Tony Acero | On 05, Jan 2013

There are three major events that many expect to see sooner rather than later. Tony Acero weighs in on the odds of each happening at the 2013 Royal Rumble PPV…

 

Do you smell it? It’s in the air. It’s that quality of pollution that only a wrestling fan could love. The buzz is slowly starting, like a dying vibrator (you know what I’m talking about, ladies) and the sizzle of the pan is barely starting to pop. We won’t call it “Wrestlemania Season” quite yet, but I’ll be damned if a promo for the upcoming Rumble isn’t getting me all kinds of excited. January through April, these are the years where we at the IWC feel a little bit better about the product. It’s a year where even a Khali promo may be nodded politely at instead of frowned upon We’re nearing the Rumble, folks, and I’m fucking excited. With one look in the future ball, we all have predictions of winners, losers, entrants, and surprises. I’ll be the first to tell you that I am no good at attempting to figure out just what will happen. Not because I am unaware of simple logic and critical thinking, but there is always a part of me that is either far too eager as a fan or far too lazy as a writer to try and put into words just where the WWE is going in the next few months. Even so, I have a column to write, right?

Will John Cena win the Royal Rumble?

I’m about 87% sure that he will, and this goes back to my complaints about Cena. I won’t harp on it too much here, because they can change their mind (assuming their mind is set), but suffice to say, Cena is almost a shoe-in regarding what’s going on in the future. If the plan is for Rock and Cena to go at it again on the big stage, then there are predictions that The Rock will win the title from CM Punk, Cena will win the Rumble, and challenge The Rock at Mania, and boom; Main Event set. I don’t really think Cena needs a win to make this challenge, however. I can see it as a request for a rematch and go from there. I don’t see the need to give a potential star making opportunity in the Rumble win going to a man who undoubtedly doesn’t need it (similar to the briefcase he won in 2012). What say you?

Will The Rock win the WWE Championship?

I am more sure about this decision than any other prediction I’ll make here. We’ll go with 94.5%. Do I agree with it? I’m kind of torn. On one hand, I don’t think a loss for Punk will hurt him in the slightest. He has held the belt for over a year and has done a great job near the tail end to stress the importance of that. I feel that regardless of who he loses it to, he’ll be able to survive well beyond it and continue to entertain. So the question remains, is The Rock the man I want to see take it from him. Look, I love The Rock. I think he’s amazing, and will most likely be a dude that is forever loved by a majority of us fans, internet or otherwise. What I don’t like, however, is a man that is gone for a long time, comes back for a number of shows, then wins the big one. No, I’m not bitter about him leaving and no, I don’t find that the title “deserves better,” but there is something that doesn’t make me feel too right about it. I think what bothers me the most is that if/when The Rock wins, the belt will be used more as a crutch to help book Rock vs. Cena II rather than something that is looked at as the ultimate prize. Even after writing this, I’m still torn.

Will Dolph Ziggler Cash in at the Royal Rumble?

I’ll throw the number 50% out there just to be safe. I can see it happening, and I can see it not happening. Either way, I think I’ll be fine with it. I feel they’re going with a heel Show vs a new Face Del Rio, and Dolph could just as easily cash in on some Royal Rumble hijinks (maybe Del Rio hits Show with a car?). But if he doesn’t, then perhaps it will happen at a bigger PPV, or he’ll have his own moment some time later. With The Rock winning the WWE title, and Cena winning the Rumble, Dolph may very well be overshadowed. But, with Mania build coming shortly after the Rumble (presumably), he may be lost in the shadows anyways. So do we have Dolph cash in at the Rumble, or do we wait for him to get his own time to shine?

Any other predictions for the Royal Rumble you want me to talk about? I have a couple more I’m saving for next week, but feel free to suggest some, no matter how outlandish.

You Decide: What do you predict for the Royal Rumble?

Check out more Royal Rumble odds with Greg DeMarco here!