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WWE begins the Road to WrestleMania with the Royal Rumble pay-per-view, and this year's matches could have some interesting results.
The women's Royal Rumble winner could be the determining factor in the women's division getting their first-ever WrestleMania main event, and the men's Royal Rumble match will mark the first time since WrestleMania 30 where Roman Reigns will not be a factor in either world championship match, due to his unfortunate medical issue.
Brock Lesnar and Daniel Bryan are the current champions, and many believe that both wrestlers will walk into Met-Life Stadium with the titles still around their waists.
If both men successfully defend their championships at the Royal Rumble, then that will be a key factor in determining who wins the Royal Rumble, and what to expect at the big show in April.
Taking all that into consideration, here are the five most-likely superstars to win the Royal Rumble.
#5 John Cena
The Champ made his return to WWE at the start of the new year, and was one of the first superstars to announce entry into the Royal Rumble match.
Wrestlers announcing their participation in the match isn't new, but John Cena has a far better chance at winning the match than majority of the roster.
Cena won his 16th world championship at the 2017 edition of the Royal Rumble, and tied WWE Hall of Famer, Ric Flair, for his legendary record of world championship reigns.
If the company wants Cena to win his 17th world championship, there's a good chance WWE could have Cena win the Rumble and challenge for the WWE Championship at WrestleMania 35.
With Daniel Bryan and AJ Styles as potential opponents, Cena would be guaranteed a great match regardless of who he faces.
The reason he's so low on the list are the rumours suggesting he'd be fighting Drew McIntyre or Lars Sullivan at WrestleMania.
Also, he's involved in three film projects that haven't started production yet, so any match at WrestleMania would probably end in his defeat and swift departure.
#4 Mustafa Ali
Mustafa Ali was one of the standout performers in 205 Live before WWE brought him to the main roster and gave him a great debut match against Daniel Bryan.
Very few wrestlers get to make their debut against the WWE Champion, but Ali was afforded that opportunity and made the most out of it.
Hopefully, as a sign of what's to come.
The company could easily place him in a feud for the United States Championship, but they have the chance to make a new star if they commit to his push.
Having Ali start out as the first or second entrant in the Royal Rumble would be a great way to show fans just how talented he is, but having him win the match would give him a strong debut year that rivals what WWE did with Brock Lesnar and Finn Balor.
If WWE really wants to shake things up, they'd run with Ali as the next WWE Champion or at least let him wrestle for it on the biggest stage available.
#3 Bobby Lashley
"The Almighty" Bobby Lashley has had a mostly uneventful year since his return to WWE.
The biggest "highlights" of his return have been the horrible "Lashley's Sisters" segment, wrestling Elias every week, and making Lio Rush his manager.
Not what many would call an impactful debut.
With Brock Lesnar likely to head into WrestleMania 35 as the Universal Champion, and Lashley needing a major boost in momentum, it wouldn't be unbelievable for WWE to give him a Royal Rumble victory.
Lashley versus Lesnar is considered a dream match amongst the fans because of the similarities between both wrestlers.
Their amateur wrestling background, various world championships, MMA experience, and physique are traits they share, and have many wondering what a match between the two would look like.
Goldberg versus Lesnar from WrestleMania 33 was an epic but short match, and the same thing would probably be expected if Lesnar and Lashley clash.
#2 Drew McIntyre
If you told fans in 2012 that Drew McIntyre would go from a member of 3MB to one of the biggest wrestlers on the flagship show, no one would've believed you.
But that's exactly what McIntyre managed to do upon his return to the main roster last year.
McIntyre was involved in nearly every memorable program in 2018, including battles against The Shield, dominating the tag team division, and defeating WWE Hall of Famer Kurt Angle in convincing fashion.
He's only won the Raw tag team championships so far, but everyone expects to see more titles around the waist of the wrestler previously known as "The Chosen One".
Fans are in desperate need of a new Universal Champion, and having McIntyre win the title would be a great follow-up to an impressive year.
Whether he faces Braun Strowman or Brock Lesnar, the fans would be guaranteed to get a new and interesting Universal Championship match at WrestleMania.
#1 Seth Rollins
Seth Rollins is the most popular wrestler on Monday Night Raw, and has been what kept the show going after Roman Reigns' departure.
He's also the most accomplished wrestler on the roster, and has won nearly every accolade in the WWE, except the Universal Championship.
Brock Lesnar is the current title holder, and his history with Rollins makes their confrontation a storyline that writes itself.
When Rollins wasn't wrestling Dean Ambrose in 2014 to 2015, he was a pain in Lesnar's side while The Beast Incarnate was the champion. Rollins continually tried and failed to cash-in his Money in the Bank contract, until his historic cash-in at WrestleMania.
Rollins and Lesnar had a match later that year, but interference from The Undertaker never gave us a definitive result, and many assumed that neither man was giving their best performance.
Since 2015, both men have added more accomplishments to their resume, including Lesnar's stranglehold on the Universal Championship, and Rollins' dominance in the the mid-card and tag team divisions.
Rollins came off as a coward while he was running away and hitting Lesnar with sneak attacks back then, but Rollins' character has abandoned those traits and has continually called out Lesnar for not being a fighting champion.
WWE need to make Rollins' status as the top star more definitive, and nothing would prove that point better than winning the 2019 Royal Rumble, and winning the Universal Championship at WrestleMania 35.
