WWE Royal Rumble 2013: John Cena Will Win the Royal Rumble Match

This Sunday, 30 men will enter the Royal Rumble Match.  Thirty men will have the opportunity to attain glory.  Only one will win.  That man will be John Cena.

It's no secret that I've predicted Cena as the winner more than once.  But at only two days away, it's clearer now than ever what will happen.  WWE is just too predictable sometimes.

Before explaining why Cena will win the Royal Rumble, the rationale for his victory needs to be laid out.  Everyone knows CM Punk and The Rock will have their WWE Championship match on Sunday.  I predicted earlier this week that The Rock would defeat CM Punk.  After Monday, that outcome seems all but assured.

John Cena will win the Royal Rumble because WWE Creative has been moving in that direction for more than half a year.  

Of course, WWE Creative could pull a swerve, but that's unlikely given there are no other obvious storylines going into WrestleMania.  We should all fully expect to see "Twice in a Lifetime" at WrestleMania XXIX.

Back to Cena and the Royal Rumble.  Assuming The Rock defeats CM Punk, John Cena would need a way to overcome the "Once in a Lifetime" label of the first Rock vs. Cena match last year.  There is no better way around the "Once in a Lifetime" label than The Rock being WWE champion and Cena winning the Royal Rumble.

The Rock has said he will "main event" WrestleMania XXIX with "someone" that he can not name at this time.  If his words are to be taken literally, his match will not be a triple threat.  He could be misdirecting fans, yes, but he may not be.

That “person” will be John Cena.  As of this past Raw, we now know that Dolph Ziggler will be one of the first two wrestlers in the Royal Rumble Match.  But WWE would not be promoting his early entrance without intending for him to last a long time.

Dolph Ziggler, after outlasting 28 other WWE Superstars, will face down John Cena in the closing moments of the match.  Their feud, coupled with the lack of too many other big names in the Rumble seriously considered in the hunt for either world title, means that the Royal Rumble match is the perfect place for Cena and Ziggler to finish their feud.

Ziggler already has a World Heavyweight Championship opportunity anytime he wants it, so a win in the Royal Rumble doesn't really make sense, unless WWE wants to unify the WWE and World Heavyweight Championships on him.  

WWE, as a large corporation, is not a small, regional promotion dedicated to great wrestling matches.  It is an entertainment company.  And as such, WWE will want a repeat of last year's WrestleMania, which was the best-selling WrestleMania of all time and highest in gross sales revenue.   

That means you can expect "Twice in a Lifetime."  Cena, then, must win the Royal Rumble.  Otherwise, CM Punk will be feuding with The Rock come WrestleMania, and that match won't break records like Cena vs. Rock II would.

John Cena will eliminate Dolph Ziggler to win the Royal Rumble, and will march into WrestleMania XXIX and challenge the future WWE champion, The Rock. This match may not be what hardcore fans want, but it's what WWE surely believes is best for business.