Hello to all out there in the wrestle-sphere and welcome another addition of wRasslin Asylum hosted by yours truly Peter Barrington!

Hello to all out there in the wrestle-sphere and welcome another addition of wRasslin Asylum hosted by yours truly Peter Barrington and Sean Favager. Before we get into this, make sure you check out our 2^nd entry into this new blog where Sean discusses the advantages of the new less bloody ‘Modern’ era as opposed to the ‘Attitude’ era, making his case citing the brutal ‘I Quit’ match between The Rock and Mankind at the 1999 Royal Rumble. Really is a good read so check it folks.

Now on to matters at hand.

We received some great feedback from our first addition into the wrestling blogging world with our Royal Rumble preview so let’s continue the trend with a preview of the very next PPV, the ‘sandwich’ PPV if you will that is Elimination Chamber.

Since its inception, there have been 15 Elimination Chamber matches and the record holder for number of entries is Chris Jericho with 7.

Brief history of the Chamber itself. It wasn’t seen on a WWE screen until 2002 Survivor Series when then General Manager Eric Bischoff (who is credited with its invention) announced that the main event was an Elimination Chamber match for the World Heavyweight Championship between Rob Van Dam, Kane, Triple H, Chris Jericho, Booker T and Shawn Michaels. The premise is that 2 men start the match while the other four are in chambers or ‘pods’ at each corner of the enclosure and they enter randomly at 5 minute intervals. The structure itself is 16ft in height, 11m in diameter and weighs approx. 10 tons. Only a pinfall or submission will eliminate an opponent and this is done until one remains. Since its inception, there have been 15 Elimination Chamber matches and the record holder for number of entries is Chris Jericho with 7.

So now you know what it is, let’s get this preview rolling. Just a quick note, unfortunately Sean is a little too busy today (probably listening to his 5ive Greatest Hits album on repeat) so I will be spear heading this one, I’m sure Sean will be back with us for our Wrestlemania preview if not before.

Pre-Show – Brodus Clay and Tensai vs Rhodes Scholars

I am not a fan of either Brodus Clay or Tensai so I can’t really say that I have any inclination to watch this.

As this is the pre-show then let’s not expect fireworks shall we! I am not a fan of either Brodus Clay or Tensai so I can’t really say that I have any inclination to watch this. All I can think of is that with the resurgence of the tag teams that has come of late, WWE is putting this match in as a way to continue that trend. The only question I have with this is why put this new dancing big man team against a team that have only recently announced they will no longer be competing against a team. Pairing up singles wrestlers as teams is an easy way to give exposure to mid-card talent that have nothing to do but why re-unite a team that recently broke up when you are trying to push a new team, Clay and Tensai could have been fed to The Usos or The Primetime Players and continued to look strong but I’m hoping that it ends up being an excuse for Rhodes Scholars to either a) get the win and realise they are better as a team and go for the gold at Wrestlemania or b) Implode and we see a face turn for a potential feud, which at this point would be better for Cody instead of Sandow.

Prediction: Team Brosai eat Rhodes Scholars and take their powers!

Divas Championship – Kaitlyn© vs Tamina

Seriously? Who cares?? Anyone?

Seriously? Who cares?? Anyone? Why not put this on the Pre-Show!! I mean this match is on the card but your telling me there is no room for Ziggler?? More on that later.

Prediction: Trish Stratus returns and shows off them beautiful beautiful curves! O.K that’s just wishful thinking. Just for arguments sake then I say title change.

United States Championship – Antonio Cesaro © vs The Miz

Antonio Cesaro is without a doubt a rising star and future holder of one of the 2 main titles.

Is it just me or does it feel like we’ve seen this match too many times already? Antonio Cesaro is without a doubt a rising star and future holder of one of the 2 main titles. The Miz is someone who is in desperate need of a direction. His face turn still isn’t showing any signs of improving but there have been glimmer of hopes for him. Standing up to Brock on Raw was good despite the inevitable beat down and the fans are starting to get behind him but I don’t see a title change here. The way Cesaro talks about the belt and what it means is setting up a confrontation with Jack Swagger and his new racist manager and the whole ‘We the People’ gimmick. That feud would see Swagger get the belt back that he lost to Santino and would give Cesaro a chance to move up the card but here I think…..

