WWE Royal Rumble 2012 preview

The road to Wrestlemania 28 is all set to begin with the 25th annual Royal Rumble event on January 29, 2011 at Scottrade Center in St. Louis, Missouri. Considered to be one of the big four PPV’s in the WWE, Royal Rumble is a one of a kind event. For nearly a quarter of a century, one match has never failed to enthrall the audience. And this year, it will be the 25th anniversary of the coveted Royal Rumble match. With a super-card featuring 4 exciting matches, Royal Rumble 2012 is going to be a treat to watch.

Match 1: John Cena Vs Kane

Singles Match

Kane Vs John Cena

This has been the main feud on Raw over the past few weeks. Ever since being resurrected with the mask, Kane has been tormenting John Cena with vicious attacks. Kane has made a compelling argument towards John Cena to embrace the hate. While John Cena has been showing signs of embracing hate especially during his match with Jack Swagger, Kane turned his attack towards Cena’s buddy Zack Ryder, at the same time. Kane even took out Zack Ryder last week, in his first match since returning back. This Sunday, John Cena may suffer the same fate. Once again, talks of John Cena turning heel at Royal Rumble have surfaced on the internet. But, the chances of such an happening are low. It is profitable for WWE to keep John Cena in the same role that he is portraying currently. But I’m apprehensive about the effect of John Cena embracing the hate in this match. Will John Cena embrace the hate and channel it towards Kane? Or will Kane reign supreme once again? This match is headed for a tantalizing finish.

Match 2: Daniel Bryan(c) Vs Big Show Vs Mark Henry

Triple Threat Steel Cage match for the World Heavyweight Championship

World Heavweight Championship match

For the first time in history, a steel cage match for the World Heavyweight Championship will take place at the Royal Rumble event. Furthermore, it will be a Triple Threat match, which stacks the odds completely against the champion heading into the match. In a David Vs 2 Goliath’s battle, it would be a daunting task for Bryan to be victorious in this match. Daniel Bryan won the World Heavyweight Championship last month at TLC, wherein he cashed his Money in the Bank briefcase on the new Champion Big Show who had just won a brutal Chairs match against Mark Henry. Big Show’s title reign lasted just 45 seconds as Bryan became the new World Heavyweight Champion. However, his title reign hasn’t really put him over as a champion. Over the last few weeks, Daniel Bryan has been finding numerous ways to weasel out unscathed in title matches against Big Show and Mark Henry, either knowingly or unknowingly. His girlfriend AJ was knocked down badly by Big Show in one of those matches, and since then, Bryan has been angry towards Big Show. Mark Henry, who has been nursing an injury, is the other man in this match. With the odds stacked against him, will the World Heavyweight Champion emerge victorious?

Match 3: CM Punk(c) Vs Dolph Ziggler

Singles Match for the WWE Championship with John Laurinaitis as the special guest referee.

WWE Championship match

CM Punk will be defending his WWE championship against Dolph ‘Show Off’ Ziggler. In this match too, the odds are stacked against the Champion, since the special guest referee, John Laurinaits, has announced that he will screw Punk in this match. He may very well retreat from his announcement, keeping the inspection by WWE COO – Triple H next week, in the back of his mind. The animosity between CM Punk and John Laurinaitis as been growing ever since Punk became the WWE Champion. Punk had accused John Laurinaitis of being jealous of his success. A match between both these men was teased several times but it never happened. We can expect some physicality between these two men during or after the end of the match. The challenger, Dolph Ziggler, has beaten Punk on numerous occasions in the recent past, courtesy of Laurinaitis, whose interference cost Punk the victory on all occasions. After an unsuccessful challenge for the World Heavyweight Championship against Edge at last year’s Rumble, Ziggler would want to make amends this time. His push to the top needs a Championship victory and this may be the right occasion for it. Will the ‘Best in the World’ reaffirm his status or will there be a ‘Show Off’? John Laurinaitis holds the trump card.

Match 4: Royal Rumble match

Royal Rumble match

Finally, the main event of the night will feature 30 contenders who will give their best for an opportunity to main event Wrestlemania. The 25th anniversary of the Royal Rumble match has a special significance as the rules have been amended to allow all superstars on the roster to participate in this match. However, it is still unclear whether the champions will be a part of the rumble. With several high profile names expected to return and legends like Road Dogg, Jim Duggan rumored to make a one-off appearance, this match will certainly be unpredictable. New feuds will emerge since it is every man for himself in this match. The Miz will enter this year’s Rumble match with a distinct disadvantage at #1 after losing in a match with R-Truth last week on Raw. Mick Foley and Chris Jericho will also take part in this Rumble match. Given the unpredictability of the Royal Rumble, it will be risky to predict the winner. So, let us sit back and enjoy this one-of-a-kind match that never ceases to surprise us.

Welcome aboard on the road to Wrestlemania 28.