WWE 2012 Royal Rumble - Punk (c) VS Ziggler (John L Special Ref) - WWE Championship

[KnowMyRole-ShutYourMouth]

I don't see how anyone could possibly think Ziggler has a puncher's chance in this. Typical Rumble Title Match where the challenger simply isn't ready to carry the gold, but would benefit greatly by simply competing for it.

If you are one of the few who thinks Dolph is going to win, ask yourself this: who does he feud with heading into WM? OR do you think the WWE is going to continue to hot potato it and have Jericho or Punk win the strap @ Elimination Chamber to set up their feud? Do you see how much of an inconvenience and how unnecessary it would be for Ziggler to win? Good.

Prediction: Punk retains thus setting up a match w/ Johnny Ace @ Elimination Chamber. Jericho will either be in Laurinatis' corner or the referee or involved in SOME capacity (pre-match of course; not just a run-in).

 

[Hulk Hogan's Brother]

The thing worth seeing in this feud is the improvement that John Lauranitis hs shown over the last few weeks. He isn't openly opposed to Punk but comes across as the quintessential corporate douchebag who is all politically correct in front of everyone but is a dick to the people he does not like behind the scenes. I think that the finish of the Swagger/ Punk match on Raw was a work and maybe Lauranitis will make use of that fact to allow Swagger and Vickie at ringside during the match.

I do expect Punk to retain the belt in the match however. How it will go down is anybody's guess. Maybe they'll do a finish similar to the one that took place during the Austin/ Dude Love match at Over the Edge 1998 where Vince got knocked down and Austin made the count by tapping Vince's hand on the mat three times. Or maybe Lauranitis will get conked out and another ref will make the count. Or maybe Punk will somehow force JL to make the count. Maybe Jericho will interfere and help Punk win to set up their clash at Mania. Lots of possibilities here but they all lead to Punk winning the title. I do hope Ziggler gets a better match at Mania as compared to last year though. Somewhat cruelly, he finds himself in the same position he was at this point last year. Cruelly because he has really been a very consistent performer.

I am more interested in seeing how the Punk/ Lauranitis saga will develop after the match. Lauranitis will probably become more open in his feelings towards Punk after this match and probably try to get back at him by putting him in disadvantageous situations. If Jericho gets involved in the story I can see Jericho actually teaming with Punk initially and then turning on Punk as we approach WrestleMania.

 

[Mitch Henessey]

Punk finally pushed John Laurinaitis over the edge this past Monday on Raw, and Laurinaitis admitted his intentions to screw CM Punk out of the WWE Championship. I have to believe something fishy or controversial will happen at the Rumble. There should be a lot of tension between Punk and Laurinaitis during this match, and I wouldn't be surprised if we saw an appearance from Mick Foley. Foley has shown his support for Punk, and it looks like the champion will need ally here.

Punk and Ziggler had a fantastic WWE Championship match on a Raw a while back, so I am expecting something good at the pay per view. Punk should retain, and I fully expect him to go into Wrestlemania as the WWE Champion. Ziggler has become one of WWE's hottest young rising stars, and WWE has shown a lot of faith in him over the past year, so he shouldn't fade away into obscurity after this match.

 

[Jack-Hammer]

This should be another great match between these two. I don't think anyone really suspects that Ziggler will walk out with the title, but the real story will be how Punk retains and what this will lead to afterward.

I think that Big Johnny will do everything in his power to screw Punk, as he said he intended to on Raw. I think that he'll come close to succeeding but that Mick Foley will interfere and wind up helping Punk to somehow retain the title. Given their altercation on Raw, I look for WWE to set up a Ziggler vs. Foley match for WrestleMania as Ziggler would blame Foley for costing him the WWE Championship. My reason for suspecting Foley's involvement in the match is because of JL hitting Mick on the noggin with the mic before leaving the ring.

 

[#1HEEL]

I just hope that Ziggler doesn't lose out on the Wrestlemania front like he did last year.

He was in this exact position on Smackdown last year, granted that this year's version is on RAW, and therefore Zigs is better for it. But last year, there was alot of talk of a Edge-Ziggler-ADR fued at mania, and as it turned out he was thrown into a few minute match with Snooki.

He does deserve better. Reports from Foley again his return indicate it wouldnt be for months after Mania however, so this might rub out that as a potential match.

I think I'm the only person on this site he actually thinks Ziggler could get the win.

