5 Wrestlers Who Could Win the WWE Men’s Royal Rumble 2024

The bookies predictions are in and we here at Cultured Vultures are ready to throw our names into the hat for this year’s Men’s Royal Rumble winners. With so many potential WrestleMania main-eventers butting heads with one another for the spotlight, only one can make it to the grandest stage to challenge Roman Reigns for his Universal Championship.

Several names have been pencilled as far back as last year’s WrestleMania, namely ‘The American Nightmare’ who will definitely finish his story for real this year. Will he manage to go two years on the trot and secure himself a spot in the Mania main, or will he play second fiddle to a certain returning someone?

Let’s run down five male wrestlers who are most likely penned to win the Rumble this year.

 

1. CM Punk

Probably the most likely front-runner for this year’s Royal Rumble match is none other than the Pepsi-loving former world champion, CM Punk. I’m all for it; Punk has returned with a lot of fanfare and his work ethic seems to have turned around since his run in AEW. Fans seem to be willing to give Punk that one final chance to have the massive comeback run we’ve been hoping to see since his departure ten years prior.

Plus, it only seems right for him to make his Rumble return a decade after his infamous final performance in the 2014 match. Here’s hoping that Kane returns so Punk can chokeslam him through a table this time.

Even though some fans are already seething at the fact of Punk getting shoehorned to the front of the card over storylines that have been in place for several months, this would be a feel-good win for both the majority of the audience and Punk himself.

If you’re putting your money on anyone this year, I think you’ve got to go with Punk.

 

2. Cody Rhodes

So yeah, as I’ve already mentioned, Cody Rhodes has been a guaranteed name to potentially go two-for-two in Royal Rumble matches since losing his main-event to Roman Reigns at WrestleMania 39. Rhodes is primed to have another crack at finishing his story and I think that a lot of fans would not be upset if he were given the same build to a sequel match this April.

However, there’s only so much WWE can do for Rhodes without him starting to become a bit worn. This might be their one and final chance to make him the standard-bearing hero that they want him to become. If Rhodes does indeed join the likes of Shawn Michaels, Stone Cold and John Cena and become a two-time Rumble winner, then he absolutely has to win at WrestleMania against Roman Reigns.

It would be a shame for WWE to have wasted two Rumble victories for the sake of putting just a little extra heat on ‘The Tribal Chief’. Although, even if Rhodes doesn’t end up winning the Rumble this year, I suspect they’ll find a way to insert him into the title picture prior to WrestleMania in Philly. Either way, keep your eye on ‘The American Nightmare’.

 

3. Gunther

After last year’s career-making performance in the Rumble match, the current Intercontinental Champion could be primed for an equally impressive run in this year’s Rumble. Gunther may not be at the top of everyone’s list to see headline WrestleMania quite yet, however he definitely is one of the more threatening wrestlers on the main roster. Pitting him against either Rollins or Reigns would suddenly turn the title fight into a very serious fight, with the champions potentially entering as the underdog compared to ‘The Ring General’.

Considering previous WrestleMania history, WWE are not against the idea of a ‘Winners Take All’ scenario where the World Champion and the Intercontinental Champion would put both titles on the line for an ‘Ultimate Challenge’. Yes of course I’m referring to the incredible Hogan/Warrior bout at WrestleMania 6, though I’m not referring to Gunther as a superstar on either of their level currently (not saying that he will never make it to that point), it could be a refreshing take on the WrestleMania main event.

Gunther has made history both as a Rumble performer and as a champion, what a credit competing at WrestleMania against a major champion would be to him to cap off an amazing run in 2023.

 

4. Sami Zayn

A bit of a curveball winner here, which is a surprising statement considering where this man was this time last year. Sami Zayn has continued to be one of the people’s champions, often taking time after shows to take photos and sign shirts with the fans outside of arenas. Zayn could be making his way towards a huge win at the Rumble this year, penning his second shot at the Universal championship a year after dethroning the then-Bloodline Usos.

I think a lot of fans are waiting to see a conclusive finish to Sami Zayn’s rise to the top. His match against Roman in Montreal was indeed incredible but it wasn’t quite the finale that everyone wanted for Zayn after becoming one of the most over wrestlers on the planet. An emotional win at the Rumble, overcoming 29 other wrestlers would be a testament to not only Sami’s ability as a wrestler but also the fans’ love for his character.

Again, this may be a flash in the pan run for Zayn this year, but I think he should definitely find himself in the conversation for potential winners this year.

 

5. LA Knight

As of writing, LA Knight has just been announced to be challenging for the Universal Championship alongside AJ Styles and Randy Orton. Let’s face it, it’s extremely unlikely that ‘The Megastar’ will be walking away with the title in a couple weeks time. So where does LA Knight go from here? Well, it’s not exactly unheard of for a championship challenger to then enter the Rumble and potentially go the distance. It’s always a fun little story when they run out half-injured and still make a go for the final few.

Fans are still rallying behind LA Knight (much like they are Zayn) and thus it could make for a really fun ending to the Rumble match. LA Knight could be an ideal foil for a Gunther or CM Punk, perhaps getting them a little extra heat going into WrestleMania. Currently it seems that plans are for Knight to be involved in a United States title feud with Logan Paul heading into WrestleMania, so a Rumble win may not be exactly what’s on the cards, but a fun prediction nonetheless.

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