Predicting the Royal Rumble favourites after Roman Reigns' departure

While Roman Reigns takes time off to battle leukemia, the focus on the main roster now shifts to who will take over his spot as the top face on Raw. It also puts a huge damper on the WWE's original main-event plan for Wrestlemania 35 of having Reigns defend against his cousin the Rock.

While I'm personally happy that the Rock won't likely be in the title match at 'Mania, the circumstances around the change aren't reasons to cheer. All the best to Roman Reigns and his family during his battle.

But as Paul Heyman said on Raw this week - the show must go on. Having a different champion come next year completely reshuffles the deck of competitors with a legitimate chance to win the 2019 Royal Rumble.

While winning the Rumble hasn't always translated to 'Mania success recently, the particular choice by WWE should let you know whether or not they're thinking of having the winner win at the 35th iteration of the biggest show of the year.

Of course, a lot depends on who the champions are heading into the event.

On Raw, it has to finally be the time to pull the trigger on Braun Strowman as Universal Champion. The crowd is firmly behind him and he recently turned babyface after ending his partnership with Dolph Ziggler and Drew McIntyre.

There will be a clear heel/babyface dynamic in the title match with Brock Lesnar at Crown Jewel.

Should WWE opt to put the belt back on Lesnar, they are just creating the same problem they've had over the last year and a half.

Raw deserves a full-time champion who defends the belt at every PPV. Reigns was adamant about doing so and was on the right track of truly being a 'fighting champion.'

Lesnar's mind is on returning to the UFC. Putting the belt back on him is a colossal mistake.

On Smackdown, Daniel Bryan and AJ Styles are battling to see who will be WWE Champion at the Royal Rumble.

Both are faces, but WWE could conceivably prolong that feud through the Rumble. If either man is in the field of 30 competitors, he will have to be among the favorites.

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The Contenders

These are the guys who are the most likely to win the whole thing. Some have won before but several would be first-time winners. These are also the guys who make the most sense as challengers to either title at the biggest show of the year.

Even though he's barely been around recently, John Cena is always a threat to win any Royal Rumble.

He's currently tied with Ric Flair with 16 world title reigns. Vince McMahon will eventually want to have Cena break the record at some point. We all know how much WWE loves creating and making its own 'history.'

If they need a stand-in winner, Cena is always a safe bet and a sure-fire main-event match waiting to happen. He could become a three-time winner after victories in 2008 and 2013.

The other former winner is the Rock. He won in 2000 and although his match with Reigns is now off, the WWE still might want to cash-in on the Rock's main-stream appeal and have him vying for a title at 'Mania regardless of the champion.

As long as he expresses a desire to return to the WWE, Vince will lay down the red carpet for the Great One.

When it comes to first-time winners, the options are much more deserving and appealing.

Whoever isn't the champion between AJ Styles and Daniel Bryan is certainly a favorite. Each is hugely popular and has a storyline already to follow.

Bryan could be trying to regain the title he never lost while Styles could be trying to prove that he's one of the best in WWE history in such a short run

Would the WWE trust Bryan with another run? His last two runs were prematurely ended by injury. Here's hoping that if they do pull the trigger on Bryan, his reigns are a lot longer.

Styles is always guaranteed to give you great matches and he or Bryan could be the iron man of the match.

The Contenders (CONT.)

The picture above says a lot. Seth Rollins just looks better with gold around his waist. He's not hurting for it now, but it's only a matter of time before he loses both his Intercontinental Title and Tag Team titles.

The recent attack of Dean Ambrose pretty much guarantees the tag titles are headed elsewhere. If he loses the IC title before the Rumble, it might be a sign of bigger things ahead for the Kingslayer.

Ambrose has untapped potential as a top heel. His recent turn was facilitated with the recent face turns by Strowman and Elias.

He's another hugely popular star of this newer generation never to win the rumble. Think about a heel-Ambrose as Universal Champion against a returning Roman Reigns.

Reigns will undoubtedly be treated like the babyface WWE want him to be. The story practically writes itself.

The other first-time winner would be the Miz. He could challenge either Bryan or Styles as the heel challenger.

His story with Bryan is far from over. Feuding over the WWE Championship would make the feud even more personal.

