Royal Rumble Predictions

Tomorrow night is the Royal Rumble, a W.W.E. pay-per-view that always delivers the goods. The good news is that I am really looking forward to the event which will take place at Madison Square Garden. The bad news is that I have a funny feeling that Hornswoggle could end up winning the Royal Rumble match itself. I’d like to see Horny McMahon make a quick entrance and exit. In all likelihood, Swog, Khali and Finlay will all get eliminated at once.

In order to pick a winner of the Rumble match and the World Championship bouts, I have to think ahead to Wrestlemania. The winner of the Rumble will choose which champ he wants to face at ‘mania. At next month’s No Way Out pay-per-view there will be an elimination chamber match to determine who will face the other world champion.

I really have no idea who is going to win the Jeff Hardy-Randy Orton match for the W.W.E. Title. Hardy has been on a roll lately and both men have definitely taken their game to another level. I feel though that Triple H (Hunter Hearst Helmsley) has also been rolling and has been made to look unstoppable lately. So if Randy Orton beats someone who has been on the rise (Jeff Hardy) it makes him look like an “unbeatable” W.W.E. Champ. Thus you would have Orton vs. Triple H (please no one call him “Trips” or I’ll scream) at ‘mania.

But then there is the other side of the coin, which is that Hardy is a young talent that has finally arrived and is at the top of his game. He’s a high-flier who does some pretty death-defying moves. He has apparently overcome the problems he had around 2003 when he was released by the W.W.E. However, since he came back in 2006, the guy has been unbelievable! I’d love to see him face his idol Shawn Michaels at Wrestlemania. So that would mean Michaels is going to win the Royal Rumble. A Michaels-Hardy bout at the Citrus Bowl at Wrestlemania would be incredible. But I am going the safe route and I will pick Triple H (by the way calling him “Trips” is like scratching a chalkboard) and so I will also go with Randy Orton retaining his W.W.E Championship against Jeff Hardy.

Royal Rumble Participants (in no particular order): Umaga, Snitsky, Holly, The Miz, John Morrison, Hornswoggle, Mick Foley, Batista, Undertaker, Kane, Jamie Noble, Finlay, Cody Rhodes, Shelton Benjamin, Carlito, Santino Marella, Shawn Michaels, Mark Henry, The Great Khali, Mr. Kennedy, Triple H, Tommy Dreamer, Big Daddy V and Chuck Palumbo.

OK so I only count 24 names as Rumble participants. I’m expecting CM Punk to be added to the mix and who knows maybe Big Show. I wouldn’t be surprised if the W.W.E. added Women’s Champ Beth Phoenix to this one. They are definitely pushing her as the next Chyna, so having her fight men would add to the desired perception of indestructibility. One person that won’t be in the big match is Bobby Lashley who has asked for his release from the W.W.E. Ric Flair and Carlito also asked for their releases at separate times last year, but were later talked into staying. So the point being is that anything can happen. We’ll have to keep a close eye on the Lashley thing. He wrote on his website that he was done in by some “evil forces” at the W.W.E. and was now training for a mixed martial arts career, although he would not be joining UFC.

Predictions:
Royal Rumble Match: Triple H (Michaels and Undertaker are my other choices)

Randy Orton defends W.W.E. Championship against Jeff Hardy
Orton beats Hardy to retain title in what has the potential to be a great match.

Rey Mysterio challenges Edge for World Heavyweight Title
Mysterio winning this would be great, but he works a schedule that is pretty minimal these days, so a World Title run seems unlikely. Edge retains.

M.V.P. vs. Ric Flair
Flair’s career is on the line, but M.V.P.'s U.S. Title is not. Lame! I’m a bit confused in that I keep reading that Flair will be inducted into the W.W.E. Hall of Fame the weekend of Wrestlemania. But I’ve also read that he will lose a “career ending” match to Vince McMahon at ‘mania. Nonetheless, since it’s non-title, Flair wins.

Chris Jericho vs. JBL
This has been a real good feud thus far, and I expect it to be a pretty good brawl at M.S.G. I’m going to say that John Bradshaw Layfield wins by knocking out Jericho with a cowbell or some sort of foreign object. Of course, when the referee is not looking.

Keep it in the Ring!