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Royal Rumble matches are easily one of the most entertaining bouts of the year in WWE. Surprise entrants may be the most enthralling aspect of the match, but the winners often make for great stories to cap off the previous year, while introducing angles for the new.
They get to make their choice when it comes to the championship they challenge for on their way to headlining the Show of Shows a few months later. As the saying goes, the Royal Rumble really does kick off the Road to WrestleMania.
With the first of 2022's Big Four around the corner, let's take a look at five early picks to win the 2022 Men's Royal Rumble match. Of course, if you believe there is a more deserving candidate that should win, feel free to let us know in the comments section below.
#5. A babyface AJ Styles could win the Royal Rumble and challenge Roman Reigns
AJ Styles is phenomenal. It may be a catchphrase, but it is also quite literally true. He can pull off matches and moments that very few wrestlers in the entire world can. A career spanning four decades is testament to the greatness of this once-in-a-generation talent.
He created history in 2021 when he became the first ever wrestler to become both a WWE and TNA/IMPACT Wrestling Grand Slam Champion. He achieved the feat when he won the RAW Tag Team Championship from the New Day at WrestleMania 37, alongside his then-bodyguard Omos.
This past week on RAW, Omos turned on Styles, seemingly turning The Phenomenal One face. It could be argued that this was the right time to split up the former champions.
This opens up both men to newer storylines and fresh opponents. Although he is headed to NXT at the moment, AJ Styles could go on to win the Royal Rumble as a singles competitor next month. He could then choose to challenge Roman Reigns for the Universal Championship.
Reigns may need credible babyface opponents once his feud with Brock Lesnar ends, and AJ Styles can cement his legacy in WWE by headlining a WrestleMania opposite The Tribal Chief.
This could well be the perfect opportunity for AJ Styles to remind the world why he is truly phenomenal.
#4. Bobby Lashley could set up a Spear vs. Spear clash at WrestleMania
If he doesn't win the WWE Championship at Day 1, a babyface Bobby Lashley could end up winning the Royal Rumble and main eventing WrestleMania opposite Roman Reigns.
This past week on RAW, Lashley teamed up with Big E to take on the team of Seth Rollins and Kevin Owens in the main event. His body language and promo to kick off the show points toward a potential face turn for the All Mighty.
Should this be the start of a new chapter for the former WWE Champion, he could go on to win the Royal Rumble and choose to challenge the Tribal Chief for the Universal Championship.
A spear vs. spear clash at WrestleMania would be a great way to cap off this latest push for the All Mighty.
#3. Austin Theory could win the Royal Rumble to cap off a stellar breakout year and challenge Big E
Austin Theory has enjoyed quite the breakout year in WWE. Whilst still in NXT, he was featured in prominent storylines as part of The Way alongside Johnny Gargano, Candice LeRae and Indi Hartwell.
He was drafted over to RAW in October and had quite a list of victims. He defeated Jeff Hardy twice, followed by both Dominik and Rey Mysterio. He was even part of the RAW Men's Survivor Series team at the pay-per-view.
Recently, he has been getting the rub recently from multiple Vince McMahon appearances on weekly television, which is quite rare for an upstart in his rookie year on the main roster.
Theory could easily cap off his ongoing push with a shocking Royal Rumble victory and choose to challenge Big E for the WWE Championship. Vince McMahon has handed him a shot at the Powerhouse of Positivity already, but he was unsuccessful then.
By winning the Rumble, he could not only earn another shot at the title, but also headline WrestleMania and cement his status as the 'next big thing' in WWE.
#2. Kevin Owens could win the Royal Rumble and challenge Tommaso Ciampa for the NXT Championship
Kevin Owens has surprisingly never won the Royal Rumble. He is a former NXT, Universal, Intercontinental and United States Champion, however, he hasn't won a Rumble and gone on to headline WrestleMania.
He could do so this time around, and choose to go back to his old stomping ground. The Prizefighter has quite a legacy in NXT and it is undeniable that he has done a lot to put the brand on the map.
He made a monumental main roster debut when he answered John Cena's open challenge for the US title and proceeded to attack the Leader of the Cenation. In an iconic image to close out the segment, he had his foot on Cena's championship while holding aloft the NXT title.
Should he win the Royal Rumble, Owens could choose to try and reclaim the NXT Championship from The Blackheart. Kevin Owens vs. Tommaso Ciampa will be a marquee match for any WrestleMania.
#1. Randy Orton could end up challenging for the Universal Championship for the first time in his career
Randy Orton has never won and, even more surprisingly, never even challenged for the Universal Championship. The Viper could win the Royal Rumble in 2022 and lay claim to the one title that has eluded him for the last several years.
Orton and Roman Reigns have been at odds in the past, but the Apex Predator of WWE has not engaged in a feud with the Head of the Table in quite some time. It makes for an intriguing contest, and could even be the main event of WrestleMania next year.
Could 2022 see the Legend Killer slay the legend of the Tribal Chief?
A WWE Hall of Famer called out AEW fans HERE
