Royal Rumble 2012: 3 Biggest Losers to Emerge from Rumble Match

Now that the dust has settled following an exciting Royal Rumble pay-per-view, it's easier to look back at the main event and see what superstars were treated poorly by the creative team. By not showing well at one of the WWE's marquee events, the characters are going to struggle to gain any momentum.

With that in mind, here are the three biggest losers from the Rumble match.

Alex Riley

Remember Riley's feud with The Miz a couple months ago? It was actually quite entertaining, but once it ended, Riley was exiled to dark matches and lower-level shows. That fall from grace killed any momentum he had built up.

The Rumble could have been used as a platform to get him back on track to at least be a mid-card star. Instead, he was made to look extremely weak by The Miz once again, which likely means there aren't plans to use him prominently anytime soon.

He has the look Vince McMahon loves, so you have to wonder why he's being buried so much. He even jobbed to Brodus Clay recently. Things aren't looking good for Riley, to say the least.

Tag Team of Epico and Primo

You learned everything you need to know about the WWE's thoughts toward the tag team division when both members of the championship team get eliminated by Mick Foley. That doesn't exactly scream confidence on the company's part.

Epico and Primo took the titles away from Air Boom after Evan Bourne's latest wellness problems, and have done a nice job as title holders. Rosa Mendes obviously adds to the team's appeal. But a lack of competitive teams has halted their rise before it could start.

The overall product is a lot more impressive when the tag team division means something, but judging by the Rumble, no big push is on the horizon.

Wade Barrett

Apparently the “Barrett Barrage” has hit a roadblock. Barrett entered at the No. 27 spot, which had previously produced the most winners in Rumble history, but was quickly eliminated by a returning Randy Orton. He was actually outlasted by David Otunga.

It seems as though Barrett has become a casualty of Daniel Bryan's heel turn. After being built up for months into a powerhouse—even given the opportunity to write Orton off television for a few weeks—his climb to the top has stalled out since the top heel spot is now occupied.

Only time will tell if he's able to find a different path to success, but I'm not hopeful right now. He will get stuck in that abyss between the mid-card and main-event pictures like so many others have in the past.