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Vince McMahon announces the Royal Rumble stipulationNow that we know what is on Vince McMahon’s mind and the fact Roman Reigns will have to beat 29 other wrestlers in the Royal Rumble main event to retain his WWE World Title, is there any doubt the man who has been knocked down over and over again will get through the match with title in hand?More importantly, is there any doubt that after the match, Triple H will come out and immediately challenge him to a match at WrestleMania 32 or wait until Raw the night after and seek revenge on the man who almost “cut him in half” at TLC last month?I am not a fan of the new stipulation from McMahon. This means the event that used to be fun with added intrigue and surprise entrants is all about business. It means that somewhere in the middle of the match, Reigns will be ushered into the ring in the midst of chaos.He will have to go through half the roster, take one hell of a beating and still come out on top, holding the title high in the air or laying out on the mat, spent with Vince McMahon and Triple H standing over him.Maybe this makes the match better. Maybe it means there is more intensity and hopefully that leads to some of the antics being left in the locker room. But it also means some wrestlers will be greatly affected by the outcome.As the Royal Rumble ends and the road to WrestleMania begins, there is more predictability to an outcome of a pay-per-view event than ever before. And in the end, these wrestlers, other than Reigns, are greatly affected by it.
#1 Brock Lesnar
Anyone who thought a confrontation between these two and a resumption of the feud from last year would take place is now kicking themselves. I have never been a fan of this match and thought the feud to begin with was stale.
McMahon and Triple H must have thought the same thing since Seth Rollins cashed in and claimed the WWE World Title. Look for Lesnar to become involved in another feud, possibly with Kevin Owens, which would be epic.
Another angle might be with Alberto Del Rio and the United States Title. It is not unfathomable to think Lesnar and Del Rio could not put on a solid program. Another angle might be with Sheamus and the League of Nations.
#2 Kevin Owens
What is Brock Lesnar’s loss is Owens’ gain. There has been much talk recently about Owens and his bucket list of matches. Lesnar tops that list and presents a great challenge to the Beast Incarnate.
Much has been made about how Owens represents the new bully in the school yard, much like the character Lesnar has played for years. Owens has the mic skills to handle his business with Paul Heyman.
The fact Reigns wins at the Royal Rumble might be the best thing that could happen to the former Intercontinental Champion. There will probably be a Triple Threat Match with Dean Ambrose and Neville at the Royal Rumble. After that, it’s anyone’s guess.
#3 Sheamus
Now that Sheamus is main event talent once again, what will WWE do with him now that it seems he is chasing Reigns around like a sick puppy? The Irishman is perfect as the Authority’s front man and represents everything a heel should be at this time.
Unlike Seth Rollins before him, fans really dislike the character he portrays and the heat he receives is worth its weight in gold. Anything to pump up Reigns in his title run.
The only thing is the former champion will probably never see gold around his waist for some time. Sheamus should move on to another program after this pay-per-view
#4 Dean Ambrose
At some point will there be the confrontation we all want to see? Probably not. I was hoping that Ambrose won the Rumble match and had to face Reigns in the main event at WrestleMania, but we all know that is not going to happen.
Right now, Ambrose has his own troubles with Owens, which is a solid program and with Neville in the middle, it makes for some interesting possibilities. Ambrose and Reigns should be at opposite ends of the ring at some point in 2016.
And at some point, maybe WWE will go back to its roots and make the Intercontinental Title the real stepping stone to becoming the company champion. Well, at least I can hope that happens – but this is WWE after all. Nothing that should happen really happens at all.
