Is this the most unpredictable Rumble of all time?

[prophet]

I've added a poll of contenders who I think have a legit (some more plausible than others) chance of winning. Who do you think wins? And is this the most unpredictable Rumble of all time?

I'll vote for Strowman. I think if Roman wins the title they'll go with Braun/Roman at 'Mania for the strap with Jericho and Owens facing off for the US Title. I reaaaaaally hope they do the opposite and have Jericho win because he's probably deserved it off the back of last year and Owens/Jericho is the feud people want to see so why not use it to elevate the main belt?

I also wouldn't mind seeing Taker win it if AJ retains.

[SlightlyJames]

I've voted for Joe. It seems like a no brainer he'll be in the thing and I've heard he's in line for a pretty big match at Wrestlemania. Having him work with AJ or most likely Cena would be great and the Rumble would be a good way to make that happen.

[Hanley!]

I've no idea who wins this. For a couple of months there I thought it would be Jericho, to set up his face turn and match against Owens. But now I'm not too sure about that because everyone seems to think Reigns is winning the title at the Rumble. Which means Jericho vs Owens would be for the US title instead.

It does seem like it's too early to give it to Strowman. Cena is in a title match (that he will probably win). They never go all the way with a debuting talent, so Joe won't win it. Balor likely isn't ready to come back. Lesnar and Goldberg probably won't be for the title, which would rule out both of them. Undertaker is starting to feel like the most likely option, but that would suck. So I hope it doesn't happen.

I am pretty excited about the match, just because it always has so much potential, and because it's so unpredictable this year. But at the same time, I'm readying myself for disappointment, because it's been five years since a Rumble outcome hasn't been a big disappointment.

[The Legend]

I think what really adds to the intrigue is that usually the Rumble title matches are forgone conclusions that make it obvious who the possible contenders are. This year I really think the title matches could go either way and depending on how they go changes who might win the Rumble to face the sitting champion.

[Everlong]

Yeah I actually strongly considered not watching the Rumble last year because the result was so obvious and so unwanted. Even now when I don't watch the shows I still try to catch the Rumbles. This year I'm much more interested than I had been in recent years when the winner was an obvious Reigns or Batista.

I'm going to go with the complete oddball choice and say Undertaker, just because it's the worst outcome out of those listed and I'm a negative nancy but yeah, I dunno, it'll be interesting to see what happens.

[Hanley!]

Yeah, I'm going to be fuming when the winner inevitably ends up being the fucking Undertaker.

[DBSoT]

I am convinced that it is Finn Balor or Samoa Joe. The major title holders after Sunday are likely to be Roman Reigns and John Cena. So that takes them out. I also believe Cena vs Styles' final match will be at Mania. Styles doesn't need to win the rumble to set up that match. So that takes the WWE title out of contention. That means it has to be a member of Raw or a free agent. The only options on Raw are Owens, Jericho, Strowman, Balor, Rollins and the Undertaker. Owens/Jericho for the US title and Seth/HHH are happening at Mania. So they are out. That leaves Balor, Strowman and the Undertaker. Reports have said that the Undertaker isn't competing for a title at Mania. That leaves Finn Balor and Braun. Balor has unfinished business with Reigns and would fit the story better than Braun at this point. The only major downfall is that Balor could be getting pushed way too fast. Granted, so would Braun in that case.

The other option is to have a free agent win it. This would include Samoa Joe, Shinsuke Nakamura or Bobby Roode. They need Roode in NXT longer to carry that brand after Nakamura and Joe move up to the main roster. So he is out. Nakamura would be incredible, but he is another guy that will be needed at the NXT:Takeover in Orlando. That leaves Joe. I wrote a post a bit back about Joe winning the Rumble as a free agent and not announcing his opponent right away. He could appear on both shows and really sell how big of a deal it is to face him. Ideally the last 3 in the rumble are Joe, Styles and Finn. Joe can eliminate 2 former major champions and it sets up the Free Agent/SD/Raw (Tweener/Heel/Face) dynamic.

[Hanley!]

Well I'll give you plenty of credit if things go down that way, as it would be completely unprecedented. I know that this is an oddly unpredictable Royal Rumble, but WWE are never that unpredictable.

[Messiah]

Well I'll give you plenty of credit if things go down that way, as it would be completely unprecedented. I know that this is an oddly unpredictable Royal Rumble, but WWE are never that unpredictable.

WWE made Finn Balor the World Champion of Raw within a month of his arrival.
WWE had Owens defeat Cena as clean as any win you will ever see within a month of his arrival.

