WWE Royal Rumble 2015: Royal Rumble Match

[laodaron]

Man, I have to be honest. As much as I really enjoy WWE programming right now, there just isn't a standout in the bunch.

Daniel Bryan winning the Rumble would be seen as pandering to the fans since he wasn't entered into the Rumble last year (a fact that the WWE told the fans but they ignored). Plus, he hasn't had any build time, it would be effective, but it wouldn't be much fun.

Dean Ambrose winning doesn't make sense, because his gimmick doesn't seem to want to operate within the confines of the rules of professional wrestling.

Roman Reigns just isn't ready. His Big Show match and his promos are proof enough, he just needs WAY too much work, and to push him now to the main event of WM31 would ultimately ruin him.

Randy Orton as the Viper just isn't fun to watch anymore, face or heel. He can still put on a mechanic school in the ring, and his promos are only second to John Cena (on the active roster), but he's still suffering from the same disorder as Cena - a character from the mid 2000s.

Seth Rollins winning doesn't make sense unless he drops that case. By nature of the MitB, he's a number 1 contender the second he wants to be. He could literally cash the case in right now for a title match at Royal Rumble. So, if they're going to put him in the Rumble (which they should for the spots alone), then he's going to have to not have the MitB contract for it to seem real.

Dolph Ziggler is the IC. Unless you're going to hot potato the IC belt again at the Rumble, then Dolph winning the Rumble is stupid booking.

Rusev could be fun, if you have a face champion at WM31. But much like Reigns, I don't think that Rusev or Lana are ready for that main event slot.

Ryback has already lost his steam. It was great when he came back, but they put him in that atrocious match against Kane the Heat Stealer at TLC, and the two giants plodded through. Ryback v. Rusev is also going to be pretty bad.

Bray Wyatt is someone that I'm completely done with. If he's going to speak cryptically, he needs to actually have a point, still. And he just HAS to get to a position of not terrible in the ring, because right now, he's probably the worst in-ring talent on the main roster.

Now, on to my possible HOPE that they do something smart at the Rumble. Cena needs to win the belt, and Rollins needs to unsuccessfully cash in. At that point, Rollins needs to win the Rumble to get a Cena v. Rollins at WM31. For this fantasy booking idea alone, I'm voting for Rollins to win the belt. You can then have Daniel Bryan fight Lesnar at WM31, and get that dream match. But in that list, only Rollins, Rusev and Wyatt are heels at this point, and then there's Lesnar. The WWE is too stacked with faces at the top, so someone's gonna have to flip for it to make sense.

 

[L@RISANO]

Really and truly tho, the only reason people complain about this year's Rumble being predictable is due to the Roman Reigns push rumours that have been going on for so long.
Last year, the rumour mill was Batista, but other than that, it was basically Daniel Bryan or bust for the fans.


This year, as laodaron pointed out above, there really is no clear favourite booking wise at this point, and judging by the fact that Bryan(who got my vote) leads currently in the poll...I feel he is just the kind of vote proving how open it actually is unless WWE is really willing to force through on the Reigns rumours and possibly ruin him in the process, although that just follows the awful booking pattern that has been taken since Reigns became a Singles guy post-Payback.


As long as they don't force through Roman Reigns given his current momentum, we could possibly have a brilliant Royal Rumble, given the SuperStars available.
I have to ask the question: What IF Roman Reigns never even makes it into the Royal Rumble match at all,instead someone takes him out of it before he even gets there?? Just a random thought.

 

[#tamale]

If Brock Lesnar re-signs; it should be Daniel Bryan. Lesnar vs Bryan is a marquee matchup. Plus, it frees up the rest of the card. You can get HHH/Reigns, Sting/Cena, Rollins/Orton/Ambrose, Wyatt/Undertaker, etc.

If Brock Lesnar doesn't re-sign; it should be Undertaker. Undertaker wins the Royal Rumble, avenges the loss from last year, retires as champion, etc.

 

[Officer Trapdoor]

Who I'd like to see win really depends on who has the strap going into Mania.

