Is it time for an unpredictable Rumble winner?

[ASKane]

The Royal Rumble is one of WWE's big events with the winner getting a tile match at Wrestlemania but is it finally time to let a mid card guy have his push as a result of the Rumble. Every winner since atleast 2000 was an established star with multiple major titles to his name with the only exception being Del Rio but he had competed in a World Heavyweight title match before and been in the main event picture. The WWE has recently been using the World Heavyweight championship match to open PPV's so I suggest that WWE does the same with the Royal Rumble winner at Mania. The WWE has a large roster of guys with tons of potential they just need there chance. This is a list of guys who have not had a major title match(WWE or WHC) but who are good enough to hold it or deserve it.

Antonio Cesaro, Cody Rhodes, Dean Ambrose, Kofi Kingston, Roman Reigns, Ryback, Tyson Kidd and Wade Barrett. These are all guys with potential who will probably gain a major title in the future. If we get another predictable Royal Rumble where one of the big 5 going into the match win it will just be annoying. The big 5 is likely to be Cena, Punk, Bryan, Sheamus and Big Show. I know it is easiest to build storys around them but is in not time to trial having a unexpected winner, I know they tried and failed with the MITB this year but the Rumble is different. It will give someone a chance to show there strengths and get the push up the ladder, also unlike the MITB losing to an established champion feels like a lot less of a burial by that champion so losing at Mania and winning down the line is still possible.

Your Thoughts on whether they should have unexpected winner and if they do who you would like to see.

 

[Jack-Hammer]

There's a HUGE difference between having someone win the Rumble that you didn't expect AND can be viewed as a believable threat to the WWE or World Heavyweight Championship come WM and between having someone win the Rumble just for the sake of pulling an "I bet you didn't see that one coming" moment. Unfortunately, too many people, especially among internet fans, have the idea that because something happens that's unexpected is the same as being good.

WrestleMania XXX is, obviously, the 30th anniversary of WrestleMania. It's the 30th installment of a wrestling event that, in all honesty, did help to put ppv on the map. It was also a gamble on Vince's part and it's one that's most definitely paid off. As a result, I ultimately see WWE doing anything they can in order to give this WrestleMania as much of an epic feel as they can. As a result, there's virtually no chance of anyone who fans don't view as a genuine & credible threat to the title winning the Royal Rumble.

Could WWE go the route of doing something unexpected and have someone like Kidd, Kofi, Fandango, etc. win the Rumble? Sure, there's always a possibility of going down that road IF the WWE brass feels that they can transform any of those guys into credible threats to the title during the peak of WrestleMania season. The problem with that strategy is that it's very much a gamble because MAYBE the guy they give this opportunity to simply doesn't rise to the occasion. As much as creative and the officials sometimes get blamed for everything negative, the wrestlers play their role as well. If they're not able to use what they've got to make the fans love them as a face or hate them as a heel, then that's entirely on them.

The odds are that whomever wins the Royal Rumble at any time is someone that WWE officials have faith in and is someone that they feel has proven himself over time already. At the biggest wrestling event of the year, particularly with one with a significant anniversary number attached to it, WWE doesn't want one of the top matches at the show to be a lackluster bomb. That doesn't mean that it can't happen even if both guys are major stars, but it's certainly less likely.

IF the reports turn out to be true that WWE is planning and goes through with a title unification match at WrestleMania XXX between the WWE & World Heavyweight Champions, I don't know where that would leave the RR winner.

 

[darbare]

Im not sure what you mean because to me the Rumble is generally unpredictable..on your "Big 5" Cena and Sheamus are the only ones that have won it. The Rumble imo needs someone credible winning it because over the last few years its slipped a bit in quality and winner..Sheamus wasnt the worst option, but he sure wasnt the best..Del Rio also had no business winning it imo. If you mean by the most unpredictable, the list could look like Damien Sandow, Bray Wyatt, Cody Rhodes, maybe Roman Reigns. But if it were me Id go with Daniel Bryan, case closed. Especially after the way theyve demoted him recently

 

[fenderjapan]

Who wins the Royal Rumble has an influence on WM buyrates. Its easier to push a midcarder using the MITB than RR because of the fact that you can have up to a year to push the guy before he actually challenges for the title. For the Royal Rumble you get two months. I can't see a Tyson Kidd or a Cody Rhodes getting pushed that hard over two months to be a credible main eventer.

