WWE Royal Rumble 2015: Biggest Dark Horses to Watch for in Battle Royal
When it comes to the 2015 WWE Royal Rumble, all eyes are on the few potential winners who could go on to face the champion at WrestleMania.
At the moment, most of the buzz seems to be surrounding two men: Roman Reigns and Daniel Bryan.
But while those two may have the best chances of all the 30 Superstars, it isn't written in stone that one of them will win.
In fact, one of the selling points of the Royal Rumble is the concept of unpredictability.
Anything can happen during the biggest match of the year, particularly with so many variables up in the air about who will be on the roster and how important each one of them will be in the next few months.
Last year, Batista walked away with the win despite the fans firmly being behind Bryan, and WWE was forced to change its plans going into WrestleMania.
Could we see someone else win the Royal Rumble out of the blue? Will Brock Lesnar be dropping the title, leaving WWE with more than just one or two options?
Let's take a look at some of the dark horses who could pull out the big victory instead of the B+ player and the former juggernaut of the Shield.
Honorable Mention: The Undertaker
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Ever since the Undertaker's undefeated streak was broken by Brock Lesnar, fans have been wondering what the next step would be.
Does the Undertaker retire? Will he wrestle at WrestleMania despite the streak not being involved?
One theory is that Undertaker could seek vengeance for his loss by winning the Royal Rumble and not only challenging Lesnar in a rematch at the big event but simultaneously defeating him and winning the WWE World Heavyweight Championship at the same time.
This idea of one last hurrah at the top is fun to think about, but it isn't as likely as some would want to believe.
There is a good chance that Undertaker won't wrestle this year at all, let alone against someone as rough in the ring as Lesnar.
You can speculate about his options if he does, but considering how WWE has kept the Undertaker away from the title for the past few years, no matter what the situation, it is doubtful the match would involve the championship.
Undertaker's health is too big of a factor to put the main event title match in jeopardy, and it wouldn't make much sense for the Royal Rumble to be given to someone who is not assured to be able to compete.
Still, it is an interesting idea to think about, and stranger things have happened in WWE.
5. John Cena
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Fans should never count John Cena out when it comes to virtually anything in WWE.
In the past, there have been entrants in the Royal Rumble who have competed in a title match earlier in the night.
If Dolph Ziggler could do it, there's nothing stopping WWE from booking Cena in the battle royal, either.
He is without doubt still the top dog in the company, so for him to sit out the main event for another year could make WWE too antsy and convince them to pull the trigger on something like this.
Luckily, for those that are worried about this potential outcome, it would require quite a struggle to enact.
Not only would Cena have to lose the title match against Brock Lesnar and Seth Rollins, he would also have to somehow get on the good side of the Authority, which appears impossible to do.
Then, he would have to outlast the likes of Roman Reigns, Daniel Bryan and everyone else on this list in order to win.
There is no way WWE would be playing the smart game by having yet another match between Cena and Lesnar at WrestleMania, nor would Rollins be a viable option after he's been wrestling Cena frequently for months.
4. Randy Orton
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Since Brock Lesnar returned to WWE, one of his most obvious potential opponents has been Randy Orton.
Seeing as how he is likely to return at this event as a babyface, could Orton win the Royal Rumble for the second time and challenge Lesnar at WrestleMania?
If Lesnar is not the champion but Seth Rollins is, then this match is even more likely to happen.
When Orton was last seen, he had been building up a feud with Rollins. This could easily be brought back into the limelight in time for WrestleMania season.
What makes this less likely to happen than some other choices is the fact Orton was not exactly the most popular star on the main roster in the fall.
While he was far from the bottom, Orton doesn't have the momentum necessary to come out of the blue and win this over some other names.
Being a former winner and a multiple-time world champion, as well as his feud with Rollins, are reasons to keep your eye on Orton, but those may not be enough to convince WWE to give the victory to him.
3. Rusev
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The powers that be in WWE are obviously big fans of Rusev, considering his status as someone who has yet to be pinned or made to submit since he's been on the main roster.
That could carry over, giving us a situation in which the current United States champion keeps the momentum going and earns a shot at the most important title of them all.
Furthermore, this has an even stronger likelihood of happening if John Cena is able to win the championship at the Royal Rumble event.
The anti-American facing off against someone who embodies the American spirit is about as simple a story as you can possibly get, and WWE would undoubtedly love the angle.
Despite the pushes that several stars have seen in the past year, don't discount WWE's love for the standard match between Cena and an unstoppable monster.
This could very well be a reversion back to 2006 and see Rusev built up for months only to be handed over to Cena in the main event.
What's stopping Rusev from being higher up on this list, though, is how it is by no means a necessity that he does win it, as he has lost similar bouts and retained the appearance of being undefeated.
On the other hand, it is a necessity for Cena to win the WWE World Heavyweight Championship, as Seth Rollins or Brock Lesnar walking away with the title will not make for a sensible match to put Rusev in.
2. Dean Ambrose
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It can be argued that there's no babyface on the roster hotter than Dean Ambrose right now.
For months, he has had the audience in the palm of his hands and was involved in one of the best feuds of the year with Seth Rollins.
The way that their feud ended could mean WWE is willing to revisit it in the future.
If Rollins wins the championship, Ambrose easily becomes one of the primary candidates to face him at WrestleMania.
Even if Brock Lesnar retains the title, that doesn't mean Ambrose is left to the wolves. He could still be chosen for the title match.
WWE may view Daniel Bryan as a risk due to his injury and could overlook Roman Reigns in favor of Ambrose after weighing the crowd's reaction to the two of them of late.
That being said, Ambrose is on a bit of a losing streak. It seems as though he loses any important match in which he's involved.
With the start of 2015, this could change around and become the year of Ambrose, but there is still one more Superstar who could steal this opportunity away from him.
1. Dolph Ziggler
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If anyone is going to steal this victory away from Daniel Bryan, Roman Reigns or anyone else already listed, it is the man who steals the show each and every night.
The Showoff is finally starting to be recognized for his work ethic, and there's no reason to believe that this is over.
He was the sole survivor in the Team Cena vs. Team Authority match at Survivor Series, which is a big confidence boost.
Being involved in a big angle going into the Royal Rumble only helps his chances, as history has shown that returns are an enormous factor when it comes to who wins.
Another sign that fans could interpret as a good omen for Ziggler winning is that he has dropped the Intercontinental Championship, freeing him up to potentially win the top title instead.
All three men involved in the WWE World Heavyweight Championship fight could realistically face off against Ziggler.
Brock Lesnar vs. Ziggler would be a story of the unbeatable monster against the babyface who won't stand down.
Seth Rollins vs. Ziggler would not only be a candidate for match of the year, but it would also allow Ziggler to get retribution against the Authority for all of the nonsense they have put him through over the past few months.
Finally, John Cena facing off against Ziggler could be an interesting story to tell, as they have been supporting each other for quite a while.
Part of the fun of the Royal Rumble is that nobody knows for sure who will win until it's all said and done, so we will all just have to wait and see what happens on January 25.
Until then, what are your predictions for the event?
Who are some alternatives to Reigns and Bryan you would be happy to see win the title shot?
Tell us your thoughts in the comments section below!
Anthony Mango is the owner-operator of the wrestling website Smark Out Moment as well as the host of its podcast show Smack Talk on YouTube, iTunes and Stitcher. You can follow him on Facebook and elsewhere for more.
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