RAW y Smackdown present the WWE's annual Royal Rumble this Sunday, LIVE from Miami, Florida. There shall be professional wrestling on this here show. Let's see...
The Royal Rumble Match: 30 men enter, 25 have been officially announced on WWE.com (while 2 were revealed at the Smackdown tapings): For RAW: Rob Van Dam, The Big Show, Kane, 1995-96 winner Shawn Michaels, 2002 winner Triple H, Chris Masters, Carlito, Trevor Murdoch, Shelton Benjamin, Viscera, Chavo Guerrero, Jonathan Coachman, and 1992 winner Ric Flair [RAW has 2 remaining "mystery" spots] For Smackdown: 2004 winner Chris Benoit, Rey Mysterio, Randy Orton, Matt Hardy, Orlando Jordan, Bobby Lashley, Sylvan, Animal, Johnny Nitro, Joey Mercury, Simon Dean, Booker T, Super Crazy & Psicosis [Smackdown has 1 remaining "mystery" spot] VAGUE PREDICTION: If a Smackdown guy wins it, it's Benoit or Orton. If a RAW guy wins it, it's HHH.
WWE Championship Match: EDGE [Champion; with Lita] vs. JOHN CENA VAGUE PREDICTION: Cena regains the belt.
World Championship Match: KURT ANGLE [Champion] vs. MARK HENRY [with Khosrow Daivari] VAGUE PREDICTION: Angle retains.
Grudge Match: THE BOOGEYMAN [Comin' to getcha] vs. JOHN B. LAYFIELD [with Jillian Hall] VAGUE PREDICTION: Boogeyman gets JBL...and wins.
WWE Cruiserweight Championship Match: KID KASH [Champion] vs. MYSTERY CHALLENGER VAGUE PREDICTION: Mystery challenger, who ends up to be somebody like Paul London or Jamie Noble.
Storyline Advancement Match: ASHLEY MASSERO vs. MICKIE JAMES [with Women's Champion Trish Stratus as guest referee] VAGUE PREDICTION: Ashley wins by DQ, Mickie goes apeshit on Trish.
For the curious, WWE.com's Rumble Odds: 3:1 - Big Show 4:1 - Kane 5:1 - Triple H 6:1 - Chris Benoit, Shawn Michaels 8:1 - Randy Orton 10:1 - Rey Mysterio, Viscera 15:1 - Chris Masters, Bobby Lashley, Ric Flair 20:1 - Booker T, Carlito, Chavo Guerrero, Rob Van Dam, Shelton Benjamin 25:1 - Joey Mercury, Johnny Nitro, Matt Hardy, Orlando Jordan, Animal 30:1 - Trevor Murdoch 35:1 - Simon Dean, Sylvan 100:1 - The Coach ("assuming he draws #30")
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(edited by Freeway420 on 28.1.06 1200) DVDs; Blog Calgary Flames: 25-12-5 Omaha Ak-Sar-Ben Knights: 16-15-8
Edge over Cena Angle over Henry Ashley over Mickie JBL over Boogeyman
This is actually the most unpredictable Royal Rumble in years. I'll pick either Orton, Rey or Triple H.
I'm also kind of disappointed that neither JBL or Undertaker are yet in the Royal Rumble, since the Smackdown side is really lacking some star power. Maybe the JBL/Boogey match will be a qualifer and Undertaker will get one of the other slots.
"Oh, gosh, you know, I'm not much on speeches, but it's so gratifying to leave you wallowing in the mess you've made. You're screwed, thank you, bye."
I'll echo these: Edge over Cena Angle over Henry Ashley over Mickie
but change Boogeyman beating JBL. Probably by countout when JBL leaves after seeing too many worms or something. JBL over Boogeyman.
As for the Rumble, Triple H winning would be REALLY out of nowhere if not for his name being Triple H. That said, I'm going with Rey against my better judgement, with a post-Rumble dedication to Eddie.
Edge over Cena Angle over Henry Mickie over Ashley (w/ help from Trish) Boogeyman DQ win over JBL
Cena wins the Rumble. After losing to Edge, Cena re-enters the Rumble as the last mystery spot and overcomes the odds and wins the Rumble and a shot at Edge's title at 'Mania. As for HHH, look for him to start a feud with another high profile star (Benoit?) who casued him to lose at the Rumble and set up a match at 'Mania. HHH does not need the title, but he needs to have a killer 'Mania match and Benoit is the guy to have it with. Either that or Rey.
Well, that's just drunk talk! Sweet, beautiful drunk talk....
