WWE Royal Rumble 2012: The NWO of B/R Power Rank This Year's Top Contenders

I'm sure a lot of the IWC would agree that the Royal Rumble is one of the most anticipated events on the WWE calendar, and with this year's just around the corner, there is much speculation as to who will emerge victorious and win his place in the main event at Wrestlemania 28.

In addition to our upcoming predictions article for the Royal Rumble event, the NWO of B/R present to you the top 10 contenders for this year's Rumble match.

Opinions coming from myself, Darryl "Fayte" Rolandsen, Sam Green and Dave Sergeant.

11. Christian

Rikki: Christian has had a landmark year in his career in the WWE, being rewarded for his commitment to the company with his first World Heavyweight Title reign, but will the WWE extend this to a Royal Rumble win? I personally think not. My first worry would be whether Christian will actually be back for the Rumble, as the WWE and most Internet sources have been fairly vague about his return date. A real outsider in my opinion.

Rikki's Score: 1/10

Fayte: In 2011, Christian proved to WWE that he was a main event calibre wrestler, and Smackdown has missed his presence. I imagine Christian will have another good year in the WWE, however due to his injury, there’s not a certain date when the year will kick off for him.

I don’t expect him to be rushed back for the Rumble, so in my opinion, Christian is the real outsider this year.

Fayte's Score: 1/10

Sam: Christian has turned into a bit of a middle of the road wrestler lately. Sure he's a great worker, great skills both in the ring and on the mic, but there's just nothing exciting about him.

With his current injury, I can't see him being back to full fitness for the Rumble. He'll still compete because, lets face it, Smackdown's roster is thinner than paper.

I can see him being a surprise return but getting thrown out in a flash. Unlucky Captain Charisma.

Sam's Score: 1/10

Dave: Christian is out injured right now with no real information on his return. He’s had no promos and real build-up behind him in a long while (because of said injury) so I cannot see him winning this in the slightest.

Dave's Score: 0/10

NWO of B/R Score: 3/40

10. Mark Henry

Rikki: Mark Henry's title reign was arguably cut short at TLC thanks to a legitimate injury which he sustained in a match against John Cena. In my opinion this injury destroyed his monsterous, unstoppable angle and really spoilt the momentum which he built up over the previous few months. Creative could give him a Rumble victory to get him back amongst the gold, but I think there are other guys more deserving.

Rikki's Score: 5/10

Fayte: Mark Henry has really had an injury at the worst point in his career. He’s in the twilight of his career and he was on the most monstrous of runs, and it was spoilt in one foul swoop.

I hope the creative team doesn't bury him when he is 100% again, but at the same time I don’t think that they’ll be throwing him back in the title picture while the Daniel Bryan story pans out.

Fayte's Score: 2/10

Sam: Oh Mark Henry, fate has frowned upon thee. After having an awesome run throughout 2011 as the dominant force of the WWE, his injury has seen him slip down the dominance scale.

There's no way Henry is winning this one. Putting him back into the title run after dropping out so soon would be stupid and boring. Sorry Mark, you had a good run.

Sam's Score: 1/10

Dave: Poor old Henry. Basking in the limelight, then he gets a rather inconvenient injury just as he has the gold he has always dreamed of.

His character has been developed impressively, but with this injury, his aspirations for domination have had to take a backseat to commentator duties apparently. Poor guy. In my opinion, he's got no chance of winning it.

Dave's Score: 2/10

NWO of B/R Score: 10/40

9. Alberto Del Rio

Rikki: ADR may be the reigning champion of the Royal Rumble, but I'm not sure he will be so fortuitous this year. Over the past year, Del Rio has been thrown so many bones but hasn't bitten. I think the Mexican JBL really needs a change of direction. Otherwise, he could soon be slipping down to the mid card.

Chances of of winning the Royal Rumble? I'd say very slim, although I suppose he could build a somewhat pointless gimmick over winning two Rumbles in a row.

Rikki's Score: 2/10

Fayte: Del Rio had his rise to the top scarred with some horrific booking; but with his promise to come back more vicious than ever, the Rumble could be the perfect ground for him to return.

As much as I love Del Rio as an in-ring competitor, his character needs some tweaking, and I think winning the Rumble would be a step backwards, especially if he slips into his character from a year ago. As much as he needs to remain relevant in the main event, I don’t think this is the way.

Fayte's Score: 3/10

Sam: Alberto Del Rio has had a blinding 2011 in WWE by winning the Rumble, becoming WWE Champ, having one of his own cronies in the form of pre-funkasaurus Brodus Clay, having the Bella Twins drooling over him and becoming one of the biggest heels in such a short space of time.

