Who wins the Royal Rumble? You can talk about returns and surprise entrants, but I am just going to talk about 3 guys already active on the roster and their chances to win it.
First, there is Roman Reigns. He was the likely candidate to win for the longest while. The fact that the WWE has been consistent in grooming him to be a star further supports the idea that it could be him. They have been doing a lot of things here and there to make him seem like a big deal. But is he ready? People can talk about his wrestling ability and mic skills, but how well the fans are connecting to him is what matters. He has fans, but he also has his critics that will let their voices be heard. There are likely to be many smarks at the event this Sunday. Those are the type of fans likely to boo Reigns. Their voice counts, but they are not the only ones that matter. Of course, the Royal Rumble is not some popularity contest. It is about setting up a storyline and feud for Wrestlemania, in addition to handing someone a big piece of hype. Roman Reigns remains a likely candidate in that regard.
Daniel Bryan has said that he wants to face Brock Lesnar. It is a bit of a dream match for him. Can you have that without the title involved? Lesnar loses the title, Daniel Bryan does not win the Rumble, and the two face in a non-title match. That works. Daniel Bryan does not need to be in the title match at Wrestlemania two years in a row. Of course, many might say that he should have won the Royal Rumble last year. Will they give it to him this year to make up for that? You also have the negative reaction that the WWE received over their treatment of Daniel Bryan last year. This year, I do not think fans are that hot over the subject. Daniel Bryan is still over, but I do not think the fans are as riled up. Regardless, in comparison to Roman Reigns, Daniel Bryan might be the better option. He has more credibility and a match between him and Lesnar might be more interesting.
Let me bring up someone that might not be that likely. How about Dolph Ziggler? A few months ago, they were doing certain things with him that made him look like an A+ player at times. He won the match for his team at Survivor Series. I will be the first person to say never make too much out of one moment, but there you have one big moment. I am not suggesting they were grooming him for a big push, but I have seen some fans bring him up as a likely candidate to win. I think it would be refreshing. Everyone talking about Reigns and Daniel Bryan, as if this is a two-man race, but it would be nice to see someone else that fans like and is a good worker get the big push. Roman Reigns can use more time and Daniel Bryan does not need this push again so soon. In this regard, Dolph Ziggler would be a good option.
Who do I think is likely to win the Royal Rumble? I will go with the WWE booking Roman Reigns to win it. They dared to book Batista to win it last year. I do not think they have learned their lesson since then. They are still trying hard to make stars out of whom they want to be stars and are not opening up the playing field for others. If they are serious about Roman Reigns, a Royal Rumble victory for him is likely.
Let me go back to what I talked about a few days ago about the New England Patriots and Bill Belichick. It seems that recent cheating scandal has really taken off. Let me make my stance clear. I am not saying taking shortcuts and doing unethical things is good. I am saying I understand why it is done and people might allow it in some certain situations if it leads to great success. Being so determined to succeed might be seen as admirable. You can view it as the old philosophy of the ends justifying the means. It is Machiavellian to some degree.
Look at the WWE. Look at Vince McMahon. There are certain controversies over some of the things he does with his company. I already mentioned the Daniel Bryan issue. Look at the diva division. You want to talk about the ends justifying the means? What happens when you are no longer attaining desirable results and you are still pushing those questionable means? The system that makes the diva division what it is was never great. It did lead to the division being golden for roughly half a decade, but the fatal flaws in the system have led to the dark age you now have. And the system still stands, even though the WWE does not seem to have the gas to run it properly. It is a system that does not give all its workers equal opportunities to earn a better career, picks whom the stars will be, and often relies on women that are not great wrestlers. When it was working out under Trish Stratus as centerpiece, the ends were justifying the means. Things were golden. How about when the ends stopped justifying the means? The women being pushed to be centerpiece after Trish flopped. The most over diva is a credible jobber that got over on her own. No way there was any lying going on in that situation with Mickie James, right? Machiavelli was above that? After years of continuing to force the same system, they have dug themselves a deep hole that they may never get out of. When the ends stop justifying the means, you lose the protection of that philosophy. What excuse do you give next as to why you are still pushing that failing, corrupt system? It is no longer a decision based on success. It is a decision based on ego. It is based on what you personally want.
Let me make up one hypothetical situation. Let's say I have a rich uncle I never knew about and he left me a sports franchise. I am obviously not in a position to manage it myself. I have to hire people to do it. When it came to my options for general manager of the actual team, let's say my only options are Bill Belichick or Vince McMahon. Both have experience running things. Both have had success. Both have also done questionable things that might hurt their image. But I have to choose one of these guys to run my team. Whom do I pick? I would go with Belichick. Even if he does get involved in questionable things, success is his goal. For me, the main thing about Vince McMahon is that he will force something even if it is not succeeding. Success has to be your goal, not simply having things your way. And you cannot stop being efficient when you start not getting your way. That is not strong leadership. If I did make the mistake of hiring Vince McMahon and he put his ego ahead of success of the franchise, he would be fired.
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