Edge over Cena Angle over Henry Ashley by DQ over Mickie Boogeyman by DQ over JBL
Rey Mysterio wins the Rumble after Edge/Lita find a way to screw Cena, who is the last person out. On other predictions, HHH is eliminated by Flair, and Kane lasts longest.
Unpredictable Rumble: I think they have to give it to H just because they can get mileage out of him choosing brands. Rey Mysterio deciding whether or not to go to Raw doesn't really make for episodic TV.
I think an Angle v. HHH maint event would work for SD.
They have got to run with Edge as champ. Have him defend at WM against Cena, as they build up the chase.
Other matches. Edge over Cena. Angle wins. Boogeyman and JBL will be a schmozz. Massaro over the awesome Alexis Laree *due to Trish sheinanigans.*
-- Edge over Cena, in the most screwy fashion possible to build to a monster-hot rematch between the two at Wrestlemania. -- Angle beats Henry in the most definitive manner possible. -- Boogeyman gets the duke over JBL in his first big PPV spot. -- Mickie James beats Ashley, but snaps again, and Ashley & Trish join forces to take Mickie out (who turns psycho heel for good). -- The Rumble for me is down to three people: Orton, Michaels, & Cena. (Trips' reputation for hogging the spotlight is all that's keeping him in the picture, and I think Rey would be better suited for a U.S. title match, preferably against Benoit as an Eddie tribute.) Cena winning the Rumble would be too obvious and begging for too much, and I think they're setting up Michaels to fall just short, so I'll go with Orton (remember, Booker T owes him a favor) and a post-Rumble asskicking by the Undertaker. Don't be surprised if Shawn's run of luck continues despite the guarantees of one Vincent Kennedy McMahon, however.
smark/net attack Advisory System Status is: Elevated (Holds; July 5, 2005) It's good to see that the WWE isn't backing away from Batista or Cena. There's still some questions lingering over a few of the draft moves they either made or didn't make (Jericho being a prime example), but the stage is set for a solid run to Summerslam that may send the indicator down. The longer Triple H stays away is also a plus...
I know the Diesel push is normally a big man, but I wouldn't be surprised if Shelton Benjamin gets the big eliminates several people push. Royal Rumble winner, I think Orton has always been the guy they plan on winning it, and Batista's injury doesn't change a thing because Angle is going to be a face now. And it might not be a bad thing. We haven't seen an Angle vs Orton feud yet, have we? The other WM main event I think of course weill be Cena/Triple H. So if nothing else we'll get new feuds for WM this year that have a chance of being really good to great.
I'd like to think they are going to push Mysterio and give him a title shot, but at Wrestlemania? Come on. When has the WWE ever shown they believe in Mysterio?
I dunno, I tihnk Mysterio is an entirely plausible option. They've positioned him as Batista's li'l buddy over the past two months, and they made sure to have Rey promise that he would win the world title for him. If there were a time to take a gamble on him as a world title contender, then it'd be now.
Buuuuut I tihnk they'll play it safe and stick with Trips. Cena beats Edge, Trips wins the Rumble, and presto! The Mania ME thats been mooted since last March.
Cena beats Edge- I don't necessarily think that would be the best move, but I think they want Cena as the champ heading into WM
Angle over Henry- They wouldn't give the title to Henry...would they?
Boogeyman beats JBL- Probably a lot of pre-match antics, not much in the way of a real match. Once the Boogeyman starts selling and losing, is the mystique gone?
Mickie over Ashley- Trish accidentally hits Ashley giving Mickie the win.
Royal Rumble- Triple H. He's been hiding in the bushes for too long.
Amended to include cruiserweight match announced on Velocity: don't know what it is or who is in it, I'll just say Kid Kash retains.
(edited by geemoney on 28.1.06 1322) College, Sports and More!: Experience It
I don't know. I'm thinking HHH gets eliminated early then comes back with his sledge hammer and takes some people out and then still wins the rumble.
Winner: HHH
WWE Championship Match: EDGE [Champion; with Lita] vs. JOHN CENA
The belt is still Cena's belt which leads me to believe Cena gets the belt back. I think Edge should retain though.
Winner: Cena
World Championship Match: KURT ANGLE [Champion] vs. MARK HENRY [with Khosrow Daivari]
Winner: Angle
What is Daivari going to do after this match though?
Grudge Match: THE BOOGEYMAN [Comin' to getcha] vs. JOHN B. LAYFIELD [with Jillian Hall]
Boogeyman's first match. JBL was a world champion for eight months (or was it longer) why should he lose to Boogeyman? It's going to be Boogeyman anyway.
