WWE Royal Rumble 2015 Card: Best Possible Finish for Each Contest

The finish of any wrestling match determines whether it is a success or failure. It leaves a lasting impact and decides whether it lives in the moment or in eternity.

With a show as important and historically significant as the Royal Rumble, the importance of the finish of a match is heightened exponentially.

Sunday night, Brock Lesnar defends the WWE World Heavyweight Championship against John Cena and Seth Rollins in a match to determine one-half of the WrestleMania 31 main event. The other half of the year's most important bout will be filled when the company presents its annual Royal Rumble match.

The conclusion of both of those matches will not only determine just how excited the fanbase is about what WWE has in store for its biggest show of the year but will also have a lasting impression on all involved.

A misstep could result in intense backlash, the likes of which Vince McMahon and his crack writing staff became all-too-familiar with a year ago.

How can the company prevent experiencing said backlash for the second year in a row?

Take a look for yourself.

WWE Kickoff Match: The New Day vs. Cesaro, Tyson Kidd and Adam Rose

Credit: WWE.com

To this point, The New Day has absolutely dominated the rivalry with Tyson Kidd and Cesaro.

Kofi Kingston, Big E and Xavier Woods have beaten the duo repeatedly and the addition of Adam Rose to the heel side of things has done nothing to change their losing ways.

Sunday night at the Royal Rumble, The New Day will battle Kidd, Cesaro and Rose in the night's opening contest, a WWE Network-exclusive Kickoff Show bout.

While all signs point to the underwhelming New Day faction rolling, adding another victory to their win-loss record, a win for the babyfaces would be far from the smartest finish WWE Creative could opt for.

Best Finish

Another victory for The New Day would defeat the purpose of even booking this match. The team has proven its dominance over the heels countless times in the weeks leading up to the Royal Rumble so another win would prove useless, leaving fans to question the decision to add the bout to the card in the first place.

Instead, a win for Cesaro, Kidd and Rose would help them recover some heat. All three stars are immensely talented, as seen in their phenomenal NXT work last year, and could bring some serious work rate to the midcard if allowed to build some momentum for themselves via a handful of victories.

With that being said, Cesaro pinning Xavier Woods following one of his masterful uppercuts or Kidd forcing a tap out from Kingston would be a great way to build some interest in the heels, especially with potential entries into the Royal Rumble match awaiting them later in the evening.

Paige and Natalya vs. The Bella Twins

Credit: WWE.com

The Bella Twins have been the face of women's wrestling in WWE for the last year, thanks in large part to Brie's feud with Stephanie McMahon and the sisters' status as the stars of E! Network's Total Divas reality show.

Recently, however, Brie and Nikki have seen their status as the top Divas in the company threatened by Natalya and her blossoming friendship with Paige. Together, the tremendously talented in-ring competitors have frustrated Divas champion Nikki and her sister, defeating them in both tag team and singles competition in recent weeks.

Now, at Royal Rumble, both Paige and Natalya will have the opportunity to throw their names into title contention when they battle the Bellas in a high-profile Divas tag bout.

Best Finish

It would make sense to argue that the Bella Twins need the win, especially given the fairly one-sided booking leading into the match. Natalya and Paige have been portrayed as vastly superior to their opposition on Raw and SmackDown and a pay-per-view win for Brie and Nikki would allow them to regain some of their heat.

But 50-50 booking in WWE has contributed to the staleness and ineffectiveness of the company's storytelling.

Paige and Natalya are the most convincing contenders for Nikki's title at this point and thus, should be booked strongly. Beating the Bellas would only further cement their status as the greatest threat to Nikki's championship.

Paige scoring a tapout win over Nikki would be the most satisfying finish.

At the same time, there has been tension teased between Paige and Natalya, particularly during SmackDown when both were on commentary and the Brit downplayed her friendship with the third-generation Diva.

If the company opted to head in that direction, a rivalry between them could make for some compelling television.

The Ascension vs. the New Age Outlaws

Credit: WWE.com

To this point, NXT talent called up to the main roster has not fared well.

Whether that is the result of Vince McMahon trying to downplay the success son-in-law Triple H has had in development is a question only the boss can answer but, needless to say, his track record with getting the most out of the talent The Game has produced in NXT has been incredibly underwhelming.

Case in point: The Ascension.

Konnor and Viktor dominated tag team wrestling in NXT for well over a year and looked to be excellent additions to the main-roster tag division. Instead of building on what Triple H created, McMahon and WWE Creative threw them in over-the-top outfits, painted their faces and had them cut promos ripping off the Legion of Doom.

It was incredibly detrimental to getting them over with the audience, which looked at the team as a poor man's answer to the greatest tag team of all-time.

That they were beaten down and left lying by over-the-hill legends Monday night on Raw only further hurt their credibility with the fans.

Sunday night, WWE Creative will have one final opportunity to get the team over with the audience when The Ascension battles the New Age Outlaws.

Best Finish

Anything other than complete and utter dominance by Konnor and Viktor will result in the end of any chance they have of succeeding in McMahon Land.

The Fall of Man from Konnor and Viktor should spell the end of Billy Gunn and Road Dogg's night in what is likely to be a match that is anything but pretty.

WWE Tag Team Championship Match: The Usos vs. The Miz and Damien Mizdow

Credit: WWE.com

The Usos have been surging since regaining the WWE Tag Team Championships. The Miz and Damien Mizdow, on the other hand, have demonstrated tension and dissension that could spell their demise sooner than later.

