Royal Rumble Match: Here Are the Odds-On Favorites, Likely Surprises

Do you feel that special tingle in the air? Yes, wrestling fans, the Royal Rumble is upon us. The pay-per-view and its titular battle royal is almost here, so it’s time to break down all the matches one by one and figure out the most likely outcomes.

And we’re starting with the Royal Rumble itself. It seems this is one of the most unpredictable Rumbles in years, with no more than a handful of clear-cut favorites. That’s partly due to the abundance of returning legend–“part-timers,” if you’re cynical–but also partly due to the fact that there are now multiple top champions across multiple brands.

The current top favorite–if you look at the odds–is Randy Orton. If victorious here, the Viper’s title opportunity would likely be the catalyst for his breaking away from current partner Bray Wyatt. That could very well mean that Wyatt would take the WWE Championship at Elimination Chamber, with the ensuing title match between former tag partners becoming a marquee WrestleMania matchup.

https://youtu.be/yg41QUrwTg8

Undertaker is a huge possibility, especially because–since he seems to be outside of the brand split–there are so many possibilities for his opponent. John Cena, AJ Styles, Kevin Owens, and Roman Reigns would all be excellent opponents for the Deadman, and we’d love to see any of those matches.

Goldberg and Brock Lesnar are also popular picks, and it seems their fate is intermingled. It would be an earth-shattering shock if they didn’t have a WrestleMania rematch, so if one of them wins the Rumble, the other would have to become Universal Champion very soon.

Then there’s the possibility of one of WWE’s next big things, like Baron Corbin or Braun Strowman winning the match. While you should expect both big men to have dominating performances in the show, I wouldn’t expect either to take the big prize–it just doesn’t quite feel like their time yet.

https://youtu.be/nX9-1s6GDpk

One superstar whose time is definitely now, however, is Finn Balor. He had a dominating debut following the brand split, capturing the Universal Championship in his first ever main roster pay-per-view. Unfortunately, he was injured in that same match, forcing him to relinquish the title. Early estimates suggested he would be out until March, but a few recent reports give hope that he could be ready to come back at the Rumble and recapture the title.

Samoa Joe’s absence from recent NXT programming has made his appearance in this Rumble a foregone conclusion, but one that’s no less exciting for its predictability. Of any surprise main roster debut, Joe makes the most sense, both as an entrant and a winner. We’d love to see Joe doing battle with Cena or a star of similar caliber at WrestleMania.

https://youtu.be/F-KDusPSseA

Reportedly, every single NXT star will be backstage at the Rumble, so any debuts beyond Joe’s are sheer guesswork. We’d love to see Shinsuke Nakamura or Bobby Roode on WWE’s big stage, but the real dark horse candidate here is Tye Dillinger. His Perfect 10 gimmick has been getting over with tons of different crowds, even on the main roster, and a #10 Rumble debut would be too perfect not to do.

Who’s not showing up? Two of the most hotly speculated on Rumble prospects these past few weeks have been Kurt Angle and Kenny Omega, but both men have explicitly said they won’t be around this Sunday. Angle’s set to be inducted into the Hall of Fame this year, and it doesn’t seem there’s been any talk of his appearing in another WWE match. Meanwhile, New Japan sensation Kenny Omega seems to be set on a new contract with NJPW.

My personal pick? I’m going to go with my heart, here–I’d love to see a returning Finn Balor lay claim to the Universal Championship he never lost.

What’s your pick for the Rumble? Let us know in the comments, or on Facebook!