Royal Rumble 2012: Superstars Who Will Challenge for Iron-Man Record

Winning the Royal Rumble match in and of itself is enough to give any superstar a seismic push, but doing so after lasting for a long period of time makes the win look that much more legitimate.

The current record holder is Rey Mysterio, who lasted one hour, two minutes and 12 seconds in winning the 2006 Royal Rumble from the No. 2 position. That led Mysterio to win the World Heavyweight Championship at WrestleMania.

It obviously will be no small task to break Mysterio’s record, but I think there are several people who can do it. Here are three superstars who will challenge for the iron-man record in the 2012 Rumble match.

Cody Rhodes

Since winning the Intercontinental Championship and ditching his “grotesque” persona, Cody Rhodes has certainly looked the part of a main-eventer. I don’t think there is any question that Rhodes will one day ascend to that level, but all he needs is a proper push to get there. I can think of no better way than having Rhodes enter the Rumble early and last until the end.

Rhodes definitely has the body type and physical conditioning that would make a long stay in the Rumble believable. It isn’t absolutely necessary to win the Rumble in order to break Mysterio’s record, and I don’t think Rhodes will ultimately come away victorious. There are too many superstars ahead of him in the pecking order right now and he still has work to do in restoring credibility to the Intercontinental Championship.

Even so, a strong performance could help him take the next step.

Dolph Ziggler

This may seem like a long shot since Dolph Ziggler will be competing for CM Punk’s WWE Championship at the Royal Rumble, but I think there is a very real possibility that Ziggler will enter the Rumble. For one, I don’t see Ziggler winning the title as special guest referee John Laurinaitis will somehow be foiled in his effort to screw Punk.

Both title-match losers entered the Rumble last year and I expect that to remain true in 2012.

The promos for the Rumble have made it a point to say that anyone and everyone is eligible for the Rumble, including those on the undercard. That makes me think that Ziggler will enter and enter early.

For the past several pay-per-views, Ziggler has wrestled multiple matches, and I believe that was preparation for him pulling double duty on Sunday. Even if Ziggler loses to Punk, entering the Rumble early and ultimately winning will solidify his ascent to the main event, and once he’s there, I think he’ll be there for good.

The Miz

With The Miz having already been announced as the No. 1 entrant in the Rumble match, he is a natural choice to last for the duration. Ever since losing the WWE Championship to John Cena following last year’s WrestleMania, The Miz has been a lost soul of sorts as he has wandered around the midcard and occasionally main-evented while teaming with R-Truth.

As a singles competitor, however, The Miz has taken a major step back when compared to where he was at this time last year.

Not many are considering The Miz to be a favorite to win the Rumble match, but I think he is one of about 10 guys who have a realistic chance. With that in mind, it is a very real possibility that he could go wire to wire.

The Miz continues to appear on talk shows and represent the company outside the ring, so clearly the WWE brass believes in him. If The Miz is wanted back in the main-event scene, then having him win the Rumble from the No. 1 spot is a great way to do it.