 

[Robbo89]

This match has had so much build....but for the wrong reasons! How come Dolph and Punk haven't really had much of a program heading into this match, Ziggler has spent the last few weeks beating Cena by default and then is just thrown into a title match.....this storyline is more focused around Punk and Johnny Ace that Ziggler just seems like a spare part in it all, which is a shame because Ziggler deserves this opportunity! Punk will win i think thanks to help from HHH perhaps, or even Vince trying to screw Johnny Ace over, leading to this roumored match between Punk and Ace at EC. Punk will drop the strapat some point prior to Elimination Chamber to Ziggler after J.L screws him again on Raw. This will leave Punk without the strap heading into Mania where he will possibly face Y2J, Ziggler will keep the strap after pinning Cena at EC leading to Rock vs Cena and Ziggler vs possibly Mysterio (depending on fitness) for the title.

 

[OWEN-ing It All]

I'm shocked to see how many of you doubt Ziggler. I think this match will be the shocker of the night.

I think Jericho and Lauranitis will cost Punk the title.....Ziggler taking the gold.

Jericho will win the Rumble. He will gloat the next night on Raw about truly being the best in the world. Stephanie will make her presence known, she has been texted every week by Johnny Ace. She was the anonymous raw gm.

Punk along with Jericho will face Ziggler in a Triple Threat at WM for the wwe championship. And it will be a classic wrestling clinic.

"I'm here to show the World"......That's how dolphs theme begins now right?

 

[TheEraOfAwesomeIsHere126]

I think after raw monday night my idea about how this match will end is that Johnny Ace will be about to screw CM Punk out of the wwe title but then just as Johhny Ace is about to count to 3 through say, ziggler hitting punk with a chair, Mick Foley will pull Johnny Ace out of the ring and knock him out at that point CM Punk will get up hit Ziggler with the GTS and either mick foley or another ref will count the pin

 

[justinept]

How come Dolph and Punk haven't really had much of a program heading into this match, Ziggler has spent the last few weeks beating Cena by default and then is just thrown into a title match.....this storyline is more focused around Punk and Johnny Ace that Ziggler just seems like a spare part in it all

The thing is, this angle isn't anything new. In fact, at Over The Edge in both 1998 and 1999, VKM acted as a special referee in the WWE Title match in order to screw Austin out of the title. The match in 1998 was against Mick Foley while the match in 1999 was against The Undertaker.

Whenever you do an angle between the face champion and the heel authority figure, those two always over shadow the actual match because that's the feud. The role of the heel wrestler is simply to take advantage of the situation - a role that Ziggler has performed admirably this past month.

This is a necessary role for Ziggler to play this month for a few reasons:

1) He is brand new to the Raw main event scene and this role eases his transition.

2) By the time the Rumble comes along, most fans have a great idea of what the WM main event will be. Whether the WWE goes with Punk/Jericho or Punk/HHH this year, it doesn't change the fact most fans believe Punk is walking into WM with the belt.

By adding Laurinaitis to this match and watching Ziggler take advantage of his involvement over the past month, it adds doubt that Punk will keep the strap at the Rumble. At the very least, it makes us watch because he want to see how Punk overcomes the odds.

 

[LoudClearVoice]

I think WWE is trying to trick us with this match. We've seen this plenty of times over the years.

They want us to think there are two possible outcomes: CM Punk leaves as champ or Ziggler leaves as champ.

IF Jericho is not going to feud with The Undertaker, then I think they COULD throw a "swerve" into this match by having Jericho somehow end up with the belt. Like Johnny L makes it a Triple Threat at the last minute or even during the match OR DZ wins the belt but then immediately loses it to Jericho or something like that.


Watch out for that.

 

[Stephen11]

^ There is no way in hell that Jericho walks away with the title tomorrow night. The only way I could see a "swerve" in the WWE championship picture is Dolph or Punk winning the Rumble after loosing their match & then main-eventing 'Mania.

Back to my prediction, either guy could win this match. Johnny Ace has been screwing over Punk for weeks plus Ziggler has Vicki in his corner. I honestly don't think it's a good idea to give the Ziggler the WWE title on the road to WM because he will get lost in the excitement. Ziggler has spent weeks trying to get over as a main-eventer but he just doesn't have the star power that someone like Punk or Jericho has. Many will argue that he does have what it takes to become the WWE champion but I don't think the casual fan will be very intrigued by Ziggler as champion especially with all of the epic WM story-lines that are going to start. Ziggler as WWE champ, Swagger as US champ & Primo/Epico as tag champs? That doesn't sound like the star power WWE needs for 'Mania. If Ziggler wins Sunday night then he will lose it before 'Mania so it might be better for him to wait a couple months until he wins the championship.