Winner: Boogeyman
Storyline Advancement Match: ASHLEY MASSERO vs. MICKIE JAMES [with Women's Champion Trish Stratus as guest referee]
Ashley wins by DQ.
I really hope I'm wrong with some of my predictions.
Anyone who thinks HHH isn't winning the Rumble is fooling themselves. And Cena will win the belt back, giving HHH cheers at WM while still being a heel, and shuttling Cena and Edge back to the midcard with RVD and Benjamin.
Boogeyman over JBL via worms. Or something. The Boogeyman character is a ton of fun, but it would kill it if they had JBL go over. On the other hand, the character has no upward mobility so there's no reason to give him a win over JBL. So maybe a countout after JBL gets freaked out.
Mickie over Ashley. Mickie James vs Trish Stratus is going to be the WM match with the most buildup, isn't it? I'll say Mickie beats Ashley up after the match than attacks Trish when she tries to intervene on Ashley's behalf.
Kurt Angle beats Mark Henry in a shockingly good match.
Edge beats Cena? I've been under the impression that Cena will get the belt back (they still have the spinner belt in use), but maybe they wait til Mania. I think that's the right play because there's no other logical program (HHH vs Cena with two months of build is not a great idea).
Rey wins the Rumble. There's been talk of Orton winning, of course. That's become a ritual like the leaves changing or Peyton Manning wetting the bed in the playoffs. In 2004, Orton was gonna win the Rumble and face HHH. Ditto 2005. Now in 2006, he's being touted as the winner again. Nope. We could see the King of Kings, the Messiah himself Triple H but I am not convinced he wins this one. This is the time to give Rey the boost to the very top echelon. The fans buy it, so why not make a new headliner?
He's got that hand-waving deal. He can become INVISIBLE! This means MONEY, Dawg! - AWARulz on Cena.
I could see Taker being one of the SmackDown "mystery" guys, as it seems a waste to not have him appear at the Rumble at all. While no one has been set up as the obvious winner, which is very refreshing, I think HHH is gonna take it. As Tribal Prophecy mentioned, a HHH victory would be out of nowhere if it wasn't HHH, because he hasn't had any special build-up for the Rumble match by any means. He's just been another guy they're portraying as a viable contender. He's my pick to win, though. Also: Edge over Cena JBL over Boogeyman Angle over Henry Mickie over Ashley
Big Steve: Orton was definitely a favorite to win for a while last year, but I don't recall him ever being a serious contender to take it in '04. He was IC champ and definitely on the way up (and had a VERY strong showing that year in the Rumble) but I don't remember anybody actually thinking he had a chance to take it. I could be remembering incorrectly, though.
While the conventional wisdom seems to be Cena winning, I'm picking Edge. Ratings have been good during his short title reign, and they have to be questioning Cena's babyface appeal. I say they let him hold onto the title 'til WM.
Angle/Mark Henry - World Heavyweight Title
Angle, duh. Next.
JBL/Boogeyman
Don't really care. I'll pick Boogeyman just because JBL's at his funniest when he gets humiliated.
Ashley/Mickey James w/Trish Stratus as special ref.
Ashley wins clean, but Mickey takes both her and Trish out with a chair afterwards because she thinks Trish 'favored' Ashley over her.
The Royal Rumble - This one's actually pretty hard to pick this year, for the first time in ages. There's no one obvious contender. Has a heel ever won the Rumble other than Flair? Angle's apparently a face now, so that'd seemingly eliminate the Smackdown side. I like the idea of RVD as a dark horse, especially since he and Edge could probably have a spectacular Mania match. Sadly, I don't think WWE will take quite that big a chance. I'm going to go with Shawn winning against all odds from the number one position, only to have Vince screw him out of the title shot before WM.
"Never piss off a hawk with a blowgun" - Conan O'Brien
My buddy Chip thinks Undertaker will be a mystery opponent, and cause HHH to lose, setting up HHH to want to face Taker at Mania. I disagree, but I promised Chip I'd toss this idea out for y'all to think about. And no, Chip, I won't consider a SD mystery participant being Brock, setting up another Mania run vs. Angle.
I also expect Kane and Big Show to cause each other problems in the Rumble, causing friction among the tag team champs that will ultimately cost them the titles. Something has to happen to advance Big Show's storyline and beleivably get him eliminated, as nobody really expects Show to be in the main event at Mania.
