Having played a significant albeit unexpected role in the Authority angle in the last two months, Erick Rowan joined Team Cena and aided them to victory, even when the odds weren't in their favor going into Survivor Series. In the months since, he has been forced to pay the consequences of his actions, being targeted by Big Show who he lost to at the TLC pay-per-view. Upon The Authority's return to power, they fired Big Red on the January 5 edition of Raw for taking part in their demise, but has since been reinstated as of January 19th. Of course, Rowan isn't at all the focus of The Authority "firing" angle; Dolph Ziggler is. That said, that doesn't mean there isn't a chance of him starting the Royal Rumble at No.1: it'd be the perfect punishment for the former Wyatt Family member and it'd also provide him with the optimal opportunity to better his in-ring skills by being in the match for a lengthy period of time. Kicking off the Rumble with either of his former stablemates, Luke Harper or Bray Wyatt, would make for a very cool moment as well.