Rumblin' Rumblin' Rumblin' Rawhide

So, I was delaying doing this as the WWE has another five entries into the Rumble to announce but I may not get a chance tomorrow so I'm going to assume none of those five will be a surprise winner.

This year, we have a little bit of a fuzzy picture with the Orton/Hardy match. As much as I'd love to see it and will mark like a school girl if it happens, I just don't see Jeff picking up the gold. So, these picks are done assuming Orton and Edge are your champs.

Without further adieu, my annual Rumble picks...

First, my picks for the "surprise entrants." We go into Sunday morning with five open spots. I'm picking a returning Big Show for one, Legends Slaughter and Simmons, and pulling double-duty Flair and MVP. I'll include them in my breakdown.

The Bottom Of The Barrel
----
Bob Holly - he's good for a beatdown spot on Cody to put over the "Every man for himself" but he's not gonna sniff victory

Cody Rhodes - See above

The Miz - he and Morrison might do the partners beating each other up spot instead but nothing will ever match Ax and Smash beating each other up in '89.

Snitsky - I miss babykicking Snitsky

Carlito - Ahhh, how the mighty have fallen.

Santino Marella - he's got the gimmick and the character down but the ringwork won't hold up yet

Tommy Dreamer - not even sure how Tommy gets in there but he's got no chance

Chuck Palumbo - Nice angle on Smackdown but feuding with Jamie Noble doesn't line you up for the World Title

Jamie Noble - insert "Palumbo" in the sentence above

Sgt. Slaughter - do I need to explain this?

Ron Simmons - DAMN!


What's Left Of the Glass
----
Mark Henry - I think they're past the Henry as World Title contender phase. He should get a couple nice power eliminations but nothing of note.

Kane - Kane has gotten to the spot where he almost gets a World Title program every year or two but he'd never be considered as a Rumble winner unless the perfect angle came up or perhaps if he was retiring.

John Morrison - I think Morrison is a future superstar for the WWE but this year, he's just a part of a very entertaining tag team and doesn't stand much hope unless they decide to really put over ECW and let Morrison challenge for that title at Mania.

Shelton Benjamin - He's getting a pretty good push but unless ECW is in for a big push, not going to happen this year.


Getting Closer
----
Mick Foley - I suppose it's always possible that we might see Foley challenge for a big title again but most likely he's there for a comedy spot, add some star power, and possibly set up a Mania match if there's one to be done [I vote Foley/Umaga Street Fight.]

Finlay - The only thing that gives Finlay an outside chance is the Vince angle but I can't imagine Finlay/Orton or Finlay/Edge main eventing Mania. His purpose in the Rumble is to do most of the work for Hornswoggle to set up whatever angle that's going to develop.

Mr. Kennedy - If he hadn't had the suspension, I would say it might be possible. But he got sidetracked so badly because of it, he still hasn't recovered.

Great Khali - He's there for the giant spots. Nothing more. Some big elims. A lot of Finlay/Hornswoggle interactions. But he's not getting the World Title match on the big show.

Big Daddy V - See above minus the Irishmen.

MVP - I think MVP is destined to finish the Matt Hardy angle at Mania so this isn't his year... maybe next year.

Big Show - if he's in this, I'd say he's Regal and Vince's attempt to eliminate HHH from the match. He might be there at the end but he's not winning it.


Almost There
----
Umaga - The only chance he has is if Rey or Hardy pull off wins. Hardy's his best chance but even with that, I can't imagine they'd run this match again already. It'd be a great one but not likely.

CM Punk - Again, unless ECW is getting a huge push with the Rumble winner picking an ECW Title shot, I just don't think Punk is there yet. A couple more years under his belt, perhaps.

Hornswoggle - I just can't see it. I can imagine Vince finding it funny as shit to do but I can't imagine it happening. He'll get pretty deep I'd imagine but he'll get eliminated in some screwy fashion... maybe Vince doing it himself for "tough love"


The Top 5
----
In the end, there's really only five guys who seem like they stand a chance.

The Undertaker - winner last year... readymade revenge match with Edge for the ultimate undefeated at Mania showdown. It just seems to fit perfectly. I'm not fond of back-to-back Rumble wins though.

Triple H - Triple H vs Orton? Check. HHH vs Hardy? Check. HHH vs Edge would actually be pretty incredible but I don't think they're going that way. HHH has to be the odds-on-favorite to be in the RAW title match at Mania.

Shawn Michaels - There's a chance. I'd say it's slim. I really think we're heading all the way to Mania with HBK/Kennedy. I'd expect those two to eliminate each other. Maybe Kennedy lays in a post-elim beatdown that puts HBK on the shelf for six weeks or so to give a break before the heatup. But HBK/Edge, HBK/Rey, HBK/Hardy would all work for me. And they never really did finish HBK/Orton. Not a bad option but I don't think it'll happen.

Batista - I don't really want another Batista/Edge match. Batista/Orton could be possible, I guess. Batista turning heel on his "best friend" Rey would work for me too. He's got a decent chance.

Ric Flair - I know, I know. It's the sentiment in me. If Flair's last match is going to be at Mania, how could it be any better than for it to be a World Title match. If it's me, I have Flair win the World Title in the last match at Mania in a bloodbath, give a tearful retirement speech, and have a tournament over the next month leading to Backlash for the gold. I mean... it's Ric Flair, dammit. He's going into the HOF at Mania hopefully so Rumble win, HOF entry, title win at Mania. Have him announce he's retiring at Mania win-lose-or-draw. It's just too perfect.

Who Will Win: The Undertaker
Who Should Win: Ric Flair

Those are my picks and I'm stickin' to it!