 

[the_peoples_adam]

This year a lot of legends are expected to return at RUMBLE..... going past all of them and winning the RUMBLE will be HUGE......Plus its WRESTLEMANIA 30 which means the main event needs to get BIG......I don't see money in a midcard star to win this years RUMBLE...For me I'd love to see CM PUNK as the winner as he needs it...or what about THE UNDERTAKER winning and challenging WORLD HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPION JOHN CENA for WM30 in his last WRESTLEMANIA...or maybe BROCK LESNAR and challenging the UNDERTAKER who will then be the HEAVYWEIGHT champion...also i would love to see KURT ANGLE win the RUMBLE in PITTSBURGH coz he has never won it......Let's See...

 

[bnn52]

I am all for someone new and unexpected winning the rumble, just not this year. WM30 is way too big of an event to take a shot on someone like Antonio Cesaro or Tyson Kidd getting a Major Title shot. I am not saying they arent talented or entertaining by any means, but WWE needs to put on the most star packed WM in recent history. Also, Ryback and Wade Barrett have both had major title matches, Barret's was not on a PPV, but Ryback has had multiple WWE Title shots on multiple PPV's.

I am hoping for CM Punk to win the Rumble this year, he is due to add that to his resume.

 

[Mustang Sally]

There's a HUGE difference between having someone win the Rumble that you didn't expect AND can be viewed as a believable threat to the WWE or World Heavyweight Championship come WM and between having someone win the Rumble just for the sake of pulling an "I bet you didn't see that one coming" moment.

True, but the problem with Royal Rumble always having the guy that was just about to become a championship contender coming out on top is the same as the Money in the Bank dilemma. We've come to understand in MITB that winning the Rumble was a sure way to win the title; that the briefcase holder was going to cash in on an exhausted champion and the champ would be losing in belt in a most inequitable fashion. The same thing every time. (Until the refreshing exception of Damien Sandow, recently)

So it's been with the Rumble; we know in advance that almost everyone in the ring is filler. It's great to see guys come out at the bell, especially when it's someone totally unexpected, but when have you ever seen one of those guys take the duke?

So yes, I understand that a lot is tied up in who gets the WM title shot, but just for the sake of creating more drama for the Royal Rumble, I'd love to see someone totally unexpected win it, and let the Creative machine build a plan toward his title shot in April. Hell, even if he somehow manages to lose the rights to his shot between January and WM30, it would still be a pleasure to see someone totally unexpected win the Rumble.

One other thought: If they truly plan to turn Roman Reigns face and give him a push, winning the Rumble might be a fine way to elevate him. The problem is that this would follow the same formula I've been ranting against.

 

[justinept]

Jack Swagger was a surprise winner at the Elimination Chamber last year, earning himself the same distinction that John Cena did from winning the Royal Rumble. There would have been no difference in the WrestleMania card had Swagger won the Rumble and Cena won the chamber match. So to think a surprise Rumble winner can't be done - or won't be done at some point - is naive.

 

[Jack G]

Stay with me here, but do you remember the match the last time we had a unification stipulation? Jericho - Austin - Rock. Triple threat!

How about pulling the same thing here, being as it's the 30th anniversary.

If they're seriously thinking about the unification, what better stage than WM30...This would leave doubt on the RR winner who would question his opportunity only to be told that he is involved in the unification match!

Now the next question is who? WWE Champ Randy Orton vs WHC John Cena vs RR Winner...The Undertaker?

What better way to build the biggest WM of all time with The Streak vs Champ vs Champ in a unification match.

