical role will be minimal with only a few key moments even if he helps Ziggler win. If he can do that without botching the needed emotions like he did on Monday, this could have something the Rumble doesn't have: depth.

Not a depth in the sense of the amount of people in it or how long the match can go. It won't even have more depth in the amount of action it has in the ring.

The depth that the match will have is story content. Between the match that Punk and Ziggler will be competing in, there will also be a story between Punk and Laurinaitis. It means that Punk will have to work overtime, but he is a talented wrestler and can pull it off.

The Rumble may be one of the biggest matches of the year, but it is more about the spectacle of the event then it is the meat of a story. And at heart, wrestling fans want something compelling they can sink their teeth into.

The Rumble can't deliver that, but Punk and Ziggler can. All they need is for Laurinaitis to make up the difference. 

Matthew Hemphill writes for the MMA and professional wrestling portion of Bleacher Report.  He also hosts a blog elbaexiled.blogspot.com which focuses on books, music, comic books, video games, film and generally anything that could be related to the realms of nerdom.