So what the hell is he doing now? Creative needs to sort him out and give him an extra dimension. Winning the Rumble would be pointless for him and for Creative.

Sam's Score: 2/10

Dave: Del Rio is another superstar who has just slipped down the rankings of late. It’s my opinion that the Creative team doesn't have a clue what to do with him right now so it's leaving him on the backburner.

But, you never know. They might outrageously decide to have him win to open up doors for quick plot changes in the lead up to Wrestlemania, so as much as I hate the guy, I can’t fully ignore him.

Dave's Score: 4/10

NWO of B/R Score: 11/40

8. Chris Jericho

Rikki: Whatever feud Creative has planned for Chris Jericho, I'm almost certain that he can do it on his own rather than fast-tracking via the Rumble. Whether he'll be facing 'Taker, Punk or whoever at WM28, he'll find his own way into it.

Rikki's Score: 1/10

Fayte: I’m completely split down the middle when it comes to Jericho. A Superstar of his calibre doesn’t need the Rumble win to propel him into the title scene, but at the same time it could be a great way to throw him into a feud with CM Punk. I’m sure his intentions will become more clear over the coming weeks when we finally find out what has begun.

Fayte's Score: 5/10

Sam: Y2J's return has been somewhat confusing. I was begging for him to speak upon entering the ring. Especially as after two laps of the ring, the crowd seemed bored, and I, myself, was also bored.

Jericho really doesn't need a Rumble win at the minute, but it would be a good way to get him into the feud with Punk that we are all crying out for. Two of the best technical wrestlers in history? Yes please! Giving him the win would be great in the short term, but it could potentially mess up a lot of story lines for the future.

Sam's Score: 6/10

Dave: Can I just be the first to say; What the hell was that on 1/2/12? It was the moment we’d all been waiting for. Either it was brilliant or completely terrible, but to be honest I haven’t got the foggiest idea which of the two it is.

Whilst he doesn’t need a Rumble win to earn a spot on the Wrestlemania card, it would also be interesting to see what would come of him if he did.

What would do for his path? Who would he feud with and why? Would it be CM Punk, or someone else? I don’t know. The jury is out on this one guys…

Dave's Score: ?/10

NWO of B/R Score: 12+/40

7. Kane

Rikki: I'd personally consider this one a long-shot. Despite him coming back better and badder than ever, I don't think winning the Royal Rumble would be productive. Obviously there will be some sort of mention that he is a Rumble legend because he eliminated the most participants in a single Rumble match, but it's not his year.

The way I see it, John Cena doesn't need to be in the Rumble because he already has a match at WM28, so he could interfere to eliminate Kane to lengthen their feud a bit.

Rikki's Score: 2/10

Fayte: The recent return of a masked Kane has made a brilliant impact on the WWE. Not only is he on a rampage against SuperCena but he’s bringing back the sense of supernatural. With Kane back on TV there’s another reason to tune in on Monday nights.

In saying that, I don’t think that Kane needs to win the Rumble and go to Wrestlemania to continue drawing the crowds. Despite this, I completely expect Kane to smash his own Rumble records even if he does eventually get eliminated.

Fayte's Score: 4/10

Sam: Kane's return has so far been epic. Though he himself has aged, his mic skills are still as sharp as ever. The scenes with him and Ryder in this week's Raw, scared the pants off me! It's so good to see him back to the twisted mentalist that we saw in the Attitude Era.

However, I still can't see him being a rumble winner. Sure he'll still be his usual dominant self in the Rumble: knocking out more than his fair share, and quite possibly having something to do with Cena being eliminated, but putting Kane in the title picture when he's coming to the end of his career would be silly. I would love to see him get thrown out by Zack Ryder.

Sam's Score: 3/10

Dave: Kane’s direction in the coming months seemingly does not lie with a Wrestlemania main event slot. He may well appear there, but he won’t be headlining the show. For the moment, his destiny lies with Cena, and winning the rumble would (in my opinion) draw some attention away from this.

Dave's Score: 4/10

NWO of B/R Score: 13/40

6. Randy Orton

Rikki: Assuming his injury has subsided, he is almost guaranteed to reappear at the Rumble.

Orton's worked hard this year, putting over the young stars and generally being one of the main workers on Smackdown. Usually this could merit a Rumble win to slingshot him back to the credibility he may have lost in putting over the younger Superstars, but I don't think it will on this occasion.

Despite it being his hometown, there are other stars who need this win more.

