Expectations for the Royal Rumble

After a few months of skimming through Raw, I've decided to go all-in on the 2016 Royal Rumble. WWE has broken my trust time and time again. But they can't do it again, right?! I hope the answer is no, I really do. The truth is, I don't know what's going to happen on Sunday. In this case though, that's a good thing. Injuries have piled up and seem to be never-ending in WWE these days. Those injuries have put the company in a very tough position. Who wins this thing? Who returns during the Rumble match? Let's take a look at this year's match and discuss what we can all expect from a PPV that has let me down for two years straight.

I guess I should clarify my previous statement. Yes, the Royal Rumble let me down in both 2014 and 2015. I wasn't begging for Daniel Bryan to win the match last year. I just wanted to be surprised by the finish. Instead, I saw exactly what I had predicted and apparently, so did the Philadelphia crowd that was in such distress that they booed the Rock after the initial positive response to his surprise appearance. The problem with the Rumble the past two years is that the winner has been someone that some fans (I can't say all) have been lukewarm on. Batista didn't return to the reaction that WWE expected and Roman Reigns just didn't seem ready for the spot in 2015. I'm not going to go on one of my usual rants about the past two Rumbles. That would be a huge waste of time. Time to focus on Sunday.

Do I have a favorite to win the match? No, not really. This should indicate that WWE has done a great job building excitement and mystery around the match. Well, yes and no. I like the concept of Reigns defending his title against 29 other wrestlers. That's cool and I'll give them the nod for adding some extra drama to the event. But honestly, I just don't see who could win this thing that would surprise people and also build to Wrestlemania. Not to say the whole thing's a dead end, I just don't really understand the direction of the company since Rollins' abrupt injury. I'm going to plead the fifth on selecting a winner. Really, I don't care who wins. I just want to be invested in the product again. I'll just run through my expectations for the Royal Rumble match.

First thing's first, I want to be surprised. Yeah, I've ready some of the dirt sheet's reports. Kinda spoiling, but that's ok. I'll live. What would surprise me most? Well, there's two things. To start, Daniel Bryan. It actually looks like he might return at this thing. That would be a great start. Second, AJ Styles. Now if AJ is a surprise entrant, I will lose my shit. What do Bryan and Styles have in common in my mind? I don't think either will win. I can't see Bryan, after all his injuries, taking the strap on his first night back. Same goes for Styles in his WWE debut. I just don't think WWE would invest that much in either guy right away, especially since we're so close to Wrestlemania 32. At the same time, I sure would be surprised if either guy won. That's gotta count for something, right?

Here's a sort of curveball: Triple H wins and becomes WWE World Heavyweight Champion. I could kinda-sorta get behind this. It would certainly depend on Roman Reigns' ability to rise to the occasion and have an interesting program HHH going into 'Mania. At least this would create an angle that could culminate at the company's biggest show. But, the proof is in the pudding. At least I'd be interested in seeing how Reigns' reacts to the biggest angle of his career.

I'm going to cut this one short in fear that I over analyze this. I want to just watch the show, relax, and be surprised and thrilled like I have been in the past. WWE has some major decisions to make. Surely they've already made those decisions. It's time to execute. I read a report that said WWE is "All hands on deck," for Sunday's show. That should be the case considering the past two finishes have left a lot to be desired. So if I could make a statement to WWE, it would go something like this: "Take a chance. Just go for it. Surprise me like I know you can and leave me wondering what's going to happen on Raw the next night. It's time for change and it can be done. Just present something to me that will intrigue me and force me to watch consistently again."

That's it for me on this one. I'm crossing my fingers for a great show, some new faces, and STORYTELLING. My expectations are high, and that could be a very dangerous thing.