Brock Lesnar vs. John Cena vs. Seth Rollins: Best Possible Royal Rumble Outcomes

With the addition of Seth Rollins to the mix, the Triple Threat match also featuring Brock Lesnar and John Cena for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship at the 2015 Royal Rumble pay-per-view has become one of the most anticipated bouts since WrestleMania 30.

What makes this match so intriguing is the fact that the WWE Universe believes each man has a legitimate chance to walk out of Philadelphia with the championship.

The title match was originally scheduled to be the final chapter in the storied rivalry between Lesnar and Cena, but there was a lack of excitement surrounding yet another rematch. The decision to add Rollins and his Money in the Bank contract to the bout has lifted the expectations for the potential main event.

As much as the Royal Rumble match itself should be the main event of the PPV, the magnitude of Lesnar vs. Cena vs. Rollins will likely result in the Triple Threat match going on last.

Lesnar enters the match as the defending champion and the strongest force in the company. After ending The Undertaker’s WrestleMania undefeated streak last year, Lesnar turned his sights to Cena and dominated him at SummerSlam in a way no Superstar ever has in the past.

There is an argument to be made that Lesnar’s performance during 2014 was the most dominant year of any Superstar in WWE history. With that said, he enters the Royal Rumble in a precarious situation. In a Triple Threat match, Lesnar doesn’t have to be pinned to lose the WWE Championship.

While the most likely outcome of this match is Lesnar retaining his title and going on to main event WrestleMania against the Royal Rumble Battle Royal winner, the company has been offered the opportunity to take the title off him without letting him be the one to take the pin or submission.

Add in the rumors that he could be leaving after WrestleMania for a return to the UFC, via Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter (h/t MMAWeekly.com), and the likelihood that Lesnar drops the championship on Sunday continues to increase.

If Lesnar does walk out of the Royal Rumble without the title, the most likely winner would be Cena. As a 15-time champion, the WWE will be looking to give the face of the company his 16th title reign and tout the fact that he would tie Ric Flair for the most world titles in company history.

A majority of the WWE Universe doesn’t want Cena to take the title on Sunday, but it could be the necessary evil to put the belt on Rollins heading into WrestleMania. If Cena were to win the match, he would likely do so by pinning or submitting Rollins. With Lesnar not involved in the finish and losing his title, The Beast would attack Cena after the match and utterly destroy him.

Seeing his opportunity, Rollins could cash in the Money in the Bank contract and win the WWE World Heavyweight Championship.

Rollins entering the road to WrestleMania as the champion doesn’t have the same impact as Lesnar with the belt, but he could successfully retain against Cena at the Fast Lane PPV to validate his success and then fight the eventual Royal Rumble winner in a marquee main event. Rollins has been great on the mic and in the ring, and he would thrive in a WrestleMania main event, especially if he is putting someone over.

Lesnar carrying the belt into WrestleMania before dropping it to Daniel Bryan, Roman Reigns or whoever wins the Royal Rumble would make for the biggest possible moment in the main event, but WWE may also want to spread the wealth around.

As great as Lesnar has looked as champion, he doesn’t need the title to be a dominant force and a PPV draw. Allowing Cena to pin Rollins and then subsequently get cashed-in on by the former Shield member would take Lesnar out of the title scene for the moment, but the company would need a way to keep him away from the belt.

The answer should be The Undertaker.

After losing the match and watching Rollins walk out of Philadelphia with the WWE title, Lesnar could appear on Raw the next night and demand his rematch. Instead of Rollins’ music hitting, The Undertaker could make his way to the ring and look for redemption for his loss at WrestleMania 30.

While there is still no confirmation on whether The Undertaker will participate at this year’s WrestleMania, it’s unlikely that he would go out the way he did against Lesnar. Add in that Lesnar could be leaving the company, and putting him against Undertaker while it’s still an option would make for a marquee rematch.

As much as the WWE Universe would like to see Lesnar run all the way to WrestleMania with the championship, dropping it Sunday could lead to two marquee main event-worthy storylines leading into the biggest show of the year.

Regardless of the outcome, the result of this Triple Threat will have major implications on the road to WrestleMania and the entire company.

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