WWE Royal Rumble 2017 Rumors: Randy Orton now the favorite to win the Royal Rumble match?

Could this be the closing image of the 2017 Royal Rumble?

What’s the story?

As per wrestlingrumors.net, Randy Orton is now the odds-on favorite to win the Royal Rumble match.

In case you didn’t know...

The odds have shifted dramatically for several superstars in the weeks leading up to the Royal Rumble match. One such superstar is Randy Orton, who won the Rumble match in 2009.

The heart of the matter

Randy Orton started out with +700 odds to win the Royal Rumble on January 10th. As of the time of the writing of this article, Randy Orton is currently anywhere from -150 to +100 to win the thirty-man battle royal. (UPDATE: Randy Orton is now listed at -245) The likely shift in the Viper’s odds are due to part of the recent Wrestling Observer Newsletter, which stated that Randy Orton and Bray Wyatt were set for a match at this year’s Wrestlemania, with the current plan being to have Orton victorious in the Royal Rumble match and that Bray Wyatt would walk into Wrestlemania as the WWE World Champion.

The next closest competitor with the best odds would be The Undertaker at +400. For those who don’t know, the plus number indicates what the bet would pay out based on a $100 bet. The minus number indicates the amount of money you would have to bet in order to win $100.

What’s next?

Randy Orton will be one of thirty men to enter the 2017 Royal Rumble match on Sunday, January, 29th. He has been the third member of the Wyatt Family since October, with the obvious match between he and the Eater of Worlds seeming like an inevitability.

Sportskeeda’s Take

Gambling on professional wrestling is usually a fruitless endeavor, as the sportsbooks tend to have solid information when setting the betting lines for pay-per-views. Considering the drastic shift in the odds this close to the Royal Rumble, we would think that the Viper may well be on his way to a second Royal Rumble match victory. However, Vince McMahon is notorious for having last-minute changes in thought process, so we may get to Sunday and he decides that the Orton/Wyatt match at Wrestlemania doesn’t need the WWE World Championship attached to it.

In other words, keep a close eye on how the odds shift during the day on Sunday for a probable clearer picture of the man who will be pointing to the Wrestlemania sign at the end of the night.

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