Mani's 6 Degrees: Royal Rumble 2012 Preview

Welcome to Mani's 6 Degrees!

With the Royal Rumble coming up in less than 36 hours, this edition of my slideshow will focus on the first Pay-Per-View of the year.

Currently, there are only four matches on the card, but all have been built up well. The CM Punk/Dolph Ziggler/John Laurinaitis feud has gotten hot lately, and John Cena is having one of the more hilarious attempts at a "heel turn" in recent memory.

On top of those two, Daniel Bryan, Mark Henry, and Big Show will all be confined to a steel cage due to the variety of weird endings on SmackDown over the past few weeks.

At the end of it all is the Royal Rumble match. We have favorites in Randy Orton, Chris Jericho and Ziggler, and plenty of dark horses in Wade Barrett, Cody Rhodes and Sheamus. This should all provide for an exciting and suspenseful show.

Let's get started. The focus of this week's slideshow is ....

1. Kane

The Big Red Monster is firmly in the driver's seat in his feud against John Cena. He went so far as to cause Cena to look constipated on national television.

All of this one-sidedness seems to set up Cena to get revenge Sunday night. However, that would not be in the best interests of both sides, unless Cena uses heel tactics to win, which is probably not likely.

Obviously, Kane will not be feuding with Cena for much longer, so he needs to use this opportunity to boost himself into a good feud for the Road to WrestleMania. His work with Cena could be making the case for a shot at the Streak, but Triple H and Chris Jericho still both look to be ahead of him on that list.

In that case, Kane should get the win tomorrow and continue his attempt to have Cena embrace hate for a few weeks longer. If Cena wants revenge, he can get it at the Elimination Chamber, either inside the steel structure or in another one-on-one match with an added stipulation.

This would allow Kane and Cena to look strong coming out of the Elimination Chamber Pay-Per-View, hopefully with the latter having some sort of character shift. Then Kane can go and start a new feud.

Hey, maybe it can start over a cup of spilled coffee like it did with .....

2. Chris Jericho

Y2J is teasing something big for the Royal Rumble. But will he prevail and get a title shot at WrestleMania?

Jericho finally said something on Raw this past week, but it was not much. It does, however, change the theory on which I was dead set before that point.

If Jericho never said a word, I was sure that Chris would enter the Rumble, pander to crowd a bit, and eliminate himself. This would be a great and interesting way to draw a ton of heat while still keeping his mouth shut.

Now that he has spoken, there are definitely bigger plans for him tomorrow. One scenario involves getting the win with the help of "she." Chances are that is Stephanie McMahon-Helmsley, and it would make for an interesting dynamic.

Jericho might also never enter the ring in the first place. He could be the No. 2 entrant, high-five some fans, and leave. Then he would come back later on and eliminate the person who thought they won the Royal Rumble.

This PPV provides so many options for Jericho that it would be difficult to predict it. Most likely, the final two will come down to Jericho and the man who punted him out of action, .....

3. Randy Orton

Why was the return of Randy Orton wasted on SmackDown? He could have provided for a great surprise return after being out with an injury.

His appearance on the show did not even do anything productive. Sure, he RKO'd a few people, but we already knew he had the ability to make that happen. To waste his return on a taped show when the majority of the audience is not watching was not a good decision.

Whatever the case, Orton still seems to be on a collision course for a World Heavyweight Championship match at WrestleMania. He has not had a title match in three years, while Cena has been getting title shots at WrestleMania for what seems like forever.

Randy Orton vs. a heel Daniel Bryan sounds like a very intriguing contest. Certain opponents bring out the best in Orton, like Christian did last year. Bryan is another wrestler that can make Orton look fantastic in the ring. 

If Orton does not get the Royal Rumble win, he will most likely prevail in some type of contest at the Elimination Chamber PPV. 

Orton is most likely looking to get that higher profile match this year, since he has had undercard contests the last two years with Cody & Ted and .....

4. CM Punk

The WWE Champion has his hands full Sunday, and it's going to take some serious innovation if he wants to still be the champ on Raw.

After delivering a GTS to Mr. Laryngitis on Raw—who decided to play dead when he was on Punk's shoulders—it is hard to see the general manager being anywhere near unbiased. Even with the evaluation by Trips coming up, the attack is most likely enough to push Johnny over the edge.

Unfortunately, Ziggler has become the third wheel in this whole situation. It is a shame because Punk and Ziggler without any extraneous side feuds would be great to watch. Dolph may benefit from all of the tension and discontent between Punk and the ref, but it does not seem it will be that easy.

The fact that a straight up screwjob has been directly addressed by Laryngitis means that something more is probably going to happen during the match. The most disappointing scenario would be some sort of DQ, but that would not be appropriate given the amount of time poured into this angle.

Then again, Henry vs. Show had no finish for two straight PPVs.

Whatever the case, it is good to see Punk as the top guy in the company rather than being unmasked on top of a ladder by .....

5. Big Show

A man of that size should NOT be crying. Get angry, Show!

It is difficult to have a big man be a face, and surprisingly, the Big Show has pulled it off well time and time again. A 500-lb man, however, can much more easily be a heel than a face. Just put a scary face in and everyone is intimidated.

For now, Show is the only face in the triple threat steel cage match coming up for the World Heavyweight Championship. He will also have to carry the majority of the match with Bryan, since Mark Henry is suffering from multiple injuries.

Although Bryan has not gotten a clean finish to a match on SmackDown, chances are he will retain in the steel cage. It could involve him sneaking out of the cage will Henry and Show get into it. Mark Henry would normally be a likely candidate to win, but his injuries will prevent him from getting the strap back.

So what can the Big Show do for the Road to WrestleMania? With Randy Orton waiting in the wings, the WHC seems unlikely. Rumors have been flying around about Shaq, and that would be an interesting encounter.

If the Shaq storyline goes through, why not use Show to help rebuild the tag team division? He has proven to be successful there, winning a couple of tag titles with his most common partner .....

6. Kane

While a tag team with Show would require a heel/face turn—preferrably Show turning—it is an unlikely scenario for the reborn Kane.

For his match on Sunday, it would be appropriate for him and Cena to take their anger outside of the ring. This type of feud does not suit a regular one-on-one match, and while the stipulation might be saved for one more contest at the next PPV, it is hard to see these two using holds and headlocks for a prolonged period of time.

If the card stays at four matches, it could also be the first time in a long while that John Cena participates in the opening contest of a PPV. When that happens, you know you are in for some surprises.

These 25 Superstars lasted a long time in the Rumble match, yet they could not take home the win. Check out the list here.

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