WWE Royal Rumble 2014 Predictions: Updated Card Projections for Marquee Event

WWE Royal Rumble 2014 promises to be a collection of marquee names battling for the right to headline WrestleMania, but it will also be home to filler, midcarders and nostalgic acts.

Brock Lesnar vs. Big Show and Randy Orton vs. John Cena for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship are already announced for the event. What other matches will fill the card? What big names will surface once the Rumble begins?

Examining hints WWE has planted and digging through backstage reports provides insight into those questions.

AJ Lee will put her Divas Championship on the line, a tag team match will be tossed in and the Rumble match will be home to memorable returns during WWE's first pay-per-view of 2014.

Kickoff Match: Damien Sandow vs. Titus O'Neil

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Damien Sandow

The newly aggressive and taciturn version of Damien Sandow seems to be on the verge of climbing upward again. Against John Cena recently, he looked strong, pushing the megastar to his proverbial limit.

A win over Sin Cara on Main Event followed. Titus O'Neil offers a new challenge. A victory here for Sandow is far more within his reach than being the Royal Rumble's "Iron Man" or outlasting 29 other foes to win it all.

After a 2013 where Sandow battled on a total of four pre-shows, betting on him getting this spot again is safe.

AJ Lee vs. Naomi (Divas Championship)

AJ Lee has put away Natalya several times and no longer has to worry about Kaitlyn trying to reclaim the Divas Championship from her. Her next challenger is likely to be one of the women from the cast of Total Divas.

The reality show has provided the majority of AJ's rivals, from Natalya to The Bella Twins. Naomi gets her opportunity after looking strong in a post-match skirmish on the Jan. 13 edition of Raw.

AJ pinned Cameron in tag action, but Naomi soon charged in and knocked both AJ and Tamina Snuka around. That bit of the spotlight is likely a preview of her rising to the No. 1 contender's spot.

With Paige still in NXT and Tamina still the champ's ally, Naomi's name gets called here.

The Real Americans vs. Los Matadores

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Antonio Cesaro swings Diego.

While this matchup is neither original nor enticing, it's the kind of filler that fans expect to see thrown into pay-per-views as of late.

WWE isn't likely to take up two spots in the Rumble match with Los Matadores, but the team serves as a comic-relief option to place between two dramatic matches. The bullfighters have bounced from 3MB to The Real Americans throughout their run, so seeing them take on Antonio Cesaro and Jack Swagger again would come as no surprise.

Many members of the top teams, such the Rhodes brothers and The Shield, will be too busy with trying to win the Rumble to take this spot.

Surprise Rumble Entrants

Fans who frequent pro wrestling news outlets will be numb to the surprise element, but four Superstars look to be in line to enter the Royal Rumble match unannounced.

Jake Roberts has been lobbying to be in the bout for months, per WrestleZone.com. After returning to the ring at Old School Raw, Roberts was the center of a flurry of attention on WWE.com, from a photo gallery to a video playlist. 

That kind of buzz suggests that his appearance was not the last we will see of "The Snake."

The Rumble match would be the perfect way to have Roberts compete, as he could take minimal bumps and just be asked to throw a few punches and hit a DDT or two. It would also be an ideal spot to get Evan Bourne back in action.

Per Wrestling Observer, via WrestlingInc.com, WWE has been talking about bringing Bourne back. The report notes: "Word is that Bourne has been ready for some time but WWE creative hasn't come up with anything for him yet."

A Rumble appearance requires no elaborate story and would be an easy way to get him involved in a feud going forward with him taking issue with whoever eliminates him.

Sheamus will emerge in the Rumble match as well. He has been unable to compete after injuring his shoulder at Money in the Bank, but the Rumble marks his target return date. F4WOnline, via SEScoops.com, reported back in September that "The Celtic Warrior" was planned as a surprise entrant.

With six months now to heal, Sheamus should be ready to make that happen.

The Rumble will reportedly be the site for one other big name to return. PWInsider, via WrestlingInc.com, reported that plans called for Rob Van Dam "to return to the company for WrestleMania XXX season at the Royal Rumble."

Expect to the see the former ECW star begin his latest run at the Rumble.

Rounding out the Rumble Match

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Erick Rowan and Luke Harper of The Wyatt Family

Even after accounting for surprise guests, there are still a number of spots in the Royal Rumble match. WWE.com lists the following Superstars as confirmed entrants for that bout.

• Alberto Del Rio 
• Bad News Barrett
• CM Punk
• Xavier Woods
• R-Truth
• Batista
• Cody Rhodes
• Goldust
• Rey Mysterio
• Kofi Kingston
• The Miz
• Big E Langston
• Fandango
• Road Dogg
• Billy Gunn
• Dean Ambrose
• Roman Reigns
• Seth Rollins

That leaves 12 spots open. Take away four of those for Rob Van Dam, Sheamus, Jake Roberts and Evan Bourne, and there are eight places left at the table.

Only Daniel Bryan's concussion can keep him from entering and impressing in the Rumble. The red-hot star is one of the favorites to win it even if he hasn't officially been entered into the contest.

He'll have to battle his recent stablemates—Bray Wyatt, Luke Harper and Erick Rowan—at some point. The Rumble match is the perfect place to begin The Wyatt Family vs. The Shield feud that many expect to happen at some point. 

Look for a spot with that clan similar to what Punk pulled with the New Nexus in the 2011 Rumble, with Wyatt leading his trio against all comers until Bryan enters.

WWE can then fill in the rest of the entrants with midcarders Ryback, Tyson Kidd and The Great Khali.

That still leaves one spot for an NXT prospect. Last year, Bo Dallas won a tournament to earn the right to compete in the Rumble match. 

This year, it will be Alexander Rusev who achieves that feat.

Rusev is on WWE's shortlist for call-ups, per Wrestling Observer, via WrestlingInc.com. He has also been competing at WWE house shows and tapings, making men like Kidd and Justin Gabriel tap out.

Look for the big man to make his next victims on a larger stage—the highly anticipated Rumble pay-per-view.