One of the new names in the running…
It seems like it’s been written in stone since time immemorial – Roman Reigns is going to win the 2015 Royal Rumble and go on to beat Brock Lesnar at Wrestlemania 31. So it was decreed by Vincent Kennedy McMahon, so it shall be done.
Unfortunately the Roman Reigns coronation hasn’t gone according to plan the last few months. Reigns spent months out of action with a serious hernia, and somehow has returned even more green than he was before his injury. The guy hasn’t had a good match since returning, and has delivered some truly cringeworthy promos. Some, including our own Brandon Stroud, have started to question Reigns’ previously unquestionable golden boy status, and they aren’t alone – WWE may also be getting cold feet about the rise of the Roman empire.
According to the Wrestling Observer WWE is now considering having somebody different win the Rumble if the audience doesn’t get behind Reigns enough in time for the show, as the company doesn’t want a repeat of last year’s Batista debacle. The two other names being considered are Dean Ambrose and Dolph Ziggler, with Ambrose being the more likely of the two. While Ziggler isn’t being ruled out, WWE probably won’t go for him unless he becomes a Daniel Bryan-esque phenomenon over the next few weeks.
Interestingly, there’s also murmurs that Brock Lesnar going into Wrestlemania as champ is no longer set in stone, particularly if somebody other than Reigns wins the Rumble. Ambrose and/or Ziggler vs. Seth Rollins would make more sense from a storytelling perspective than a Lensar match, so if somebody other than Reigns wins the Rumble, you might see a briefcase cash-in as well.
Of course, WWE could (and probably will) stick with the Roman Reigns plan, but it is encouraging to hear that they’re at least working on a backup plan this year. What do you folks think? If Roman is out, who would you have win the Rumble, and where would you go from there?
via Inquisitr
