By The Doctor Chris Mueller
Sunday's Royal Rumble pay-per-view may feature some memorable moments and maybe even a few surprises, but it will probably be a series of predictable outcomes.
As the first PPV of the year and the beginning of the Road to WrestleMania, the Rumble has an obligation to be a good show. It sets the tone for the whole year and lets you know in advance who will headline the biggest show on WWE's schedule.
The Royal Rumble match itself is the main attraction, but the WWE World Heavyweight Championship bout also has a lot of drawing power. Let's take a look at the card and who is most likely to walk away a winner.
For a show with only six matches, the number of tag team bouts seems high. There's The New Day vs. Adam Rose, Tyson Kidd and Cesaro, The Usos vs. Miz and Damien Mizdow, The Ascension vs. The New Age Outlaws and The Bella Twins vs. Paige and Natalya.
The New Day's match will take place on the pre-show. With the way all six men in this match have been booked lately, it seems like the most positive trio in WWE history will almost certainly win.
While Kidd and Cesaro have loads of potential as a tag team, they haven't been made to look like a real threat to anyone yet. With Rose as their ally, things only look worse.
The most recent instance of poor booking in WWE came during Monday's Raw reunion when several legends took turns beating on Konnor and Viktor.
The match at the Rumble can be a defining moment for The Ascension. Konnor and Viktor have yet to show their skills on the main roster like they did in NXT, but their first PPV bout is against a team with a history of putting on great performances.
The New Age Outlaws can help The Ascension go from unimpressive rip-offs to major players in the tag team division if they are able to put on a better show than the tag title match.
Konnor and Viktor were outnumbered on Raw, and the attack was a surprise, so they didn't really look bad when the dust settled. When they destroy Road Dogg and Gunn on Sunday, they will get back any credibility they lost and then some.
As far as the Tag Team Championships are concerned, The Usos seem like a lock to retain. With the recent tension between Miz and Mizdow, we are clearly heading toward a split, possibly as early as Sunday's PPV.
Mizdow got over with a gimmick that anyone else would have failed with, and he deserves to have a chance at success on his own. If he doesn't eliminate Miz from the Rumble on Sunday, somebody in creative isn't doing their job correctly.
Lastly, the Divas have been booked in a tag match that will see the Bella sisters take on the weirdest partnership the division has seen in quite some time, Natalya and Paige.
The strange pairing is all to promote Total Divas now that Paige is a cast member, but the upside is that both she and Natalya are gifted wrestlers. With Nikki and Brie making some big improvements, it's possible this could be a great match.
A win would benefit Paige and Natalya a lot more than it would Nikki and Brie. Nikki has the title, so losing a meaningless tag match wouldn't hurt her in the slightest.
Whoever ends up getting the pin for the babyfaces will probably earn a future title shot, especially if it's Nikki she ends up pinning.
Adding Seth Rollins to this match really gave it a whole new feel, but it probably won't change the inevitable outcome.
Despite John Cena continuing to overcome The Authority almost every time they clash, it doesn't feel like his time to be champion again.
Even with his Money in the Bank briefcase to fall back on, it doesn't feel like it's Rollins' time either. The only other person who can walk away with the title is Brock Lesnar.
While a surprise cash-in from Rollins would be an awesome twist, Lesnar seems like the right person to walk into WrestleMania as champion so he can drop the belt to whoever wins the Rumble.
It won't be as decisive as when he won the title from Cena all those months ago, but we're still gong to see Paul Heyman raising his favorite client's hand in the end.
This year's Royal Rumble match might seem hard to predict on the surface, but there's really only a few names who are possible winners at this point.
Roman Reigns' rocket ride to the top makes him a good candidate to win, but the recent return of Daniel Bryan put his once-probable victory in jeopardy.
There's also Randy Orton, who should be returning soon after filming a movie for WWE. He might not seem like a possible winner to many, but that could be why he is chosen to win his second Rumble.
It basically comes down to Bryan and Reigns as the two top choices. Bryan is the more reliable choice, but Reigns has been put on the fast track, so it's anyone's guess at this point.
If Lesnar leaves the Royal Rumble as champion, Reigns is the one you should put your money on. If anyone else wins the title, look for Bryan to win his first Royal Rumble.
Make sure to join us Sunday during the Royal Rumble for live coverage and reactions, and share your Rumble predictions in the comments section below.
