The Katz Files– Arnie Katz
Royal Rumble Preview & Predictions!
The Kingfish Arnie Katz has gotten his crystal ball out of hock and wants to get you ready for the PPV that leads to WrestleMania.
The Royal Rumble pay per view (as distinct from the inside-out battle royal that gave the event its name) has always been an important date on the WWE calendar. It’s one of the promotion’s major shows, along with WM, SummerSlamand Survivor Series.
With the passage of years, and the refinement of WWE’s promotional philosophy, Royal Rumble has assumed major importance as the stepping stone to the even grander WrestleMania stage.
A big part of that was the decision to gibe a spot in a championship match to the winner of the 30-man Royal Rumble. That linked the two events closely and inspired the “Road to WrestleMania” slogan that is now associated with Royal Rumble.
Now it’s time to haul the crystal ball out of the sack in the back of the closet and look at the major matches planned for Royal Rumble.
Randy Orton vs. Jeff Hardy
WWE Championship
The Story: The rivalry between these two competitors, has become intensely personal. Orton disabled Jeff’s brother with one of his kicks to the head and Jeff flew down from the rafters on top of Orton on the next RAW. The Extremist will try to fulfill his vow to wipe out the champion and take his title.
The Prediction: A subtle shift in emphasis has occurred in this feud. It’s now less about the title than about inflicting pain and getting revenge. That fits in well with a Randy Orton victory in which Jeff Hardy gets to look very good. It might even be a Hardy loss by DQ. Whatever the actual decision, Randy Orton gets to keep his belt until WrestleMania, after which he may well resume his feud with Jeff Hardy.
Predicted Grade: A-
Rey Mysterio vs. Edge
World Heavyweight Championship
The Story: A lot of folks have looked at the relationship between Edge and Vickie Guerrero with cynical eyes, but the Masked Marvel really went berserk at the thought of Edge with his late friend’s wife. One thing has led to another and now Mysterio has a chance to both take out his frustrations on Edge and reclaim the championship belt that he once held.
The Prediction: Logic says that one of the two heel champions should drop their strap, but I don’t think it’s going to happen. Rey Mysterio will look great and come very close, but Edge will leave the arena with the strap. The most productive result, from a story standpoint, would be to have Vickie somehow screw Rey out of a win so that there must be another match.
Predicted Grade: B+
MVP vs. Ric Flair
Career-Threatening Match for Flair
The Story: Vince McMahon wants Ric Flair to retire. The Nature Boy has resisted the move to send him home. Mr. McMahon has booked Flair in a series of matches designed to end his career. If he doesn’t win each match, his WWE career is over. Flair has had some help and a little luck, but he has survived every challenge. MVP, the United States Champion, may be the most serious threat to Flair’s string of victories and the preservation of his life as a professional wrestler.
The Prediction: If Flair is heading for retirement, the logical place to have that match is WrestleMania, not the Royal Rumble. So the forecast here is for some kind of Flair victory, probably one that doesn’t make MVP look too bad. After all, he is part of the company’s future.
Predicted Grade: B
Chris Jericho vs. John Bradshaw Leyfield
The Story: JBL has come out of retirement to confront Chris Jericho, whose return to WWE has sparked a lot of resentment from the Cowboy Financier. Leyfield has made the rivalry very personal with his scorching rant in which he told Jericho’s kids to ask daddy why he’s a coward.
The Prediction: If this isn’t just a oneshot match for JBL, the feud will climax at WrestleMania, not at this event. Both men have done great mic work, but it remains to be seen how this will come off in the ring. Assuming that John Bradshaw Leyfield is going to wrestler for a while, it would be premature to make this the decisive match. It will be grueling and hard-fought, but JBL will find a way to win that doesn’t hurt Jericho’s reputation too much (though he really does need to beat someone soon).
Predicted Grade: B
The Royal Rumble
The Story: The winner of the 30-man inverse battle royal gets the championship match of his choosing at WrestleMania. There are a lot of individual stories, as there are every year. This time, Triple H, Shawn Michaels and Hornswoggle have gotten the most face time prior to the event.
The Prediction: Talk about a match that’s tough to call! It could be any several competitors, including the Undertaker, but the choice here is Triple H.
Predicted Grade: B=
The Kingfish Says
ProWrestlingDaily.com will have complete coverage of Royal Rumble, including both quick results and an extensive recap.
I’ll be back tomorrow (Saturday), though, with my recap and analysis of this week’s iMPACT.
– The Kingfish Arnie Katz
Crossfire4@cox.net
(1/25/08)
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