"Mean" Gene Okerlund has been a part of several Royal Rumbles, including some of the huge pay-per-view's most memorable backstage moments. WWE.com caught up with Okerlund to get his take on this year's Royal Rumble matches:

Ashley vs. Mickie James with Trish Stratus as the special guest referee
Okerlund's Pick: Ashley
The fans are going to be the winner in this one between Mickie and Ashley. I've got to go with Ashley only because she's got the expertise of champion Trish Stratus behind her. I think that's going to be the deciding factor this Sunday night. The fans, though, are going to be the real winners; you've got a couple of "lookers" here.

JBL vs. The Boogeyman
Okerlund's Pick: The Boogeyman
Mean Gene's pick of the week, and I've got odds on this one: The Boogeyman winning this Sunday night. 

John Cena vs. Edge for the WWE Championship
Okerlund's Pick: John Cena
Now that Edge is the champion, he has everything to lose and really nothing to gain. A with the change of heart by the fans for John Cena, right now, I'm putting my money on John Cena. As a matter of fact, I'm calling my bookie right now.

Kurt Angle vs. Mark Henry for the World Heavyweight Championship
Okerlund's Pick: Kurt Angle
When it comes to the World Heavyweight Championship Match, I'm going to go with the reigning champion, Kurt Angle, only because he has so much experience in this high-powered, competitive field. He's an Olympic gold medalist. He's been to the top of the ladder before. I think he's going to stay there. Mark Henry will not open the door this Sunday night at the Royal Rumble.

The Royal Rumble Match
Okerlund's Pick: Big Show
My thinking, as it always has been when it comes to anything like a Battle Royal or a Royal Rumble is that you got to give the nod to the big man. In this case, that's the big guy from RAW, the Big Show. He reminds me a lot of Andre the Giant from a couple of decades ago; I'm picking Big Show to win the Royal Rumble Match this Sunday.