WWE Royal Rumble 2015: GSM's Pick, Preview and Potential for Each Match
On Sunday, WWE will present its 28th annual Royal Rumble pay-per-view event, live from the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia at 8 p.m. ET.
The Royal Rumble is always one of the most highly anticipated events of the year, and rightfully so. It is the one night of the year that almost anything is possible, in addition to it signaling the start of the Road to WrestleMania.
Brock Lesnar will have the odds stacked against him when he defends the WWE World Heavyweight Championship against John Cena and Seth Rollins in a Triple Threat match. Will we see the crowning of a new champion, and where will the allegiances of The Authority and Paul Heyman lie?
For the first time in nearly a year, The New Age Outlaws will return to action to do battle with The Ascension. Will The Ascension prove it can hang with the best of them by beating the former WWE tag team champions?
Of course, a Royal Rumble PPV would not be complete without a Rumble match, where 30 men will compete for a chance to headline WrestleMania. What lucky individual will outlast the 29 other competitors and become the new No. 1 contender to the WWE World Heavyweight Championship?
Here, I will provide my personal preview, prediction and potential for every match on the advertised card.
The New Day vs. Adam Rose, Tyson Kidd and Cesaro (Kickoff Elimination Tag Match)
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Preview
In late 2014, Cesaro and Tyson Kidd joined forces and announced their intentions to chase the WWE Tag Team Championship. However, standing in their way in recent weeks has been The New Day, a group compromised of Kofi Kingston, Big E and Xavier Woods.
The New Day has beaten Cesaro and Kidd in variety of matches over the last several weeks, including in a six-man tag team match also involving Adam Rose on the January 13 edition of Main Event. The six Superstars will once again do battle on the Royal Rumble Kickoff show, this time in an elimination tag team match.
Prediction
It's been depressing to see Kidd and Cesaro reduced to enhancement talent in their matches with The New Day. They deserve so much better than this and should have been on the winning end of more matches in order to be considered threats to the WWE Tag Team Championship.
The New Day is a limited act, and it's clear the team isn't connecting with crowds, but that won't stop WWE from shoving the team down our throats. I'd love to see Kidd or Cesaro as the last men standing, but I fear we're in for another win from The New Day.
Potential
As much as I loathe The New Day gimmick, I do enjoy each of the three members as in-ring athletes. They're capable of having a fun match, but only as long as they're given enough time to do so.
Their previous six-man tag match on the January 13 Main Event was more entertaining than it had any right to be, so I have hope the elimination stipulation will work in their favor.
The Bella Twins vs. Natalya and Paige
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Preview
Over the last month, Natalya and Paige have traded non-title victories with the Divas champion, Nikki Bella. They formed an alliance earlier this month following their interaction on Total Divas, but it remains to be seen whether they can be truly considered "friends."
Brie Bella, who reconnected with her sister for some random reason, also scored a win over Paige on the January 12 edition of Raw, setting the stage for their tag team match against Natalya and Paige at Royal Rumble.
Prediction
I'm sorry, but Divas trading wins back and forth doesn't constitute as a story in the Divas division. Paige has yet to explain why she's apparently face again, and Brie making up with Nikki after all the feuding they did still has me scratching my head.
I wouldn't have held much interest in the match even if the Divas Championship was on the line, but since it won't be, I couldn't care less who wins. I have to think the babyfaces will go over in order to set up a future Divas title match for the Fast Lane pay-per-view.
Potential
When this match was first announced, it was mind-boggling to me why these four Divas wouldn't face off in a Fatal 4-Way with the title up for grabs. However, it made sense to hold a tag team match since it's been reported (h/t Wrestling News World) Nikki is currently working through an injury. It should be a fine match, but nothing you wouldn't see on an episode of Raw.
The Ascension vs. the New Age Outlaws
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Preview
Since debuting on the December 29 edition of Raw, The Ascension have been running roughshod on the entire roster. They've gone up against mostly enhancement talent teams over the last month, but they'll face their biggest challenge to date in the form of The New Age Outlaws at Royal Rumble.
On Raw Reunion, The New Age Outlaws came to the aid of nWo and the APA, taking it to the former NXT tag team champions and setting the stage for their match. The Ascension will look to welcome The New Age Outlaws to the "wasteland" as they have to everyone else they've annihilated thus far.
Prediction
Although I'm a fan of The Ascension's work, I agree with the majority that the Road Warrior rip-off face paint just isn't working for them. I still think they have a lot of potential, but they'll never be anything great until WWE tweaks their characters and makes them less goofy.
