5 Bold Predictions for Royal Rumble: New world champion, The McMahon's power struggle rivalry begins

We are merely a day away from this year's WWE Royal Rumble pay-per-view, which is set to take place this Saturday at The Dome at America's Center in St. Louis, Missouri.

The company has done a great job with the card of the show. As of the writing of this article, a total of six matches have been booked for the show, three of them being for the Universal, WWE, and RAW Women's Championships.

The biggest attraction on the show would obviously be the two Royal Rumble matches, one for the men and the other for the women. WWE has already announced some major surprises for the women's Rumble match and there are rumors about several other surprise entrants as well.

Let's take a look at the five bold predictions for Royal Rumble 2022. Be sure to comment down and let us know your thoughts and predictions on the show. How excited are you for WWE to kick-start the Road to this year's WrestleMania?

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#5 Bobby Lashley becomes the new WWE Champion at Royal Rumble

After years and years of waiting, we are finally about to witness the dream clash between The Beast Incarnate and The All Mighty. WWE Champion Brock Lesnar is set to defend his title against Bobby Lashley at the show this weekend and fans are excited to see these two heavyweights tear it down in the ring.

On paper, Lesnar is the favorite heading into this bout. But we might see a major twist this Saturday as Lashley could defeat him to become the new WWE Champion. Of course, it's highly unlikely that Brock Lesnar would lose clean. We might see Paul Heyman turn on him and cost him the match.

Lesnar won the WWE Championship at Day 1 earlier this month in a bout which he was originally not meant to be in. Due to COVID-19 related issues, the company had to cancel his planned encounter against Roman Reigns and instead added him to the WWE title match which he won to become the new champion.

It doesn't really make sense to keep the title on him for long, especially if the plan is to have him feud with Reigns at WrestleMania 38. Losing the title in a controversial way to Lashley would also keep the door open for a future match between the two and protect Lesnar at the same time.

What a huge boost it would be for Bobby Lashley to take the title off The Beast Incarnate!

#4 Shane McMahon returns and starts a feud against Vince McMahon

Recent reports have suggested that Shane McMahon is set to return in the men's Royal Rumble match this weekend. His return could kick-start a massive WrestleMania rivalry against his own father and the chairman of WWE Vince McMahon.

All this could begin with Vince's mentee Austin Theory eliminating Shane-O-Mac from the Rumble. Considering the not-so-good on-screen relationship between the McMahon father-son duo, the WWE Chairman would be delighted to see Austin Theory eliminate his son. We could then see a heated argument between Mr. McMahon and Shane backstage.

All this could ultimately lead to a McMahon vs. McMahon rivalry at WrestleMania 38. Theory could be the one to represent Vince McMahon against Shane McMahon, or we might see another young star represent the latter at the premium live event.

To raise the stakes further, WWE could add some power struggle angle as well in the mix.

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#3 Riddle will eliminate Randy Orton from the Royal Rumble

Two top stars already announced to enter this year's men's Royal Rumble match are Randy Orton and Riddle, popularly known together as the RK-Bro.

In a very short span, the two have become arguably the most loved tag team on WWE's current roster. They even had an amazing run as the RAW Tag Team Champions which recently came to an end.

At the Rumble, we might see the first sign of explosions between RK-Bro with Riddle eliminating Orton from the match. While he would've expected The Viper to be a sport, he might strike back and begin a proper feud against his partner. This could ultimately lead to a WrestleMania 38 match between the two.

#2 Alexa Bliss enters the Royal Rumble with a new look

One of the major names not yet announced for the women's Royal Rumble match is Alexa Bliss. The multi-time women's champion returned to Monday Night RAW a few weeks ago and has been part of backstage segments where she can be seen attending therapy sessions.

While there were rumors that she could return to her former gimmick, the signs are that her dark character is here to stay for a while. We might see Bliss finally unleash her inner demon at Royal Rumble by entering the 30-woman contest with a new scarier look.

Could she take a page out of The Fiend's book and appear in a similar mask?

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#1 Brock Lesnar enters the Royal Rumble, The Bloodline eliminates him

There has been a lot of talk about Brock Lesnar entering the Royal Rumble as a surprise entrant this year, winning it, and then challenging Roman Reigns for the Universal Championship at WrestleMania 38. Well, there is a better to ensure that match happens and at the same time, another star doesn't get robbed of his big moment.

We might see The Beast Incarnate enter the Royal Rumble match, maybe even at No.30. Everyone would expect him to dominate and win the bout somehow. However, WWE could pull off a twist by letting Roman Reigns and The Usos appear and illegally eliminate him from the match.

This could all be organized by the mastermind himself who turned on Lesnar earlier during the WWE Championship match, Paul Heyman. This would completely turn Lesnar into a babyface.

He could then win the Elimination Chamber in Saudi Arabia next month to finally challenge Reigns at WrestleMania 38. However, for this to happen, The Tribal Chief will have to retain his title against Seth Rollins at WWE Royal Rumble 2022.