For arguments sake let's say our two options are Lesnar and Cena.

If Lesnar wins I'd like to see Rusev defeat him. He's the only wrestler unbeatable enough to win against Lesnar. I know it makes no sense now from a marketing stand point, but he's undefeated and they've built him up pretty well so I "believe" he could do it.

If Cena wins it doesn't matter who he goes against to me as long as it isn't Orton or Reigns. Orton's character hasn't connected with me for a while. He was picking up steam before Rollins curb stomped him out of my short attention span and it's been too long for me to be able to remember who he even was.

I'm not sure what they're even doing with Reigns. He was good as the heavy in the Shield. He could deliver his one line and his three moves and it was awesome. Without those other two guys carrying his bags it's just too obvious for me that he forgot to bring the rest of his stuff he needs to get over.

My top three choices from a nerd's perspective would by Bryan, Ambrose, and Wyatt. At the end of the day though, the only thing that really matters to me is the build up and the story line.

 

[MMK]

10 Potential winners...

Cena shouldn't be on the list as he's facing Brock for the title so he wont even be one of the 30 entrants. We're down to 9...

Daniel Bryan returning from injury to win the rumble is a storyline that's been done to death. He should have won last year, winning this year would be a makeup for last years mistake which they already rectified by having him win the title at mania anyway. We're down to 8...

Rollins has the briefcase so him winning the rumble is unnecessary. We're down to 7...

Ryback vs Brock would be Wrestlemania 20 all over again. We're down to 6...

Bray Wyatt and Rusev would only work if Cena won the title. And since we've already seen Wyatt vs Cena at last years Mania theres no point in doing it again. We're down to 4...

Ambrose and Ziggler don't make any sense as opponents for either Cena or Brock. If Rollins cashes in then maybe that would change things but I dont see Brock dropping that title to anyone, not even Cena. We're down to 2..

That leaves only two legitimate realistic winners:
Randy Orton or Roman Reigns. One will face Brock at Wrestlemania.
As predictible as Reigns winning may be, I don't want to see Randy Orton win another Rumble and main event another Mania. Orton vs Brock could still happen down the line, but not right now. And we really only have spoiler sites like Wrestlezone to blame for the predictable nature of Reigns winning.

My personal choice: CESARO
He won the Andre Battle Royal last year and is a former Heyman guy making him a logical choice to face Brock. He could win the Rumble and be repackaged as a Bruno Sammartino type old school wrestling hero.

Honorable mentions...
Dark Horse: Undertaker. Maybe comes back to get revenge on Brock.

Long shot: CM Punk. I'd love to see it just to watch the internet explode.

No matter who wins, the guy who will steal the show will be Damien Sandow. So many creative possibilities with that stunt double gimmick. Im more interested in seeing what he'll do then finding out who will win.

 

[Softcore Holly]

Cena - If they haven't gone at it 2 more times since SS then they could've made one long story out of it. Would've been boring as hell since we seen the whole Cena overcome the odds so many times already, but depending on the options I think I would've taken it over the rushjob of the RR winner vs Brock is going to be.

DB - Think the place would explode just with DB's music hitting, and if they were going to restart his run from this year this would be one hell of a way to do it. The problem of course is that "If he returns in time" is a huge If. And would they really take the risk of putting him up against Brock?

Ambrose - Eh....I really like the guy but for some reason I don't feel him as champ yet. Maybe it's too soon, maybe it's because his current program with Bray didn't do much for me, I'm not totally sure but he wouldn't be my pick.

Reigns - He's simply not there yet for reasons that's been said so many times around here.

Orton - It certainly would be interesting, but I think WM31 would be better used building up a new star rather than repushing a already very well established one.

Rollins - If he can somehow be there and still have the briefcase that would certainly add something extra to the match. He's probably better off doing the classic cash in on weakened opponent thing since that fits his current gimmick to a tee.

Ziggler - He's hot, he puts on the best matches as of late and if anyone tries to "grab that brass ring" it would be him.

Rusev - As good as Lana is I don't think she can take him THAT far.

