[Column] The Hydden View: Five things to watch going into the Royal Rumble.

Well here we are the day before another WWE pay-per view. For me the Royal Rumble has always been my favorite pay-per view of the year. It does not matter if you think you know who is going to win or not, when the clock starts to count down you cannot but get excited about who may come out next. This year’s Royal Rumble is already causing controversy with many fans thinking Roman Reigns is going to win. I personally feel there are many possibilities and that is why these are my five things to watch for tomorrow night.

1. The Ascension vs. The New Age Outlaws:

This match has more than just a one night implication. This could set the tone for the future of the Ascension. The New Age Outlaws are already a Hall of Fame tag team. As I said earlier in the week if one team can help get the Ascension over it’s the Road Dogg and Billy Gunn. After Monday they have a chance to reset the direction the Ascension is heading. It will be interesting to see how their match plays out.

2. World Heavyweight Championship Triple Threat match.

The obvious reason to watch for this is after the Royal Rumble we will know who is going to be the Champion as we begin our road to WrestleMania. This also leads to potential storylines for the Royal Rumble match itself. If Brock Lesnar and John Cena lose to Seth Rollins then both of them become favorites to enter and win the Rumble. If Rollins loses then he becomes a popular pick because he is being billed as the so-called “Future of the Company”. This match could greatly affect the outcome of the Royal Rumble match.

3. Who enters at #1, #2, #27, and #30?

We know why #30 is important because we are told it’s important. Although recent history tells us it is because two of the past ten years the winner has been at #30. Then there is #27 which WWE has made relevant by having four winners enter from this spot. If a big name star such as Reigns, Lesnar, Ambrose, or other enters at #30 or #27 the intrigue will be high and Twitter will explode. The first two entrants are also important to watch tomorrow night. If Dolph Ziggler or Daniel Bryan enter at one of these two spots speculation will instantly begin that they can go the distance.

4. Who eliminates who?

Every year new feuds come out of the Royal Rumble because of who may have eliminated who. At WrestleMania VIII we had Hulk Hogan vs. Sid Vicious because of how things played out at the Royal Rumble when Hogan caused Vicious to be eliminated. One particular elimination I am interested to see is that of Miz and Damian Mizdow. What happens if Mizdow eliminates Miz, or vice versa? Goldust and Stardust will be another pair to watch. And as always there will be a feud we didn’t see coming that begins with elimination at the Royal Rumble.

5. Who is going to win?

This is the million dollar question; to me there's four real possibilities. Dean Ambrose, Roman Reigns, Daniel Bryan, and Dolph Ziggler are all at the top of the conversation. If one of these four were to win, although there may be some grumbling no one would be surprised. The two wrestlers that lose the triple threat match could be added to this group as well. The other two wrestlers that could have a huge impact are Sting and The Undertaker. When I heard that Sting had signed with WWE I never ruled out the possibility of a short title run. Having him win the belt at WrestleMania could be the exclamation point his career deserves. If the Undertaker is healthy do not rule out one more surprise appearance at the Royal Rumble. Just like Sting the Undertaker deserves that exclamation point on his career as well.

For me this is one of the more exciting nights of the year. The anticipation throughout the night makes it fun to be a fan. It is always fun to try to predict who will win. So ignoring all the internet rumors and dirt sheets and speculation my pick for the Royal Rumble is Dolph Ziggler. Who is your pick for the Royal Rumble tweet me at @Hydden_View