WWE Royal Rumble 2016: Feuds with Biggest WrestleMania 32 Implications

The road to WrestleMania 32 begins in Orlando, Florida, Sunday night as World Wrestling Entertainment presents the 2016 Royal Rumble, exclusively on the WWE Network and pay-per-view outlets. The top Superstars and the Divas in the industry will be highlighted as they begin their journeys to the biggest show of the year, and several of their feuds will have major implications on the Showcase of the Immortals. 

Roman Reigns will defend his WWE World Heavyweight Championship in the Royal Rumble, but it is a developing program, with someone not officially entered into the 30-man match who may have the longest-reaching affect on the company.

And what about The Wyatt Family's destruction over the last week? Bray and Co. laid waste to both Reigns and Brock Lesnar in the past five days. What will his actions mean to his 'Mania prospects?

Finally, Charlotte and Becky Lynch will battle for the Divas Championship Sunday, the latest chapter in their budding rivalry. Will their issues end in O-town, or will they continue into the hottest stretch of the year, culminating on the grandest stage in sports entertainment?

These three programs, and the way events surrounding them unfold over the course of Sunday's show, will have the biggest WrestleMania implications.

Credit: WWE.com

Roman Reigns vs. The Authority

For WWE world heavyweight champion Roman Reigns, his road to the Royal Rumble has been defined by his rivalry with the McMahon family and the hurdles father Vince and daughter Stephanie have put in front of him.

Whether it was forcing him to enter the 30-man match at No. 1, battle 10 other Superstars in an unprecedented Raw main event or compete in a four-on-one Handicap match against The League of Nations, he has been beaten down but never stopped fighting.

As the Rumble approaches, all eyes will be on the one member of the McMahon family not seen on television since the TLC pay-per-view, when he was brutally assaulted by Reigns.

Triple H should make his presence felt during Sunday's proceedings. If that is the case, he and Reigns will instantly be on a collision course, leading to what would undoubtedly be the main event of WrestleMania 32. 

The fuse has been lit by weeks of television build. At Royal Rumble, the feud between Reigns and The Authority will explode, setting the stage for the biggest match in the WWE champion's young career this April.

Credit: WWE.com

Brock Lesnar vs. The Wyatt Family

A feud in its infancy, the issues between Brock Lesnar and The Wyatt Family began on the January 18 episode of Raw, when Bray and his minions assaulted The Beast Incarnate and left him lying after a Sister Abigail from the Reaper of Souls.

The actions of the brazen, enigmatic and horrifying faction will not go unpunished Sunday night in the 30-man main event, when Lesnar steps into a Rumble match for the first time since his victory in 2003. The Beast will be looking for revenge and will not hesitate to take Wyatt, Luke Harper, Erick Rowan and Braun Strowman to Suplex City.

Whether or not the villains can get one last laugh, though, and prevent Lesnar from regaining the WWE title he never fairly lost, is the question.

Either way, expect Sunday's Royal Rumble bout to be the emphasis for a rivalry that leads Bray Wyatt and Brock Lesnar toward a monumental clash that serves as yet another high-profile 'Mania matchup for The New Face of Fear.

Credit: WWE.com

Becky Lynch vs. Charlotte

Becky Lynch has spent the last month of her life betrayed and undermined by her former friend Charlotte. She has been screwed out of championship gold by the second-generation star and her father, the legendary Hall of Famer "Nature Boy" Ric Flair.

Sunday night, she will have her opportunity to make up for the last six weeks, avenge the heartbreak she endured at the hands of the Divas champion and win the title in the process.

But it feels too early for their story to wrap up.

WWE Creative has done a fantastic job of putting together a simplistic-yet-effective program that does more for the state of women's wrestling than anything the manufactured "Divas Revolution" nonsense did. Wrapping it up prematurely would hurt all involved, whereas stretching it out, letting it breathe and evolve, would provide both women the chance to become even bigger stars, with even more emotional investment from fans.

A screwy finish, most likely involving Naitch, would be the most preferred route to get the breakout stars of NXT's women's division to WrestleMania in Dallas, Texas.