Men’s Royal Rumble Match:
The biggest name confirmed for the match so far is John Cena, but every year the main point of excitement in this match is the surprise entrants. Rumors of debuts and returns always fly around in the weeks leading up to the show, and not knowing who will come out onto the stage every 90 seconds makes this such a fun and unpredictable ride. 17 of the 30 competitors have been announced, but only a handful of them are realistic possibilities to win. The rest will be revealed Sunday and I can’t wait.
What I Hope Will Happen:
Roman Reigns wins. A lot of people are going to hate me for saying that. The last time the Royal Rumble was held in Philadelphia, the crowd was fully in support of Daniel Bryan, who was unceremoniously eliminated halfway through the match. Having nobody else to cheer for, they took it upon themselves to promptly boo Roman Reigns for the entire next half hour, knowing he was destined to win (and he did).
He wasn’t ready back then, which is why everyone in attendance was so opposed to the result, but he is now. Reigns has become a pro at taking the audience’s hatred and throwing it back in their faces, and I’d love to see him do it again to earn another shot against Brock Lesnar at Wrestlemania. To go along with a Reigns victory, I’d love five legitimate surprise competitors that make notable runs.
What Will Actually Happen:
WWE will disappoint, as it always does, by using many of the unknown slots with filler wrestlers who have no chance of winning. Seriously, how can fans be expected to believe a tag team wrestler will win the Royal Rumble? It makes zero sense, so don’t include them in the match. The one exception to this rule would be Seth Rollins entering as a surprise and winning it while still being a tag team champion. That would be a fun twist.
I don’t want to give much away in terms of who I think could win this match. Off the top of my head I’d say there are maybe six guys who could realistically win, and most of them will enter somewhere in the 20s. Even though the order of entrants is technically “random,” WWE likes to start the Royal Rumble off strong with two or three notable wrestlers, then load up the end of the match with heavy hitters. Expect a known name or former champion who enters late to be the last one standing, and then be pleasantly surprised if someone new and fresh walks out the winner.
