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May not be as important as the runner up.
Does it really matter anymore to “win” the Royal Rumble? Throughout history, wrestling fans have been brainwashed to believe that the Royal Rumble winner is a big deal. What is more important than winning the Royal Rumble? As history shows us, the runner up just may be as important, if not more important than the winner itself.
A history lesson below:
Edge eliminated John Cena last in 2010, which resulted in Edge losing to Chris Jericho. What happened to Cena? He went on to successfully defend the WWE Championship against Batista in Arizona at WrestleMania 26.
Stepping back to 2009, Randy Orton walked out of the Joe Louis Arena as the winner, eliminating HHH. A few months later, Orton would lose to the runner up of the Royal Rumble, The Game himself at WrestleMania 25. This trend began years before Mania went to Houston.
We continue to go back in history, as 2008 was the year Cena returned at Madison Square Garden to win, eliminating HHH and going to a triple threat match at WrestleMania 24 against the aforementioned “King of Kings,” both losing to Randy Orton. And in 2007, The Undertaker eliminated 2011 Hall of Fame Inductee Shawn Michaels. Detroit saw Michaels, not Taker in the final match at Fold Field. In 2006, Rey eliminated Orton, but both were in a triple threat match for the World Heavyweight Championship, which included Kurt Angle. Finally, when a rising Batista eliminated John Cena in 2005, both men went on to win their brands’ respected championship, when the WWE went Hollywood.
What does this say about the prestigious event that is less than a week away? It says that WWE creative, for once, may have no idea who they really want to win this year. They always have an idea in mind, but with no dominating superstars, they are going to have to stick with basics. The basics may be John Cena winning. Why would you add ten useless superstars? The answer is simple: it will cover up how much lack of star power this 40 man Royal Rumble has. With Edge and Orton in separate matches, count them out, unless they go back and add them last second. Also rule out veteran former champions like Batista, Chris Jericho, Shawn Michaels, and The Undertaker. There have been 25 confirmed participants as of Monday evening, but only TWO have main evented a WrestleMania. That number is shocking, compared to last year having SIX men who have been in a world title match on the “Grandest Stage of Them All.”
What does this all mean? Does it mean that we should expect a young superstar to win? No. It means that the youth movement has hit a snag, and the star power has faded. Is Sheamus, Wade Barrett, Alberto Del Rio, and John Morrison strong enough stars to make this Pay Per View a must buy? I wish this were the Royal Rumble in 2013 instead, because these guys have not been given enough time to make themselves into legit stars. Do not get me wrong, I appreciate these men for what they do separately in the ring, each have unique qualities and are on their way to become something special, but it is too soon to lean on these guys to drive buys on Sunday. I hope Boston is ready for a reality check, that the likely winner will be John Cena, hometown, hasn’t had the title for a while, and already has a history of feuding with either the Miz or Orton. Recreate over Create, the slogan for this year’s Royal Rumble.
Chair Shot Reality this weekend comes to you from Boston! Sunday at 3pm, The Four’s Bar will host myself and Justin LaBar for a pre-Royal Rumble party. Watch CSR for more details.
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Josh Isenberg, over.
