First Royal Rumble Privilege To Be Lost (you know, since the last time) Next Week?

[willross]

I think this is one of two things.

WWE Creative buying some more time to see if Taker will be ready and winner will be made last minute depending on Taker's condition.

OR

WWE Creative trying to trick people into thinking Undertaker isn't ready and this is their out to get Punk in an important match.

 

[midgensa]

It seems clear at this point that they are setting up a wild finish of some sort to this one in order to set up a Triple Threat. They did this fairly well honestly because they have 7 weeks until WrestleMania ... so they need some "PPVesque" events on RAW until then. This will have that feel.

I think also that this is clearly an Undertaker issue. They are taking as much time as they can to see if The Dead Man can get ready for WrestleMania and they don't want Punk left out in a lurch waiting around. This can easily turn into Punk vs. Undertaker if Taker is ready ... and if he isn't ... Punk vs. Cena vs. The Rock still draws big time and keeps Punk at the top of the card where he needs to be.

I would be surprised to see Lesnar get involved in anyway ... since it is apparent that he is on course to face HHH again ... but Lesnar is the "fourth" moneymaker here and could easily take on Punk or Cena ... though it does not seem to make much sense at this point in time knowing that Brock is around for two more years after this.

So ... in the end ... most likely we see Undertaker come out and snap up Punk for WrestleMania or we see Punk get a sketchy win of some sort and make it a triple threat match for Mania. Either works for me.

 

[thebarber]

pretty obvious that if Undertaker is good to go at Wrestlemania, he will be involved in the finish of Cena vs Punk, as by then Mania is 5 weeks away and they really need to set this match up properly. Another week and it will be too rushed, bad enough Punk will be getting beaten again by a once a year performer. If Taker isnt able to return for Mania this year, this match will end in a double pin, that way the triple threat will be on, Punk gets into the Main event as he beat Cena, and Cena gets a tainted yet another non clear cut win. Problem is, Cena needs to pin The Rock to get hios massive Mania moment, Punk will be there to carry the match and Cena will get the victory over The Rock, leaving Cena vs Punk for after Mania where Cena can finally get his victories over Punk. Either way, it is win win, Punk vs Taker comes from this or Punk rightfully is in the main event of Mania.

 

[HBsam31]

I agree with the majority in that it could go one of two ways. I think that it will be some kind of dq or count out finish that would lead to the match at Mania becoming a three way, or Taker comes in and costs Punk the victory setting up their feud. I have wanted to see a Taker/Punk match at this Mania since Punk started the whole respect angle. It is just perfect, and if Punk still had all of his momentum I would have thought this would be the perfect year to end the streak. Punk gains the ultimate form of respect in ending it. I am not sure that is so believable now. Anyhow I can't see Cena being left out of the title match no matter how this goes down, but I suppose stranger things have happen. Ultimately I think we will still see Cena/Rock 2.

 

[Dmbfantomas]

F
If Taker does pop up, I don't know that he'll interfere in the match. After all, Cena wants to go over Punk to prove he deserves the spot against The Rock at WM 29, so having Taker show up to provide some sort of distraction or interference sort of takes away from that.

It sets things up well for after Wrestlemania. I'm assuming that if it is Punk v Taker that Punk is going over (this has got to be Taker's last year, right? Also, 21-0 isn't terribly special. 20-0 was, though. Plus...20-1 would be a great T-Shirt). If Punk goes over, he can still boast that Cena never beat him, that he REALLY beat Rock with the 18 count, and that he beat Undertaker. This would set up a great continuation for one of the best feuds the WWE has ever seen. I really wish it could have been Punk v Cena for WM, because as we saw again Monday night they work fabulously with each other.

 

[the.ray.]

I don't think this is an Undertaker issue at all. I think WWE is very clear as to whether Taker can go at Wrestlemania or not. This is a John Cena thing.

Punk has played his part valiantly. He is the man whose held the championship over the past year, the anti-Cena if you will... so that eventually Cena can go over him. Like somebody else said in the thread, Cena is VERY MUCH still the face of the company. This match on Raw is about Cena FINALLY going over Punk to enhance the Cena/Rock feud.

Punk already has a top place on the Wrestlemania card. You can tell by the way he's performing right now. He's not reaching for anything. He's confident.

Maybe it'll be a triple threat and I'll be wrong.

I'd put my money on a clean Cena win to enhance the Cena/Rock match. After all, regardless of what we think, that is what WWE views as the money match for Mania.

 

[SaosiN]

I hated this with a passion. Having the match on RAW to determine who is facing the rock is just plain stupid in my opinion. The royal rumble winner is the challenger for the title at wrestlemania. End of story. That is how it's always been and that's how it should be, otherwise why have the rumble?

 

[niallf96]

Didn't Mysterio lose his RR privilege to Orton, only for Long to reinstate him, and Rey went on to win the WHC in a Triple Threat? Anyways, I think Taker WILL return next week, cost Punk the match, setting up the Mania match of all matches!

 

[Jack-Hammer]

It's almost guaranteed that Cena keeps his match against The Rock since The Undertaker returned to team up with Sheamus in a match against Wade Barrett & Damien Sandow in Waco, Texas last night. While that doesn't mean that Taker will be returning for a Mania match with Punk is 100% guaranteed at this point, it might as well be.

That slight bit of doubt will be all that's really needed to help make this match come off like a big deal tomorrow night. At least, that's what I'm hoping. I'm hoping that WWE doesn't pull another Raw 1,000 moment with Punk & Cena in which they only wrestled for about 5 minutes.

 

[Mustang Sally]

Only in pro wrestling can a person win a hard-fought privilege and get angry enough shortly afterward to gamble away the whole thing. Here, we have John Cena going through PPV hell to win the Royal Rumble and gain the right to face whomever the champion is at Wrestlemania. Then, on Monday, he joyfully agrees to give CM Punk a chance to take his place at the same event.

Of course, as the Dudley Do-Right of WWE, Cena allows this stupid match to take place; it's no less than we'd expect. What surprises me is that sometimes it's the heel who agrees to the provision and sacrifices everything he worked so hard for to give his opponent a chance to take a shortcut. Can you imagine this kind of thing happening in real life? (In my own job, I worked for years to achieve the next level. I can only imagine myself agreeing to give someone who hadn't worked as hard the chance to take my new position.....in a winner-take-all game of chess)

Sometimes, it's even the General Manager who orders the confrontation, which seems so unfair it practically leaves skid marks in the ring. Imagine taking a stipulation that a PPV revolved around and punishing the winner by forcing him to risk it in a single match......for no good reason.

If they do fight on Monday, Cena should win, for one overriding reason: If tons of fans detest the idea of Rock-Cena II, why would they favor Rock-Punk III, especially since Punk lost twice so recently to the same man?

Personally, I want to see Cena fight Rock for the title, take the duke, and witness the display of solidarity between the two as Rock's wrestling career fades into the Hollywood sunset.