WWE Royal Rumble 2009: Who Has a Chance?

With Armageddon behind us, WWE fans can now look into the not-so-distant future that is the Royal Rumble. With the big shock of John Cena returning last year, will we be in store for another surprise on the road to Wrestlemania 25?

I felt that perhaps Jeff Hardy would win the Rumble and take the title at WM25. As he will no doubt be in a title fight that night, it left me wondering who would be last in the ring come January 25^th.

With this in mind, I thought I would give a little rundown of the main contenders. I’m not saying one of these guys will be the winner, because as the Royal Rumble has shown in the past, it’s never that easy to predict. I do, however, think it likely that the winner will come from this list.

Batista – After beating Randy Orton at Armageddon, I can see Batista being in line for a title shot that night, hence ruling him out of the Rumble. If this is not the case, I can see him being a major contender.

He won in 2005, and he has been showing a lot of dominance since moving to Raw. Most have predicted a Batista vs. John Cena main event at Wrestlemania, and this would be a very foreseeable route to that match.

Chris Jericho – Chris lost his title to Cena at Survivor Series, and failed to reclaim it at Armageddon. Things aren’t looking up for Jericho, and I don’t think his luck will change at the Royal Rumble.

Assuming Cena will now go all the way to Wrestlemania, and in light of their recent matches for the title, I can’t see the WWE going down this road again so soon and letting Jericho headline Wrestlemania.

CM Punk – I realize there is a very high chance that CM Punk will face William Regal at the Rumble for the IC title, but if its on a different date, he would be a valid contender. I don’t rate his chances too high, as letting Punk hold the IC and World Heavyweight titles would be a bit of a stretch. He may have a chance if he has his title match before then and happens to lose, but I can’t see it happening.

JBL – JBL has shown no sign recently that he has his eye on a title shot, or wrestling well in general, to be honest. This mysterious alliance he has with Shawn Michaels could manifest itself in a Michaels assisted JBL win at the Rumble, but that’s seems unlikely. Who knows, though? Weirder things have happened in the WWE.

Randy Orton – The Viper-like Orton was impressive at Armageddon, and with the backing of ‘The Legacy,’ he is a big contender. Randy hasn’t had a title shot since his return, and could very easily add Royal Rumble winner to his resume, giving him the main event at Wrestlemania.

As he won the triple threat this year, I could not see him winning the title. But I guess if the WWE wants to push Legacy, something is going to have to happen. Assuming he doesn’t get the next title shot over Batista, he is one of the front runners.

Rey Mysterio – Rey has not been in the title hunt since facing Edge at No Way Out, and I don’t see this as his way back in. Although Rey did win in 2006, I don’t think the WWE is willing to go down that road again. I like the fact that Rey had a title run, but there is a long list of people who deserve the opportunity over him. I don’t think Mysterio is a good bet in my opinion.

Shawn Michaels – There have been a lot of rumors suggesting a Michaels vs. Undertaker match at Wrestlemania, which would mean he wouldn’t win the Rumble. Michaels is no stranger to headlining Wrestlemania (or winning Rumbles, for that matter), so you cant count him out. In light of his recent developments with JBL I think he would either help JBL to win, or nothing will come of that storyline involving the Rumble. Either way, I can’t see him taking it this year.

Big Show – The Big Show has never won the Royal Rumble, but for a man of his stature it is never an impossibility. He did not come off well from his feud with the Undertaker, and it seems the alliance between him and Vickie Guerrero has lost its influence.

The Big Show has never been a force in terms of a World Championship, although he has won them, it has not been recent. That kind of title will not return to him any time soon, in my opinion. I think he will appear in the Rumble and the commentators will probably call him as someone to fear in the match, but ultimately the prize will elude him.

The Brian Kendrick – I felt I should include The Kendrick in this list, as he has had some inclusion in the title hunt recently. But let’s face it, he has as much chance of winning as Kung-Fu-Naki, and that says a lot…

Edge- The ultimate opportunist has been recently scorned by losing his title to Jeff Hardy, and will look for retribution in any way possible. He has never achieved this accolade, and it would not be a surprise to see him take it. But in all honesty, I see him taking on a different role at Wrestlemania, possibly Money In The Bank. He wont stay down for long, that much we all know. But whether he will bounce back that quickly is another question.

HHH – The Cerebral Assassin can always upset the odds. With one Royal Rumble win in 2002, it would be no surprise to see him do it again. He has been the dominant force in WWE for a long time, and any match at Wrestlemania involving HHH is bound to be a good one.

He came close to winning the Royal Rumble last year, only to fall short against John Cena, but I don’t think he will take it this year. I foresee a storyline involving HHH and Stephanie McMahon for WM25, as the WWE seem to be going for some kind of angle with Stephanie and Shane. I’m sure Steph’s husband wont be too far out of this feud.

Vladimir Kozlov – The Moscow Mauler he been impressive of late, but lets face it, he isn’t going to win the Royal Rumble. He may even be in title contention at the PPV, off the back of his win with Matt Hardy. I wouldn’t count on him taking it at the end of the day.

Umaga – He is due to come back from injury soon, and although most wouldn’t really want to see him win, it is possible. But with no recent performances to go off, and the fact he is not particularly popular, there is no implication that he could win.

The Undertaker – There is nobody alive who could say they would ever back the Phenom to lose a match. He has been dominant for years, and if the WWE wants him to win the Rumble, he could. He won 2 years ago, and regardless of how good he is, I just don’t think he will do it again.

That is just a brief rundown of the possibilities for winners of the 2009 Royal Rumble. There could be countless other possibilities for winner, but recently the WWE has been giving the biggest stars the wins. Jeff Hardy and John Cena could take part, although this would have to follow some very drastic storyline in which either of them loses their title before the Royal Rumble. So I think it’s safe to say they won’t take part.

If I was asked to say who I thought would win, I would say Randy Orton. At 28 years of age, he has plenty of years left in the business, and it just seems like it is his time to win the Rumble.

I hope I have given a fair analysis of all the candidates. What are your opinions? who do you think will win?