The Road to WrestleMania begins at the Royal Rumble. By the end of the event, everyone knows at least one superstar who will challenge for a WWE title. Frankly put, the winner of the Royal Rumble is set. They might not win their guaranteed title shot at WrestleMania, but they have made it to the main event-level and eventually the gold should be around their waist.

This year’s Rumble has three previous winners as confirmed entrants. They are John Cena, Randy Orton and Sheamus. With no clear plans for what the WWE has lined up for WrestleMania, anyone can win this year, including the three names listed.

The WWE has made it no secret that 2012 was an awful year Cena. He began with a loss to The Rock, but followed it up with a brutal win over Brock Lesnar. The year would see him become the first to fail when cashing in his Money in the Bank briefcase. He finished his year plus feud CM Punk on the losing end. He’s currently trading wins with Dolph Ziggler.

The best way to bounce back is to win the Rumble and headline WrestleMania. Cena dropped his last two WrestleMania main events, so the WWE’s No. 1 wrestler needs this win at the Rumble. I predict a rematch of Cena vs. The Rock for the championship this year, with The Rock doing the job this time.

Orton is another superstar who needs a big win. He spent last year staying in the title picture before he was handed his second suspension for violating the Wellness Program. When Orton returned, he didn’t lose his spot, but something is missing. Orton has become rather stale.

He could win the Rumble, but it would be better to see him come close then loss. It would create a heel turn for Orton, which is desperately needed. The Orton who feuded with Triple H a few years ago was great. He had no respect for anyone and showed no remorse.

I see Orton coming in and throwing wrestlers out left and right. Someone swoops in from behind and dumps Orton, who then returns in the ring and RKOs everyone in sight.

Sheamus had a monumental year after beating Daniel Bryan for the world heavyweight title and defending it for six months. He seems to be one of the wrestlers that the WWE will be building around for the next decade.

Only two names have won the Rumble in back-to-back years and I can’t see Sheamus repeating that. He’s not a Shawn Michaels or Steve Austin. Look for a good outing by Sheamus that will keep him in the title contention after WrestleMania.

Past Rumble winners who could make an appearance include: The Undertaker, Rey Mysterio, Batista, Brock Lesnar, The Rock, Triple H and Jim Duggan. Besides Mysterio and Duggan, don’t look for any of these wresters to appear. It just doesn’t make sense as they are such huge names, who would eliminate them?

It would allow the WWE to reintroduce Mysterio after being away from action, again. For Duggan, it would just be a quick appearance that gets the crowd to yell HO and USA!

So there it is for the 26^th annual Rumble. It’s always better to see a fresh face win as it capitulates them into the main event scene, though don’t be surprised to see a previous winner leave the victor.

Cena seems like the best choice as I feel a rematch with The Rock is coming. It’s not a match I want to see again, but that’s just how the wrestling business works. Some fans leave delighted with the outcome and others shaking their head in disgust.