WWE Royal Rumble Predictions: The NWO of Bleacher Report's Take on the PPV

This Sunday marks the 25th anniversary of the Royal Rumble Pay-Per-View, and it will no doubt be as exciting as ever.

So far, three matches have been lined up, as well as the main event Royal Rumble match. The WWE are reverting back to the 30-man format for the Rumble match itself, following last year's 40-man main event.

As per usual, Dave Sergeant, also from the NWO of B/R, will be joining me with his predictions.

Let's take a look at the card.

Daniel Bryan (C) vs. Big Show vs. Mark Henry for WHC in a Steel Cage

In what could be described as a peculiar move, Creative has decided to put the World Heavyweight Title match inside a steel cage. Will this be a chance for Show and Henry to exact their brutal revenge on Bryan? Or more a chance for him to get another sneaky win?

Rikki: To me, this seems like the easy way of keeping the title on D-Bry. This is the second time within a year that the WWE have utilised a triple threat cage match, the last time being John Cena, Miz and John Morrison, and I don't think that the concept really works.

Looking back to the previous Triple Threat Cage match, you notice there were times when any of the competitors could have just wandered out the door while the other two were slugging it out, but instead they went and got involved.

On the other hand, this could be a great "reality era win" in the way that Bryan easily slips out the door while the two behemoths are keeping each other entertained.

Can this feud finish now, please?

Rikki's Pick: Daniel Bryan to retain

Dave: This is an interesting one. I see Bryan retaining, but I'm not quite sure how.

I don't think Henry is quite 100 percent fit to wrestle again, and it just wouldn't fit into the storyline for him to be champ again. Similarly, I don't think they'll make Show the champ again, either.

In the coming weeks, I can see this three-way feud ending with Show and Henry breaking off, leaving Bryan to feud with perhaps Wade Barrett or Sheamus.

This seems the logical choice only because I can't quite see any alternative other than extending an already-stale storyline. I think the match will be pretty much be a squash on Bryan, but then whilst Show and Henry battle it out, a forgotten Bryan sneaks out to win.

Dave's Pick: Daniel Bryan to retain

John Cena vs. Kane

After years of fans begging for it, Kane finally returned with his mask last month, and he has set his sights firmly upon WWE Superhero John Cena.

The last month has seen him bring his own brand of cruelty and mystery to Raw, and has also reminded us just how good Kane's promos are. He and Cena will be facing off at the Rumble, but will Cena rise above or embrace the hate?

Rikki: When John Cena tore into Jack Swagger the other week, I was genuinely impressed. Cena genuinely showed the ruthless aggression which got him into the company all those years ago and I would welcome this on a weekly basis from the man they call Super-Cena.

Kane's return has also been an absolute delight for me. His promos have been absolutely excellent and his feud with Cena has been entertaining, if not a little too Hollywood at some points (I'm thinking of Zack Ryder's tyre changing fiasco).

This match will be a chance for John Cena to show how far Kane has pushed him. I expect the match to end when Cena gets himself disqualified following the use of a weapon as he "embraces the hate."

Rikki's Pick: Kane by disqualification

Dave: I'm starting to see this feud as very interesting. To me it almost seems that WWE are using Kane's one last big push as a way to perhaps turn Cena heel.

I know the Universe have been waiting for this for a long time but Creative have to be careful about how they do it. They do it well and it'll be huge and brilliant. If they rush, it they'll ruin a HUGE opportunity.

This match should start to see Cena embracing the hate. I think Kane will win it in order to push the feud on for a little bit longer.

I think when Zack Ryder returns from his kayfabe injury, Creative will start to mould him into the new poster boy-Cena like character, thus leading Ryder to feud with Kane while Cena moves onto the Rock.

To me, it all makes sense and could work fantastically but we will have to see how it all pans out!

Dave's Pick: Kane

CM Punk (C) vs Dolph Ziggler for the WWE Title: Special Ref John Laurinaitis

Will he or won't he? That's the big question. Will John Laurinaitis screw CM Punk at the Rumble? This will no doubt be the frontrunner for the match of the night, but how will it pan out?

Rikki: The idea of Johnny Ace's job being under review has thrown a bit of a spanner in the works on this one, but I think it's right to have happened.

Dolph Ziggler's last major title win was done so that he looked like a weak champ, and I really don't want that for him this time around. When he won the WHC on Smackdown this time last year, it was basically given to him by standing Smackdown General Manager Vickie Guerrero.

When he finally wins the WWE title it should be in a match which showcases him as the best worker in the WWE, which he is, and Johnny Ace handing him the title will not do that.

Punk has always managed to overcome the odds in the recent past, and his match at the Rumble won't be any different. Expect Ziggler to start pulling double duty again by entering into the Rumble as well.

Rikki's Pick: CM Punk to retain

Dave: In my opinion, Ziggler is not ready for long-term major gold yet. Yet. He will be, but to let him have it now would be too soon.