Prediction: Cesaro to ‘Neutralize’ Miz inside 10 minutes.

World Heavyweight Championship – Alberto Del Rio © vs Big Show

Since Del Rio won the belt on Smackdown, he has grown as a performer and has become a genuine worthy champion.

This will be the 2^nd PPV match in a row for these two. Since Del Rio won the belt on Smackdown, he has grown as a performer and has become a genuine worthy champion. Big Show is still doing now what he was doing since he signed that infamous iron clad contract. He continues to give good promos, he continues to knock people out for no reason and apart from a couple of matches with Sheamus, he continues to lose on big occasions and I see no reason to change that here. The biggest advantage that Show has got is that this match is not a Last Match Standing as the previous 2 have been so Del Rio will have to pin or make Big Show tap out which is going to take something special so I don’t see a clean finish here. WWE tends to go 3 PPV’s per feud so if you count the Smackdown edition when Del Rio won the belt then this could be the end of the feud because we know that the winner of the EC match gets a shot at this belt. I see no reason to change the champ so quite what Big Show does after this is a good question.

Prediction: Alberto Del Rio

Elimination Chamber Match – Winner faces World Heavyweight Champion at Wrestlemania – Daniel Bryan vs Kane vs Chris Jericho vs Mark Henry vs Randy Orton vs Jack Swagger

I think this match will last the longest on the show and rightly so as there are so many stories here to tell.

I think this match will last the longest on the show and rightly so as there are so many stories here to tell. We have a potential Team Hell No bust up that’s been brewing. Henry and Orton have been having their own matches recently and we have a resurgent Jack Swagger. I’m not going to go into who I think will eliminate who or what order they will go in but I think it will come down to Henry vs Orton and I would expect Swagger’s new ‘Patriot Act’ to take a few out as they are trying to put him over again. Probably Jericho as he loves putting guys over and has recently said that Swagger is one of the best talented on the roster. Kane and Bryan are in there to start their implosion which was hinted at the Royal Rumble which will eventually see them dropping the titles at Wrestlemania if not sooner. I know that Mark Henry has just returned and as much of a dominant force he is, I don’t see him challenging for the belt again soon if at all and to show how strong he is, I think it will take at least 2, maybe 3 R.K.O’s to finish him off.

Prediction: I hear voices all the way to Mania!

John Cena, Ryback and Sheamus vs The Shield

It feels like it’s a filler match in the build-up to Mania because we all know where Cena is headed.

This match is a bit of a mystery to me really. I understand why they are doing it as you can’t have a card without the 3 faces and Shield need to do something apart from just run-ins and shaky camera promos but if Team Cena get the revenge on The Shield then does that mean The Shield won’t continue to attack them from behind and power bomb them all on Raw the next night if they get the chance? No! They will continue to do what they have done since they first appeared and the occasional beating shouldn’t stop them from doing so. So I ask who benefits here. It feels like it’s a filler match in the build-up to Mania because we all know where Cena is headed and now that the whole ‘who was Shield working for?’ angle has been revealed (sort of), they have outed themselves as just muscles for hire instead of wanting people to ‘Believe’ in the Shield. They’re attack on 3MB showed us nothing to suggest they are a threat to win here which inevitably means they probably will but as far as any storyline development goes here then I will probably just go for a smoke when it starts and make it back in time for the obvious awesome ‘go home’ that these 6 guys are bound to produce.

Prediction: Shield victorious

WWE Championship – The Rock © vs CM Punk (If The Rock is DQ or counted out then CM Punk wins title)

This is the match that everyone wants to see despite everyone knowing who is going to win.