They should remain undefeated until they begin feuding with The Usos over the WWE Tag Team Championship, so there's no reason why The New Age Outlaws should win here. If nothing else, it's refreshing to see The Ascension face an actual tag team for once and not a pair of local athletes.
Potential
The Ascension haven't had many great matches during their time together, but The New Age Outlaws are over enough that they'll make people care somewhat about this match. It won't be a five-star classic, of course, but the Outlaws proved last year they can still go in the ring regardless of who their opponents are.
The Usos vs. the Miz and Damien Mizdow (WWE Tag Team Championship)
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Preview
At December's Tables, Ladders & Chairs pay-per-view, The Miz and Damien Mizdow retained their WWE Tag Team Championship against The Usos after intentionally getting themselves disqualified. Two weeks later on Raw, the two teams met in a championship rematch that The Usos won.
Miz and Mizdow were unsuccessful in regaining the gold on the January 9 edition of SmackDown but have one more shot at the titles at Royal Rumble. Will Miz and Mizdow be able to coexist to win back what was once theirs?
Prediction
I was impressed early on in this feud with how WWE managed to make it about Naomi and not just the WWE Tag Team Championship, but that got old rather quickly. Since the titles changed hands, all this rivalry has consisted of has been singles matches between Miz and the Uso brothers.
WWE has teased tension between Miz and Mizdow in recent weeks, which means they're headed for a split sooner rather than later. I don't think it comes in this match, but it essentially guarantees a successful title defense for The Usos here.
Potential
Although I've grown tired of seeing these two teams work together, they always deliver a great match whenever they do battle. Hopefully, they can incorporate some new, innovative spots to make the match feel fresh and not the same bout we've seen several times before.
Brock Lesnar vs. John Cena vs. Seth Rollins (WWE World Heavyweight Championship)
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Preview
Brock Lesnar has been a dominant WWE world heavyweight champion since beating John Cena for the belt at August's SummerSlam event. In their championship rematch at Night of Champions, Seth Rollins' interference cost Cena his shot at the gold, leading to the two trading wins through the end of the year.
On the January 6 edition of Raw, The Authority added Rollins to the title match between Lesnar and Cena at Royal Rumble, making it a Triple Threat. Even if Rollins does come up short of winning the gold, he still has his Money in the Bank briefcase that he is able to cash in for a title match at any time of his choosing.
Prediction
Inserting Rollins into the title picture was the smartest thing WWE could have done since the ending outcome is no longer as predictable. In fact, all three competitors have an equal chance of walking away with the strap.
I have a strong feeling Cena will win the match, only for Lesnar to attack him afterward and allow Rollins to cash in his contract, but Rollins shouldn't go into WrestleMania as champion. If WWE has gone through the trouble of keeping the belt on Lesnar this long, it might as well have him be the one to defend it at The Show of Shows.
Ultimately, Lesnar is my pick to win, but I wouldn't be surprised to see either Cena or Rollins leave as champ, either. That's what makes this match so exciting.
Prediction
Cena and Lesnar have always worked well together whenever they've gone one-on-one, but the Triple Threat stipulation makes the match 10 times more interesting. Lesnar hasn't been involved in a multi-man match in more than a decade, so I'm intrigued to see how he'll fare.
30-Man Royal Rumble Match
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Preview
The Royal Rumble match made its debut in 1988 and has been a cornerstone of the WWE ever since. Every year, 30 competitors vie for the opportunity to headline WrestleMania for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship, but there can be only one winner.
The match is always filled with twists, turns and surprises, and you never know who may show up to make an appearance.
Prediction
What I love about this year's Rumble match is that unlike in years past, various viable candidates could win it. Dolph Ziggler, Dean Ambrose and Bray Wyatt all have a shot at emerging victorious, but in the end, it comes down to Roman Reigns and Daniel Bryan.
If you had asked me a month ago who I thought would win the 2015 Royal Rumble, I would have said Reigns; however, now that Bryan is back in action, there is no doubt in my mind that he needs to come out on top.
He should have won last year, and going after the championship he technically never lost is a story that writes itself. Reigns will be a big star one day, but as it currently stands, he isn't ready for the main event of WrestleMania.
Potential
Some Rumbles have been better than others, but overall, they are enjoyable and exciting. As previously mentioned, it is filled with surprises and monumental moments, so I look forward to what WWE has in store this year.
With the roster loaded with more talent than ever before, we could be in for one of the most star-studded Royal Rumbles in recent memory.
Read more prediction pieces for past WWE pay-per-views here.
Graham Mirmina, aka Graham "GSM" Matthews, is a journalism major at Endicott College. Visit his website at Next Era Wrestling and "like" his official Facebook page to continue the conversation on all things wrestling.
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