The 2021 Men’s Royal Rumble is fast approaching in WWE and there are already some huge, marquee stars confirming their spot in the Men’s showcase. With Randy Orton, Daniel Bryan and AJ Styles all hedging their bets for the main event of WrestleMania, the field is more open than ever and there’s no better time for WWE to forge a new megastar with a career performance in the Rumble match.
We take a look at five early favourites to go the distance in the 2021 Royal Rumble and secure their spot in the main event of WrestleMania 37. Make sure you drop your own favourites and dark horses down in the comments below.
1. Keith Lee
‘Limitless’ Keith Lee has been on a tear since debuting on the main roster and has found himself at the top of the bookies favourites list for the 2021 Royal Rumble. Having recently battled ‘The Scottish Psychopath’ for the WWE Championship on RAW, Lee has been cemented as a future headlining star for RAW and only needs a reason to challenge once more and potentially claim his first major title at WrestleMania.
Lee has the perfect combination of brute force and stamina to make him the ideal candidate to go the distance in the Royal Rumble match. Having shown promise with his brief appearance in the 2020 Royal Rumble, facing down Brock Lesnar and giving ‘The Beast’ a run for his money, Lee has everything necessary for a star-making performance at the top of the year.
Keep your eyes on Keith Lee as he embarks on a potential breakout year in 2021 and be prepared to bask in his glory.
2. Edge
Last year, the wrestling world lost their minds when ‘The Rated R Superstar’ made a shocking return in the Royal Rumble match. Edge defied all the odds and began a new chapter in his career following a retirement-worthy neck injury, picking up some huge eliminations and laying the foundations for his WrestleMania feud with Randy Orton.
Even though Edge has taken a little time since then to sit on the injured reserve list, Edge could return once more at the 2021 Royal Rumble event and culminate the second part to his comeback story. Many fans have speculated that Edge might find himself in the WrestleMania main event scene, not that he needs a second Rumble win to achieve that, but it would make for a mark-out moment.
3. Daniel Bryan
Daniel Bryan has had quite the history in Royal Rumble matches, having spoiled two consecutive Rumble events in 2014 and 2015 by simply not being the chosen winner, it’s about time DB picks up one of the last remaining career feats.
At first, the WWE Universe were led to believe that Bryan would be challenging Roman Reigns for the WWE Universal Championship, but instead Bryan confirmed his intentions to appear in the Rumble match itself. Suspicious eh?
Could this mean that Bryan has finally been penned to be the winner, and will go on to WrestleMania to face down ‘The Tribal Chief’? We will find out for sure in a few weeks time, but as far as favourites go, there might be no superstar with a better chance than Daniel Bryan.
4. Big E
The new Intercontinental Champion has won over the hearts and minds of the WWE Universe and has found himself in the conversation for a huge win at the Royal Rumble. Big E has slowly climbed up the singles ladder and could be on his way to a title showdown against Roman Reigns. E has been involved in the impressive KofiMania storyline, where a similar grass roots movement made for one of the biggest title wins in recent history. Big E could achieve the same, if not more should he win the Royal Rumble.
It would definitely be a moment to behold if Big E were to get his big singles win, although maybe this is still a little too soon for the former Tag champion to be elevated into the headlining role. Now that Big E is IC champion, maybe WWE will focus more on establishing his reign with that title before moving him on to a bigger picture.
We will see when the Rumble comes around. Either way, fans will be buzzing to see Big E sprint down the ramp towards megastardom.
5. ‘The Fiend’ Bray Wyatt
The last we saw of ‘The Fiend’, he was burned alive by ‘The Viper’ Randy Orton. With Wyatt’s ghoulish character now effectively written off, his unannounced return at the Royal Rumble would be a huge moment that could easily propel him back into the championship picture. Should ‘The Fiend’ enter the fray, then there’d be few who’d have the power to overcome and eliminate him, making him a natural choice to win the whole thing.
Wyatt has had a rough year full of ups and downs, if WWE still consider ‘The Fiend’ to be one of their top stars, then a big win at the Rumble wouldn’t go amiss. Plus, getting to see ‘The Fiend’ re-emerge from the flames with a melted-on mask or some sort of creepy skin grafts would instantly make this upcoming Rumble match one to remember.
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