This is the match that everyone wants to see despite everyone knowing who is going to win. I don’t mind that the Rock wins here and I don’t mind seeing Rock-Cena 2 at Mania. I am a purist at heart and just want to see a damn good wrestling match between two very gifted athletes. This is going to be a good match with a likely screwy finish. The reason I say that is because any ‘standard’ match where a stipulation has been added close to the event itself always ends up in controversy. There is no doubt in my mind that Rock wins here, probably will take a couple of Rock Bottoms to do it but the no DQ/Count out thing bugs me because when was the last time that Rock has ever been counted out?? O.K I’m sure he’s been disqualified before when he was a heel but I’m struggling to remember a time when he was DQ’d as a face. This leads me to believe that we are gonna see a lot of Punk trying to get him DQ’d. Claiming he got hit with a chair or low-blowed. The screwy finish I see here is that Punk might actually get someone to attack him thus disqualifying the Rock and handing him the title, of course this will not go down as planned and the Rock will still walk out as champ, how though, I am looking forward to finding out.

Prediction: Rock Wins and points at the Wrestlemania sign until the entire crowd get bored and leave!

Final Thoughts

• With no Dolph Ziggler on the show, it will lead people to believe that he will cash in. I personally think he will do so at Mania itself so if we are going to see him, I would expect him to either screw someone out of their spot in the Elimination Chamber match and enter himself or at least interfere in that and continue his feud with Jericho.
• The 6 man tag match will benefit greatly if it were in fact in a chamber itself and as Ryback tweeted himself that ‘Justice will be served to the Shield in the Chamber’. This may be a spoiler or it may be bad grammar as this has now been changed to ‘Justice will be served to the Shield in New Orleans at Elimination Chamber’. A change of plan may happen on the night and will definitely make me look forward to this match because at the moment I don’t.
• I do think this will be a good show and there are more than enough good matches on the card. Apart from the Divas and Cesaro/Miz, I expect each match 2 get at least 15 minutes with the main ones getting 20 minutes plus. Also don’t be surprised if we see some storyline continuation with the Barrett/Bo Dallas feud as there is no focus on the IC belt on the card.

That will do us folks, if you’ve made it this far then a winner is you! Sorry if it’s a bit long but I felt I had a lot to say. Hope you enjoyed the read and please check back in on Monday to see how I done with my predictions.

For any other wrestling news or info then follow us on twitter at @wRasslinAsylum or give me a shout personally at @Pete_the_Red and please feel free to leave a comment below.

To borrow a line from a famous poet:

‘I’ll say goodbye, but don’t you cry, because I will be back real soon’ – Frosty the Snowman

I can’t… I feel like a bad dad, and I’ve never felt like that ever before.

“I felt very guilty all of a sudden. Like… really like, uh, you know, my priorities were out of order. I can’t… I feel like a bad dad, and I’ve never felt like that ever before. Right then I just felt like… like… like I was a bad person. And I don’t… I don’t ever want to see my children like that again.” – Mick Foley (After re-watching the footage from Beyond the Mat.)

In 1999 wrestling was a different kettle of fish to what we are watching now. This is often the cause of many arguments between fans all over the globe. It may also be an argument that will never go away “Was wrestling better in the Attitude Era then it is now?”, in my opinion maybe it is because I’m a lot older now but I prefer the Modern Era now. Yes a lot can be changed and maybe mimicked from the Attitude Era but one thing I am glad that is gone away is the sheer brutality of what wrestling was in the years ’97 – ’01. In the midst of the Attitude Era I will admit I enjoyed every second of it, ok maybe not all of it, there were some really bad, bad gimmicks but its entertainment there must be something for everyone. I did have a plan to write a blog titled “Attitude Era vs. the Modern Era!” but that got shelved for the time being because of one match. This one match I will say is probably the most graphic and hard to watch “Beating” the WWF/E has produced. It wasn’t until I was playing WWE 13 I realised how hard to watch this match was. If like me you have played the game you relive the Attitude Era and one of the matches is the now Infamous “I Quit” WWF Championship match between the Rock & Mankind. During that match you have to complete real life challenges one being “Hit Mankind 13 times with a steel chair!”, I laughed at first and just got on with it but it then made me think about this match and I just had to dig it out and rewatch it again.

