Will Undertaker continue his reign as Royal Rumble champ?

Can the Undertaker win two Royal Rumbles back to back, or will there be an underdog winner of the 30-man over-the-top-rope classic this Sunday?

Last year, Undertaker entered the ring 30th giving him a short road to victory when he threw the Heart Break Kid Shawn Michaels out of the ring to become the last man standing in the squared circle, thus winning his first Royal Rumble. He would go on to win the World Heavyweight Championship at Wrestlemania with the title shot he earned by winning the Rumble, before having to vacate the title to Edge later on due to injury.

The winner of the Rumble, since 1993, has been given a title shot at Wrestlemania. In 1992, the winner of the Rumble, Nature Boy Ric Flair, won the world championship as his prize for winning the Rumble. Since WWE broke into brands, winners get to decide which brand’s title they want to seek, meaning a Smackdown wrestler could decide to challenge for the RAW title or visa versa.

While back-to-back Rumble victories are rare there have been three to accomplish the feat, Hulk Hogan in 1990-91, Shawn Michaels in 1995-96 and Stone Cold Steve Austin in 1997-98. Every Rumble winner has gone on to win a championship at the following Wrestlemania since WM17 so a Rumble victory pretty well means the winner is due for a huge push.

Although the odds are on the Undertaker getting a second straight Rumble win and advancing on to WM24 to put his 15-Wrestlemania streak on the line against Edge’s streak (and perhaps the Heavyweight title if Edge retains against Rey Mysterio this Sunday), we’ve seen WWE throw us some curves when it comes to the Rumble in recent years. In the old days you could project the winner by who was gaining a big push and moving toward the main event at WM; however, now that there are three brands it makes it a little tougher.

Wisdom does tell us Undertaker will be in at least one of the main events, but then there’s a secondary title qualifying match between the Rumble and WM24 when there will reportedly be an elimination chamber match at No Way Out in February, the winner of that also supposedly to be given a title shot. I say that with a grain of salt since anything can change in an instant when it comes for Wrestlemania planning.

Let’s face it, when it comes to main event potential, as of Monday, there were only about seven who had qualified for the Rumble who would really have a shot, those being Batista, Mr. Kennedy, HBK, Umaga, Khali and, of course, Triple H. We also have big names like Lashley and the Big Show out there who could come and make an impact, although I have doubts they will be used in a main event until they work off some of the ring rust.

The list of potential main events is slim because many of the top stars like Edge, Mysterio, Orton, Jeff Hardy, Ric Flair, Jericho and MVP will already be involved in matches Sunday and will likely not participate in the Rumble.

And, there is always a chance, as slim as it may be, that WWE will try to give ECW the rub and have one of it’s members, like Shelton Benjamin, John Morrison, Big Daddy V or the Miz, win the Rumble and choose the ECW as their title choice, leaving the RAW and Smackdown titles open for challenge at WM24.

My pick for the final four in the Rumble are Triple H, Batista, Undertaker and an ECW star with Undertaker throwing Triple H out of the ring to win. Look for Kennedy and HBK to eliminate one another and continue their feud.

For those looking for some live action the night before the Rumble, Fusion Tradition Wrestling returns to action this Saturday at 7 p.m. at the Cookeville Armory with a big card which will include a three-way for the tag belts, a fan participation Lumberjack match and a hair match. Local wrestler Lord Frost will also be on the card.