He's already had min-feuds with Styles. They've hinted at major feuds between the two before whenever Styles has been on MizTV.

The Miz has been one of the all-stars of WWE over the last three years and would be a deserving winner.

Dark Horses

Of the following dark-horse candidates, only Finn Balor has had a run with one of the major titles.

Balor has always been a fan favorite. His win would be met with uproarious cheer. He's a workhorse and could open as one of the first few entrants.

His 'Demon King' persona is saved for big matches. What's bigger than a championship match at 'Mania?

Elias has been a huge fan favorite despite his heelish tactics. When fans start to cheer you and you're supposed to be the bad guy, a change is in the near future.

He's proven to be more than capable and just think of the songs he could come up with heading into the feud. A babyface Elias would likely have to have a heel champion to face, so his odds aren't the greatest.

Bobby Lashley recently turned heel and Vince has always loved the big man. His arrogant character is more believable now. A Lashley vs. Braun Strowman would have the makings of an 'Irresistable Force vs. the Immovable Object' vibe that they would play up.

Just imagine Strowman getting his hands on the annoying Lio Rush and his big mouth. I wonder how far he could throw Rush.

Dark Horses (CONT.)

Drew McIntyre is already rumored to be the next challenger for the Universal Title. With the recent events of the last two Raws, the foundation for such a feud has already been laid out. It would be a battle of two powerhouses.

McIntyre is already seen as someone ready to jump to the main event. He's also believable as someone who could give Strowman a run for his money. He's always been a favorite of the boys backstage.

The least appealing dark horse is Randy Orton.

Like Cena, he's always a fall-back option for WWE. I might be in the minority when I say his RKO outta nowhere isn't exactly exciting. It's totally easy to telegraph when it's coming in a match.

The only reason why he makes sense as a winner is that he has never feuded with Styles over the title. He also has a built-in history with Daniel Bryan over a cash-in on Bryan after the former defeated Cena for the belt.

He doesn't need the win for his resume and the WWE should not hand the petulant one another accolade.

Surprise Packages

There have been rumors of a big singles' push for Big E over the last three years, but WWE is reluctant to break up the New Day.

Of the three, he's the total package who could easily be world champion under the right circumstances. Have him turn on his brothers or just have it be a straight face vs. face match. It's worked before (Cena vs. Bryan).

There's also the fact that constantly being in the tag title feud has held Big E's singles' push back. He has untapped potential as a top player. He can handle it on the microphone and is a beast in the ring who can hang with anyone.

Although he's already feuded over the WWE Championship with AJ Styles, Samoa Joe as champion is something the WWE should seriously consider.

He can battle with AJ Styles again. Or he can have a series of great matches with Daniel Bryan. Either option is appealing. Joe hasn't tasted gold yet on the main roster, but having him hold court over Smackdown would totally change the show's dynamic.

Surprise Packages (CONT.)

Vince has always been looking for the next Latino babyface. Backstage rumors have stated that he's high on Andrade 'Cien' Almas and he might turn face in the foreseeable future.

It might be with or without Zelina Vega, but he certainly needs her to be his mouthpiece whether a face or heel.

He's uber-talented and has already had great matches with Bryan, Styles and Rusev since joining the main roster. Would creative finally pull the trigger or warm him up first with a mid card title run first?

Even though he's injured, Sami Zayn might be ready for a return come rumble time. He's been great in his role as a heel, but he could return as either.

He could feud with Strowman as either but he's never been someone Vince has held in much regard. He's never been a champion on the main roster. He'll likely return as a face and go after the man who injured him, Bobby Lashley.

The final choice isn't really a out of left field choice. It's more so because he's fallen in and out of favor so many times. It's hard to decide whether or not the push would be for real.

Rusev is someone the crowd is fully behind. If Vince really likes hot blondes, have Lana on the arm or your world champion to represent the WWE.

He's had great matches with practically anyone he steps in the ring with. The only problem would be creative feeling the need to turn him heel. He'd still be cheered as a face like he was during the 'Rusev Day' run thus far.

The Bulgarian Brute deserves more than his annual feeding to the top star WWE is pushing this wwek.