WWE: Top 5 Options for the 2013 Royal Rumble Winner

With the TLC pay-per-view behind us, the 26th annual WWE Royal Rumble event is now on the horizon. And needless to say, the Rumble certainly brings about some giddiness and anticipation as one of the four major WWE shows.

So who is primed to win the traditional 30-man, over-the-top rope match?

Check out my top five options for the 2013 installment of the Royal Rumble.

5. The Miz

Does anyone else find The Miz's face turn annoying? I mean, the guy was a tailor-made heel. Now he's had to dumb down his mic segments to "your mom" comebacks to please six-year-olds.

Regardless, the WWE could use The Miz as a featured star again. Outside of John Cena and Ryback, there are no viable face characters to contend for the WWE title. As a former WWE Champion who did defeat Cena at WrestleMania XXVII, Miz is a credible enough talent to challenge the company's top heels.

I personally prefer him as a heel. But if the company wants to build on this new angle, throwing him a considerably surprising Royal Rumble victory would certainly push his value and solidify him as a top star.

4. Ryback

Although he's a rather obvious choice, Ryback would be a very sensible Royal Rumble winner.

For one, a Rumble victory would only certify the guy's powerhouse status. Needless to say, outlasting 29 other men while throwing a handful of them over the top ropes would serve as quite a coming-out party.

And since we're on the topic of coming-out parties, I feel like Ryback has yet to really have one. There's no doubt that his build has turned him into a believable contender, I will give you that. But he has failed to pick up a meaningful pay-per-view victory.

Giving him a Rumble win and a title shot at WrestleMania would definitely get him to that next level to where he could serve as an alternative face option to John Cena.

3. Sheamus

Being that the Celtic Warrior won last year's Rumble, I realize he isn't the sexiest of picks. Having Sheamus repeat, however, makes him even stronger.

WWE has done a decent job of building Sheamus into a force. He won the 2012 Rumble, as mentioned, and held the World Heavyweight title for nearly seven months. There just seems to be some untapped ability, though.

His mic segments weren't great, his character is still a tad boring and his matches are almost knocking on the door of greatness. To his credit, he has pulled off some surprisingly nice matchups with Big Show.

If the WWE continues to put a push on him, I believe Sheamus could continue to develop into a solid draw.

2. Mark Henry

Surprise!

Maybe we need an out-of-left-field winner this year. That man could very well be the World's Strongest Man, Mark Henry.

I think most of us can agree that Henry had a great run as a monster heel. He gave the World Heavyweight title scene a classic dominant big-man feel. So why not revisit that?

The WWE continues to lack an appropriate number of viable heels. There's CM Punk, who has been recently bashed as a glorified mid-card wrestler, and Big Show, who has just regained a smidgeon of credibility with his current title reign.

Throwing Henry in and allowing him to come out victorious would be a nice infusion as well as a fun surprise.  

1. Randy Orton

Speaking of WWE's lack of major heel characters...

Randy Orton has had quite a down year. He's in and out with injuries, he has yet to be placed in an intriguing feud since his Christian one and his overall gimmick is just flat out confusing and bland at the moment.

Let's face it, the guy's a natural-born heel. And in order to rejuvenate this fallen star, the WWE should give Orton the Rumble victory and get him away from his weird face persona. I know he's done it before and I know there are other worthy superstars.

But instead of having your most believable heel character lying around, perhaps creative should have him doing something productive. 

His break away from the title scene has been rather refreshing. It is time, however, to utilize Orton in a main event angle given the company's very apparent thirst for top heels.

A Rumble win would rebuild his viability and give the company some flexibility in terms of booking.