RY2J’s Royal Rumble Preview (Part 4 of 4): The Royal Rumble Match

And the winner is...

Written By RY2J

30-Man Royal Rumble Match

One of the most exciting matches of the year will commence tonight as 30 superstars have the opportunity to go on and headline WrestleMania, all they need to do is be the last man standing in the ring come the end of the Rumble.

A lot has been made in the build-up about the fact that ‘any superstar can enter.’ This has led to rumours of everything from divas to leprechauns being entered into the match (and I’ve even heard a whisper of a certain Executive Vice President of Talent Relations and Interim General Manager of Raw making a sneaky appearance). The fact remains, whoever enters the Rumble, they will have to get by twenty-nine other superstars regardless.

A difficult match to analyse and predict, but I will do my best. Below are my five picks as to who I believe are the big contenders in the 25^th Annual Royal Rumble Event:

5. Undertaker – The Deadman has not been seen on our TV screens since WrestleMania XXVII, but with his current record of 19-0 at the WWEs pinnacle event, surely he will be looking to get to 20-0 this year. The question remains however in what circumstances will ‘Taker make it to WrestleMania, could it possibly be through winning the Rumble?

4. Rey Mysterio – Another superstar who has been out of the WWE for a number of months, the master of the 6-1-9 is also rumoured to be making a potential return tonight; and as the ultimate underdog, if Rey is in the match, he is always in with a chance of winning it, no matter of his size.

3. Kane – regardless of what happens in Kane’s match against Cena earlier in the night, The Big Red Machine could still make an appearance in the Rumble match, and if so, expect him to cause quite the stir. Renowned for his ability to eliminate large amounts of superstars from this very match, don’t be surprised if Kane enters the match, and maybe even goes that one step further.

2. Randy Orton – the apex predator returned to WWE on SmackDown this week and looked pumped and ready to go. After RKO-ing five superstars in the ring on Friday Night, Orton appears to be on a warpath, with his radar fixed right on Wade Barrett. No matter if Orton is successful in winning the Rumble, the likelihood is that himself and Barrett will play decisive roles in each other’s potential eliminations.

1. Chris Jericho – Y2J has been back in the WWE for a month now, but to say he came ‘back-with-a-bang’ would be quite the over statement. Jericho has only muttered one sentence since his return, stating that he will be in the Rumble match, and with all the hype surrounding the apparent silent superstar, it looks like the Jerichoholics could have something to cheer by the end of the night.

I would love to say that I think the likes of Mick Foley, ‘Big Johnny’ John Lauranitis, The Miz, Road Dogg and Hornswoggle have a chance of winning the Rumble (well maybe not the last one), but in my opinion, 2012 is shaping up to be the Year of Jericho.

RY2J Verdict: Chris Jericho to win

Headbanger Ash Verdict: Triple H to win

RY2J’s Royal Rumble Preview (Part 3 of 4): WWE Championship Match – CM Punk vs Dolph Ziggler (Special Referee John Lauranitis)

Will Big Johnny Screw Over CM Punk?

Written By RY2J

Cm Punk v Dolph Ziggler (Special Referee John Lauranitis)

In the last seven WWE Pay-Per-Views (dating way back to 17 July 2011), three wrestlers have constantly been headlining Raw’s main event (with the exception of The Miz in Decembers TLC triple-threat match). John Cena, Alberto Del Rio and CM Punk have been contesting each other for the WWE Championship for nearly six months now, but finally a new contender has been added to the mix. Step up to the plate: Mr Dolph Ziggler.

Ziggler has had Punk’s number over the past month on WWE Raw, and thoroughly deserves his shot at the top prize in the business. The ‘Show-Off’ (as Cole seem to call him fifty times every week), has been on the rise through the ranks for a number of months now, and is finally reaching the dizzying heights he deserves.

Under the guidance of the Cougarlicious Vickie Guerrero, and with The All American American Jack Swagger always close by; Dolph goes into the match on a high and full of confidence. However, he faces a man who is always full of confidence (as is shown by the title of ‘Best in the World’), WWE Champion CM Punk.

Since beating The Miz and Del Rio at TLC, Punk has struggled to find a win from anywhere, but this is not down to a sudden loss of form; rather it’s down to one man with one long job title.

The Executive Vice-President of Talent Relations and Interim General Manager of Monday Night Raw, John Lauranitis (deep breath), has been playing Punk for the fool over the last month, and as the special guest referee in the Punk-Ziggler bout, could well be the decisive factor in deciding who will be going home with the WWE title.

However, there is still hope for Punk. On the final Monday Night Raw before the Royal Rumble, we learnt that Big Johnny’s job was under review, meaning his likelihood of screwing the champ at the Rumble has decreased significantly.

There is no doubt that the self-proclaimed ‘Mr Excitement’ will play some role in deciding where the WWE Championship goes, but when it comes down to it; Ziggler looks unlikely to be given the chance to hold the title, with just a couple of months to go until WrestleMania.

RY2J Verdict: CM Punk wins by Submission

Headbanger Ash Verdict: CM Punk wins by Submission

Hollywood Hinchcliffe Verdict: CM Punk wins by Pinfall

RY2J’s Royal Rumble Preview (Part 2 of 4): Kane v John Cena

"Cena Angry!!"

Written By RY2J

Kane v John Cena:

Kane has been trying to persuade John Cena to ‘accept the hate’ since his return to the WWE, and weeks of ambushed attacks and Zack Ryder beat-downs have led to this match being set-up; but has Cena already begun to turn to the Big Red side?