 

[#hamler]

Anyone remember the last time someone was overshadowed in a feud where one participant is distracted by someone who isn't that relevant? Last year, The Miz was hugely overshadowed by The Rock and John Cena's constant bickering. I certainly expected Cena to walk out with the championship, but Miz proved me wrong. The same could apply here. There's a slight chance that Punk is so preoccupied with John Laurinaitis, that Dolph sneaks in and picks up the WWE Championship. With that said, I believe the WWE has something bigger and better planned for each one of these superstars. It's likely Punk will go on to defend his WWE Championship at Wrestlemania against Chris Jericho like every rumor suggest and while I would love to see Dolph benefit from a WWE Championship reign, it's Wrestlemania season and that doesn’t seem likely.

I see Punk winning here. With Triple H coming into Raw on Monday to evaluate John Laurinaitis, there's no way Johnny screws everything up. Even with the GTS Punk delivered to Laurinaitis Monday; Punk is still my favorite to walk out with the WWE Championship. I see something big happening here. Not necessarily a title change, but a continuation of the Punk/Laurinaitis saga. I feel that Dolph is irrelevant in that storyline but I could very well be wrong.

Hamler's Prediction- CM Punk retains the WWE Championship

 

[BK Styles]

The quality of this match is not in question. Going on the work these two have done together in recent times, it will probably the best standard wrestling match on the card. But the story going in is what makes it intriguing. Laurinitis' involvement will either make the story more interesting, or will just ruin the match.

Personally, I don't know how to call it. Logic dictates that Punk will retain, but at the same time, I can see Ziggles pulling it off, with JL's help of course. With HHH coming back on Monday to assess Mr. Excitement, if Dolph wins, HHH will grant Punk his title rematch, and Punk would likely be screwed out of that one somehow too. To me, that sounds like something WWE would do.

Let's imagine that Ziggler wins fior a second. Most people have predicted Punk vs Jericho for the title at Mania, with Jericho winning the Rumble. We are still yet to see what happens with Jericho; if he wins the event then Punk is the no-brainer to be champ by then. But, hypothetically, Ziggler could win at the Rumble, then lose the belt at EC, setting that match up. If Jericho doesn't win the Rumble, then could Punk be the challenger for the WWE title going into Mania? Could be a part of the deal he renegotiated with WWE. Who knows. In which case, could Jericho win the WWE title at EC, or would Ziggler be able carry the belt to Mania? I doubt he'd hold it till then, but I could definitely see him win the belt at the Rumble, lose it at EC and then either go into Mania as the #1 contender to Punk, or in another match entirely leaving Punk vs Jericho. The latter is more likely in this scenario, as I think that Ziggler will win the WWE title the other side of Mania. He's in the middle of his rise to the main event, and it'd be too soon for him to jump into Mania's title match.

If Punk wins the match, as is likely, then I predict that Punk will head into Mania as Champ, and we'll be seeing him against Jericho. It's the only match that you can think of with everyone on the Raw roster that looks like it could even pheasably be a Mania Main Event. It makes the most sense, and it's a match that hasn't been done to death. Also, if Punk wins, his current title reign goes on, and Ziggler isn't handed another throwaway title reign; something that could really hurt him down the line.

Looking at it like this, the most logical decision would be to have Punk retain somehow. But that said, Ziggler has every chance of winning this match, and I wouldn't be at all suprised if he ends up doing so.

My call? Punk. But I wouldn't be suprised or dissapointed to be wrong.

(Apologies, went into fantasy booking mode)

 

[The Eighties]

Dolph has gotten more time and been booked better in this feud than I thought he would be. I like the way he's not Ace's boy and doesn't give a crap about Punk and Ace's beef, he's just looking to take advantage and win the belt.

The fact he's gotten the best of Punk week in and week out suggests a Punk win but WWE may be sucking us in, however I just feel if Dolph gets in a title match at Mania it will be for the WHC and WWE wont veer from the course of Punk going into Mania as champion.

 

[Wwe Fan 4Eva]

This was Brilliant match and Dolph Ziggler should have won it just like he should have won the World Heavyweight Championship Match against Edge the year before, Wwe could have simply had Dolph defeated Cm Punk at the Rumble and then drop it back to Punk either at Elimination Chamber or WrestleMania.

My point is that Wwe need to stop giving Ziggler these false starts every year around this time and give him a major push and now that he is on the verge of Cashing in The Money In The Bank it looks like he is going to get the push he deserves.