To begin 2012, we're starting a new Roundtable feature with PWTorch specialists/contributors answering a Question of the Day on a hot topic in the news or from a recent TV/PPV event. Check back throughout the week for our panel of PWTorch contributors offering their thoughts on the topic of the day.

Question of the Day 1/17: With the "deck stacked" against C.M. Punk after Raw, how will the Punk vs. Ziggler title match play out at the Royal Rumble? Also, is the timing right for WWE to put the WWE Title on Ziggler, or has that time not come yet?

Anthony Beckingham, PWTorch DVD review specialist

One thing's for certain in recent years for WWE: no one can confidently predict how a title match will play out. That, for me, is not a good thing. Since Randy Orton and Triple H's back-to-back 200+ day reigns in 2008-2009, there have been 26 WWE Title reigns, with only The Miz's going over 100 days. That said, I foresee/hope that C.M. Punk will retain the title going into WrestleMania due to how much the Raw brand is based around him. With John Laurinaitis having what I believe are good interactions with Punk (his timing pulling the rope down to give Ziggler the non-title win wasn't at all as clumsy as those spots often are), I think WWE is onto a good storyline here that can run for a few months.

I think Ziggler is in the right place to win the WWE Championship, but the timing isn't right now. I wouldn't do it now, as Punk is in a better spot on top and there's still a lot of story to tell before Punk is dethroned. Once that happens, WWE would build the story behind Punk chasing the title and Laurinaitis trying to stop him at every turn while Ziggler gets his chance on top. (Read Beckingham's regular SHIMMER DVD reviews.)

George Chiverton, PWTorch specialist

Personally, I'd like to see Ziggler lose to Punk before going on to win the Rumble match. Ziggler deserves not only to win, but also to win from a platform like the Rumble. It elevates his star and creates the potential WrestleMania launch that Miz fed off so well during the start of 2011.

Given that leading into the Rumble there has been more focus on Punk-Laurinaitis, even if Ziggler won clean in three minutes, Punk would still come off better than him. Ziggler deserves better than that. Plus, Ziggler has wrestled twice on one PPV in the past. Ziggler winning his second match of the night could create a great promo opportunity to show his evolution to main event status (again, I'm thinking Miz here). Either way, Monday's Raw showed how fantastic Dolph Ziggler can be and I think it's about time the workhorse finally gets his deserved strong main event run. (Read Chiverton's NXT Rankings & Evaluation column every Wednesday.)

Brian Leahy, PWTorch specialist

With WrestleMania looming ever larger on the horizon, and in a time of declining TV ratings and PPV buys, I find it increasingly difficult to believe that the time is right, or that the appetite is present, to take the company’s premiere championship and place it on an “unproven” commodity such as Dolph Ziggler.

That’s not to say that I don’t think Ziggler is ready; it’s just that this is not the most ideal or appealing situation in which to give him the “ball” to run with. Indeed, Dolph ticks most of the boxes when it comes to filling a WWE main-event spot in 2012. He's young, athletic, charismatic, and his delivery between the ropes has been more consistent than most wrestlers over the past 6-12 months. Unfortunately for Ziggler, what WWE needs right now is a strong and proven champion to lead them into WrestleMania. I don’t believe that Ziggler can be handled in such a manner over the next ten weeks that makes him a WrestleMania main-event draw.

Everything points to Punk fighting an uphill battle when it comes to his bout with Ziggler at the Rumble in two weeks. WWE has booked themselves into a corner here: if (and when) Punk retains, Ziggler looks incapable of a top-flight victory even with outside forces on his side. Or, should the unthinkable happen where Ziggler succeeds in winning WWE’s ultimate prize, it will surely be held in the same low esteem as his brief (very brief) World Title reign. For these reasons, I can’t look beyond Punk pulling out the win following some sort of referee bump or interference that unintentionally works in his favor, and Ziggler’s title aspirations are put on hold until WrestleMania season is over. (Read Leahy's regular independent DVD review series and hear him regularly on Sean Radican's weekend VIP Audio updates.)

[Torch art credit Grant Gould (c) PWTorch.com]

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