PWTorch Specialist Roundtable: (a) Who is your final prediction to win the Royal Rumble match? (b) Who do you think should win the Rumble for serious or not-serious reasons?

Justin James, PWTorch contributor

(A) My "way too early” pick a few weeks ago was Dolph Ziggler, but I have since moved into the Chris Jericho camp. I could see Ziggler getting the win and holding the title to face someone else at WrestleMania; WWE could consider the Cena–Rock match and the inevitable Undertaker match (most likely against Triple H) as enough “star power” to let someone like Ziggler be the WWE champion coming into Mania. If Triple H is not going to be facing Undertaker (and, personally, I do not want to see that match again), then C.M. Punk would be a great opponent to run against The Streak to prove that he really is “Best in the World.” That would leave Dolph Ziggler as the best option. But, if Triple H does line up against Taker, then Punk against Chris Jericho is the way to go. Since I think Triple H will be Undertaker’s opponent, I’ll go with Jericho winning the Rumble and Punk–Jericho at Mania.

(B) Who “should” win it and who I “want” to win it are two different things. I think that for WWE’s sake, Chris Jericho should be the winner. Jericho is a major star, he is fresh after time off, his character is interesting and still developing, and he is a fantastic wrestler who could make my four-year-old look like a star in the ring. Who I want to win it is Mark Henry. Henry has just become an absolutely dominant force on the mic, and, while his in-ring isn’t pretty, he is over as a powerhouse. I would really enjoy a few months of Henry on the mic building up to a championship match at WrestleMania. (Read James's reviews of each week's WWE NXT and Superstars episode.)

Alex Roberts, PWTorch specialist

The answer to both of these questions, for me, is Chris Jericho. Everyone's saying it, though, so at the risk of cheating, let me add a caveat: Chris Jericho will win; if he doesn't, his elimination will still be the most newsworthy event on the show. WWE doesn't (or at least shouldn't) have a wrestler proclaim "The End of the World" without following through on it.

My prediction for this Jeripocalypse? Just as Jericho has subverted and "trolled" the idea of audience response to a returning wrestler, he'll "troll" the very integrity of the coveted Royal Rumble event. I'd say he comes out around #20 or so, complete with an arena black-out and his lightup jacket. After some in-ring posing, he intentionally avoids clashing with other competitors, then exits the ring under the bottom rope (cue Michael Cole repeating over and over "He's not eliminated! He has to go over the top rope!"). He spends the rest of the match hanging out with the fans and yelling.

Finally, there will be an in-ring Final Three of, say, Orton, Miz, and Sheamus. Sheamus and Miz are eliminated after some extended physicality, leading to a premature hometown pop followed by Jericho immediately jumping in and dumping a dazed Orton over the top rope for the victory. Eventually, Jericho delivers an extended explanation - he's going to end the world by taking advantage of the follies and loopholes in WWE. And, he will prove that the current "Best in the World," C.M. Punk, is a false prophet by beating him for the WWE Title at WrestleMania.

It's to WWE's credit that there is so much buzz around Jericho's Royal Rumble entry; it's not so much to their credit that I honestly can't think of a compelling reason for any other entrant to win that WrestleMania main event. As my friends can attest, I'm legendarily bad at predicting who will win the Rumble. This year, though, I will be legitimately surprised if it's not Y2J. (Read Roberts's regular DVD/Movie/Book reviews on PWTorch.com)

Nathan Kyght, PWTorch specialist

(A) While WWE seemingly introduced Chris Jericho into the fold this past Monday with his cryptic comments, I don't think he'll win. He seems to be there to "throw people off of the scent," so to speak. And, while I do think he will be in the Rumble match, I believe his inclusion will be part of something else; the beginning of a separate storyline or the start of a feud. Jericho seems to take too much pride in "swerving" the audience to just announce his inclusion and then win. In fact, after his statement on Raw, there really isn't any reason to believe he will 100 percent be in the match, as the comments from the recently silent Superstar, "It will be the end of the World as you know it," are about as vague as you can get.

Obviously, with 30 Superstars and a seemingly constant change in WWE's backstage philosophy, it's very difficult to guess who will have his arm raised at the end of the night. So, I'm going to go with a returning Randy Orton to take it all, and head to WrestleMania (hopefully against a full-fledged heel Daniel Bryan, who has been absolutely awesome in his role).

(B) Now, who should win the Rumble. This is the time to have our fantasy booking time, but in all honesty, I do think Randy Orton should win it. He's been great in his role the last few months, and seems to have found the perfect rhythm for his character; there isn't a moment in-ring where he doesn't seem completely tuned in to what his character "would do."

I can write about things I think would be fun (I'd pop for the Funkasaurus - for a minute), or things that would make for an intriguing Raw (Punk loses the title, then enters and wins), but, regardless, this is the beginning of the build to the biggest show of the year, and a show headlined by The Rock and John Cena. There's no reason to complicate things and to start throwing stuff against the wall. WWE should do something concrete: a major babyface, a cocky heel, and they don't like one another. Simple as that, and it works every single time. (Read Kyght's PPV Evaluation column after each major wrestling PPV, including the Royal Rumble.)

Jon Mezzera, PWTorch specialist

Everyone has been saying that there are only two possible winners, Randy Orton and Chris Jericho. I can't argue with that, so I will go with Orton as the winner (though I would not be surprised if it is Jericho).

As far as who should win the Rumble, I'm not sure. I love fantasy booking, and would like to think I could come up with a better scenario, but I am having trouble, in part because I don't know who is available for the match (Del Rio, Christian, etc.?). Also, when I think, "what would WWE do if not Orton or Jericho?" I come up with something lame like John Cena winning, moving his title match up to Elimination Chamber to face Dolph Ziggler (after Jericho costs Punk the title at the Rumble) since Cena still wants his match vs. The Rock to be for the title. That would be terrible. I don't see Jericho winning the Rumble as being better than Orton, so I'm not sure that Jericho "should" win.

With Rock vs. Cena, Triple H vs. Undertaker, Big Show vs. Shaq (if it happens, it would be a "big event" special attraction that would likely garner a lot of interest), and Punk vs. Jericho, there is a lot of star power at Mania without needing Orton in the World Title match. However, if Daniel Bryan hangs on to the World Title, then WWE already has one new player in the title match. WWE doesn't need an unexpected challenger when they have an unexpected champion.

If Bryan escapes the Rumble (literally) with the title, and does the same at Elimination Chamber, and if done correctly, the fans will be dying to see him lose the belt at Mania. Orton is the perfect person for the fans to rally behind to take it from him. Plus, if given a good amount of time, is there any doubt that Bryan vs. Orton would a very good, if not great, match? I can't think of anything better. (Sheamus, Barrett, Miz, Foley? I don't think so). So, I would have to say in the end that Orton should win and will win the Rumble. It may be predictable and it may seem boring, but, in this case, I think it is the right thing to do. (Read Mezzera's Hits & Misses column on each week's Raw and Smackdown episode.)

Check back for Part 3 Sunday night before the Rumble!

[Torch art credit Travis Beaven (c) PWTorch.com]

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