WWE News: Randy Orton and the Only 11 Superstars Who Can Win the Royal Rumble

The WWE Royal Rumble is just around the corner, and although WrestleMania XXVIII hype will center around John Cena and the Rock, the 2012 Royal Rumble will make for some comparatively juicy conversation, as next year's field seems to be wide open. 

With the WWE currently focusing on pushing younger talent like Cody Rhodes and Dolph Ziggler, while traditional top stars are occupied in non-title feuds like Cena with the Rock and Randy Orton with Barrett, there is no early favorite to win the Rumble with just outside of a month left until the WWE's high-profile pay-per-view in St. Louis. 

As the road to WrestleMania continues to take form, one of the more under-the-radar burning questions asks, "Who in going to win the Royal Rumble?" 

Randy Orton

With the Royal Rumble in St. Louis, and Randy Orton still somehow mired in the midcard, Orton can be considered a mild favorite to win the Royal Rumble in his hometown. 

Orton has been doing Yeoman's work as of late, putting over young talents such as Cody Rhodes and Dolph Ziggler and now working with Wade Barrett.  

Orton has not been close to the world title picture since suffering the second of two back-to-back losses to Mark Henry at WWE's Hell in a Cell pay-per-view. 

Randy Orton would receive a much deserved reset should he win the Royal Rumble and subsequently compete for a major championship. 

Dolph Ziggler

The WWE has given a significant push to Dolph Ziggler for close to a year now, and with his new "show-off" gimmick, it seems like they're ready to finally take the critical next step with their promising young talent. 

Ziggler has had a good year, working with the likes of Edge, CM Punk and Randy Orton, as he continues to hold the distinction as the longest reigning champion currently in the WWE. 

Ziggler is a strong darkhorse pick to win the Royal Rumble given the emphasis he receives weekly on RAW. 

Cody Rhodes

Cody Rhodes is a much darker dark horse to win the Royal Rumble than Dolph Ziggler, but is still in the discussion as a potential Royal Rumble winner. 

All signs seem to be pointing to a Rhodes-Goldust sibling rivalry come WrestleMania, but the Intercontinental champion has made huge strides this year and seems to be ready for a program of more substance. 

Rhodes somehow came out of a feud with Randy Orton smelling like roses, and now has his sights set on a possible feud with future WWE hall-of-famer Booker T.

Rhodes is trending in the right direction headed into the Royal Rumble come January. 

Wade Barrett

The Barrett Barrage has certainly seen a significant amount of momentum in the past several weeks, and the WWE's talented talker is peaking at the right time. 

Should he come up on the favorable side following his feud with Randy Orton, Barrett would be in prime position to continue his momentum with a Royal Rumble win. 

A Barrett Royal Rumble win will not create a very mouth-watering WrestleMania match up in terms of star power at this point, a potential problem should any of the up-and-coming talents win the Rumble, but WrestleMania XXVIII has already secured a strong buy rate through the inclusion of its marquee main event. 

Alberto Del Rio

Alberto Del Rio is hanging on to the top of the card for dear life, but he is still in the mix and has not fallen off too far since losing the WWE Championship in a great match against CM Punk at Survivor Series. 

Del Rio recently came up short in a WWE Championship match yet again this past week on RAW, so any future title shots may be out of the question.

If the Royal Rumble were to begin today, Del Rio could walk in as a de facto favorite given his recent time spent at the top of the card, but by the same token, Del Rio could also be on his way down the totem pole.

John Cena

Why not? 

John Cena cannot simply pass up the Royal Rumble because he'd rather face the Rock in a non-title match at WrestleMania—what would that say about their prestigious championship?  There could be plenty of ways the WWE could navigate around Cena-Rock should Cena win the Royal Rumble. 

When Cena won the Rumble in 2008, he received his title shot at the following pay-per-view (WWE No Way Out) instead of WrestleMania, and a similar situation could take form should the WWE find its hands tied come Royal Rumble season. 

The Undertaker

The Undertaker could be a popular candidate as a potential Royal Rumble winner come January, namely January 2nd. 

The dark, creepy promos prophesying damnation suggest a possible return of the phenom, as the promo would not make very much sense for any WWE Superstars outside of Kane—who already has been taken care of in the promo department.

There have already been rumors kicked around this year of possibly having an Undertaker-Mark Henry WrestleMania rematch, as Henry has been dominant all year and has yet to meet his match. 

With Henry figuring to go unpinned on pay-per-view in 2011 as the World Heavyweight Champion, who better to stop him than the man with the single most impressive pay-per-view record in WWE history?

Kane

The return of the masked Kane could signal a much-needed revitalization for the Big Red Machine. Kane is set to return in the near future, just in time to make a big splash in the Royal Rumble field. 

If Kane gets over quickly enough with mask in tow—and given the WWE Universe's proclivity for nostalgia, he most certainly will—he can make himself into a favorite to win a wide open Royal Rumble. 

Kane has a very positive history in the Royal Rumble match and is undoubtedly the greatest Royal Rumble performer never to win the event. More than a decade after setting the mark for most eliminations in a single Rumble, now may finally be his time. 

Zack Ryder

I realize I may be wasting my breath and energy with this slide, but Ryder is so hot right now that the mere thought of Ryder winning the Royal Rumble could possibly come across a creative team member's mind before it is laughed off internally.  

I could see a situation where Ryder wins only to have the opportunity immediately taken from him on a technicality. 

Either way, Zack Ryder remains the Tim Tebow of the WWE: Wildly popular, unmistakeably effective, yet not exactly the darling of upper management due to an unorthodox route into prominence. 

Sheamus

Sheamus has received a steady stream of momentum for quite some time now and is ready to return to the world title picture. 

If the plan is to have Mark Henry remain the heavyweight champion come WrestleMania, Sheamus' chances could be dampened, as he already had a match with Henry at SummerSlam this year in a losing effort.  

Based on momentum alone, however, Sheamus has to be considered a relatively strong candidate. 

The Miz

The Miz emerges as the closest thing to a favorite the WWE has right now in terms of a potential Royal Rumble winner. 

Miz may peak prematurely, as his split with R-Truth could lead to a WWE Championship opportunity prior to or at the Royal Rumble itself. But if the WWE takes its time with the Miz's renewed singles push, it could very well lead to a Royal Rumble win. 

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