Ryback - Hard to see "The Big GUy" as champ, much less be at the ME. Plus oh god I just had the crazy image of all those Goldberg chants coming back if Ryback were to face Brock. O_O

Bray - I'm not sure what he's really missing but he doesn't feel like the champ for me either. Although maybe I'm just intrigued by all those Undertaker rumors, even though I don't think they're going to happen.

 

[rmp0012002]

Nobody even knows if Bryan is ever returning. Once you have a serious neck and nerve issue you have to think if it is in your best interest to return or drastically change your style. Does he still get over just using a ground style minus all the suplexes and bumps he takes?

 

[George Steele's Barber]

What you're basically asking is who should be in the main event of Mania? The roster is such a mess right now that part of me thinks they should postpone Mania for a while to get things straightened out. But that is a good thing for a fan that is already invested in the Rumble. I don't know who should win the Rumble so whoever wins will be somewhat of a surprise unlike the last couple of years.

Plus there are so many questions unanswered. Is Brock going to be around post Mania? Will he have the title at Mania? Will DB be healthy by then? Can Orton and Rollins be wrapped up quickly? Is UT going to give it one more go? Can Reigns get his momentum back? Will Cena get the title at the Rumble? Does Fast Lane matter in the WHC title picture?

All that said assuming Lesnar will defeat Cena and leave after Mania and Orton and Rollins will take their business to Mania and DB is definitely out past Mania and UT is too cripple I think Ziggler should win. Kill me because Ziggler kind of sucks but he is kind of awesome and he really feels like the only guy with any momentum on the roster right now.

Then again, a surprise UT Rumble win and WM revenge/retirement victory would be pretty epic.

 

[stingray11214]

The pickings are really slim: Cena is facing Lesnar, but others have pulled double duty before. However, Cena winning would basically destroy the company at this point. Bryan is finished. Reigns winning would probably do more harm to Reigns. Rusev/Ryback/Wyatt are non starters. Rollins holds the MITB Case. He won't win. Orton is becoming a part-timer at this point. No need for him to headline WM. Ambrose is great. However, I feel there is a bigger upside with Ambrose as a chaser in the Austin ECW mold. So, unless someone in creative thinks Cesaro, Big E, Kofi or Sami Zayn can sell out WM, Ziggler will win by process of elimination. And, it makes sense. He is hotter than 10,000 Hells right now. I cannot see him NOT getting his WM moment.

 

[hatehabsforever]

I know that I will be in the definite minority here, and many of you will hate this idea. But my choice here to win the Royal Rumble would be Sting.

I would love to see him enter the Rumble, late, possibly even at number 30. He goes on to win the Royal Rumble, thereby earning a title opportunity at Wrestlemania.

He comes out the next night on RAW, and says he's honored to have the opportunity to have a shot at the biggest prize in professional wrestling, but at this stage of his life and his career, he's after something else, something different. He want immortality. He wants to cement his legacy. He wants the one thing that brought him into WWE in the first place. He wants to face the Undertaker on the grandest stage of them all. Sure, the streak is no longer on the line, but he wants the Deadman, once and for all, for the match that everyone wants to see (unfortunately a decade too late). And he will forego his shot at the WWE Championship to get it. If the Undertaker has the stones to lace up his boots one more time.

Sure there are fundamental illogical flaws with this scenario, but let's face it, that's never stopped WWE before. Just because something doesn't make sense, doesn't mean it won't happen. And of course, this leap frogs over the Sting versus Triple H issue which ideally should happen first. But there it is, that would be my choice for the winner of the 2015 Royal Rumble.

And the icing on the cake? Sting losing this debut singles match at WM, letting the Undertaker saved face in the process, due to the interference from a certain someone shocking the world by turning heel in the process

 

[OYDK]

My first choice is Daniel Bryan and has been Daniel Bryan ever since he was put out with the neck injury. First off, he never lost the WWEWHC and it would be sweet justice to see him win the Rumble this year and be part of an even bigger Mania moment than last year. Secondly, it would create the most compelling Mania main event imo and would open up more creative options for both Reigns and Rollins. The heel option would be more available to Roman Reigns with Bryan as the clear #1 face, and Rollins can earn some major heat by using his MITB briefcase to screw DB yet again.

