WWE Royal Rumble 2015: Feuds Most Deserving of Midcard Spot

The main event of the Royal Rumble is definitely the main appeal of the show—but that doesn't mean that its undercard bouts go unnoticed. Over the years, we've seen some classic play out ahead of the Battle Royal, and those matches have gone on to be remembered just as fondly as the Rumble itself.

It's an important time for WWE talent to stake their claim for a spot on the WrestleMania card. Here are the feuds that deserve a match at the Royal Rumble.

Nikki Bella vs. Paige

Credit: WWE.com

The Divas division rarely gives us anything to get excited about, even when top-tier female talent is involved—but the likely pairing for a Divas Championship match at the Royal Rumble might just produce a pleasant surprise.

The reunion of the Bellas has been one of the laziest storylines that we've seen in quite a while, but now that it's in place, Nikki Bella has plenty of tools at her disposal as a villainous champion. However, with AJ Lee absent, there's no clear opposition for her.

This might mean that it's time for Paige to step back into the good books of her audience, which wouldn't be a bad idea following her uneven work as an antagonist. A refresh would do her good in the long run—as well as provide a solid basis for a title feud.

Paige and Nikki met on Main Event on Tuesday night and produced a lengthy and engaging match. Nikki was once one of the worse talents on the female side of the roster, but she's come along in leaps and bounds in recent months.

Now she has a physicality that plays off the style of other Divas well—something that Paige can take full advantage of. These two deserve a spot on the Rumble card—and, if they get it, they're likely to start off 2015 with a bang for the often undercooked Divas division.

Tyson Kidd and Cesaro vs. The New Day

Credit: WWE.com

While many would agree that the presentation of all five men involved in this feud is lacking, the prospect of a match featuring these competitors would likely be the best possible treatment they could ask for.

Perhaps with the exception of Xavier Woods, all of these men are better at expressing themselves in a match than on the microphone—so why not let them do just that? Both Kidd and Cesaro and The New Day have been largely limited to short bouts thus far, so why not change that at the Royal Rumble?

Kidd and Cesaro demonstrated throughout 2014 that they could have a great match with anyone, but there's enough talent in the ranks of The New Day to pull off something really special.

The burgeoning stable isn't going to make waves just by chanting "New Day" during short television matches; they need to show what they're capable of on a bigger platform.

In fact, both of these teams would benefit from simply having competitive matches. The tag team division feels thin at the moment, largely because we don't see back-and-forth bouts playing out between evenly matched teams.

A good match at the Rumble wouldn't immediately make The New Day and Kidd and Cesaro contenders—but it's a necessary first step in that process.

Bad News Barrett vs. Dolph Ziggler

Credit: WWE.com

While Dolph Ziggler is no longer on the WWE roster as of Monday, in wrestling there's scarcely anything more temporary than a firing. This week's Raw broadcast featured a gripping match between Ziggler and Bad News Barrett for the title, and a rematch would be an excellent bout to see at the Royal Rumble.

Much like Tyson Kidd and Cesaro, Ziggler has an easy chemistry with just about any opponent he faces—but Bad News Barrett always seems to be particularly good competition. On the one hand, it's time for The Showoff to exit the Intercontinental Championship picture, but at the same time, this pairing is too good to pass up.

In an ideal world, we'd see Barrett retain his title on the night while Ziggler pulls double duty with an entry into the Rumble itself. Either way, it's difficult to imagine that we won't see Dolph appear at the pay-per-view; the firing storyline isn't good enough to remove a top talent from such a big show.

Over the past few months, we've seen the Intercontinental Championship become a signifier of a good match, largely thanks to Ziggler. Here's hoping that Barrett can continue that trend—and here's hoping he starts with a bang at the Royal Rumble.

What undercard feud do you think deserves a match at the Royal Rumble? Let me know in the comments section below.