Royal Rumble 2012 Results: WWE Should Move Forward with New Core of Champions

Why does it seem the WWE and its creative team are having a hard time hitting a home run at pay-per-view events? 

And why is it that, on the Monday night following the biggest PPV event since Summer Slam, everything went well in an attempt to show the biggest wrestling promotion in the world still had game?

The WWE missed a golden opportunity by leaving the WWE title on CM Punk and handing it over to Dolph Ziggler. 

We have all discussed the good and the bad of last weekend’s PPV event, and the fact there's a core group of a new breed who could take this company into the next generation.

But for some reason, creative writers, corporate heads and, of course, Vince McMahon, are all in love with the originals (yes, I’ll include Punk in this group and explain later).

When it gets too familiar, they can always lean on Mick Foley or Kevin Nash to make an appearance and either make things all better, or really screw things up even more.

The best thing about the Royal Rumble last weekend was the Rumble itself.  No singles match excited us; no champion jumped out and proved he was any better than he was a week before.

If anything, they may have lost a step in the process.  Ziggler had been given a push and looked like the WWE's new champion-to-be. 

But two things happened along the way: Chris Jericho returned to action, and Sheamus won the Royal Rumble match, which affords him the chance to headline WrestleMania 28.

Sheamus, Ziggler, Daniel Bryan, Cody Rhodes and The Miz are the future of this company. 

You can throw Punk and John Cena in the mix because they are as popular as ever and will be wrestling in the company, and probably each other, for the next five years.

But the core behind them needs a push now. 

We are seeing some changes in how creative is making matches like the Elimination Chamber where Kofi Kingston is included in the WWE title match.

Bryan is the world champion.  But having him face wrestlers like Mark Henry and Big Show is doing nothing to help promote a popular program.

While Wade Barrett and Randy Orton are engaged in a feud that looks to be the best one of 2012, Bryan needs to complete his heel turn and challenge someone like Christian who could come back as a face when he returns from injury.

Ziggler needs to find his way back to the top of the food chain, but with Jericho attacking Punk Monday night, and Sheamus on the fence over whom he will challenge for a championship belt, the lead dog in Vickie Guerrero’s stable looks like he's been left out in the barn, waiting for the farm hands to tell him what his next assignment is.

It really isn’t fair to someone who worked hard to get to the top of the mountain to be blown away in one evening’s work.