But seeing as Bryan probably won't be around for Mania season, I would have to go with the predictable choice in Roman Reigns.

Sure the guy may not be completely ready for the Mania main event but there aren't many right now that are, aside from Cena, Orton, and POSSIBLY Rusev. Personally, I don't want to see Cena/Lesnar 4, Orton would be better off in a program with Seth Rollins, and Rusev makes no sense seeing as he's a massive heel right now. Roman Reigns seems to be an experiment and I'm all for seeing this experiment come to fruition, whether it turns out good or bad. As long as Roman doesn't walk out of Mania as WWEWHC, I'd be totally for seeing Reigns/Lesnar.

 

[Sexcellence of Sexecution]

If Bryan is healthy, he should win, no question.

Daniel Bryan is the best babyface WWE has, Brock Lesnar is the biggest heel WWE has. It makes sense for them to face off at WrestleMania. Bryan needs to be brought back in a huge way so winning the Rumble is perfect. I don't think Roman Reigns is ready at this point and forcing him into a main event scenario too soon could be detrimental. Bryan got hurt but that doesn't take away from how he naturally connected with the audience and became more over than anybody on the roster. Cena has been hurt, Austin has been hurt, top guys get hurt sometimes but that doesn't make them any less of a star.

Yes, Bryan got a big push when he won the Title at last year's Mania, but having him beat Brock at this year's Mania will cement him as a top guy and sends the message that WWE is committed to him as a star, which they should be if Vince is honest about listening to the fans. The fans spoke loudly (louder than they have in a long long time), and they said they wanted Bryan, it would be foolish to throw everything away. They need to go the distance with him.

The story line with Brock also writes itself. Bryan would be in the underdog position, which he is well suited for. He was the former World Champion but was forced to vacate the Title without ever really losing it, now he's back to take what's his. I imagine the build-up would be kinda like Rocky IV. They could have video packages highlighting the training of both athletes, with Brock in a state-of-the-art gym, and Bryan training out in the back woods where he lives. Of all he potential Title matches for Brock at WrestleMania, this one feels the most like a main event to me, so I'm going with Bryan as my Rumble winner.

 

[sMark]

I want to see a surprise winner and the guy who is ready to main event. So it's either Bryan or Orton from the poll options. If i could add someone here, i'll add Undertaker, the scenario should be:
- Brock beat Cena for the title
- in the final minutes of RR match there only left Seth Rollins, Roman Reigns, Dean Ambrose and #30 is not yet out, The Shield guys eliminate each others somehow and the countdown to #30 starts, so anyone (who is this mysterious #30) who enters the ring now is automatically the winner, 3..2..1....Gong! Undertaker slowly gets into the ring, look at WM banner and sick smile, Lesnar with Heyman on the ramp in disbelieve and fear
...
- at WM Undertaker beat Lesnar for the title (and the revenge fans wanted to see the whole year)
- at RAW next night Brock use his rematch clause and take UT to the limit, only to be tombstoned again, Taker is on his knees tired after the match, Rollins music hit...succesfull cash in on The Dead Man
...
- Rollins vs Taker for Extreme Rules
....
this accomplish couple of things fans wants and WWE need - Taker's revenge on Brock, Taker's legacy actually used to push a young guy, Rollins as new legit Main Event player, Cena still the man, Reigns and Ambrose can still continue to grow where they belongs instead of being rushed into Main Event scene unready.
But, of course, the big question here - is Taker still capable of 3 ok matches, 2 of which are against Brock...maybe Cena will be safer opponent for him at WM.

 

[Larry47591]

I pick reigns to win the rumble then go to wrestlemania against Brock make it a street fight. The beat the hell out of each other reigns wins Rollins comes out after losing to Ambrose earlier in a blowoff match for that fued finally. Cashes in and wins. Roman chases Seth all summer with him finally getting the title at summerslam.

