So, without further ado...
Number 5
Bookie: The Miz is coming into fifth position this week. He and The Miztourage could easily jump to Smackdown after winning the Rumble and be main event level now that Miz has been in the mix with top Raw stars like Roman Reigns. There are too many three-man factions on Raw, let them go to Smackdown where there are more opportunities.
Blogger: Number five is the toughest slot to pick because there are a handful of names that strike me. I've removed John Cena completely from my list. This is due to the reports that his WrestleMania opponent is likely going to end up being The Undertaker.
I made the call to remove Shinsuke Nakamura last week. I don't regret making this move. I'm still unconvinced that he's winning the Rumble. I still believe that Nakamura will square off against Randy Orton in April. However, they did that segment with both Orton and Nakamura teasing wanting to go for AJ Styles' championship during Smackdown and I cannot overlook this. I'm moving him back in for now, but am still not sold hence the second-guessing whether to have him back in or not.
For what it's worth, I seriously thought about putting Shane McMahon in this position just in case the WWE Championship match ends up going the way of Sami Zayn and Kevin Owens.
Number 4
Blogger: Baron Corbin drops from third to fourth.
Bookie: Rusev has also dropped from third to fourth in my top 5. The reason why is because he jobbed to Breezango on Smackdown.
Number 3
Bookie: Dolph Ziggler moves up from fourth to third. As I wrote on December 28th, the Rumble is where we could see him again after walking out after winning - and then throwing away - the United States Championship at the end of 2017.
Blogger: I lowered Baron Corbin because I like the idea of Finn Balor winning the Rumble and then moving over to Smackdown to take on AJ Styles.
Number 2
Blogger: I have moved Roman Reigns down to second place. He has to be considered, but I think there is a better chance of him winning the Elimination Chamber match to earn a title shot against Brock Lesnar.
Bookie: My top two are miles apart from the rest of my list. Roman Reigns is also in this position on my top five. They could troll Philadelphia again by having him win the battle royal.
Number 1
Bookie: Shinsuke Nakamura remains my number one pick.
Blogger: Dolph Ziggler makes it to the top of my list for the first time. I can't shake off the thought that WWE will have Ziggler return, win the Rumble and state that he relinquished the US Championship because he wanted to aim higher and challenge for the WWE Championship.
You can see how our top 5 selections have changed and contrasted since we first started doing Bookie .vs. Blogger in mid-November in the table below:
I mean if that fastlane advertised main event is true, then Nakamura cannot win right
ReplyDeleteZiggler is interesting. Storyline wise, him winning Rumble makes sense but then again AJ - Dolph isn't a Wrestlemania level title match.
What are your thoughts ?
If everything goes to plan, Mania will have Taker/Cena and Reigns/Lesnar.
DeleteFrom memory, I can think of other title matches that were underwhelming on paper and on cards with marquee matches on top. For example, ADR .vs. Swagger.
I dont think that Dolph Ziggler will be in Rumble match
ReplyDeleteWho's your top 5 for the women?
ReplyDeleteI think Ronda is going to be there, so there's only a top 1.
DeleteThey've made too much of a thing about Asuka being a favourite. Plus that HHH/Ronda/Agent set-up with TMZ. Really has me thinking Ronda is going to win it.
I'm on Nikki Cross (33/1) to come in late and pop the crowd huge, go ballistic and win, then torment Alexa Bliss for two months (before Asuka is added to the match to make it a triple threat falls count anywhere). Well that's my fantasy booking anyway ;)
DeleteThat would be interesting alright!
Delete