The 2018 Royal Rumble is coming to Philadelphia this Sunday night, and I dare say there’s never been a more unpredictable Royal Rumble. Even last year, when no clear frontrunner was present on weekly WWE programming, strong reports came out in the weeks prior to the event that Randy Orton would be winning and picking up his (underwhelming) feud with Bray Wyatt.
As of this writing, just 17 of the match’s 30 participants have been announced, meaning there’s 13 “mystery spots.” I’m sure a few more participants will be announced in the coming days, and as always, there are going to be some surprises. But, let’s break down the current favorites to win this match on Sunday.
Shinsuke Nakamura
I like the idea of Nakamura winning the Royal Rumble mainly because it sets up a match between A.J. Styles and him at Wrestlemania 34 for the WWE Championship. Who would’ve thought we’d ever get to that point? Sure, nothing’s in stone, but that’s probably the most appealing option for the Smackdown main event. Plus, Nakamura winning would be fresh and new. A lot of people have pegged him as the favorite, but if I’m a betting man, I’m putting my money on Roman Reigns.
Roman Reigns
A guy that has been pegged for the Wrestlemania 34 main event for what feels like three years. Ever since his first match with Brock Lesnar at Wrestlemania 31, anyway. He’s my pick to win it, because it makes the most sense. It’s the easy choice, and WWE has a tendency to make the easy choice.
Dolph Ziggler
I actually like the idea of a jaded Ziggler walking away from the United States Championship because it’s beneath him, only to return and challenge for the WWE Championship. It’s a nice curveball – something WWE doesn’t pull off too often.
What I don’t like is that it could lead to a Styles-Ziggler match at Wrestlemania 34. That’s something we’ve seen on Smackdown a few times. I have no doubt that it would be an amazing match, but does it really feel like Wrestlemania? I don’t think I can say that. It feels like an angle for Payback or Battleground or something.
That said, I would like to see Ziggler get one good ‘Mania moment and another world title before he hangs up the boots.
Daniel Bryan
Boy, that would be quite the scene, wouldn’t it? Nearly three years after Bryan was forced to walk away from wrestling, he’s back in a WWE ring, competing, and winning a Royal Rumble? Hell yeah – but, let’s not get our hopes up. I would classify this in a category of “astronomical odds.”
On that note, do y’all ever think these rumors are started by people in WWE who know what they’re doing and trying to rile up fanboys? Or, generate some sort of excitement surrounding the show?
Wild Cards
A few guys no one is really talking about, but I think could reasonably be in the mix – Finn Balor has felt pretty aimless over the last few weeks. Personally, I think it’s been a standstill waiting for The Miz to get back the Intercontinental Championship, which Balor will chase into Wrestlemania season. But, it’s also possible that he gets a bigger push heading into Wrestlemania. John Cena is another guy who could win this thing and go for his record-breaking 17th world championship at ‘Mania. I’m also not ruling out Randy Orton, just because this year feels a lot like last year, when he won the Royal Rumble. Lastly, I don’t think I’d be surprised if The Undertaker actually came back and won this thing either.
Also, assuming Braun Strowman doesn’t win the Universal Championship, you can bank on him being one of the surprise entrants, maybe even winning the whole damn thing.
One thing’s for sure, though – YABOI is excited.
Stoney Keeley is the Editor in Chief of The SoBros Network. He is a strong supporter of Team GSD and #BeBetter. “Big Natural” covers the Tennessee Titans, Alabama Crimson Tide football, the WWE, and a whole wealth of nonsense. Follow on Twitter @StoneyKeeley
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