Royal Rumble Romp

God, I miss the good old days. This is my favorite WWF pay per view of the year, WM included (I'm weird like that) and it was never better than the 1992 and 2000 editions. Tonight it's coming live from MSG, so let's hope there's a New York State-related every-eight-years charm

Picks (in projected match order) after the jump....



No Stakes Whatsoever
Chris Jericho vs. JBL










Winner: I'll say JBL due to Texan shenanigans, neither of these guys is really doing anything until WM24 anyway. Are we sure they're not retired?
I'm Rooting For: Who Gives A Fuck, err.....JBL, I guess

World Heavyweight Championship
Rey Mysterio vs. Edge










Early reports are saying that this may end up being the match of the night; supposedly, they (and Orton-Hardy) are getting close to 20 minutes for it. I like the four-match undercard here, more time for guys this talented is never a bad thing. I also love midgets and Canadians of every variety, so I have high hopes for this one (weird that among active wrestlers, Edge is now pretty much carrying the flag for that entire country). I don't think Edge drops the belt until Wrestlemania to the Taker, in the rumored "Streak vs. Streak That Doesn't Actually Exist" match.

Winner: Edge
My Pick: Edge. (Canadians > Midgets)

MVP vs. Ric Flair










It's not going to happen, and I know it, Still, though, could you imagine if they put MVP over tonight? Ric Flair's career ends in Madison Square Garden, the home arena of a company he led the fight against, front-and-center, for 20 years. In the process, the WWF drives one last stake into the 150-times-hammered-shut coffin of WCW and makes MVP into a superduperstar on the biggest stage possible. Look, I'd to see Flair take it to WrestleMania, but for a match ending rich in symbolism, I'm not sure you'd have a chance to top this for quite a while. Hey, let's face it....he's probably not going to stay retired anyway.

Winner: Ric Flair
My Pick: MVP

WWF Championship
Randy Orton v. Jeff Hardy










I'll admit surprise at the choice of Jeff Hardy to be in this match - at the time, it seemed likely that they just had no other plan, and were staving off HHH-Orton until WrestleMania. Really, though, does anyone want to see HHH-Orton at WrestleMania? I've never really understood the idea of HHH as a face at any point in his career, the guy plays a much better heel, and my mark side would even be pulling for Orton in that match.

It really did appear at first that Hardy was getting the 2003 Hardcore Holly/2006 Mark Henry Royal Rumble push; "hey, we don't really have a huge title match for this show, but this guy's been with us for a long time, let's give him a month in the spotlight". Hardy has clearly surpassed that; unlike the previous two, his month or so has been incredibly memorable, and he's coming into this PPV on fire with the fans. 30-foot Swantons off of Titantrons will do that for you. He's aout to make the leap - a win here would actually mean the world to his character, whereas Orton could clearly survive a loss. C'mon guys, pull the trigger here, he can always just drop it back to Orton at No Way Out in a month.

Winner: Jeff Hardy by DQ, Randall keeps strap
My Pick: Jeff Hardy

The Royal Rumble Match











For the third straight year, I don't really have a set idea of who's winning here, although I assume it'll be Triple H or the Undertaker, and it will be underwhelming. They're doing well with keeping it a surprise as of late, but every year it seems to lose a bit of meaning - probably because it only sets up one of 3-4 WM main events, rather than setting the Big One in stone.

Winner: The Undertaker
My Pick: CM Punk - the pop would be huge, and come on, the Taker doesn't need this.

Recommendation:

BUY THIS ONE (or watch it online somewhere). Seriously, it's one of the Big Four (my personal favorite, since it sets up Mania), and it's coming from the home arena of the WWF. My money is that someone steps up to the plate, like Flair in 1992 or Cactus Jack/HHH/Rocky in 2000, and makes this one unforgettable.

Enjoy the show, folks.