The road to WrestleMania makes a pit stop at the Royal Rumble. And for the first time in years, a favorite to win the WWE’s famous 30-man namesake is up for grabs.
The Royal Rumble takes place Sunday at the Alamodome in San Antonio.
Denver Post pro wrestling nerd Joe Nguyen breaks down the event’s matches and predicts who he believes will win:
Podcast: Denver Post pro wrestling nerds Joe Nguyen and Hugh Johnson .
Pre-show
Sasha Banks vs. Nia Jax
Singles match
Who should win: Jax.
The Raw women’s division needs more challengers to Charlotte Flair’s title belt and a win for Jax would propel her into the upper echelon.
Who will win: Jax.
Cesaro and Sheamus (c) vs. Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson
WWE Raw Tag Team Championship
Who should win: Cesaro and Sheamus.
Gallows and Anderson are deserving of a big push in the tag-team division, but I don’t see them switching the titles in a pre-show bout.
Who will win: Cesaro and Sheamus.
Becky Lynch, Nikki Bella and Naomi vs. Alexa Bliss, Mickie James and Natalya
Six-woman tag team match
Who should win: Lynch, Bella and Naomi.
It’s a pre-show six-person tag match. It’s a win for the good guys.
Who will win: Lynch, Bella and Naomi.
Main card
Rich Swann (c) vs. Neville
WWE Cruiserweight Championship
Who should win: Neville.
Since his return, the man gravity forgot has established himself as the monster of the newly reformed cruiserweight division. A run as the unstoppable champion would bolster the fledgling division, providing a proven veteran and big name it desperately needs.
Who will win: Neville.
Charlotte Flair (c) vs. Bayley
WWE Raw Women’s Championship
Who should win: Charlotte.
Flair, or Miss Never Loses at Pay-per-views, is undefeated at pay-per-views and she shouldn’t lose until at least WrestleMania. Bayley will get her time, just not today.
Who will win: Charlotte.
AJ Styles (c) vs. John Cena
WWE World Heavyweight Championship
Who should win: Cena.
Styles has been a phenomenal champion since defeating Dean Ambrose at “Backlash” last September, but there’s something about Cena’s new persona since his return that’s intriguing. He’s cocky, he’s confident, his “I’m John Cena and you’re not” attitude is refreshing. And it would be entertaining to see him win his 16th world title — tying Ric Flair’s mark — before he steps away from the wrestling world.
Who will win: Cena.
Kevin Owens (c) vs. Roman Reigns
WWE Universal Championship
Who should win: Owens.
Everything about this points to a Roman Reigns victory. He lost his U.S. title to Chris Jericho, opening himself up for another run at the top belt. However, his seemingly incessant push is a storyline dead end. Owens has far more possibilities and deserves to remain as champion.
Who will win: Owens.
I’m going against my gut. KO will win.
30-man Royal Rumble
Announced participants: Baron Corbin, Big E, Big Cass, Big Show, Bray Wyatt, Braun Strowman, Brock Lesnar, Cesaro, Chris Jericho, Dean Ambrose, Dolph Ziggler, Goldberg, Kofi Kingston, Luke Harper, The Miz, Mojo Rawley, Randy Orton, Rusev, Sami Zayn, Sheamus, The Undertaker, Xavier Woods.
Who should win: There’s a whole lot of choices…
For the first time in years, I don’t have a clear favorite as to who should win the Royal Rumble. There’s plenty of worthy names: Sami Zayn would be huge for an underdog push. Undertaker, Goldberg and Lesnar may all be part-timers, but they would be spectacular to close the show. Personally, I’d love to see Kingston, propelling The New Day to the top of the card, where they are capable to handle after their two-year year at the top of the tag-team division.
Who will win: The Undertaker.
My fellow Denver Post pro-wrestling nerd Hugh Johnson made a good point on our podcast this week: The Undertaker needs a big match for WrestleMania, and that match could very well be against John Cena. And why not be against WWE champion Cena in the main event of the WWE’s biggest show of the year.