Rikki's Score: 3/10

Fayte: Randy Orton spent the last half of 2011 playing the role of experienced veteran. He put Barrett and Rhodes over big time and made them legitimate stars on Smackdown. However, something tells me that should he be able to get over his injury, and hometown boy Orton can't be overlooked as a Rumble contender. If WWE wants him to be Smackdown's leading man at Wrestlemania, he's a sure bet.

Fayte's Score: 9/10

Sam: What with it being Orton's hometown gig, he is bound to come back. A rumble win would keep him relevant, but I just can't understand why Creative is so scared to put him into the IC title picture.

I say keep doing what you're doing Orton. Keep putting over the little guys and start feuding with Rhodes! Definitely not a Rumble winner but definitely a contender for the final four.

Sam's Score: 5/10

Dave: Stay down Orton! You're not necessary here. If Orton comes back he would just be either irrelevant or throw a spanner into the works of the various upcoming story lines. That said, it being in his hometown, and the Creative team making some seemingly strange choices at times, if Orton comes back, he could well be a possibility. I still wouldn't rate him as a sure-bet.

Dave's Score: 7/10

NWO of B/R Score: 24/40

5. The Miz

Rikki: R-Truth's suspension for breaching the company wellness policy may have been a blessing in disguise for the Miz. Since going solo again he has been thrust straight back into the WWE Title scene and looks to be starting up a feud with CM Punk. The Miz already has the WWE Title, WWE Tag Team Championship, United States Championship and has won the Money in the Bank match, and winning the Royal Rumble would add another excellent string to his already impressive bow.

I would personally count him among the favourites. 

Rikki's Score: 9/10

Fayte: The Miz has always got to be a contender when it comes to the title picture. Having the Miz win the Rumble would be awesome and headlining Wrestlemania two years in a row would show that the WWE are firmly behind the Miz being a star of the future.

The only reason why I wouldn’t rate the Miz’s chances any higher are his in-ring skills, although only good things can come from Miz feuding with someone of CM Punk's calibre.

Fayte's Score: 6/10

Sam: Miz is another one who's had a great year. Pairing him with R-Truth was one of the most brilliant (and hilarious) moves that Creative has done recently; though I'm slightly disappointed it ended when it did.

I think they're gearing up to put Miz back on top, and a Rumble win would be the perfect way to do it. That said, I can't help but feel R-Truth will be getting involved somewhere along the line.

Sam's Score: 7/10

Dave: The Miz has had some good heat recently, but right now, I am led to believe that rather than building him up for some more gold or main event action, they are possibly looking to change his character/gimmick.

Winning the rumble would only push him forward in his current persona, so I cannot see Miz triumphing this time round.

Dave's Score: 3/10

NWO of B/R Score: 25/40

4. Sheamus

Rikki: Since his face turn in the summer, Sheamus has been on a steady rise to the top, making himself into one of the biggest faces of the company. Surely the WWE would want one of its main event players to be wrestling in the main event of WM28 rather than have a mid card melee with people like Jack Swagger. 

Despite this, I would personally rank his chances as fairly slim compared to some of the other Superstars on the roster.

Rikki's Score: 4/10

Fayte: The Great White is currently the biggest superstar on the roster lacking any real direction. Since Sheamus turned face he’s been stuck unleashing his Irish temper on jobbers. At this rate, WWE is going to miss out on one of their biggest assets.

Seeing as he’s still technically a Smackdown superstar and the previous history he has with Daniel Bryan, they could put on a show-stealing match at Wrestlemania. Throw the World Title in the mix and a heel turn from Bryan, and you’ve got a pretty good reason for Sheamus to win the Rumble.

Fayte's Score: 9/10

Sam: As we've all seen, Sheamus is fast becoming the biggest face in the WWE, with almost an anti-hero quality about him.

Last year for Sheamus was an excellent year. After bouncing back from the King of the Ring 'curse' and having a more-than-enjoyable feud with Christian, I can see this year being his year. I can definitely see him being in the final four, and the feud with Barrett we've all been waiting for coming out of the woodwork from there.

Sam's Score: 8/10

Dave: Sheamus, Sheamus, Sheamus. A real dark horse at the moment in the WWE. He’s either in the pipeline for something massive and or he is being left to rot a little like a second coming of Drew McIntyre.

I cannot decide which way it’ll swing for this pale ginger.

Dave's Score: 5/10

NWO of B/R Score: 26/40

3. Cody Rhodes

Rikki: the Rumble is a great way of pushing a young Superstar who needs a nudge into the main event scene, and Cody Rhodes is definitely ready to step up. Rhodes' ability became obvious at Wrestlemania 27, when he had a show-stealing match with Rey Mysterio, and since then also had a good mini-feud with Randy Orton. I think him and D-Bry could put on an awesome match, but Creative may have its heart set on him continuing a "Legend Killer" angle.