“No… No… No… No nothing. That son of a bitch will scream I Quit & I’ll be dammed if he doesn’t” – The Rock (During the “I Quit” Match)

If like me you have played the game you relive the Attitude Era and one of the matches is the now Infamous “I Quit” WWF Championship match between the Rock & Mankind.

As this match starts it is your bog standard Attitude hardcore match, with both men going out of there way to destroy each other. It is nothing at the time we were not used to and it only made it more enjoyable as the microphone was introduced. This was a genius idea because during this time The Rock was one of the best to ever touch a microphone. If he wanted you to love him or down right despise him he used that microphone to get the job done. That being said Mick Foley will also go down as being one of the best talkers in the business forever. The way he made you care is why everyone at the time chanted “Foley is God!”, the pair talking and insulting each other telling the other man to quit is a real stand out. Then something happens during this match, in my opinion it loses the term match and just turns into straight “Thuggery!” (thank you JBL). Yes I as well as everyone on planet earth knows wrestling is scripted so before the bout Mick and the Rock briefly bumped heads about their plans on how the match will unfold. One of their ideas involved the Rock handcuffing Mankind’s hands behind his back and to proceed to place a beating. In my understanding the point of this feud was to build the Rock up as the big heel in the company and it was Micks job to make that happen. It made sense because we at that time worshiped the ground Mick Foley walked on, hell even when WCW announced Foley was to win the WWF Championship live on Nitro 600,000 people switched Nitro off for Raw and never looked back. So the plan was to make Rock look strong and in a match where the outcome of Mick Foley even muttering the words “I Quit!” it felt impossible for the Great One to win. We know the outcome now but how they came about with that outcome is what is really hard to watch.

“This has gone too far…. The Rock has taken it too far… Sure there are no rules, sure there’s no DQ, no count-outs but now he is handcuffing a man who is semi-conscious in the middle of the damn ring! Have some human decency Rock…” – Michael Cole (During the “I Quit” Match)

As this match starts it is your bog standard Attitude hardcore match, with both men going out of there way to destroy each other.

I said before the plan for this match was to make Rock a monster bad guy and it did work. WWF was planning to do Stone Cold & the Rock at Wrestlemania 15 so Rocky had to be a believable threat. But somewhere during this match it is as if the Rock becomes this bad guy character for real. A lot of factors have to be taken into account being in the situation they were in and the adrenaline and doing a memorable job are the mains ones I blame for what the Rock did next. After landing a (at the time) Corporate Elbow onto the steel chair which was resting on Micks unprotected face he asked Mankind if he was to quit. The response delayed but through the heavy breathing a pain filled voice replied “go to hell Rock!”. The referee at this time, senior referee Earl Hebner can now be seen pleading with Mick to give it up as Rock utters back my favourite quote in this match “the Rock maybe going to hell, but your Candy Ass is going first…”. Now the Rock starts stalking his prey steel chair in hand as he waits for Mick to get to his feet, slowly but surely he does but not for long as the Rock smacks him in the head with the chair sending Mick to his knees, then winds up connecting again putting him down. As far as unprotected head shots go these two clearly do not look harsh even now. You get the sense the Rock is holding back but none the less they are still going to hurt. As the camera pans in on Micks face, blood pouring down from an open wound on his head the heel commentator Jerry “the King” Lawler shouts out that’s enough as the Rock grabs the microphone once more “Say I Quit!”… breathing even heavier than before Mick responds once again “You’re going to have to kill me!” that is just exactly what I as a fan thought was going to happen. Once again Mankind gets to his feet and once again he is met with that steel chair another three times before crashing to the floor. It is here Mankind rolls out the ring as both Michael Cole & Jerry Lawler are both agreeing that this match should now be stopped as the Rock stalks Mankind connecting with yet another shot to the unprotected skull off Mick Foley.

