Royal Rumble Predictions!
As I’ve made it known before, this Royal Rumble is both a curse and a blessing. It’s a curse because I’m not that excited about any of the top picks to win the Rumble, but It’s a blessing for the same reason. Unlike the Royal Rumble from 2014 and 2015, I’m not pulling for any one person to win, so my reaction to the winner will either be quiet acceptance (Goldberg) to mild respect (The Undertaker). That being said, the Rumble matches themselves are usually pretty fun, so I’m sure I’ll enjoy the journey, if not the destination.
The Royal Rumble Pre Show:
Sasha Banks vs. Nia Jax
Sasha Banks finally got out of her never ending feud with Charlotte and ran straight into Nia Jax. Since this feud just started I have a feeling that Sasha will lose due to her bum knee so she can come back stronger at Fastlane, beat Nia, and then face Charlotte and Bayley for the title at Wrestlemania.
Who will win: Nia Jax
Cesaro and Sheamus vs. Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson (with DOUBLE the referees!)
These two teams have fought against each other so many times already, it’s hard to tell who will win. I mean, I have no doubt that Shesaro will walk out with the titles, but it’s hard to say how definitive it will be with the double referee gimmick. I’m guessing they’ll win clean, but I wouldn’t be surprised if a DQ happened either.
Who will win: Sheamus and Cesaro
Becky Lynch, Nikki Bella, and Naomi vs. Alexa Bliss, Mickie James, and Natalya
I’ll be a little disappointed if Mickie James loses her first match on the main roster in years, so I’m picking the heels to win this one. I actually like the three feuds building up between these six women with Naomi challenging for the title, Mickie fighting with Becky over the Divas Revolution, and Nattie fighting with Nikki over… y’know, Cena.
Who will win: Bliss, James, and Nattie
The Royal Rumble
Rich Swann vs. Neville
Neville’s been making shockwaves and bringing a feeling of legitimacy to the cruiserweights, so I can’t imagine him not winning on Sunday. Swann’s great and all, but I think the King of the Cruiserweights will be perfect to welcome in new guys like Tozawa, Gran Metalik, and, eventually, Austin Aries.
Who will win: Neville
Charlotte vs. Bayley
The Royal Rumble is all about building to Wrestlemania, and I have to think that WWE wants Charlotte as champion when that day comes. I could see Bayley winning the title at Wrestlemania, but until then I think it will stay on Flair.
Who will win: Charlotte
Kevin Owens vs. Roman Reigns in a No Disqualification match for the WWE Universal Championship. Oh, and Jericho’s in a shark cage.
It pains me to say this, but I think Roman’s winning that title. Winning it now gives Owens enough time to have his rematch at Fastlane and for Roman to move on to the Royal Rumble winner. As much as I’d love to see Owens retain, they haven’t pumped the brakes on Roman yet, and they’re certainly not going to start now that Wrestlemania is coming up!
Who will win: Roman Reigns
Cena vs. AJ Styles for the WWE Championship
At first I didn’t think that WWE would have both top men’s titles change hands in one night, but after further consideration I’m now predicting that both Roman and Cena will win those belts on Sunday night. Vince wants Wrestlemania to have the top stars in the top spots and right now in his mind that’s Cena and Roman. I may not like it, but I accept it. I accept it. I accept it.
Who will win: John Cena
The Royal Rumble Match
While I’m not super excited about the guys who are most likely to win the Rumble, there certainly are a lot of them. Usually there are only one or two people that you know are going to win, but this time you have Goldberg, Brock, Undertaker, and Braun, as well as rumored entrants like Samoa Joe, Finn Balor, and Shinsuke Nakamura. My money is going on the Undertaker though, and I think we’ll see him face off against Roman at Wrestlemania. We could see Brock fight Goldberg for the championship at Wrestlemania, but I don’t think they need the belt for their feud.
Who will win: The Undertaker
So there you have it! The Royal Rumble. I can’t say I’m as excited for it as I’ve been in previous years, but at the same time I’m not setting myself up for crushing disappointment. If Undertaker wins, Shinsuke or Samoa Joe debuts, and AJ or Owens hold on to their championships I’ll be happy, but if not I’ll be perfectly happy to have new things to complain about.
The best part of the rumble is even if the part timers win, the path to wrestlemania will still be interesting. For instance if Goldberg or Brock win, then the other has to find another way to win the title or they split off and feud with different people (either of which would be interesting). If Undertaker wins does he challenge Roman to pass the torch, Cena for the mega match, or have that rumored match with AJ Styles? Then if any of the regulars or NXT call ups win its even more unexpected. Does Finn return from injury? Are they going to push Joe? Does Angle have one last run in him before going to the Hall of Fame? Will Miz get rewarded for being the most hated heel (thats supposed to be a heel) in years? Does Jericho win the one last accolade that has eluded him?
The odds maker at Vegas now has Randy Orton winning the rumble. I really hope we will see some surprises at rumble and mania.
Guess the odds makers were right and sorry; there were no surprises. At All! >:(