Royal Rumble 2012: Most Intriguing Possibilities for No. 2 Entrant

Due to a special stipulation, it is already known that The Miz will be the No. 1 entrant in the Royal Rumble as a result of the match he lost against R-Truth on RAW. While that eliminates some of the suspense, it also allows for some speculation regarding who might be a good fight as the No. 2 entrant.

There have certainly been some interesting pairings over the years to start the Rumble, from tag-team partners like Demolition Ax and Smash facing off, to bitter enemies like “Stone Cold” Steve Austin and Vince McMahon locking horns.

With that in mind, here are the three most intriguing possibilities for the No. 2 entrant in the Rumble match.

R-Truth

While it would kind of ruin the importance of the Miz vs. Truth match from RAW, it would obviously make sense to have R-Truth enter No. 2. It doesn’t seem as though there is an available main-event spot for either Miz or Truth at the moment, so I could easily see their feud lasting through WrestleMania. One way to heat up the feud a bit would be to create a confrontation at the Rumble.

If Truth does enter second, I anticipate the two superstars eliminating each other and brawling on the outside of the ring and into the back. This would allow Brodus Clay to enter at No. 3 and put on a funky dance performance for the fans while nothing else is going on. Truth entering No. 2 may not seem enthralling since it’s predictable, but it would have some merit.

Alex Riley

Alex Riley hasn’t been seen on television much since decisively winning his feud against The Miz during the summer, but having him enter the Rumble No. 2 would be a great way to help him regain some relevancy. Miz did mention Riley in a promo recently, so I could definitely see this happening. The Miz vs. Riley feud was quite heated and enjoyable as well, so I wouldn’t mind seeing a rehash since it ended pretty hastily.

At this time last year, Riley was simply Miz’s lackey. Once the former friends parted ways, though, it seemed as though Riley was ready to be a breakout star. He looked poised to feud with Dolph Ziggler over the United States Championship, but he was merely a small part of a fatal four-way for the title at Night of Champions. I think Riley has a ton of talent, so I would support anything that gets him back on television regularly.

Daniel Bryan

As unlikely as it may seem, I can see World Heavyweight Champion Daniel Bryan entering the Rumble match. There has been a lot of talk regarding the fact that anyone is eligible to be in the Rumble this year and for that to mean anything, either one or both of the world champions have to make an appearance. For what it’s worth, I don’t envision any scenario in which Bryan loses to Mark Henry or Big Show in the triple threat steel cage match.

The Miz was Bryan’s pro way back on the first season of NXT, so there is some history between the two. The Miz was very oppressive toward Bryan and was never a supporter of his. Also, it’s well documented that The Miz is Michael Cole’s favorite superstar, while Bryan is his most hated. Even though Bryan is now a quasi-heel in his own right, there would probably be some fireworks if these two met to start the Rumble.