As far as this side of things are going, I reckon this match is more of a focus on Johhny Ace and his position within the company, not the future of the title.

I think what we will see is Ace allow Ziggler to get a dirty victory and take the title. Ace will then be fired from being interim General Manager with Foley taking his place on another interim position.

Then Punk would call in his rematch clause against Ziggler very soon after to reclaim the title. Should be an interesting match whatever the outcome, but it's the fallout of the result that I'm most looking forward to!

Dave's Pick: New Champion, Dolph Ziggler

The Royal Rumble Match

As one of the most anticipated events on the WWE calendar, expect the Royal Rumble match to be explosive as ever. Be sure to check out our article from earlier this month to get our rundowns on all of this year's top competitors: Royal Rumble 2012: the NWO of B/R Power Rank This Year's Top Contenders

Rikki: It's wide open this year, there's genuinely about 12 people in my mind who could possibly win it. The top three of those are The Miz, Wade Barrett and Dolph Ziggler.

I'm going to discount the Miz because he's going in at No. 1. I know that people have won from No. 1 before, but it becomes a little bit of a cliche so I don't think he'll be victorious. So that leaves Ziggler and Barrett; the two biggest rising stars in the company.

This is where it gets difficult for me. Ziggler really proved himself as a worker in 2011 and this would be a great reward for him, but I can't ignore the nagging feeling that somehow Barrett will pull it off.

The defining factor for me is that Ziggler has already made his way into the main event scene and Barrett could do with a little push in the right direction.

Rikki's Pick: Wade Barrett

Dave:  So this is the first time that all the talent have been eligible for entrance! Since our previous Royal Rumble article, there has been a few new revelations.

Miz is going to be the first participant in the ring, which to me, pretty much disqualifies him from winning (I know it's not impossible, but it's highly unlikely!).

In my opinion, he was never really a serious contender to win the thing anyway. Mick Foley will be an entrant, whilst this is cool and should be fun to watch, he is not a contender to win it. Actually wrestling is not what I believe his future with the company to be.

I don't think Jericho will even show up, yet alone win it. If he does, he'll either disqualify himself straight-away, or just run laps of the ring and then leave! I still cannot see what they're going to do with him!

I think it'll be a Barrett victory.

Dave's Pick: Wade Barrett

Bonus Question

Last year, we saw Booker T and Kevin Nash make their returns at the Rumble, who do you think we could be seeing make theirs at this year's event?

Rikki: This could be the perfect opportunity for the WWE to reintroduce the Undertaker. However the issue with this is that, unless he actually won the whole thing, then he would look weak when he was eliminated.

I also would have loved to see the return of Rey Mysterio, but I don't think he will be ready and fully fit for the event.

Maybe it could be a chance for WWE to debut Tough Enough winner Andy Leavine?

Dave: Well, we will see the proper return of a competing Mick Foley, but that'll no doubt be short-lived. I don't think anyone will return as such, although I could see HHH making an appearance.

Bonus Question

Do you think we'll see The Rock at the Rumble?

Rikki: Well the Road to Wrestlemania begins at the Royal Rumble, so you would think that the Rock would be making some sort of appearance. This being said, I wouldn't want any focus taken off of Cena's feud with Kane.

I think Cena's feud with Kane will come to a head at Elimination Chamber, at which point there will be a solid five weeks where we will undoubtedly see a Rock/Cena promo on a weekly basis.

Dave: No, he doesn't really fit in or need to be there.

Bonus Question

What is Jericho's role at the PPV?

Rikki: This Sunday is the end of the world as we know it...although none of us seem to know what the world as we know it is. I'd love to see him do something madcap like abducting the WHC and WWE Title and then turning up at Raw with the Undisputed title instead.

I'll definitely be watching him with eager eyes.

Dave: What is Jericho's role in general?

With his band Fozzy having just inked a new record deal with a new label, that'll mean touring and album writing commitments in the near future, so they had better make their minds up quickly. I can't see him being around for long!

As I've said before, at this stage I can easily see him not even turning up for his entrance, getting himself eliminated straight away, or just running a lap of the ring and leaving. Strange individual.

Bonus Question

Like last year, the Rumble will only have three undercard matches. Are there any other matches which you feel should have made the card?

Rikki: I'm surprised that the Cody Rhodes vs. Goldust match hasn't materialised, but I wouldn't say that that is a bad thing. Having just three undercard matches suits me fine because it means that there will be more time for my favourite match of the year.

Dave: A Divas match? Only so we could have a toilet break somewhere.

Other than that, no not really. I think they're keeping the focus in the right areas. Not too much, but not too little going on. I'm genuinely looking forward to this PPV, it easily has the potential to be as good as MITB 2011.

Thanks for reading, and don't forget to drop us a comment if you've got something to say about our predictions and opinions. We'll see you next month for Elimination Chamber.

NWO of B/R