After Kane’s most recent assault on Ryder, which ended with an ambulance exit for the self-proclaimed Internet Champion; Cena was caught on camera doing something the under twelve members of the WWE Universe never thought they would see… he started to accept the hate.

Although this hate was only signalled by a bizarre shaking of the head with an equally odd frowning action; the actual sight of this mini breakdown was enough to make us question whether or not Kane’s antics were finally getting to the ten-time WWE Champion.

The match at the Royal Rumble on Sunday is likely to be hate-filled from the get-go, with revenge the number one objective for Cena, whereas the Big Red Machine is the epitome of hate anyway.

WWE may be wanting the leader of the Cenation to be edging more and more towards being ‘hate-accepting’ and thus more popular amongst an older age-group, but surely it is unlikely that the man whose motto is ‘Rise Above Hate’ will be broken down to this level.

Kane will be looking to do to Cena what he did to Ryder on Monday, but with John determined to set right (what he seems to believe to be) the guilt he has over Ryders injury, we will have to wait and see whether revenge will equal hate at the Rumble.

RY2J Verdict: John Cena wins by pinfall

Headbanger Ash Verdict: Kane wins by DQ

Hollywood Hinchcliffe Verdict: John Cena wins by pinfall

RY2J’s Royal Rumble Preview (Part 1 of 4): World Heavyweight Championship Match

Written By RY2J

Can D-Bry defy the Odds?

With only four matches confirmed for this year’s Royal Rumble, a lot will be expected from these potentially awesome bouts. Over the next few days, I will analyse the big winners and the potentially big losers at the 25^th annual event, from a World Heavyweight Triple-Threat Cage match, to the 30-man Rumble itself, it promises to be a high-flying, fast-paced pay-per-view you don’t want to miss!

World Heavyweight Championship Steel Cage Triple-Threat Match:

Mark Henry v Big Show v Daniel Bryan

With the SmackDown program re-growing in popularity week after week, the Friday-night shows main event at the Rumble is likely to be an excellent, extreme competition and a great start to the night’s proceedings (presuming this is the first match on the card).

Daniel Bryan goes into the match as the current Champion, but his recent weaselling antics and lack of integrity has seen the former NXT star begin the first stages of his heel turn. He will undoubtedly be named as ‘the underdog’ in the competition (and this will probably be mentioned a ridiculous amount of times throughout the match), but as has been seen in recent weeks on SmackDown, D-Bry will do whatever it takes to retain his title.

Joining Bryan in the ring will be the owner of the Hall of Pain, former one-time World Heavyweight Champion Mark Henry. The wrestler formerly known as ‘Sexual Chocolate’ will be looking to regain a title it took him fifteen years to win; and inside a steel cage the World’s Strongest Man could be right at home inside the structure.

The third and final contender in the match is the man who Bryan beat for the title, the World’s Largest Athlete, The Big Show. If Show is to win the championship, he will be hoping to hold onto it for a little while longer than his previous two-minute reign. The man with the devastating knockout punch will be looking forward to finally getting his hands on the champion who has done everything he can do to avoid Show in recent weeks, but inside a cage, there’s nowhere to hide.

With the two giants who gave us the ‘Holy $#!+ Move of the Year’ being put inside a steel cage with the heel-turning Bryan, a hell of a contest can be expected. Will the smallest man in the match defy the odds and retain his title, or will we be crowning a new champion in the first match of the night. Whatever the outcome, the winner will then have to watch on and wait to see who wins the Rumble match; as these two superstars could potentially be headlining WrestleMania in the near future!

RY2J Verdict: Bryan wins by escaping the cage
Hollywood Hinchcliffe Verdict: Bryan wins by escaping the cage
Headbanger Ash Verdict: Big Show wins by Pinfall over Bryan

Barrett Barrage to Continue

Barrett Aiming Big in 2012

Written By RY2J

As is discussed in an earlier blog entry (namely “Nexus: Where Are They Now?”), Wade Barrett is one of the major success stories in the WWE to have come out of the NXT programme. With his hard hitting, in your face wrestling style, Barrett was able to establish himself as a ‘major-player’ on SmackDown through the back-end of 2011, and the Barrett Barrage looks set to continue in 2012.

After feuding with Randy Orton for almost two months, the hard-nosed Englishman was able to really cement his place on the SmackDown roster as a major Heel, and help to climb his way towards the top in the WWE. The man who used to rule Nexus has been able to push on in the business as a singles competitor, and now that he isn’t surrounded by several other stable members, the Mancunian hasn’t been fazed by the spotlight; he’s thrived under it.

 Going into the Royal Rumble Pay-Per-View this weekend, Barrett may only be viewed as having an outside chance of winning the Rumble and going on to headline WrestleMania, but the fact that he is considered as a contender nevertheless shows what a force the Barrett Barrage has become.

At last year’s Rumble, only John Cena and (then Nexus leader) CM Punk lasted longer in the ring than Barrett, who was eventually eliminated after surviving over twenty-two minutes (ironically, it was Orton who eliminated him, ten months before the two started their bitter rivalry). Perhaps such a display may not occur this year, but don’t be surprised if the former-Intercontinental Champion plays a major role in the final outcome of the match.

Regardless of The Rumble result, the future looks bright for the ex-Corre member, who will surely be used in the SmackDown Elimination Chamber in February, potentially leading to a major role for Barrett come April 1^st in Miami.

An Englishman is yet to hold the WWE Championship in its 39-year history, but with the Barrett Barrage looking set to continue (and perhaps dominate) in 2012; it may only be a matter of time until that record is set straight.