WWE Royal Rumble 2012: 8 Possible Winners of WrestleMania Title Shot

The Royal Rumble is WWE's second biggest event of the year. It marks the beginning of the road to WrestleMania, as well as giving one of the superstars the chance to shine by winning a 30-man battle royal.

Each year, this event is looked forward to by fans because they know it will have one of the more exciting matches of the year.

Everytime WWE does the Royal Rumble, they put on a good show. With the event being only a couple months away, I thought it was a good time to start predicting who WWE will give the shot at WrestleMania's main event to.

These are the top 10 choices I feel could win the Royal Rumble and go on to WrestleMania.

Cody Rhodes

The son of the American Dream could be primed and ready to get into the main event scene by January. His recent run on Smackdown has seen him become one of the more popular heels in WWE.

His gimmick of a disturbed man who wears a mask to hide the injuries he no longer has allows Rhodes to be more ruthless than he has been in the past.

His match with Randy Orton this past week at Vengeance showed he is ready to take on the top guy in the WWE.

I am positive we will see the younger Rhodes hold the world title sometime within the next 12 months, but the Rumble could be his chance to get to that point.

I don't know what the next few months hold for Cody, but I do know that he will likely be feuding with Orton for a bit longer.

I could also see another feud with Dibiase come, as he has had little to do since breaking off from Rhodes.

The IWC seems to have fallen in love with Cody for a few reasons. He has improved his in ring work and mic skills a ton over the past year, and his dedication to the gimmick shows he is willing to do whatever he needs to in order to get over.

Randy Orton

The Apex predator could be in line to win his second Royal Rumble in the coming months. Orton has been out of the World Title picture since starting his current feud with Rhodes, so this could be his way back.

There has been talk of having Mark Henry hold the title through WrestleMania, and if that happens, I could see Orton and Henry going at it over the title at Mania, although I think there are plenty of better matchups to be had.

Orton is one of WWE's golden boys. He is always in the hunt for the world title, and his popularity is growing every week.

Smackdown has not been the best thing for Orton. Even though he is considered the top guy on the brand, he is still on the less popular show.

If Orton wins the Rumble, I am sure he will win his match at Mania as well. I would be happy if Orton won again, but I could also see him being in the world title match at the Rumble, so he may not even be in the battle royal.

Big Show

The Big Show is one of the most dominant forces in WWE. At least that is what WWE would like to have us think.

Since returning to WWE a couple years ago, Big Show has been pretty much irrelevant when it comes to the World title and that is a shame.

Having one of the largest wrestlers in the world would usually mean he would dominate the entire roster, but the WWE does not see it that way.

He has been paired with different singles stars in tag team, and he has feuded with other big guys like Mark Henry and Khali.

This past Sunday was his first chance at a world title in a long time, and the match ended in a no-contest decision, so he is still without a decent title shot.

Having Big Show win the Royal Rumble would give him some credibility back as well as keep the feud between him and Henry going if that is the way WWE decides to go.

His size would make him a natural choice to win the whole match, as it usually takes several people to get the world's largest athlete over the top.

I have been a fan of Big Show ever since he showed up on the beach that day to confront Hulk Hogan back in WCW, so hopefully, the big man gets his shot sooner than later.

Mason Ryan

Let me preface this by saying I do not think Mason Ryan should win the Royal Rumble. That being said, the WWE may decide to give him the win if they plan on pushing him.

Mason Ryan has been called a carbon copy of Batista, but that does not mean he can't go on to have a great career of his own.

The big man from Wales is a powerhouse who has the right look and intensity that it takes to be successful in the WWE.

Having him win the Rumble would be very premature, but that has never stopped WWE from pushing someone before.

I also thought Sheamus won the world title too soon, and I disagreed with Alberto Del Rio being given the win, but they have done well and won me over since those times, so it is possible Ryan could do the same.

Sin Cara Azul

This is another choice I would not be a fan of personally, but would make sense from a marketing standpoint.

WWE has built up Sin Cara in a way that they kind of have to keep pushing him unless they want to send him back to Mexico.

Since coming to WWE, the original Sin Cara has had his problems both backstage and in the ring. Adjusting to the WWE style can take some people a long time. That, combined with his high flying style, makes for some pretty botched matches.

His recent feud with the other Sin Cara has allowed him to wrestle someone he is familiar with while still having exposure to WWE's audience.

If they wish to push him like they did Del Rio, then having him win the Royal Rumble would be a good move to put him in line for the world title.

I do not want Sin Cara to win the Royal Rumble, but I would not be surprised if it happened.

Sheamus

The Celtic Warrior has done a lot to win me over these past few months. I was one of the people who said he was pushed to the WWE title too soon back when he beat John Cena, but now I think he has potential to be a great long term competitior.

Since his face turn on Smackdown, Sheamus has grown more popular among fans and critics. I actually wrote a piece a while back detailing how a babyface turn for Sheamus would be a good thing, and a few weeks later, he was a face.

I am not claiming responsibility, but I am happy my prediction came true, so I will make another. Sheamus will win the 2012 Royal Rumble.

OK, so maybe he is not my top choice, but a win for him at the Battle Royal would bring him back to the main event scene very easily.

I would love to see him feud with anybody over the World title at this point because his back and forth with Christian will grow stale soon if he is not given something else to do.

Mark Henry

If the current World Champion loses the title before the Royal Rumble, then I could see WWE having him win the rumble to get a shot at Mania.

For the 15 years Mark Henry has been working in WWE. his character has gone through so many heel/face turns that he could be called bipolar.

His first world title came way too late in my opinion, but I like what they have done with the direction of his title reign.

Why he was never positioned this way before is beyond comprehension, because when you have someone who can lay claim to the title "world's strongest man," you should take advantage of that.

His strength allows him to do things no one else can do, and putting him in the royal tumble only to have him throw out everyone in the ring would not only make sense, but it would further the buildup they have with him.

I would love to see Mark Henry win the Royal Rumble, as I have never been a hater of the former Olympian. He has his share of haters in the IWC, but I am not one of them.

I have always thought he performed much better than most men his size, and that fact that he can do a standing frog splash with more elevation than some smaller guys is impressive.

The ring breaking match at Vengeance had some people upset due to the inconclusive finish, but I thought it was a good way to keep both men looking strong without suffering a loss.

A wni at the rumble for Henry not only makes sense, but it would bring him one step closer to having that Hall of Fame career people hope to have.

Christian

Some people say he will never be world champion ever again. Those people were the same ones who doubted he could win it at all, and he did it twice.

Christian is a reliable, solid performer who can take a match with anyone and make it look good. He may not be as popular as some people within WWE, but I think that is because he is never given a chance.

WWE has had Christian for a villain for the majority of his career, and I have always felt he was a better babyface, while Edge was the better villain.

Christian returned to WWE back when ECW was still on the air, and he quickly became the brands champion.

Then he moved to Smackdown and seemed to be in limbo until Edge was forced to retire. Maybe Christian was pushed to fill the void Edge left, but that does not mean he did not deserve it.

A Royal Rumble victory would further cement Christian as one of WWE's top guys, and it would be a win most people would be surprised by.

His career has been amazing so far, but a Royal Rumble win would make it that much better.