|
Royal Rumble Participants:
Raw
Bobby Lashley: Video aired on the first Raw of January hyping his return at the Rumble. This pissed Vince off, sending him into a rage about how HE should get a say on who is in the Rumble. From there on in, the other 9 Raw participants would be forced to qualify and would be given only one chance.
Carlito: The cocky Corporate member teamed up with fellow Corporate members John Cena and Mr. Kennedy against Al Snow, Steve Blackman, and IC Champion Jeff Hardy. The Corporate team all qualified thanks to interference from member Shelton Benjamin.
Dave Taylor: The British brawler teamed with Raw GM William Regal in a qualifying match that also doubled as a World Tag Team Title match. After a 100% Match Quality bout, Regal used his knux to pick up the belts and the Rumble spots.
John Cena: (See Carlito) The most over heel in the company at present, the Corporate sellout is being touted as a heavy favorite to win it all. But what will happen if he wins? Will he have to face his Corporate teammate at WrestleMania?
Mr. Kennedy: (See Carlito) Another favorite, Kennedy will be making his first appearance in a Royal Rumble Match. The same questions that apply to Cena also apply to Kennedy.
Shawn Michaels: Mr. McMahon tried to hurt DX’s chances at qualification by putting them in a 3-on-2 handicap match against Corporate members Snitsky, Shelton Benjamin, and Stevie McMahon. Suffice to say it didn’t work as HBK looks to win his 3rd Rumble Match.
The Sandman: Won a 10-Man Battle Royal for the final Raw spot. Also involved were Sir Charles Palumbo, the Highlanders, Daivari, Cade & Murdoch, Hacksaw Jim Duggan, Ron Simmons, and Santino Marella (who ran his mouth and was ganged up on by all 9 others). Random note here, Simmons was a last-second replacement for Paul Burchill, who was slated to win the match but checked into rehab for a cocaine addiction before the show.
Triple H: (See Shawn Michaels) Triple H will be looking to piss McMahon off even further by winning his 2nd Royal Rumble Match.
Umaga: Idiot Jonathan Coachman thought he’d have an easy qualifier being the Assistant and all. Instead, he got paired off against the Samoan Bulldozer who easily won and stamped his ticket for Madison Square Garden.
William Regal: (See Dave Taylor) This will only be the second appearance in a Royal Rumble Match for the Raw GM.
SmackDown!
Chavo Guerrero: The feisty cruiserweight main evented Survivor Series, and he’d love to cheat his way to a WrestleMania Main Event as well.
Chris Masters: After running into trouble against Kane and the Undertaker, the Masterpiece managed to get it together long enough to pick up a win in a qualifier over D’Lo Brown.
Cody Rhodes: Part of an odd couple tag team with Hardcore Holly, the rookie looks to make an impact in his first Royal Rumble. The team won a tag team qualifier the week before the show.
Hardcore Holly: (See Cody Rhodes)
Jimmy Wang Yang: Though he will be one of the smaller participants in the match, it would be unwise to count out the Cruiserweight Champion, as he obviously has what it takes to win.
Kane: The Big Red Machine will be making his 10th consecutive Royal Rumble appearance, and he has yet to win one. Perhaps this will be the year of hellfire and brimstone.
MVP: It’s difficult to decide who has a bigger ego on SmackDown: Edge or MVP. Regardless, the US Champion certainly pegs himself as a favorite for the January classic.
Ric Flair: A former Royal Rumble winner, the Nature Boy enters what could be his last Royal Rumble Match. I’m sure few would protest if the 60-Minute Man wins it all for one last title match at WrestleMania.
The Undertaker: The 2007 Royal Rumble winner is, as always, a hotly tipped favorite heading into the match. No more really needs to be said, as it’ll take a lot to eliminate the Dead Man.
Mystery Entrant: Theodore Long has announced that he has made a new signing that will “shock the world”, and that he will be showing up as an entrant in the match. Who this man is is anybody’s guess, but its bound to be a wild ride.
ECW
Basically on ECW, the war between the Originals and New Breed (as Kevin Thorn continues to act as his own entity) is continuing to wage on. Therefore, it was decided that each entity would be allowed 5 entrants in the Rumble.
Originals: Tommy Dreamer, Balls Mahoney, Nunzio, Super Crazy, and Johnny Jeter
New Breed: Elijah Burke, Colt Cabana, Marcus Cor Von, Kenny Dykstra, and John Morrison (who will likely bring protégé Mike Mizanin to the ring with him to give the New Breed a slight advantage).
|