Rumor Mill - Triple H Reportedly Called For Sheamus To Win The Royal Rumble

Chris Jericho was pegged to win this year's 30-Man Royal Rumble Match, but Triple H, who has gained even more influence behind the scenes, called for Sheamus to be the decided winner. The final decision was made last week.

The two have been friends since the Irish grappler's promotion to the main roster in the summer of 2009 as the two workout together on the road. In a subsequent interview with Power Slam, he singled out the Celtic Warrior as a wrestler with potential.

Randy Orton was initially pegged as the Rumble victor since he cleanly put over Mark Henry during The World's Strongest Man's rise as World Heavyweight Champion and the event was taking place in his hometown of St. Louis, Missouri. Later, the idea was changed to Jericho, setting up a WWE Championship showdown against CM Punk at WrestleMania XXVIII.

WWE officials contemplated last week having John Cena win the match due to the stipulation that "everyone was eligible" for the Rumble. Cena would win the match and subsequently make a tough decision: take the title shot and not face The Rock at WrestleMania.