I think they have changed in regards to how quick they are willing to propel someone, especially if they are an already well-known talent. Joe winning the Rumble in his debut might be kind of a stretch, but its obvious they like him a lot given he's dominated the NXT main event picture for 2 years now. I really don't think its that unlikely.

[Hanley!]

This is also Wrestlemania season though. What they do over the summer has very little to do with what they do in January. There are acts who have been helping to carry Raw and Smackdown for the last six months that won't get a sniff of a singles match at Wrestlemania because they haven't been in WWE for 20 years. The idea that someone new could debut and be in that top mix at this time of year, and get a major title shot at Wrestlemania of all places ... it just goes against everything we know about WWE.

It's exciting to think about, and I'd love it if they took a chance like that for once. And hell, I guess it's more likely this year than most. But I'm still pretty skeptical that anything like this could happen.

The main selling point for the Rumble on Raw this week was Undertaker, Goldberg and Lesnar in the ring at the same time together. That says a lot. It means they're probably going to go with a more established star.

[Messiah]

The idea that someone new could debut and be in that top mix at this time of year, and get a major title shot at Wrestlemania of all places ... it just goes against everything we know about WWE.

Alberto Del Rio won the Royal Rumble in 2011 after not even a half-year on the main roster. And I feel confident in saying they like Joe as much, if not more, than they did Del Rio.

I think you are mixing up it being unprecedented with it being impossible. Joe winning the Rumble in his debut might not have ever happened before, but I wouldn't rule it out. Yes, it would go against everything we know about the WWE... but the last year has seen them do stuff that goes against everything we know about the WWE. Styles in less than a year jumped into a feud with a high-profile wrestler in Jericho, got a singles match at WrestleMania, pinned Cena multiple times on PPV, and has had a fairly lengthy reign with the WWE World Heavyweight Championship. That all goes against what we know about the WWE in the past. They still have their same flaws (like being overly reliant on past stars), but they have changed in a lot of ways. One of which is their willingness to put a new guy over huge if they know he already has a following.

FWIW I don't think Joe will win, although he would be someone who I considered a possibility. But I don't know who will win it.

There are acts who have been helping to carry Raw and Smackdown for the last six months that won't get a sniff of a singles match at Wrestlemania because they haven't been in WWE for 20 years.

I guess we'll see. I would be surprised if guys like Styles, Miz, etc. didn't have a prominent role at the show.

[Messiah]

I think the only Rumble winner I would be truly pissed about seeing is The Undertaker. There is just nothing for him. Nothing he does would be remotely interesting.

I hope it doesn't happen, but I wouldn't mind Goldberg or Lesnar winning (preferably Lesnar) with the other inevitably winning the world title. Quite frankly, Raw's main event scene is stale as hell. The only other guys who could be in contention are Reigns, Owens, and Jericho, and we have seen that for like the last 4 months. At least Goldberg/Lesnar will have a solid storyline behind it and will definitely have a big match feel. It wouldn't be perfect, but it would be something I can get behind, especially if they do a better job in the upcoming months with how they portray Lesnar. Apparently he's set to appear at every Raw from this point forward other than the one in Nevada, so that should help out.

I would be so happy to see Joe win. Joe feuding with Cena or Styles (or both) for the WWE Championship would be excellent.

I would also be alright with Balor if he returns, he just needs more depth to his character other than being someone who shows up at PPVs as a "demon".

Then there is Strowman, who I forgot to mention as another contender on Raw. I know a lot of people are beginning to like the guy and he has been booked well, but I just wouldn't be a fan. If only because I know the only other guy he could face is Reigns and that just sounds boring as hell. Actually sounds worse than any WWE Title match we have had at WrestleMania in a very long time. It screams like a match that should happen on a Raw exclusive PPV (which I would be cool with), not at WrestleMania.

I've seen people mention Miz and Jericho as possibilities. I'd be cool with it. There is a really good story you could make out of Miz winning based off everything that has happened with him on SmackDown.

Right now I'm thinking it will either be Lesnar/Goldberg or Strowman. And because you can definitely do Goldberg/Lesnar without the title, my money would be on Strowman.