 

[MCMG]

Ambrose has already lost a few times in big matches. It just wouldn't feel right for him to go that far in such a short space of time. Sure Reigns has been injured but he has defeated Orton, Kane and Rollins. Moreover, he will probably beat Big Show amongst others and is yet to be pinned (I think) since leaving The Shield.

Reigns has a lot of potential but he needs the push. Otherwise no-one will care about him. If he is in big matches and gets time then people will, at least, be invested. Ambrose doesn't need that. There is another thread about this (Cena's) generations Macho Man and the upcoming generation's Savage can be Ambrose. If that makes sense. Ambrose can have better promos and better matches away from the responsibility of being a top guy. Reigns, however, needs to be booked strong in order to stay relevant. In the short run at least.

A win in the Rumble and then defeating Lesnar is massive. It has to go to Reigns and they still have three months to get him ready. It probably is too soon but it is worth the risk in my opinion.

 

[Hulk Hogan's Brother]

Two picks here:

1. Daniel Bryan: Yes, this will only work if he's fit but it will be awesome if it works. Brock Lesnar would be the perfect opponent for the underdog Bryan. If I were booking, I'd make it public that Brock was leaving. I'll involve the Authority again somehow with them supporting Brock despite Brock leaving because they hate Bryan so much. Bryan saves the company by making Brock tap.

2. Seth Rollins: This is just a personal favorite fantasy booking. I'd like to see Rollins enter Mania with TWO title shots and lose both of them to Cena. Cena turns heel by taking help from the Authority. But again, we all know how much chance there is of that happening.

 

[Creepy Old Man]

It's Ziggler. Have you guys caught the push he's been getting, and the new moniker of "The Man in WWE" that Cole is pushing? I think they've realized Reigns isn't ready, and Ziggler is a reliable hand and the next best thing right now.

 

[MCMG]

I'm cool with Reigns winning. I find him pretty interesting and I like his style. It's simple. It feels real and I quite want to see him v Brock.

If it's all my decision then Cesaro or Ziggler. Both have been around for a while and I'd love to see either get their chance. Of course, it is never going to happen but I still want to see it. Ziggler has improved massively in the last year or so and him getting a big moment would be fantastic. I genuinely feel he deserves it.

As for Cesaro, he's just awesome. He is a guy I look at and just want to do well. He comes across well and is wonderful in the ring. Him getting that kind of push would be a great sight.

Reigns should win it though. He has the potential to be a big deal. He is young, he has the look and he has already made a big impact. Indeed, having him win the Rumble and beat Brock would set him up big time for the foreseeable future. He should absolutely win.

 

[Jack-Hammer]

It's Ziggler. Have you guys caught the push he's been getting, and the new moniker of "The Man in WWE" that Cole is pushing? I think they've realized Reigns isn't ready, and Ziggler is a reliable hand and the next best thing right now.

While I'd personally prefer Bryan, Ziggler would be my next choice. Ziggler looks to be getting the strongest push of his career, though I can't blame anyone for not truly being 100% behind Ziggler at this point, though that's through no fault of his own. Remember how many stop & go pushes Ziggler's had over the years, concerns over him possibly being "injury prone" and Vince's attention span. We've seen Ziggler seemingly on the cusp of breaking on through to the other side only for poor booking choices or injury, a lot more of the former than the latter, to derail him.

When you look at how Ziggler is being booked, it sort of reminds me a bit of Daniel Bryan in that he's been portrayed as this scrappy, never say die, passionate guy who struggles to overcome the odds. I could see Ziggler being cast in the role of an underdog against Lesnar, as Bryan would be, and Ziggler could help carry Lesnar in a strong match.

When it's all said & done, I think most people want a strong match with an interesting story to go along with it. As of right now, I just don't see that happening with Roman Reigns because he just isn't ready.

