When the calendar turns to a new year, the professional wrestling world sets its sights on the Royal Rumble, which is the official start of the Road To WrestleMania. This pay per view is a fan favourite because of the unpredictability of the Royal Rumble match itself.
The entire roster has a shot at becoming a World Champion at WrestleMania, which makes the intensity level of the night go through the roof.
The 2017 Royal Rumble is going to be a very fun one to watch because, for the first time in a few years, there are several WWE Superstars that could win the Rumble match. Over the last couple of years, it was very predictable who was going to win the match.
Everyone knew that Batista was going to win in 2015 to the WWE Universe’s displeasure. Same with Roman Reigns in 2016.
This article will cover six WWE Superstars who have the best chance of winning the 2017 Royal Rumble match in San Antonio, Texas on January 29th. The list is a mix of wrestlers who are part-time, veterans you see on a weekly basis, and relative newcomers. Read on to see who has the best shot in a few weeks.
#6 Chris Jericho
Chris Jericho has an amazing ability to be able to reinvent himself all of the time, but this year has been really special. Transitioning from the light-up jacket to the List of Jericho has made Jericho one of the most popular WWE Superstars today, even though he’s still working as a heel.
There is a good chance that Kevin Owens will hold the WWE Universal Championship all the way to WrestleMania. Since Jericho is getting cheered more than any Superstar on the roster today, turning him face and winning the Royal Rumble would set up a great main event between former best friends.
Outside of winning the WWE United States Championship, the Royal Rumble is one of the few achievements that has eluded Jericho.
#5 Randy Orton
Another WWE veteran with a resurgence in 2016 was Randy Orton when he decided to join Bray Wyatt and Luke Harper to form the New Wyatt Family. It didn’t take long for this new faction to cash in as they knocked off the first ever Smackdown Tag Team Champions of Rhyno and Heath Slater.
As long as the Wyatts stay a cohesive unit going into the Rumble, Randy Orton has to be one of the favourites going in. Orton is no stranger to winning the Royal Rumble, as he did so in 2009 when Legacy basically owned the match.
If AJ Styles still holds the WWE Championship at this point, a dream match between The Phenomenal One and The Viper would be set for WrestleMania.
#4 Brock Lesnar
Brock Lesnar may not have been thinking about the Royal Rumble this past fall, but then a man named Goldberg returned and changed everything. After decimating Lesnar in a minute and a half at Survivor Series, Goldberg declared his intention to enter the Royal Rumble. Lesnar would respond by entering himself into the match as well.
As long as Brock Lesnar is not blinded by his hatred towards Goldberg, he will be a huge favourite for the Royal Rumble for one big reason. He’s got something to prove after the way he lost at one of the biggest pay per views of the year for the WWE. Lesnar with something to prove will be a very dangerous man.
#3 Braun Strowman
Since the WWE Draft last summer, the stock for Braun Strowman has skyrocketed as he has decimated everything in his path on Monday nights. After being held back in the Wyatt Family, the chains have been removed and Strowman has become a force on Monday Night Raw.
While it’s not a dream match in our eyes, a Braun Strowman vs. Roman Reigns main event at WrestleMania is definitely a dream match in Vince McMahon’s eyes. All it takes for this to be a reality is Roman defeating Kevin Owens for the WWE Universal Championship, and Strowman winning the Royal Rumble match.
Both have a decent chance at happening too.
#2 Bray Wyatt
It seems to be a broken record with Bray Wyatt at this time of the year. It seems like he’s bound to get the gigantic push that he deserves, but then nothing ever happens, and they have to reboot him. Maybe this time around is the time for Wyatt’s push towards the WWE Championship by winning the Royal Rumble this year.
As long as the new unit of Bray Wyatt, Luke Harper, and Randy Orton remain cohesive, it has to make Bray a huge favourite in winning the Royal Rumble. It would be very similar to when Orton won the Royal Rumble in 2009 with the help of Cody Rhodes and Ted DiBiase.
#1 The Undertaker
In recent years, we have only seen the Undertaker during WrestleMania season to set up a feud for the biggest pay per view of the year. When he made his return at Smackdown’s 900th episode, The Undertaker made it known that he is going to be back sooner than usual this year.
With an appearance on Monday Night Raw coming up on January 9th, one can speculate that Undertaker is going to announce that he’s in the Royal Rumble match. It has been ten years since his only other Royal Rumble win in 2007, and this could be the one final big run of his career.
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