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WWE has confirmed that the 2021 Royal Rumble will be kick-started by Randy Orton and his arch-rival Edge. The two former Rated-RKO tag team partners are set to enter the 2021 Men's Royal Rumble Match at No. 1 and No. 2, respectively. The news was initially announced on WWE Backstage and will see the two arch-rivals reignite their long-term rivalry.
Starting off the Royal Rumble is something that most Superstars preferably like to avoid and the same could be said for Randy Orton and the returning Edge. However, the plus point of this remains the fact that both The Viper and The Rated-R Superstar will be presented with the equal opportunity of eliminating each other right at the beginning of the match.
That being said, Randy Orton will definitely have more momentum on his side compared to Edge. Especially given the antics he has pulled off on RAW, as of late after setting The Fiend on fire at WWE TLC 2020 but also hitting an RKO on Alexa Bliss, against whom he has been going back-and-forth lately.
On the downside though, this year's event promises to be one of the more unusual in the pay-per-view's history, as the show is set to take place behind closed doors, with no fans in attendance. This also means that there won't be a live audience in the building to greet Edge's second successive return to WWE at Royal Rumble.
With that being said, here are five ways how WWE could book Edge's Royal Rumble 2021.
#5. Edge gets some retribution on Randy Orton by instantly eliminating him
The last time Edge was seen on WWE television was at the Backlash pay-per-view in 2020. The Rated-R Superstar was in action against Randy Orton in a rematch from WrestleMania 36 but ended up losing the bout.
In the aftermath of the match, it was announced that Edge had suffered a torn tricep and the former WWE World Champion would be sidelined for at least four to eight months. This past week on Monday Night RAW though, Edge finally made his return and announced his entry into the Rumble.
With The Rated-Superstar set to start-off the Royal Rumble with Randy Orton, Edge will aim to get some retribution on his nemesis. And WWE could do so by having the latter eliminate The Viper instantly at the Rumble and kill off his chances to headline WrestleMania 37.
#4. Edge and Randy Orton eliminate each other at the same time to set up a WrestleMania 37 showdown
Edge and Randy Orton have already faced-off twice since the former made his WWE return last year. After the two grueling matches, the score is tied at 1-1 and it only makes sense for WWE to book the trilogy between the two in the early stages of 2021 itself.
While we're on the Road To WrestleMania 37, the Royal Rumble has set up the perfect opportunity for WWE to book Edge vs. Randy Orton III for The Grandest Stage of Them All. Edge's return to the big show last year was behind closed doors, with no attendance at the WWE Performance Center.
Reports have suggested that WWE is aiming to have a small portion of the audience at the Raymond James Stadium for 'Mania 37 and it would only make sense for the company to put Edge in a match where he can finally be greeted by the WWE Universe at his return WrestleMania.
To do so, WWE could have Edge and Randy Orton go over the top rope at the same time and eliminate each other in the process. This could lead to the third match between the two-man at WrestleMania 37.
#3. Randy Orton once again gets the upper hand on Edge and eliminates him from the Rumble
One of the more obvious options for Edge at this year's Royal Rumble would be to start the match with no such twists or shenanigans, so to speak, and have both him and Randy Orton have a traditional start to the match.
The two men could go on in the Rumble for a solid few minutes before Orton eventually could get the upper hand on Edge once again and get rid of him from the Rumble. The option is a risky one and could get backlash from the WWE Universe. But at the same time, it is also a totally logical option, so to speak. WWE could pull off the move and still go on to book Edge vs. Randy Orton for WrestleMania 37.
With Orton eliminating Edge from the Royal Rumble, it would also open up the door for The Fiend to mark his return to WWE and cost The Viper the match. Bray Wyatt has his fair share of issues with Orton, who set him on fire at TLC, and it would make sense for The Fiend to mark his return and get back at Randy Orton.
#2. WWE lets AJ Styles eliminate Edge and sets up a dream WrestleMania match
Ever since Edge made his return to WWE, one of the more talked about dream matches has been a showdown between The Rated-R Superstar and The Phenomenal One, AJ Styles.
The two men had a small face-off at last year's Royal Rumble, however, it didn't lead to any sort of angle, let alone a match between the two. This year, things could be a whole lot different. WWE could completely shift Randy Orton's focus on a WrestleMania 37 match against The Fiend, and the creative could end up booking Edge in a feud against AJ Styles.
In a recent interview, Styles also made it clear that he would like to share the ring with either Triple H or Edge at The Grandest Stage of Them All. Hence, this is literally the perfect timing for WWE to book a match between Edge and AJ Styles for WrestleMania 37. The Phenomenal One is on the back of a dream showdown against The Undertaker from last year's 'Mania, which also happened to be The Phenom's final ever match.
Therefore, a showdown against another veteran in Edge could quite easily be set up if AJ Styles eliminates The Rated-R Superstar from this year's Royal Rumble Match.
#1. Edge wins his second-ever Royal Rumble match
Quite possibly the most obvious option of this list is to have WWE book Edge to his second-ever Royal Rumble win. To date, there have been only four wrestlers in history to win the Royal Rumble match from the first two positions. The last one to do so was Rey Mysterio in 2006, a Superstar who will be competing in another Rumble in less than 24 hours.
That being said, Edge could go on to make history and win the 2021 Men's Royal Rumble Match. The last time he did so was in 2010 when he also made a surprise return to WWE and went on to book his place in a World title match at WrestleMania.
This time around, given Edge, wins the Royal Rumble, the options for The Rated-R Superstar could be really interesting. With Drew McIntyre in possession of the WWE Championship, Edge could set up a match against the reigning champion or set up a dream collision with Goldberg, who challenges McIntyre for the title at Royal Rumble. The second option for Edge is equally mouthwatering, as he could go on to possibly face fellow Canadian Kevin Owens or the reigning WWE Universal Champion, Roman Reigns.
A WWE Hall of Famer called out AEW fans HERE
