A large part of the appeal of WWE's Royal Rumble match is its uncertainty and the excitement surrounding who will win and what familiar faces might resurface. For several years, however, the outcome of the Rumble has been pretty predictable with John Cena, Batista, Roman Reigns and Triple H all being the odds-on favourite to emerge victors.
This year, there are a few different notable names who could come out on top, and there isn't one individual who stands out as the obvious winner. Goldberg, Brock Lesnar and others have already been announced for the annual Battle Royal, though there are several other stars who could feasibly win as well.
The road to WrestleMania 33 starts at the Royal Rumble with the victor earning a world title match in the main event of the Show of Shows. These are the five Superstars who deserve to win the 2017 Royal Rumble match the most.
#5 Finn Balor
Balor might be the least likely to win the Royal Rumble this year, if only because he's still sitting on the sidelines with an injury. But as is always the case with the Rumble, nothing is ever for certain.
John Cena surprisingly came back early from an injury in 2008 and punched his ticket to the main event of WrestleMania 24 by coming out on top in the Rumble, so it wouldn't be far off for Balor to return in time for the anticipated event as well.
Balor's reign as WWE Universal champion was short-lived as a result of him getting injured at SummerSlam, leading to him relinquishing the gold on the next night's Raw. From rekindling his rivalry with Kevin Owens to contesting rematches with Roman Reigns and Seth Rollins, he could win the Rumble and go after the belt he never lost, at 'Mania.
#4 Braun Strowman
Pitching the idea of Braun Strowman winning the Royal Rumble one year ago would have been unfathomable, but he has improved immensely since then. All right, so he remains fairly limited in the ring, but as a character, he is much more of a legitimate threat to a world title than he has ever been.
Since arriving on Raw in the 2016 WWE Draft, Strowman has carved his path of destruction, annihilating everyone who has stepped up to face him. He recently ran down Sami Zayn in a Last Man Standing match, and later that night, he announced his intentions to win the Rumble.
Strowman is still far from being ready for the main event of WrestleMania, but seeing him challenge for the championship at the Show of Shows would be believable. He has yet to beaten, so why wouldn't he be worthy of a world title match at this point?
#3 Chris Jericho
It's hard to believe that Chris Jericho has been in WWE for almost two decades and has yet to win the Royal Rumble match. He came close five years ago when he was set to face CM Punk at WrestleMania 28 for the WWE Championship, but WWE changed plans and went with Sheamus instead.
Needless to say, Jericho is nearing the end of his career, and if there was ever a year for him to win one, it would be 2017. Over the last year, he has done some of his best work both in the ring and as a character, reinventing himself as a heel and debuting “The List of Jericho.”
He has a ready-made feud with WWE Universal champion Kevin Owens, who he has been aligned with since the summer. That match must happen at 'Mania at this point, and what better way to set it up than by Jericho winning the Rumble and choosing to face his best friend on the grandest stage of them all?
#2 Sami Zayn
This is a bit of a sleeper pick for the annual Battle Royal, but Sami Zayn could very well win the Rumble. After all, it would make sense from a storyline standpoint, especially after all we have seen in recent weeks.
For months, Zayn has been at odds with Braun Strowman, and their latest Last Man Standing match ended with The Underdog from the Underground on a stretcher. I would keep Zayn off television until the Rumble match, where he returns and eliminates Strowman in shocking fashion.
Taking it a step further, Zayn overcoming the odds and emerging victorious in the Rumble would be an amazing story. And yes, Chris Jericho could still contend for the WWE Universal Championship at WrestleMania 33 by making it a Triple Threat match with Kevin Owens.
#1 The Miz
Aside from AJ Styles, no one had a better 2016 than The Miz, who successfully rejuvenated his career after winning his fifth Intercontinental Championship the night after WrestleMania 32. From there, he embarked on a lengthy reign as Champion and has contested classics with the likes of Cesaro, Dolph Ziggler and Dean Ambrose.
On the premiere edition of SmackDown Live in 2017, Ambrose beat Miz to capture the Intercontinental title. Of course, their rivalry is likely not yet over, but this would be the best time to transition Miz back into a main event role for the first time in over five years.
Miz and Styles have occasionally crossed paths over the past few months, and a WWE Championship clash between them, while John Cena and The Undertaker face off in a non-title affair, would be a marquee match for WrestleMania.
Simply put, Miz deserves to be prominently featured at this year's Show of Shows, and having him win the Rumble would instantly make him a top contender on SmackDown Live.
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