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Powell's 2014 WWE Royal Rumble preview and predictions: "Do The Right Thing" edition - Will WWE create feel good moment and its best possible WrestleMania 30 main event or go with a flat retread match featuring a returning star?

Posted in: Powell Editorials
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Jan 26, 2014 - 03:46 PM

By Jason Powell

Check back tonight for Jason Powell and Chris Shore's live coverage reviews of 2014 WWE Royal Rumble. Dot Net Members can look forward to the exclusive audio review after the show. Become a member of the ad-free version of Prowrestling.net for just $1 for one month. Use the coupon code "rumble" when signing up via the Dot Net Members' Signup Page.

I see it. You see it. The question is whether Vince McMahon sees what so many of us truly believe is best for business. The fans want Daniel Bryan to win the Royal Rumble and go on to challenge for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship at WrestleMania 30. I've already stated that I believe now is the right time to go with Bryan, whereas I felt that going with him previously would have been premature because it would have set him up as a flash in the pan champion. The fans are clamoring for Bryan to win and the time is now.

30-Man Royal Rumble match: So do I believe they actually go with Daniel Bryan and create the biggest feel good Rumble moment to date? I want to believe as badly as anyone that Bryan hasn't been advertised for the Rumble because they want this to be a huge surprise. I want to believe that Vince and Triple H have seen the light and recognize that Bryan challenging John Cena is the best WrestleMania main event option they have and is far more intriguing than Batista challenging Cena or Randy Orton for the championship.

Batista and Orton can do their thing without the title. The window of opportunity to truly get the most out of Bryan's popularity won't stay open forever. This should be Daniel Bryan's night and the script really writes itself, as I laid out in a blog on Tuesday. I stated in audio that I felt Batista would win. Now that the day is actually here, I would rather be wrong than go with a Batista win that would set up a flat Batista vs. Orton (or Cena) match at WrestleMania 30. WWE Network is approaching and WWE absolutely should go with the feel good main event involving its two most popular stars. Make the fans happy, sell more WWE Network subscriptions, and create a great WrestleMania 30 main event.

Daniel Bryan wins the Royal Rumble.

Randy Orton vs. John Cena for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship: I just hope that if Daniel Bryan does win the Rumble that they don't set up another Bryan vs. Orton match for WrestleMania. Yes, they have history, but it's negative history in that we saw them wrestle one too many times. None of those matches lived up to expectations, and they all seemed to end with some sort of overbooked mess of a finish. This is quickly turning out to be a "this is what they should do" piece rather than straight up predictions, but so be it. I don't have tremendous faith in WWE doing the right thing creatively, but if they don't see the obvious then they will pay for it later.

John Cena wins the WWE World Heavyweight Championship.

Brock Lesnar vs. Big Show: This feels like the biggest no-brainer and, of all my picks, I have the most confidence in saying that Lesnar will go over strong. Show appears to be just a stepping stone for Lesnar and someone has to play that role, but I think they could have sold more pay-per-views by having their issues play out during the actual Royal Rumble match.

Brock Lesnar wins.

Daniel Bryan vs. Bray Wyatt. If you believe the weeks of rumors, then Wyatt vs. John Cena is/was pencilled in for WrestleMania 30. I've never really understood where WWE was coming from with that matchup. I wouldn't mind seeing it next year, but there's just not enough time to build up Wyatt and create a WrestleMania worth issue between him and Cena to pull it off this year. Even if Bryan is going to be a surprise entrant in the Royal Rumble match and win, the right move is to give Wyatt a cheap victory here. In fact, the only way I see Wyatt losing is if WWE doesn't intend to put Bryan in the Rumble match and feels they need to throw his fans a bone.

Bray Wyatt wins.

Goldust and Cody Rhodes vs. The New Age Outlaws for the WWE Tag Team Championship. I'm not getting my hopes up for anything special simply because I don't know how much time they will get on a 30-minute Kickoff show that includes a panel that features Shawn Michaels, Ric Flair, and Jim Duggan. I'd like to see Goldust vs. Cody at WrestleMania, but not at WrestleMania 30. The Brotherhood tag team has simply been too good to blow off. Here's hoping they don't go with a screwy finish because the Outlaws are friends with The Authority. If Goldust and Cody do drop the titles, then I fear that there will be some sort of a breakup angle in the Rumble match later in the night. However, I'd like to think that creative recognizes how good Goldust and Cody have been for the tag division, while also seeing how flat The Outlaws have been this time around.

Goldust and Cody Rhodes retain the WWE Tag Team Championship.

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