There are two WWE PPV events in the year that I always order, no matter what. One of them, is of course WrestleMania. While those who know me well are aware of my inexplicable love for the SummerSlam PPV, the other PPV event I must watch every year is actually the Royal Rumble.
The concept of the Rumble has always intrigued me, even during the times when the event was watered down and not done in its full potential.
First and foremost, the Royal Rumble match itself is special because we only see it once a year. In today’s world of professional wrestling even championship belts don’t mean as much. Stipulations for title matches are an old story, and companies like TNA tend to overdo them until they are beaten to death. The fact of the matter is that in today’s pro wrestling world, the only real protected tradition that still feels special is the Royal Rumble match.
What makes the Rumble match great is its plethora of subplots to be on the lookout for. We’ve seen plenty over the years. We’ve had situations of Brother vs. Brother (Hardy vs. Hardy to be more specific). We’ve seen alliances and tag teams break up for a night because this match truly is “every man for himself.” We’ve seen amazing performances such as wrestlers lasting for a long time (Rey Mysterio, Shawn Michaels, Kane to name a few), feuds reborn, different brands colliding, changes of rules, exciting finishes, double winners, big spots… Quite frankly, the Rumble match is one of my favorite matches! Thus the Royal Rumble PPV is my second favorite PPV of the year!
2009 Royal Rumble Preview & Predictions
1) The Royal Rumble Match
Well we do know one thing. It’s going to be good! WWE chose to put its main players in the Rumble this year, as guys like Triple H, The Undertaker, Big Show, Randy Orton, Chris Jericho, and CM Punk are all in the match. A prediction here is pretty much impossible. I would go with a RAW wrestler, as from what I understand the SmackDown! WrestleMania challenger is to be determined at No Way Out. But you know how planning goes in WWE these days. This will change 24048 times before Sunday.
2) World Heavyweight Championship Match — JBL with Shawn Michaels vs. John Cena (champion)
Here’s the deal — the JBL/Michaels storyline has been horrible. It defied all logic, made no sense for the most part, and really isn’t something that we should care for. However, JBL and HBK are two of the best speakers in the company and Michaels is by far the best actor in wrestling today, and their amazing selling of this on the mic has gotten people to care. They sold it well. If JBL wins, we’re headed to a JBL/HBK match at WrestleMania, which I don’t want to see. If Cena wins, sadly, we might be headed to the same match at ‘Mania but not for the title.
3) WWE Heavyweight Championship — Edge vs. Jeff Hardy (champion)
Poor Jeff Hardy. They just have no faith in him. He’s slowly becoming the CM Punk of SmackDown!, where there’s always a sketchy storyline surrounding him, even when he’s champion. I hope these two tear the house down, and trust me, they can do it. They know each other more than well. I would predict an Edge win here with an interference from Christian, as the plan with all these “accidents” is for a Christian/Hardy storyline leading to WrestleMania.
4) ECW Heavyweight Championship — Matt Hardy vs. Jack Swagger (champion)
I really like Swagger. I think he has managed to find his place in ECW and has successfully developed a character to be on the look-out for. It’ll be interesting to see what they do here, but with Tommy Dreamer’s promise to retire by June if he doesn’t win the title, I would assume they need a heel champion for a Dreamer feud, so I’d go with Swagger.
5) WWE Women’s Championship — Melina vs. Beth Phoenix (champion)
Is it just me or is there no way this match ends without a title change caused by an outside interference from Santino and Rosa? Of course, followed on RAW by the big plan revelation that Santino and Rosa are together… Or is that too TNA-ish? I have the feeling we’ll have a title switch here, one way or another.
This doesn’t look like all that on paper, but I expect a lot of time will go to the Rumble match as all the big names are in it. Cena/JBL has the potential to be bad, but on the other hand Edge and Hardy could be very good. I suggest getting the show!
Eddie T. has been a columnist for TBLWrestling.com since 2002. You may read his personal blog — filled with more content — by clicking here!