Sunday night, the Hollywood A-lister and his stunt double will have one final opportunity to regain the titles they lost just a month ago.

These two teams have wrestled far too many times over the last three months, leading to burnout on the part of the fans. The feud has been overexposed, and what felt like an interesting and intriguing story centered around Miz's infatuation with using Naomi against the twin team has descended into repetition and boredom.

The Royal Rumble absolutely must see the conclusion of the rivalry.

Best Finish

Jimmy and Jey Uso are not only the superior team, they are the face of tag wrestling in WWE. They have an energy and excitement about them that has helped them develop into one of the most popular and over acts on the roster.

Miz and Mizdow, on the other hand, are on their way to a split that should see the latter become a babyface for the first time in his career.

To get there, though, The Usos have to knock off their challengers Sunday night.

A finish that sees either Jimmy or Jey score a pinfall off of a miscommunication spot seems the most effective way to accomplish what WWE Creative has set in motion to this point.

WWE Championship Match: John Cena vs. Brock Lesnar vs. Seth Rollins

Credit: WWE.com

The most compelling match on the entire card, the WWE World Heavyweight Championship match between Brock Lesnar, John Cena and Seth Rollins, has been masterfully built. This is thanks to the star power that Lesnar brings to the bout, the polarizing persona that is Cena and the continued evolution of Rollins as the top heel on the roster.

Most signs once pointed to Lesnar retaining his title and battling a surging Roman Reigns at WrestleMania in a war of unstoppable forces. Unfortunately, uncertainty surrounding Lesnar's contractual status with the company has cast some doubt over the likelihood that the Beast Incarnate retains Sunday night.

That UFC President Dana White has suggested (in a report by Fox Sports) that Lesnar could be interested in a return to mixed martial arts further insinuates that Lesnar's time atop WWE could be coming to an end.

After all, would WWE risk keeping its top championship on a star unlikely to be with the company past its biggest event?

Which calls into questions whether John Cena or Seth Rollins should leave Philadelphia with the WWE title.

Cena is the face of the company and will never look out of place as the WWE champion. Like it or not, he is the franchise player and a champion the audience will always buy into because of his place at the top of the industry.

Rollins, on the other hand, has made tremendous strides as the top heel in the company over the last month. Channeling the opportunistic Edge and concerning himself with getting over as the most hated man in the sport rather than a cool heel, Rollins has developed into the most entertaining villain in all of WWE.

Best Finish

Beating Brock Lesnar just because he may be leaving after WrestleMania would be a mistake that would unravel a year's worth of booking that began at WrestleMania XXX, when the Beast ended Undertaker's legendary winning streak at the biggest event of the year.

A successful title defense would further legitimize his title reign, which has received understandable criticism to this point. More importantly, it would set up a scenario that would further strengthen Rollins as a heel.

Following a hard-fought match in which Lesnar retains by pinning Rollins off of a F5, The Authority hits the ring and assaults the Beast Incarnate. The seeds were planted for Kane and Big Show's involvement Monday night, when they found themselves on the receiving end of F5s.

With Lesnar assaulted and Cena neutralized by the involvement of The Authority, Rollins could deliver a curb stomp, cash in the Money in the Bank briefcase, and win the WWE Championship.

That would allow Rollins to add to his sleazy, sneaky and opportunistic reputation while screwing Lesnar over rather than beating him fair and square.

Cena loses nothing because he is not the Superstar pinned in either scenario.

Most of all, it presents The Authority with more opposition in the form of Lesnar, who would undoubtedly be looking for revenge on the road to WrestleMania.

2015 Royal Rumble Match

Credit: WWE.com

The Royal Rumble is the most beloved gimmick match WWE has to offer, thanks in large part to the mystery that surrounds every entrant, the placement of each Superstar and the anticipation that comes with seeing exactly who will challenge for the top prize the industry has to offer come WrestleMania. 

This year, there are a number of possible winners, the most likely being Roman Reigns.

With that said, the return of Daniel Bryan to in-ring competition, not to mention the rehiring of Dolph Ziggler and Ryback this past week have clouded the field.

And that is not to mention the potential surprise entrants that exist.

Randy Orton has been out of action since suffering a brutal beating and excommunication at the hands of The Authority. Surely he would like nothing more than to stick it to Triple H, Stephanie McMahon and the rest of that faction by returning, eliminating the likes of Kane and Big Show, and winning the Rumble match.

Sheamus has been out of action since dropping the United States Championship to Rusev back in October. Returning and ousting the Bulgarian Brute would be a spectacular way to add the latest layer to the rivalry between those two heavyweights.

Dean Ambrose and Bray Wyatt are just two more Superstars capable of winning one of the biggest matches of the year.

Best Finish

With questions surrounding Roman Reigns' readiness to headline WrestleMania and embark on the push toward the heavyweight title, and reluctance by WWE to push Daniel Bryan back to the marquee position on the 'Mania card, why not go with a sure thing like Randy Orton?

The Viper is guaranteed to be incredibly over when he finally does return and a championship showdown with Seth Rollins would make for some outstanding television in the weeks leading into the Showcase of the Immortals.

Reigns is still a year away from really coming into his own as a main event star, while Orton will have no problems living up to the hype that comes with headlining WrestleMania, especially since this would mark his second-consecutive main event at the show.

Orton eliminating both Reigns and Big Show simultaneously would be a great way to not only culminate the third-generation star's comeback but, at the same time, prevent what would certainly be loud and visceral backlash from the Philadelphia fans in the direction of Reigns.