Royal Rumble 2012: Underrated Stars That Will Dominate Rumble Match

Entering the Royal Rumble match, there are always a handful of favorites that most fans expect to have excellent performances. While that often comes to fruition, there have been several unexpected break-out performances in the past as well.

The ultimate push is obviously giving a superstar a Rumble win, but that isn't necessarily the only way to go about it. Having somebody last for a long period of time or eliminate a large number of competitors in a losing effort can be nearly as good sometimes.

Here are three underrated stars who will turn in dominant Rumble performances.

Jack Swagger

For months after losing the World Heavyweight Championship, Jack Swagger was booked as a loser. In fact, before beating Zack Ryder for the United States Championship a little over a week ago, I couldn't remember his last win.

For whatever reason, the creative team now seems rededicated to Swagger, so I'm actually expecting a pretty impressive showing from the All-American American.

Prior to beating Ryder for the title, he lost a controversial decision to CM Punk as it seemed as if he got his shoulder up during the pin. Also, on the latest edition of RAW, Swagger teamed with Dolph Ziggler to beat Punk and John Cena. Swagger enters the Rumble match with a great deal of momentum on his side, so I think he'll produce several eliminations and look quite strong in the process.

Brodus Clay

It took months for Brodus Clay to re-debut, but there is no doubt that it was worth the wait. Rather than return as the monster heel he was being touted as, Clay came back as the Funkasaurus, complete with a glittery red track suit and backup dancers.

Clay has only had squash matches since returning to television, so he has obviously looked great, but the Rumble will mark his first chance to face real competition.

At 6'7" and 375 lbs., Clay is tailor made to dominate in a match like the Rumble. I understand that large competitors often don't perform as well as they should, but I think it's pretty clear that Clay is getting a fantastic crowd reaction, so I think the creative team will continue to build him up.

If he can throw out a few mid-level guys before being eliminated by a host of superstars, the Rumble will be a success for the Funkasaurus.

The Miz

The Miz is far from the most physically imposing figure and he hasn't gotten a particularly good push as of late, but there is reason to believe he will have a Rumble to remember.

After losing to R-Truth on Monday, Miz was saddled with the No. 1 entry into the Rumble. That may look like a relative death sentence on the surface, but it actually gives The Miz a golden opportunity to showcase his skills.

While Miz is in a group of about eight guys with a shot at winning, I wouldn't consider him a favorite. Even so, simply lasting until the final four can make Miz look incredibly strong.

Rey Mysterio holds the iron-man record thanks to his performance in 2006 that saw him stay in the ring for over an hour. If the WWE brass wants Miz to be looked at as a main-eventer again, I think they might allow him to break that record.