 

[Aeon Mathix]

I would more than go for Ambrose winning the Rumble instead of Reigns. I don't hate Reigns in any way and actually think he's awesome and that he does have what it takes to be the top guy. Just not right now. I see no harm in Ambrose winning the Rumble and Rollins cashing in on Lesnar vs Cena and going into Wrestlemania with the Heavyweight Title. They can add a stipulation in the coming weeks where if Lesnar gets disqualified or counted out he loses the title to Cena. Brock goes berzerk on Cena thus getting disqualified and leaves him laying for Rollins to cash in. Ambrose wins the Rumble and we get Dean Ambrose vs Seth Rollins in the main event of Wrestlemania for the title. It's a risk but if there is EVER a time where WWE needs to push the younger stars, its this upcoming Mania.

Throw Triple H vs Sting on the card if you are worried about buyrates or any of that bullshit. Put Reigns vs Cena for Reigns to get a huge win and built up more before taking the title and throw Lesnar vs Orton on the card as well.

You then have:

WWE World Heavyweight Championship -
Seth Rollins vs Dean Ambrose
Triple H vs Sting
John Cena vs Roman Reigns
Brock Lesnar vs Randy Orton

Stacked card and more than one star is made that night. Will it happen? Not a chance, but it's what I would do. Save Reigns' big win for later for him to get more comfortable and polished.

 

[stonecoldstunner]

I hope this is true. Roman Reigns IS boring and Dean Ambrose is very entertaining and talented, and puts on the best matches along with Ziggler.

 

[Rusty]

After watching Raw live for the first time in months, I can honestly say that I'm going to go against my word a while back and say Roman Reigns is not ready. The crowd just isn't buying into him - he's progressed the least out of the 3 former Shield members. It's not a bad thing, I mean I still see tons of potential in the guy, and hopefully this time next year I ain't saying the same thing, but I fear this is going to be a Batista 2014 situation all over again.

Then Daniel Bryan comes out and the building fucking erupted. How can you compare that to the reaction Reigns gets? How can you ignore that? How can you NOT see that the fans clearly want one guy over the other? I pray the WWE is a lot smarter this time round and just lets the guy win the damn Rumble. And if they don't want him this year, then Dolph Ziggler would be my second choice. He's more over than Reigns, has been in the WWE for a damn long time now, and deserves it as I'm sure many would agree.

I'm still not 100% sure if Lesnar will beat Cena first though, so I'd be all for a Lesnar v Reigns non title match and a Bryan v Rollins WHC match. Sting vs Triple H. Orton v Ziggler maybe, and you have a solid card. I don't want the Undertaker returning at the Rumble to win the match, he just can't compete at a high level anymore and I feel like a Lesnar v Undertaker match for the Title is a HUGE waste of Lesnar in the first place. So if I were to have preferences I'd pick:

1. Daniel Bryan.
2. Dolph Ziggler
3. Roman Reigns.
4. Ryback.

 

[RusevHits]

1. Daniel Bryan - I almost wish they saved his return for later on because now things with him must come full circle (be number 30 at RR and win the title back at WM) but WWE always has different ideas as to whats "best for business".
2. Randy Orton - Orton has been off TV for a while and with the Authority back he would want to be champion to spite them. Seth hovering over him with the briefcase would be interesting too.
3. Roman Reigns - if he won it last year I would of been happy. I would of been a big swerve and it would of gotten him over with a lot of fans. Now he is getting the super push that just leaves a bitter aftertaste.

 

[laodaron]

Looks like they're going to go with Daniel Bryan. I don't hate it, really, because everyone loves a good David vs. Goliath story...but LEsnar just beat Taker, Cena, Cena in 3 massively decisive victories. I can't IMAGINE how Daniel Bryan gets a shot against him and they can make it looks real.

 

[mkw1962]

The talk and the rumors have been Roman Reigns winning but he is not quite ready yet. Daniel is back now and it would be cool to see him win but I do not think he can beat Brock. There are not to many guys who can beat Brock and make it look real, I only see John Cena, Roman Reigns and probably Randy Orton. There are others but I am only taking the big time good guys, I don't think Daniel or Dolph can do it even though I would love it. So now that Daniel is back some of you guys are saying Roman will get booed if he wins, I can see that so WWE has put themselves on the spot, even with all that said I am going with Daniel Bryan to win.