Rikki's Score: 7/10

Fayte: Cody Rhodes is a star waiting to be born, everyone knows it and his day will come. He has the pedigree and ability so there is always the chance of Rhodes being thrown into the mix on Smackdown, and with Orton out of action for a while there could be a call up waiting for Rhodes come January.

Fayte's Score: 8/10

Sam: Cody's year has been so good to watch. I can honestly say he deserves the IC title for being the best worker there is in the business at the minute. He's a strong contender for a Rumble win, but for him to step up to the main event, he needs to have a decent feud set up, and at the minute, I think we're all unsure as to who that could be.

Sam's Score: 6/10

Dave: I think young Cody is a little too tied up elsewhere to be a serious contender for the Rumble. It’s a possibility, but unlikely.

With Orton being out injured, who knows what the WWE may have in store for him, but if there are big plans awaiting, I don’t think that they’re going to happen just yet.

Dave's Score: 6/10

NWO of B/R Score: 27/40

2. Dolph Ziggler

Rikki: Ziggler has proved in the past year just how much of an asset he is to the company, putting in top performances with main event Superstars as well as putting over some of the mid-carders on the roster. In my opinion, 2012 is going to be the year of the Zig, and a fantastic way to start would be by winning the Rumble.

Please note that I was genuinely convinced that he was going to win this year until Johnny Ace gave him a title match at the Rumble PPV, which has lead me to dropping my score slightly. I still think he's got a chance though.

Rikki's Score: 8/10

Fayte: Dolph Ziggler has been my pick to win the Rumble since he wrestled Punk and Orton in consecutive PPV quality matches on Raw.

He’s slowly improving his mic skills, and it’s slowly starting to match up to his other qualities. But seeing as Ziggler has been given a WWE title match at the Rumble I think his chances have been cut slightly. However it wouldn’t surprise me if our favourite #Heel somehow pulls it out.

Fayte's Score: 7/10

Sam: What can I say about Dolph Ziggler? He's got it all; ring ability, mic skills and charisma coming out the wazoo. There's just one thing holding him back. "What's that" I hear you ask? Yeah that's right, Vickie Guerrero.

Ziggler will be another one in the final four, but as much as I hate to say it, he won't be winning. It's time Dolph dropped Vickie and started out on his own, and the Rumble is the perfect opportunity to do so. I would love to see Vickie become his undoing in the Rumble and as a result, he gives her the boot.

That being said, it is time Ziggler went into the main event. His recent matches with Punk have been a spectacle to watch.

Sam's Score: 9/10

Dave: A while back Ziggler had my money to take this crown. 2011 was a phenomenal year for Dolph. The way that he’s been pushed up from a mid card title to the main event so quickly is great. But recent events have changed my mind and swung my bets elsewhere.

Other storylines are pushing his path to Wrestlemania in an alternate direction. He’ll be there, but I just don’t think in the main event.

Dave's Score: 7/10

NWO of B/R Score: 31/40

1. Wade Barrett

Rikki: The Barrett Barrage has been building big momentum over the past couple of months as Wade Barrett has showcased his talents in feuds with the likes of Randy Orton and Daniel Bryan. Winning the Rumble could be exactly what he needs to get him in the main event scene, and I have no doubt that once he is there, he will be there for a very long time.

In my mind, there are only three people that could win the Rumble this year, and Wade Barrett is one of them.

Rikki's Score: 9/10

Fayte: Barrett has almost gotten himself back into the main event scene, and the Barrett Barrage could finally get some title action by winning the Rumble. He’s showcased his talent and earned his chance to fight at the top of the mountain. This year, I can see the Barrett Barrage tearing through St. Louis.

Fayte's Score: 10/10

Sam: The Barrett Barrage has raged on throughout the latter half of 2011, and it has been a joy to behold. As an Englishman, it's only natural for me to be a supporter of Wade Barrett. A Rumble win would really make the Barrage properly credible.

Taking out Orton and others is all well and good, but it needs something big to solidify Barrett as a main event contender for the future. Plus with his beef with D-Bry, it could bring back the post-MITB feud that they had going. Barrett would be a winner that makes a lot of sense.

Sam's Score: 9/10

Dave: Barrett has been my number one choice for the rumble win for a while. I hate the guy. And that is why he will win. He’s got major heat at the moment, especially after taking out Orton. What better way for him to draw even more heat in a hugely positive way, than win the Rumble in Orton’s hometown? Genius.

Dave's Score: 10/10

NWO of B/R Score: 38/40