[Str8Shooter]

I think people are going to be pissed because I have Undertaker as the most likely winner. Although I do think it's still pretty wide open. Here's my top 3 picks on who will win:

1) Undertaker - We know he's doing something big at Mania, the long rumoured match is against Cena, and if Cena wins the title at the Rumble this pick becomes a lot more realistic. Now if it were me I would just do Cena/Taker with no title because that match is big enough it doesn't need it and the title would be an afterthought. Meltzer seems to think Taker is facing someone from Raw though, which makes Reigns the most likely in another title match. Reigns/Taker for the title is worse than Cena/Taker for the title to me, because it kills any chance of Reigns ever being cheered if he beats Taker.

2) Braun Stroman - He's getting the big push and I could easily see a scenario where Braun challenges Roman for the Universal title at Mania. The plus is it's someone new winning, the bad news is Stroman is still green as grass and him vs Roman would in all likelihood stink at Mania and no one wants to see Roman beat him either.

3) Chris Jericho - If Owens somehow defies the odds and retains, then Owens/Y2J at Mania for the title is almost a lock. I could see Jericho helping Owens retain and then winning and being excited to face Owens at Mania, only for Owens to attack him and beat the hell out of him.

[Hanley!]

You have a point with Del Rio, but that was a Royal Rumble with little star power very few established main event names. Plus with the brand split in place and Del Rio never really being considered for the actual main event, they were able to make a less conventional choice than usual. Now that the brand split is back, that same possibility exists again, but this is quite a star studded Royal Rumble with lots of golden oldies in the mix, and I don't feel they'll give a win to anyone they don't have really major Wrestlemania plans for. The winner won't necessarily main event, but I think they'll want it to be a big name and someone who'll be prominently advertised.

I never said that Joe winning would be impossible. I used the word 'unprecedented' for a reason. There's always going to be a chance that WWE will turn things around and do something different. They've just given no indication that it's going to happen this year, and the odds would be heavily against it.

Don't get me wrong, the Rumble is the show I get most excited for each year primarily because of those possibilities. Because it's such a great opportunity to do something wild and exciting. We usually know who's going to win or the two or three guys who have any shot at winning, but there are still all those 'what if' scenarios that are too tantalising to ignore. That's the reason I always get swept up in the excitement this time of year above all others. Even though I get burned more often than not. Half the time when Wrestlemania starts to roll around, I'm just waiting for it to be over so we can get back to our regularly scheduled programming again, but at Rumble time the hype is always real. It's that time of year that I let myself believe just a little that maybe this year will be different.

But at this point, I do have to try and manage my expectations too.

The Undertaker winning would really piss me off. The fans and the company need to get off this guys nuts because he's so fucking dull. He brings nothing to the table for me, and is just coasting off his name at this point. That's the one guy who would really bother me. I think Lesnar or Goldberg winning would bother me too, but not as much. At least they still do cool stuff and entertain me, even if their title feud would be likely to underwhelm the way title feuds between part-timers usually do.

I feel like Jericho is a possibility, and while I was hugely against him winning a few years ago when people had him down as the favourite, this year I'd be completely cool with it. He's had a great run on television, and the story is there to justify it. He'd be a nice option.

I don't feel strongly about Strowman either way. I don't think he's ready, but it would at least be something different. If the win was done in the right way, I'd give it a chance.

Those feel like the only real likely options right now, to me. Anything else would be out of left field. If anybody else wins, I feel it'll be a surprise entrant like a Balor or a Joe, and I don't think they'd be likely to win. Though I would endorse either of them winning. That being said, if Balor is ready to come back, I'd set him aside for an Undertaker feud instead. Rollins I feel is a better bet now that he's not actually in the match. I still don't think he'll win, but if he could find a way into the match somehow at the last minute, him winning and going to Wrestlemania would make a cool story.

Probably what I'd like to see most is someone out there like Joe winning the match. Or if Owens or Styles lost their title earlier in the show and interjected themselves into the Rumble and ended up winning. That'd just be unexpected and exciting and would create a buzz and I feel like that's what they should be going for at this time of year. Hell, you could do the same thing with Cena and it'd work pretty well.

Hopefully they set up some cool stuff on the show anyway. I'm off work on Monday and I'm going to stay up to watch it, so I'm really hoping it delivers.

[Str8Shooter]

It was "reported" today that Finn Balor is going to get checked out by doctors this week sometime to potentially get cleared to return to the ring. He could be a dark horse to win it too if he's ready to come back.

I'm not sure they're ready to get back onto the Balor bandwagon after injuring himself in his first big match. But the story is there if Owens goes into Mania as champion. Balor vs the guy who became champion after he got hurt, who has said again and again he's the "longest reigning Universal Champion". It makes a lot of sense.