“Come on Mick… NO… Say I quit Mick… Mick Say it….” – Michael Cole (During the “I Quit” Match)

Breathing even heavier than before Mick responds once again “You’re going to have to kill me!” that is just exactly what I as a fan thought was going to happen.

What really stands out here is the fact Mick Foley is offering the Rock a clear shot to his back. It is obvious the seven chair shots to the head are really starting to take their toll and the rapid succession they are arriving in too. The way Mick is trying to move his head out the way is on plan view but yet again the Rock takes aim and connects with an even harder shot then before. Watching this part now is quite disturbing as a handcuffed Mick Foley now slowly tries to walk away from the Rock who yet again hurls that chair harder and faster at Micks head two more times. All the while the Rock screams down the microphone “Say I Quit!” with Earl Hebner following begging the Rock to pack it in. Mick manages to get a tiny bit more distance turning his back to the Rock but it last for a couple of seconds as the Rock with all the power he has swings and blasts Mick in the back of the head with one of the worst chair shots I have ever seen in my life and hopefully never have to see happen in a wrestling ring again. It is this final chair shot, this eleventh chair shot to the unprotected head of Mick Foley that sends him crashing down to the concrete floor knocking him unconscious. The Rock finally throws the chair down and asks Mankind once again to utter the words “I Quit” shoving the microphone into the knocked out Foley finally the match is stopped as Mick screams “I Quit!” which we would find out on Raw the next night was a tape recording. Finally this mugging, this hideous beating was over. Rock left WWF Champion, Mankind left a bloody mess.

“Now the Rock guaran-damn-teed to the millions & millions of the Rocks fans that he was going to make that son of a bitch scream I quit… Mankind your monkey ass says I Quit…” – The Rock (During the “I Quit” Match)

The Rock finally throws the chair down and asks Mankind once again to utter the words “I Quit” shoving the microphone into the knocked out Foley finally the match is stopped as Mick screams “I Quit!”

Now if you have seen the documentary Beyond the Mat you will have another view of this match and that is of Mick Foleys wife & children at ringside in tears watching their husband & father getting beating to a bloody pulp. It is extremely hard to watch, yes we know wrestling is fake and scripted but how do you fake unprotected chair shots to the skull? Also if you have ever read Mick Foleys second autobiography “Foley is Good” he goes on to talk about this match and how he wasn’t best pleased with that many chair shots the Rock dished out. Apparently the Rock was only meant to deliver four or five yet he proceeded to attack eleven times, each shot harder than the last. Was the Rock caught up in the moment? In 1999 he was still though being a third generation superstar new to the main event scene so maybe that was to blame. That doesn’t account for the fact the Rock never went to check up on Mick once the match was finished. It was Mick who went to go find the Rock to see if he was ok. The two have patched things up since then but a short while after Mick wasn’t a huge fan of the Rock as a person for this. Taking the time out to read into this match leads me to believe why Vince McMahon never stopped it earlier because as soon as Mick rolls out of the ring with Rock following him it stops being a wrestling match. It straight turns into an attack on a defenceless man. I understand a lot of people will question Mick being crazy and being able to take a huge amount of pain (see King of the Ring 98 for an example) but even Mick can be seen in actual pain with these chair shots. I am glad wrestling has moved on from this hardcore time to where it is now. This Modern Era, yes it is PG but all that means is you have to rely on a lot more then bloody beat downs and chair shots to get over. You have to focus on what you can bring skill wise into the squared circle. You take a look at Dolph Ziggler for example and CM Punk. These are two guys who are really working their asses off without bleeding or swearing. Times change for the better and a chair shot to the head being illegal is a better thing. The “I Quit” match between the Rock & Mankind will forever go down as an infamous match, yes it tells a terrific story about the hardcore legend who refuses to die and the up-and-coming trash talking, arrogant bad guy who is hell bent on making him do just that. This match drags you in from the get go and then leaves you disturbed by the outcome. Should it have been booked better? I’d say yes but it happened 14 years ago and what was acceptable then is completely different now…..

