A lot of WWE fans are still wondering what Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson has planned for Wrestlemania 32 but before all that, there is the 2016 WWE Royal Rumble first.
The Royal Rumble takes place in a couple of weeks (Jan. 24) where the highlight of it all is to see whether Roman Reigns will be successful in fending off 29 other WWE stars and retain his WWE title.
For those who are unaware, all these were set last Monday at WWE Raw when Reigns successfully weathered the storm by defeating Sheamus despite the WWE chairman acting as guest referee.
The Bleacher Report speculates that “The Rock” could make an appearance at the rumble and if so, it would be neat if he wins it all.
The angle stems from the fact that such could set the stage for Wrestlemania 32, something where “the Rock” has confirmed he will be appearing despite a busy filming schedule.
From a standpoint, the whole thing does make sense. The thing is though, Johnson has not hinted anything yet about appearing on Jan. 24.
Assuming he does appear and win it all, such is seen as a big boost for the WWE at least until Wrestlemania 32. The WWE could use the publicity but does the Rock have the time to pry the title away and carry it while he embarks on his film commitments?
Winning the title could require Johnson to make appearances and everyone knows the previous insurance issue tied up with his filming contract. Though it is believed such has been relaxed to allow him to appear at Wrestlemania 32, there was no mention that such included the 2016 Royal Rumble.
Assuming, however, that Johnson can spare the time, it does account for a good storyline.
In this case, “the Rock” walks away with the title at the Rumble only to lose it at Wrestlemania 32 against perhaps to his cousin, Reigns.
The surprise twist that McMahon and the WWE has in mind by putting the WWE title on the line at the Royal Rumble is indeed befuddling. For one, the WWE universe is unlikely cool to the idea of seeing Reigns win the rumble for the second consecutive year.
Though Reigns has proven he can compete against the toughest of rivals, the easiest way to call it is for him to win it all again. However, that would come with dire backlash, probably similar or worse than what happened in the 2015 edition of the Royal Rumble.
To recall, the Rock was there at the time to help out his cousin. All that happened because Johnson was actually around as reported then by USA Today.
Could he be in Orlando, Florida as well this year? If so, that is where the pitch of “the Rock” winning the 2016 Royal Rumble will probably make sense.