Hear my opinions to the latest confirmed Royal Rumble Match participants.
● Batista
Returning after his (rather undignified) departure from the WWE in May 2010, Batista is back!
2014 will be his 5th participation in a Royal rumble match, but will it be his second to win (he won the RR Match in 2005)? I don't think and I don't hope so. The already teased feud between Batista and Alberto Del Rio seemed to be something that could be carried out even after the Royal Rumble, leaving the Animal in no need for a title shot at Wrestlemania.
My hopes thus lie in the fact that he will not join his colleague The Rock in a fast and completely meaningless title reign!
● Alberto Del Rio
Maybe the teasing and challenge of former WWE and World Heavyweight Champion Alberto Del Rio for Batista will result in an at least somewhat interesting in-ring feud during the Royal Rumble Match. But let's face the facts:
Del Rio might have one his first Royal Rumble match in 2011, but with such a mighty foe, Del Rio's chances to win the Rumble go against null!
● Big E Langston
With the current Intercontinental Champion, another powerhouse is added to the Royal Rumble Match. Given that he has no title match at the PPV, his chances to win his very first Royal Rumble match are very very slow. Unless, he loses the title in a match prior, which seems even more unlikely to me.
● The Miz
Commentating on Main Event, hosting MivTV, a very redundant feud with Kofi Kingston at the end of last year... It seems to me that The Miz's star as an in-ring competitor in the WWE is falling rapidly. Winning the for the first time in his 7th Royal Rumble Match? No way!
● R-Truth & Xavier Woods
After "stealing" the Funkadactyls from Tons of Funk, Xavier Woods and R-Truth have formed a mildly entertaining tag team. But with the current standing, a Royal Rumble victory is something those two shouldn't be concerned with at all.
It will be R-Truth's 6th, and Woods' first Royal Rumble Match.
● Kofi Kingston
Could the latest victory over Randy Orton tease a possible Royal Rumble victory for the exceptional high flyer Kofi Kingston? I don't think so. But his participation still fills me with great anticipation.
2012, Kofi Kingtson nearly got eliminated, saving himself by covering the distance between ringside area and the saving steel steps with a hand stand! 2013, he nearly got eliminated but managed to jump on the announcers table. With the usage of a chair, he literally hopped his way back into the ring!
What can we expect from Kofi Kingston in his 6th Royal Rumble match?
● Cody Rhodes & Goldust
Until now, no Tag Team Title Match has been announced for the Royal Rumble PPV. If the Rhodes brothers really enter the name-giving match, their chances to win and gain a title shot at Wrestlemania are more than low.
For Cody Rhodes, it will be the 6th Royal Rumble Match, for his brother Goldust the 9th even, thus making him the veteran in this set up!
● Rey Mysterio
Since his return in October 2013, Mysterio wasn't part of anything noteworthy, his only broadcasted victories being when he was involved in a tag team of some sort. It doesn't look like the WWE wanted to establish a big face run for him anytime in the near future, thus I don't think the winner of 2006 stands even the slightest chance in his 7th Royal Rumble Match.
● CM Punk
For the 6th time, CM Punk will be booked in a Royal Rumble Match this year, last year being part of what many WWE fans regard an upset as he lost his title to The Rock at the PPV.
This year, his chances to win are rather high! Over the last year, Punk had been challenging The Undertaker for his streak at Wrestlemania, participated in a long feud with his former mentor Paul Heyman, taking part in various quarrels with The Wyatt Family and lately The Shield, ending in a team up and screwing by The New Age Outlaws. He may not have been the main focus of WWE creatives, but he always played a major role with his segments and matches.
A teased match between CM Punk and Triple H for Wrestlemania could hint at his win at this year's Royal Rumble as well. Main Eventing Wrestlemania seems to be one of the last things CM Punk has on his to-do list for the WWE (alongside with, indeed, winning the Rumble), and instead of going for the WWE Heavyweight Title, he could demand this spot shall he really win this year.
My hopes for this are high, and in my eyes, CM Punk is the most likely to win out from all current participants.
● Fandango
The chances for the dancing star winning his first Royal Rumble Match are low. Very low. It seems more likely that Fandango is one of the "they don't stand a chance anyway" people from the mid- to undercard booked into the match to fill it. Furthermore, he adds up to the feud between him and the team of Xavier Woods and R-Truth.
● Bad News Barrett
Finally, Wade Barrett returns to the ring in his 4th Royal Rumble Match this year. His chances after being stuck announcing bad news to the WWE Universe for some time now are more than slim though.
● The Shield
Will the Shield be able to stand tall as a unit during their very first Royal Rumble Match? Or will the arguments and fights for power inside the group end in all three members being easily eliminated. The chances for Dean Ambrose and Seth Rollins seem relatively low, and in the end, they could even get eliminated by their very own team mate Roman Reigns.
Reigns on the other hand seems to be a hot candidate for the win. Reports and rumors about a push, his almighty spear, and the general depiction of him being the strongest and most successful member of The Shield could speak in favor of this. And still I think - and hope! - that he will get eliminated just like his colleagues. Roman Reigns might very possibly become a top player for the company, but putting him in the title picture and on the Road to Wrestlemania this early? I don't think so.
