Anything can happen in the WWE. As fans, we like to think we know what can and will happen at every waking moment in company.
Then we see AJ Styles debut at the Royal Rumble, Shane McMahon face Undertaker at WrestleMania, and Brock Lesnar bust Randy Orton open with elbow shots to the head, and we remember we don’t really know anything.
That’s what makes bold predictions about WWE so much fun. We can think of some of the most outlandish possibilities and in the back of our minds know there’s actually a chance it could happen.
The Royal Rumble is particularly good for this. There have been more than a few entrants in the past that, had you predicted they would come out, everyone would have called you insane. Just look at Bubba Ray Dudley in 2015, Kharma in 2012, and Edge in 2010 to name a few.
In addition to the Rumble match itself, we’ve come up with a few bold predictions for the event as a whole. Here are our bold predictions for WWE Royal Rumble 2017.
#5 Every title changes hands
Statistically, this is unlikely. Every non-WrestleMania PPV usually features one, maybe two title changes at most. So what’s different about WWE Royal Rumble 2017? It’s simple. Every single potential title change would make sense.
Typically, any event with numerous title matches has at least one where a successful defense seems inevitable. A recent example is Roadblock, which saw Rich Swann defending against TJ Perkins and Brian Kendrick.
It would have made no sense to end Swann’s title reign that early just to put the belt on one of two guys who just had reigns of their own and looked like they were being pushed down the card a bit.
Also read: WWE Royal Rumble 2017 Predictions: 5 things that are going to happen in the upcoming PPV
But Sunday is different. There isn’t a single title match that you can look at and say “Yeah, that person/team definitely isn’t losing their title.”
Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson would be great options to take the titles off the odd couple team of Sheamus and Cesaro. Bayley could finally break Charlotte’s undefeated PPV streak in an underdog story.
Roman Reigns and John Cena have both been in high-profile feuds and could each capture world titles before WrestleMania. The King of the Cruiserweights, Neville, could finally capture the Cruiserweight title and carry the division as he was always meant to do.
But the reason this prediction is classified as bold is because no matter how much sense each title change would make, predicting five title changes is still a risky bet. No one would be surprised to see any of these titles change hands, but all of them?
That could be a tall task. File this one under unlikely, but possible.
#4 The Royal Rumble winner will be from NXT
This year’s Royal Rumble match is historically unpredictable. There are around 5-10 guys who have a good chance to win the match, and possibly 5-10 more who have some sort of outside chance.
And to coincide with this unpredictability, we’re going to say that the winner will be someone who has yet to make their WWE debut. More specifically, someone from NXT.
Samoa Joe’s call-up seems to be imminent. He has done everything he can possibly do in NXT, becoming a two-time champion and passing the torch to Shinsuke Nakamura.
Since his most recent loss, he hasn’t even been on NXT TV, that indicates that WWE is looking for the right time to bring him up, and that time could be the Royal Rumble.
Joe is a main-event star. He proved that in both TNA and NXT, so there’s no sense in wasting time before putting him in that spot on the main roster. He could jump right into the main-event picture by winning the Royal Rumble.
But Joe isn’t the only NXT talent with a chance to win this Sunday. What about current NXT champion, Shinsuke Nakamura?
Of course, it would be a shock to see Nakamura in the Rumble, let alone having him winning it. But imagine if he came out victorious and then challenged AJ Styles for the WWE Championship at WrestleMania? That’s a hardcore wrestling fan’s dream.
Although it’s unlikely, we can’t rule out the prospect of an NXT talent, be it Joe, Nakamura, or by a miracle someone else, winning the Royal Rumble.
#3 Eva Marie returns
Did you forget she existed? Don’t worry, you’re not alone.
Eva Marie was suspended for 30 days on August 18th for violating the wellness policy. That means her suspension ended on September 18th, yet she still hasn’t been seen on WWE TV since the incident.
Do fans miss her? Well, the response is probably split on that. But the fact is that the woman is a heat magnet and is a valuable commodity for WWE. It’s a mystery as to why she’s been kept off TV for so long. But that could change on Sunday.
Although it is on the kickoff show, the six-woman SmackDown tag team match could be the perfect spot for her to return. The heel team of Alexa Bliss, Natalya, and Mickie James looks poised to get the victory because of James’ return. But no one said it couldn’t come with the aid of All Red Everything.
Eva Marie’s gimmick is pretty much that nobody likes her. It would be amusing to see her somehow assist the heel team to victory and try to celebrate with them, only for all of them to disregard her.
Eva Marie has to return to TV eventually. The Royal Rumble could be her time.
#2 Braun Strowman breaks the elimination record
Braun Strowman likes throwing people. Lucky for him, that’s exactly what the Royal Rumble match is all about.
Strowman is being booked as WWE’s biggest monster heel possibly ever. He hasn’t even sniffed a singles loss since being drafted to Raw and routinely destroys his opponents. This has led some to believe Strowman will win the Royal Rumble this Sunday.
While we don’t think that will happen, it doesn’t have to, for him to make an impact.
The current record for most eliminations in a single Royal Rumble belongs to Roman Reigns who tossed out 12 other superstars in 2014. Strowman could and should break this record.
This will be Strowman’s first Rumble since he was revamped after the draft. He has become the biggest monster in WWE since last year and even though he dominates the opposition every week, this should be his coming out party.
The venue and magnitude of the event are perfect to establish Strowman as a true star on one of WWE’s biggest stages.
Strowman should toss out 13+ competitors in front of the 40,000+ people at the Alamodome. It could be a star-making performance for the monster among men. If anyone wasn’t convinced that Strowman was the next big thing, this would undoubtedly change their minds.
#1 Kenny Omega debuts in the Royal Rumble match
WWE has made it a point to recruit the biggest stars from around the world. AJ Styles, Shinsuke Nakamura, and the team of Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson all jumped ship from NJPW to WWE at this time last year.
Kenny Omega could be next, and we’re predicting that he shows up in the Royal Rumble match this Sunday.
Yes, we know Omega recently said that he won’t be appearing at the Rumble. And although he sounded genuine, it wouldn’t be the first time someone has denied they would enter only to come through that curtain when the timer hits zero.
Last year, AJ Styles had an interview with WhatCulture in which they asked if he would be free if they were holding an event on the day of the Rumble. He said that he would be. As we know, he was a little busy as he entered third in the Rumble match and made his long-awaited WWE debut.
Until Omega has officially signed a contract extension with NJPW, the door is open for him to show up in San Antonio this Sunday.
And with WWE’s penchant for pulling out some of the biggest surprises imaginable, we’re going bold and saying that the leader of the Bullet Club will make his mark in front of the WWE universe in this year’s Royal Rumble match.
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