One of the most exciting parts of being a fan of WWE is taking the massive roster and narrowing it down to only a few prospects as potential winners of the prestigious Royal Rumble match.
This year we had a ridiculous amount of superstars who were entered into the match with a high chance of going the distance, yet it resulted with someone who not many were expecting to outlast the other 29 entrants. Still a few months clear of the January pay-per-view, there are a few standouts that could be starting off the new year with a huge win. Let’s run down a few of those names.
1. Kevin Owens
Owens has certainly been the talk of the wrestling world this past week. After laying out Vinnie Mac with a stiff headbutt on Smackdown Live, it seems that Kevin is stepping up his game to become the blue brand’s active top heel. Having meandered around the US title scene since the superstar shake-up, perhaps it’s time for Owens to come out of this McMahon saga as a number one contender for the WWE Championship.
During this year’s Rumble event, Kevin Owens was defending his Universal Championship against Roman Reigns, steering clear of the Rumble match itself. The intrigue surrounding how he’d fare against the rest of the WWE roster is certainly strong and should the writers backstage be as high on Kevin Owens as they seem to be, then I can imagine him having a good chance at making it to the final few this year.
Owens is bound to be involved in something big at the next Wrestlemania, whether that be a product of his current feud with Shane McMahon or the main event championship match. Depending on who ends up with the title heading into Mania, I couldn’t think of anyone better than Kevin Owens to bring out the best in them. Smackdown is known for a higher standard of wrestling, putting Owens against the caliber of Nakamura, Zayn or even AJ Styles again would make for a brilliant post-Rumble win feud.
2. Seth Rollins
It’s hard to deny that ‘The Man’ has lost momentum since returning in 2016. Still considered one of the top prospects in WWE, Rollins has been involved in a pretty successful relaunch of The Shield, partnering and winning gold with Dean Ambrose. However this, to me at least, has put his main event status on hold. It almost seems like they’ve run out of big ideas for him as a babyface, not involving him in the Universal Title picture, nor really giving him much in the way of interesting feuds. For someone who had such a fantastic heel run a few years back, it is surprising that they haven’t put much effort into re-branding him as the leader of the new generation.
Arguably the best thing that has happened to Rollins as of late is getting the honour of being the 2K cover star, what better way to follow that up by giving him a winners run in the Rumble match. Seth has proven that he can hang with pretty much everyone in the ring, which would make for a very exciting Rumble match, something he hasn’t really been able to do just yet due to untimely injuries. Do I see him going the distance and making it to the final bunch? Yeah, for sure.
If anyone is in desperate need of the Rumble victory, the first name that comes to mind is Rollins. Not only would it give the shock treatment to his current booking but it would get an ailing fanbase back behind him as part of the title scene. His feud with Triple H gave him the status of being one of the top performers on the roster, with potential to be seen as a Wrestlemania draw, so why not push him the whole way and have him compete against someone like Brock Lesnar at Wrestlemania 34? Not only would it be a fantastic match, but it would bring out the best in Rollins that we haven’t seen in quite a while.
3. Shinsuke Nakamura
The Artist formerly known as The King of Strong Style has recently found himself thrown into the title picture with Jinder Mahal. Despite this it entirely seems like a vehicle to get the champion over with a few victories over credible talent. My disdain for Nakamura is totally not his fault, Shinsuke remains one of my favourite parts of WWE programming, but rather that they haven’t capitalised on his popularity nor his potential. This coming Royal Rumble is the opportune time to break the ice with Nakamura and certify him as a big fish in the big pond.
Not to sound overly pessimistic of their abilities, but let’s acknowledge that some of these huge names aren’t getting any younger; touch wood that the schedule won’t wear them down too quickly. My point is that they can’t sleep on this megastar. Having Nakamura win the Rumble this year would not only create one of the most anticipated and sensational Wrestlemania debuts but also a huge crowning moment for one of Smackdown’s biggest stars.
It almost seems like a natural fit for the coveted Number 30 spot in the Rumble, building the match around his eventual appearance and joust for victory against someone like AJ Styles. If I were to put my money on someone this year, I’d be going with Nakamura. Judging by the schedule for the WWE’s tour of India, I wouldn’t suspect him to be taking the title from Mahal anytime soon, so build him to be one of the most fearsome competitors in the meantime so he can dominate the entire roster come January.
4. Samoa Joe
The Samoan Submission Machine had one of the most anti-climactic call-ups in recent history. I’d actually go as far as saying it’s up there with Apollo Crews in terms of him just sort of being there. Don’t get me wrong, I absolutely adore Samoa Joe’s in-ring work, he’s one of the most solid guys in the ring and it’s a shame he’s been sidelined with an injury when he could have been having a fantastic programme with John Cena. This doesn’t take away from the fact that he has accomplished nothing since making his Raw debut. No fault of his own, Joe’s just one of the many names that WWE have to juggle. So once all has calmed down between Brock, Braun, Roman, Cena etc, how about we give Samoa Joe some love and thrust him into the title picture come the Rumble.
Perhaps build to Samoa Joe’s return at the Rumble itself? Granted he’s scheduled to be fit for return around October time, but I can’t see how an extra few months would hurt his status. Weekly vignettes and ominous tones leading to his dramatic return during the match itself would make him look like the monster he should be. Joe’s chances at becoming champion were fairly slim when matched against the walking contractual clause Brock Lesnar, so perhaps if he’s out of the picture, they can focus on building up a new name to grace the Universal Title.
Samoa Joe was kept away from the Wrestlemania card this year, so has yet to make his debut. If anything, he deserves to be given a high-ranking match. I think out of all those that I’ve listed so far, Joe’s probably the least likely to actually win the Rumble this year, although I could be pleasantly surprised.
5. BRRAUNNN
Naturally, Strowman had to make this list. Braun has been on an absolute tear this year, becoming one of the most popular performers through his own improvements. Strowman is in the exact position he currently deserves to be in, being awarded main event title matches against Brock Lesnar. However, do I see him walking out of No Mercy with the big red belt? I don’t. Again, when you have Lesnar in your midst, it’s kind of hard to be given much of a chance. I could be wrong, but I reckon that if Braun is going to be crowned champ anytime soon, it’ll be after such a feat as winning the Royal Rumble match.
Strowman could easily be considered a winner, not only does he look the part of being a threat (I mean who could eliminate a giant, right Maggle?) but he’s also got the fans behind him too. Nobody could complain about Braun standing tall at the top of the Raw roster.
If not being involved in a title match going into the pay-per-view, I’d bank on him being one of the most common predictions going into the match – does this necessarily mean he’s going to win it? I couldn’t say for sure. Perhaps it’s too much of a given that this is his year, perhaps he’s still too green in the sense that he shouldn’t get that honour over some of the other names mentioned. Either way, keep your eye on Strowman in the near future.
Honourable Mentions
For those of you who like your dark horses:
– Sami Zayn: Come on, give the guy a break. He’s got to make main event at some point.
– Baron Corbin: If you can’t stand the heat, get yourself taken out of the title picture and put into the Royal Rumble match.
– Neville: The first 205 Live superstar to win the Royal Rumble match?
– Bobby Roode: Something something GLORIOUS RUMBLE.
– The Undertaker: One last ride?
Some of the coverage you find on Cultured Vultures contains affiliate links, which provide us with small commissions based on purchases made from visiting our site. We cover gaming news, movie reviews, wrestling and much more.