You can follow Sean on Twitter at @seanfav1 and Pete on Twitter at @pete_the_red or catch them on their official wRasslin twitter account at @wRasslinAsylum

Sean and Pete (pictured above) take a break from the “Comic Asylum” this week to bring you their Royal Rumble predictions.

Ok a wrestling post on a comic book website. You must think we have lost our minds. The world’s gone crazy, cats and dogs are in fact living together… Nope none of that has happened yet but this is all happening on, let’s say a trial basis for the time being and see where it goes. What I have found over the past year on my twitter feed is that the huge sports entertainment vehicle WWE and Comic Book fans seem to go hand in hand. Call me sad but its two things I myself & Pete are quite passionate about and it seems A LOT of my followers and people I interact with on a daily basis feel the same way. Myself & Pete have now been huge WWF/E fans now for 20+ years now. So within that we have seen the highs and lows (by lows we mean Mae Young giving birth TWICE… Katie Vick… Max Moon… You get the point) so between us we know a little about a lot. So as you may have guessed with the title this is the Comic Asylums sister blog and we hope you enjoy our thoughts and predictions on this Sundays Royal Rumble 2013 PPV.

WWE UNITED STATES CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH.

ANTONIO CESARO (C) VS. THE MIZ (PRE SHOW)

Sean: Its strange to me this match is not on the main card. WWE seem to be trying to build the Miz up to be a big face especially the segment with Ric Flair and his now use of the figure four leg lock. But hey we all understand how lower tier championships mean nothing nowadays. In my opinion this could be a great 15 minute match, the Miz can go in the ring and Cesaro is turning out to be one hell of a wrestler and a great heel. To me this match can go either way but I think Antonio Cesaro picks up the win and continues with his anti-American gimmick. Cesaro will move up the roster by the end of the year but for now I am enjoying him in his mid-card role.

Sean’s Prediction: Antonio Cesaro….

Pete: Is there anyone in the current roster that has more potential that Antonio Cesaro? I don’t think so; the guy has kind of come out of nowhere and is clearly destined for big things. You can put him in with someone like Daniel Bryan and he has high quality technical ability and the next week, he is in with Ryback and he doesn’t come out looking weak, with that said, I don’t like him, don’t know why but I just don’t and I know he is going to be around for years! Maybe it is because he’s so good at being heel that he’s done a number on me. The Miz is having a transition period right now, the change from heel to face was badly needed as he was getting very stale but the change isn’t quite working right now, he is the same character but fighting bad guys instead of good, nothing has changed in his promos or attitude. Bringing in Flair and passing the Figure Four leg lock only works in the moment and he will need a lot more to be a successful face going forward.

Pete’s Prediction: Antonio Cesaro….

WWE TAG TEAM CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH.

TEAM HELL NO (C) VS. RHODES SCHOLARS.

Sean: Over the past few months the most entertaining people on WWE television have been the unlikely tag team of Daniel Bryan & Kane. It all started with the stupidest idea of anger management which really pissed off a lot of Daniel Bryan fans, but this has worked so well in showing people that there is soooo much more to Daniel Bryan then just a very, very good wrestler. Every time these two guys are on camera I am literally crying with laughter and you can see the pair are trying their best not to laugh too. It is obvious they are enjoying what they are doing and when that happens you have classic TV. I really don’t want to see the end of this tag team but I think at the Rumble the cracks begin to show. Rhodes Scholars just like Team Hell No have been a breath of fresh air on WWE TV. Damien Sandow & Cody Rhodes are two soon to be main eventers and pairing them together to build each other’s characters is a stroke of beauty. It is no lie Cody has been just floating there in the mid card for a while now, nothing seemed to click. In walks Damien Sandow and boom that spark shines. My prediction here is the cracks show between Kane & Daniel Bryan leading Rhodes Scholars to pick up the win and the Tag Team Titles, hopefully (fingers crossed) to go on to then feud with the returning New Age Outlaws. (The D-O-Double G & Mr Ass have been wrestling house shows so surely it’s a sign of things to come.

Sean’s Prediction: Rhodes Scholars….