It might be easier to predict the guys who have no shot at winning the Rumble. It's hard to say who the first elimination will be as we don't know who comes in when. But I'd be SHOCKED if the quickest RAW elimination is anyone other than Coach. I recall a few years ago Tazz only lasted 44 seconds, I'd be surprised if Coach makes it that long. On the Smackdown side, Sylvan, Animal, Johnny Nitro, Joey Mercury, and Simon Dean all look like fodder for the big men (Masters) to push around. Sorry, but the same goes for Matt Hardy, who might be there to take a beating, but might be there to take a sick bump.
I'm thinking since HBK is involved in a story with Vince, he won't be winning the Rumble as a Rumble win means WM title shot, and Vince is not in the title picture.
I like the Rey storyline as he plays the underdog so very well, and the crowd loves him. I don't know what kind of buyrate he could draw, but a short run might be entertaining. However, a Rey-Angle doesn't work with Angle also as a face, and I don't see Rey jumping after Edge's title (though it would be fun). So, sorry Rey.
More will happen between Masters and Carlito, I just don't think it'll be enough to turn Carlito face. I hope they separate, but only tease, Big Show and Masters as I think the two of them are destined for a Masterlock Challenge at Mania - it will get them both on the card, in a relatively short segment. But this leaves Kane out of the picture at Mania...
With this much thought about the Rumble and where it leads, I'm going along with those who think HHH wins to be the heel Cena has been scared of facing.
I want the Boogeyman/JBL to continue as it has been entertaining, so I agree with those that predict JBL loses by DQ.
Angle will beat Mark Henry via anklelock.
Ashley over Mickey with Trish in the middle. Yum.
Cena will regain, via Flair interference, setting up Ric/Edge for Mania, as well as HHH/Cena.
Originally posted by haydenBig Steve: Orton was definitely a favorite to win for a while last year, but I don't recall him ever being a serious contender to take it in '04. He was IC champ and definitely on the way up (and had a VERY strong showing that year in the Rumble) but I don't remember anybody actually thinking he had a chance to take it. I could be remembering incorrectly, though.
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You're right, I don't remember Orton being a favorite two years ago because he was still on the way up. But I don't remember Orton being a favorite last year either. Orton had already had his failed title reign, so I don't think they were ready to put him in the main event at WM. If I recall correctly Batista was the overwhelming favorite because they were already teasing the Batista/Triple H split, and I think Cena was the Smackdown favorite.
Personally, I'm kind of sick of the Eddie tributes, no disrespect or anything, I love Eddie and all, but didn't we already have an entire show dedicates to him? Can't we move on now?
Originally posted by Hayden Big Steve: Orton was definitely a favorite to win for a while last year, but I don't recall him ever being a serious contender to take it in '04. He was IC champ and definitely on the way up (and had a VERY strong showing that year in the Rumble) but I don't remember anybody actually thinking he had a chance to take it. I could be remembering incorrectly, though.
Yeah, I think I'm mistaken on this one.
Wasn't there talk in late '03 and '04 that WM would be main evented by Orton-HHH? I guess that's what I'm referring to. I know that before WM XXI the common wisdom was that a newly face Orton was being built up for a program with Triple H for the title at WM before it was clear that his turn had flopped. By the Rumble Orton was out of the picture and Batista anc Cena were the favorites.
In '03, I believe there was also talk of HHH-Orton at WM XX before they realized that it was too quick to put Orton at the top and do the Evolution breakup. At least that's what I remember.
He's got that hand-waving deal. He can become INVISIBLE! This means MONEY, Dawg! - AWARulz on Cena.
The HHH-Orton Mania main event talk was definitely there in late '04, and during that period I remember many people saying they felt Orton was the frontrunner to win the Rumble. As fall turned into winter, though, it became clear Batista was becoming bigger and Orton subtly slipped back and ended up getting the title match against HHH at the Rumble instead. Only a couple months before that, Batista was one of the first guys eliminated at the Survivor Series while Orton battled back from a 2-to-1 disadvantage to beat HHH and Edge, but he gained a lot of momentum in those next two months, finally pinning Benoit decisively after many defeats, and by New Year's Revolution the seeds were deeply planted enough regarding the tension with HHH that he really emerged as the forerunner to win the Rumble. You may be right about HHH-Orton being talked about for Mania XX, though I can't recall it.
I'm thinking Big Vis and Haas will get the straps at some point. Then again, their anti-woman angle might get a Mae Young/Moolah payoff.. I miss the days of the strong tag division, but I agree it's time for SS to split up.