Now that the dust has settled and the smoke has cleared, we can bring you the latest odds on this year’s Royal Rumble. In this article, we will give you the lowdown on all the competitors and which one you should put your money on to win.
Penny Spinning: Brock Lesnar
The consensus among bookmakers is that Brock Lesnar will win the Royal Rumble this year. Lesnar has defeated the legendary “Stone Cold” Steve Austin recently at WrestleMania, and the two are now sharing a love–hate relationship as they vie for the title. While it’s unlikely that the two titans will cross paths in the ring, their battle for the WWE Universal Championship will no doubt go down as one of the greatest feuds in pro wrestling history. As a result of this rivalry, Lesnar is a well-established face in the Royal Rumble and has been backed to win the entire tournament to cement his place as WWE’s number one contender.
Lesnar will be accompanied by Paul Heyman in the ring for the majority of the matches, ensuring the Brockster gets at least three wins in the event. He’s currently 3/1 to win the tournament.
Underdog Dynasty: The New Day
With no disrespect to the aforementioned Lesnar, the New Day (father-son trio of Big E, Kofi and Xavier) are another major contender for victory in the Royal Rumble. The group took the WWE by storm over the past year, impressing audiences with their fun-loving personalities and flashy in-ring performances. As the name might suggest, the New Day thrive on being the underdog, and they have made their bones as villains, but that’s all the more reason for them to kick ass in the Royal Rumble. The story goes that the group was originally scheduled to face The Undertaker and Kane at WrestleMania, but the two legendary wrestlers got into a dispute about who would pin which one of their wrestlers first. After a couple of hours of arguing, the two decided to ask the fans for their opinion by having them vote on social media. The tweet that earned the most votes would decide the order of their battle at the event. Naturally, the New Day found themselves at the end of the poll, but they wouldn’t get a chance to redeem themselves against the Dead Men until next year’s event.
The New Day, however, have other plans. Led by the magnetic and charismatic Big E, the group are currently 5/1 to win the whole shebang. It’s not hard to see why they are considered underdogs, given that they are seeking to follow in the footsteps of their legendary father, Maurice, who won the Royal Rumble in 1994 and is the only person to have ever won the tournament three times. While the New Day may not be household names just yet, they are slowly but surely making their mark on the wrestling world, and with a little bit of luck, they could win the whole shebang and stake their claim as WWE’s next big thing.
The most recent addition to this year’s Royal Rumble is former UFC heavyweight champion and current WWE superstar, Travis Browne. Browne, 40, is best known for his time in the Octagon where he held the record for most consecutive fights without defeat. The father of four tragically lost his life in 2009 due to injuries suffered in a motorcycle accident. Browne, who retired from UFC in 2016 after a 19-fight undefeated streak, made the decision in the aftermath of the accident to put his professional fighting career on hold, knowing that he would miss out on potentially contributing to the well-being of his family. Despite his best intentions, Browne was unable to hold back the tears as he addressed the media in a pre-Rumble interview, confirming his status as the tournament’s newest entrant.
Highly Anticipated Match: AJ Styles vs. Kevin Owens
Next on our list is undoubtedly the highly anticipated match between current WWE superstar AJ Styles and Kevin Owens. The two titans have been gearing up for this fight ever since their blockbuster match at WrestleMania 33, which saw Styles defeat the then-WWE Universal Champion at one of the sport’s biggest events. The two superstars are considered among the best in the business, and their combination of in-ring ability, charisma and fan base make for one hell of a match. We can’t help but wonder how many matches the two will have in the years to come.
Styles, who is currently ranked number two on Forbes’ list of the world’s top 50 most influential people, can count himself among the winners of the Royal Rumble, having defeated Randy Orton to win the tournament in 2012. The year 2012 also marks the year that Owens made his name in the industry, defeating Chris Jericho in the finals of a tournament to become WWE’s youngest-ever world heavyweight champion. The two superstars would eventually settle their differences and form an alliance, with the inaugural NXT UK Champion being their first encounter as teammates.
The anticipation for this year’s Royal Rumble is certainly high. Both men are among the favorites to win the whole shebang, with many bookmakers offering generous odds on their performances. While it’s difficult to predict exactly how these odds will pan out, it’s always interesting to track their evolution as the event draws closer. Who do you think will win the Royal Rumble? Will it be someone you’ve never heard of before, or will be another household name? Let us know in the comments section below!