Pete: Daniel Bryan and Kane need to lose these belts, and quickly! Here’s why! They were two of the standout performers in the back end of 2012, but for their comedy timing, not wrestling! Bryan is one of the most gifted ‘wrestlers’ to come through the ranks in a long time and needs to showcase his talents in the ring, not in time filler segments between matches. Kane on the other hand has been consistently one of the top guys for 15 years and fully deserved this last run, but I feel, and this may be controversial, but give him one last big match (Undertaker at Mania, possibly?!) and wish him best in his future endeavours. Rhodes and Sandow are is some sense a tag team of convenience as they’re singles runs have not gone as planned, Sandow not so much as he is still relatively new to the scene and its typical WWE formula to put new guys in a team/stable before releasing them. Rhodes however has seemed to be on the cusp of a major push for a while now but WWE just hasn’t pulled the trigger for whatever reason. A run with the tag belts will do good for Sandow and Rhodes now they have been given a renewed spotlight by Team Hell No, so for that reason…… (Facial hair & belts go well together)

Pete’s Prediction: Rhodes Scholars….

WORLD HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH (LAST MAN STANDING).

ALBERTO DEL RIO (C) VS. THE BIG SHOW.

Sean: If you asked me a couple months ago if I wanted to see this match my response wouldn’t have been positive. It is strange what can happen in a couple of months though. Big Show ends up having three… Yes THREE 4 out of 5 star wrestling matches with Sheamus and Berty goes and turns face. Oh how the WWE can surprise you now and then. Big Show over the past few months has finally become the giant they predicted he would be and has really been dominant in the WHC picture. Del Rio’s bad guy routines become old fast so he had to change up and it really worked. He comes across as a better wrestler because of this so it was only destiny (pardon the pun) that these two collided. It all started when Big Show picked on Ricardo being the big bully he is, but this back fired as Del Rio made the save got the title shot and beat the Big Show in a Last Man Standing match and won the WHC title. This was a huge shock as it all happened so fast but it seems to have worked so well with Big Show chasing Berty. This being said how I see this panning out is total destruction that neither men make the 10 count meaning Alberto Del Rio keeps the Championship but… It is a huge BUT! Dolph Ziggler finally gets to cash in his Money in the Bank briefcase and walks away the new World Heavyweight Champion!

Sean’s Prediction: Double Count out Alberto Del Rio retains. Dolph Ziggler cashes in….

Pete: Alberttoooooooooooo Del Rioooooooooooooooooo! This one is going to be short and sweet, Alberto Del Rio has been a massive pain in my arse, I just did not see the appeal for the last 2 years, his wrestling was just O.K. as was his promo work and the only good thing about him was he ring announcer. I was hoping the 3 PPV losses to Sheamus in a row would see him fall out of obscurity, but then something weird happened. He saved his friend from The Shield and he was a good guy, then went on to beat a giant and is arguably better now in the last few weeks as he ever was in the 2 years previous. I am officially a Del Rio fan! Big Show has had the 12 months of his career but I don’t see him coming back from another Last Man Standing defeat and after this one I see him being a face again within 3 months and leaving not long after. Shame but age catches us all up!

Pete’s Prediction: Alberto Del Rio….

WWE CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH.

CM PUNK (C) VS. THE ROCK.

Sean: The match up many men will argue should be the main event at this year’s Wrestlemania (myself included) is Punk & Rock. Since the Rock made his recent return the build-up to this match has been on fire. Two of the best promo men in the business to date and they have been stepping up to give our ears multiple eargasims. I would pay the fee alone to see these guys trade insults on the microphone for twenty minutes they are that good, but at the Royal Rumble the microphones take a backseat. What I expect here is a Match of the Year candidate. Nobody in the WWE is as hungry as CM Punk to solidify his title of ‘Best in the World’, and nobody is as good as the Rock and the electricity he brings to the ring. The audience live and at home watching are really going to be the winners here. I guess I have to pick though my heart really wants CM Punk to retain but my head is telling me The Rock picks up the win to eventually go on to face John Cena at Wrestlemania. $$$ talk and Vince listens.