IF it were to be Undertaker, he would win...but does he need that much of a huge victory for buy-rates? No. So should the RR winner be an up and comer to gain a "rub" from the two champs? Maybe, let's face it, at the time last, Jericho was an up and comer (be it quite a huge one). So who else does it leave for RR winner potentials...CM Punk, Ziggler, HHH!?

Time will tell, but for me, the perfect match would be Streak vs Champ vs Champ for the unification of the WWE and WHC belts. What. A. Match!

 

[RKO920]

I'd love to see the WWE go back to the traditional sense and the winner of the Royal Rumble was in the main event of WrestleMania. Should there be a surprise? No. That's generally where the Elimination Chamber or obviously Money in the Bank comes into play. What the WWE needs to do is build up multiple guys that could look credible being in the Main Event of WrestleMania.

Off the top of my head: Punk, Bryan, Sheamus, Jericho (if he comes back), Lesnar, Big Show, Mysterio, Ziggler, Del Rio, Kane, Bray Wyatt, and if he comes back the Undertaker. If all built up right can all look to be favorites to win the Rumble. If the champions stay the same then there are endless possibilities that could come up as title matches for Mania. So while we all know the winner will probably be Punk or Bryan, I would be happy with any of those guys winning and it might be considered a surprise.

 

[Jerichoholic8894]

Imagine if somehow Triple H ended up with the WWE Title by Rumble, and Vince McMahon won the Royal Rumble to get the WWE back from Triple H, only to hand pick the wrestler to fight in his place? THAT would be unpredictable, yet realistic also.

Although It appears that CM Punk is going to win this Rumble, nothing is ever set in stone.

 

[a member of wwe universe]

Well first things first this idea will not come to fruition cause right creative is planning for unification match at mania between orton and cena. Well of course plans change all the time. Second theres no way cena will face a no name guy like a tyson kidd, barrette, kingston etc. at mania.

In regards to the winner, no it should not be some no name guy winning the rumble like barrette, rhodes, cesarro etc. because no nobody will care. How did sheamus and Del Rio do when they won their respective royal rumble match?

Im all for unpredictability but that guy needs to be credible to win the rumble. You cant just throw a bunch of spaghetti on the wall and hope something will stick. If you're rooting for Daniel bryan and cm punk to win it, im perfectly fine with it cause they are established and credible to win the rumble.

 

[Jackc13]

seems unlikely they'd do that this year seeing as its wrestlemainia 30 and every match needs to be as prestigious as possible but maybe for WM31 have someone win the rumble thats an underdog

 

[Mcase7187]

I could see it as maybe john cena wins the RR so they can have the tittle vs tittle match

 

[FarFromFine]

I don't know his status but if they wanted to throw the biggest swerve possible they could have Chael Sonnen show up and win the Royal Rumble then find a way to have him fight Lesnar at WM. That way you'd have the streak, whatever Punk is doing, whatever Cena is doing, and a match of two "legit" fighters on the card. Sonnen will come to the WWE at some point, if he loses his next UFC fight it could be soon.

 

[DDevine]

It was simpler back in the day when you had a lot more options to choose from. You had a bunch of possible candidates, plus the possibility that someone would jump ship from another promotion. Now, nobody cares about the other promotions enough that they would feel excitement.

That being said, I'm not dumb enough to say that Tyson Kidd or Dean Ambrose or any of the lesser hyped midcarders would win it. I also don't think Ryback has a chance. Wyatt only has a chance if all three are in there, but they'll all probably end up getting eliminated by Kane. I could see Lesnar, but meh. Punk and Bryan, almost definitely, along with Orton or Cena should they lose their titles. I don't see either of the Rhodes. I could see a returning Mysterio. Sheamus is also a possibility. But what I actually think will happen, is some sort of swerve ending, or possibly a double finish (like Bret and Luger), which would result in a larger main event, or the rumble to be considered null and void this year.

 

[ASKane]

I put Ryback on because he has the build to win the Rumble and they could use it to try and restart his career even though it is a big risk

 

[mrmachinegunn]

To me the royal rumble lost all meaning when a month later 5 men in the elimination chamber could get to wrestlemania by winning that takes away the prestige of the rumble if u got a second chance to get to wrestlemania straight after it.