Sean’s Prediction: The Rock….

Pete: Personally I think this match will go on last but let us say for argument sake that this is the penultimate match on the card (If it is in this spot, then expect a filler match in between this and the rumble itself). There’s not a lot I can say about this match that hasn’t been talked about or speculated over ever since Raw 1000 when the Rock announced he will be in this match and Punk went all heel on us. The big question of this match is all about The Shield, will they interfere? Are they working with Punk? Personally I think they will keep people guessing all the way through to Mania but as for this match, I only see one outcome. The near falls will be immense and I am guessing we will see at least 3 Rock Bottoms, 2 Go To Sleeps, 1 Ref bump and a partridge in a pear tree but I see “PUNK RETAINS, PUNK RETAINS… GOOD GOD ALMIGHTY PUNK RETAINS!!”

Pete’s Prediction: CM Punk….

THE ROYAL RUMBLE MATCH.

WINNER RECIEVES CHAMPIONSHIP TITLE MATCH OF THEIR CHOICE AT WRESTLEMANIA.

Sean: 30 men enter and only 1 can be victorious. Yes it’s the greatest match in the history of wrestling. Every single living being on planet earth knows about the Royal Rumble it is this big. It is an event that no matter what me and the lads all get together to sink some beers maybe smoke the odd funny cigarette and cheer on our favourites. Every year you kind of have your favourite going in but this year there are a lot of big names in this Royal Rumble. I think it is being played out that John Cena is going in to win to get the rematch at Wrestlemania with the Rock. It makes sense but I think it is way too easy for us to see that’s why I am going to be crazy and play out what I think might just happen. We know Dolph Ziggler has the choice of either 1 or 2 spot, but as I stated above I think he cashes in and retains that being said. To carry on with her revenge Vickie Guerrero lets Dolph Ziggler compete in the match and has to put the WHC on the line. So now the Royal Rumble winner becomes the World Heavy Weight Champion. With the odds stacked up on the newly crowned WHC, Dolph Ziggler somehow overcomes them and wins the 2013 Royal Rumble.

Sean’s Prediction: Dolph Ziggler….

Pete: So you have your Wrestlemania moments and your Steel Cages and what have you but the one match that is predictably unpredictable is the Rumble Match itself. There have been many winners both expected and not. There has been many stand out moments and quite a few controversial finishes in its history but the match itself cannot be bettered in terms of potential to create new stars and push mid card talent right into the top tier of the business. It’s a match I love and a match that also annoys me the same amount. This year, as with all years, the build-up has shown us that anyone can win and if the laws of physics are applied then it should be the tallest, strongest one in there but physics and WWE often don’t mix well. This year, we are to think that it’s potentially going to be one of 4 guys. These are Ryback, John Cena, Dolph Ziggler and Sheamus. If the winner is not one of these 4 then one of 2 things have happened, 1) WWE throws us a massive swerve ball because they think we know too much so fuck us essentially, or 2) Randy Orton has naked pictures of Vince and is threatening to release them! The obvious talk at the moment is Rock – Cena 2 for the belt at Mania, so one of them would have to hold it after Elimination Chamber in February, now that doesn’t necessarily mean that Cena wins this one because let’s be honest, Cena is going to be in the chamber match anyway, as will The Rock by all accounts so I can easily see one of the other 3 winning here. Sheamus because they need another top face behind John Cena. Ryback because they are pushing him hard and Dolph Ziggler because he would be the first to hold the MITB briefcase and walk into Mania main event as well. But with all that aside, the person that will be pointing to that Wrestlemania sign at the end of the night will be….

Pete’s Prediction: John Cena….

So there you have it folks. Two very different opinions on what should be a very good pay per view. As we all know anything can and will happen at the Royal Rumble so feel free to share your predictions below in the little comments box there and let’s talk some wRasslin….

You can follow Sean on Twitter at @seanfav1 and Pete on Twitter at @pete_the_red or catch them on the official Comic Asylum account @Comic_Asylum