 

[Redemption-2012]

CM Punk should win the Royal Rumble in 2014. It's the one thing he has yet to do. I think we see either CM Punk vs Randy Orton for the WWE title or a triple threat match with Bryan involved for the World title. Who knows? ...

 

[justinept]

It was simpler back in the day when you had a lot more options to choose from. You had a bunch of possible candidates, plus the possibility that someone would jump ship from another promotion. Now, nobody cares about the other promotions enough that they would feel excitement.

It's actually easier now than it was 15 years ago. WrestleMania used to be headlined by the WWE Title match. Whoever won the Royal Rumble was being counted on to deliver buy rates. Today, we have a second world title match, the streak, and the potential to bring back a part-timer in order to increase buy rates. There's way less risk in taking a chance on a guy via the Rumble because there's so much else the WWE can use to market the event.

Look at the WrestleMania card from just two years ago. The event was marketed on "Once in a Lifetime" and "The End of an Era." Sheamus won the Royal Rumble that year, and neither he nor his opponent (Daniel Bryan) are even on the poster to market the event. The same can be said for WrestleMana 27 when Alberto Del Rio used his Royal Rumble victory to challenge Edge and WrestleMania 26 when Edge used his Royal Rumble victory to challenge Chris Jericho. None of these matches were even marketed on the WrestleMania poster.

 

[MCMG]

I honestly can't remember the last proper shock we had. Of course there was Cena but if someone said he was going to win the Rumble it wouldn't be a shock - it was different. I would love to see a shock winner this year (or any year) because it is such an incredible match and it stars the Road to Wrestlemania - what better way that to shock the audience.

There are plenty of names that could be a "shock". While Bryan, Punk and even Lesnar seem to be the favourites for 2014, there are other names that could win and give us a nice surprise heading into WM. I'm not suggesting that Heath Slater wins but someone from The Shield, Rhodes, Barrett, Ziggler. Really not asking for much but enough to get us excited about the next night on Raw.

Take last year for example, almost everyone was predicting a John Cena win and he delivered. Then it was extremely obvious that The Rock was going to beat Punk. Everything was a little to predictable when it didn't need to be. Like I said, I'm not suggesting a jobber should win but someone from the upper mid-card that is maybe the 7th or 8th most obvious choice.

The main problem with having a someone less well known win the Rumble is that it is a match that a lot of casual fans know about. When I talk about wrestling to people who haven't watched for a few years one of the first few questions is inevitably who won the Royal Rumble. I think the majority of fans have it as their most enjoyable match-type and that stays with you. Someone like Brock Lesnar or The Undertaker would be a safe option for this year because it is a great way to start hyping WM to the less devoted fans. As for us who are more passionate; we probably want a mid-carder that has impressed us every single week since WM29. It is a conflict but there is more chance of The Undertaker winning this years Rumble than someone like Cesaro or Wade Barrett.

 

[The_Don]

I don't think WWE will throw in a mid carder to win the Rumble, especially if it's WM 30 were they get the title shot. WWE will try to go as big as possible, so I believe the winners are between Bryan and Punk. Bryan winning would make much sense, but I don't mind Punk.

It depends on who will wrestle at WM, as I believe there's still hope for Austin vs Punk as well as Bryan vs HBK. If those 2 matches happen, then I believe WWE will go hard for Reigns. I don't see anyone else new winning it besides him.

 

[Da Solo]

No. I've long since been all for a surprise Rumble winner, but not this year. It's WM XXX, and by the law of all numbers ending in 0's or 5's being special, it should be epic, and considering the Rumble winner gets a shot at main eventing the show, that's a lot to risk on an upper midcarder. We've already seen a good Chamber and a WM main event wasted the same way this year with Jack Swagger, let's not do it again. Not saying that we can't have that underdog win this year, but it should at least be someone within the realm of possibility, like a Bryan, Punk, etc.