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It was confirmed last week that Royal Rumble 2021 will take place on January 31, 2021. A new year brings new hopes and excitement in the lives of people and for WWE fans, the excitement comes in the form of one of the most anticipated nights of the year and the first pay-per-view of 2021, Royal Rumble.
The night that will officially kick-start the Road to WrestleMania 37, Royal Rumble 2021 is sure to be an exciting affair for the fans. The WWE Universe counting down with the clock as a new Superstar enters the Royal Rumble match is a sight to witness, but will things be very different this year?
The event will take place inside the WWE ThunderDome, but various rumors in the last few months have suggested that the company might be bringing back live fans in some capacity for Royal Rumble 2021. It is to be seen whether that happens or not.
For now, let's take a look at the full match-card predictions for Royal Rumble 2021. Be sure to comment down and let us know which Superstars are you rooting for at the event?
#7 Drew McIntyre (c) vs. Braun Strowman - WWE Championship at Royal Rumble 2021
Drew McIntyre successfully defended his WWE Championship against AJ Styles and The Miz, who cashed-in his Money in the Bank contract mid-match, at TLC 2020. However, as per reports, it was Braun Strowman who was originally supposed to challenge McIntyre for the WWE Championship.
The Monster Among Men is currently facing a storyline suspension on RAW but was in fact injured. Looking at all his social media posts, Strowman looks to be ready to be back in action and he already has a feud to continue as it was his desire to get a WWE Championship match that led to him attacking Adam Pearce and subsequently facing the storyline suspension.
Braun Strowman challenging Drew McIntyre for the WWE Championship at Royal Rumble 2021 will be a blockbuster feud. The two have enough history together during their time as 'Dogs of War' with Dolph Ziggler that could play in the mix as well. It is unlikely that Strowman would be the one to dethrone Drew McIntyre as the Champion but a stage like Royal Rumble deserves a big feud for the WWE Championship, and this could surely be the one.
Prediction: Drew McIntyre retains the WWE Championship
#6 Asuka and Charlotte Flair (c) vs. Liv Morgan and Ruby Riott - WWE Women's Tag Team Championship at Royal Rumble 2021
The return of last year's women's Royal Rumble winner Charlotte Flair at TLC 2020 and her winning the Women's Tag Team Championship with RAW Women's Champion Asuka has shaken things up in WWE's women's division. The two have defended their titles successfully against multiple teams.
WWE has teased the team of Liv Morgan and Ruby Riott to be the next major feud for the Women's Tag Team Champions and these two teams could collide at Royal Rumble 2021. On paper, Asuka and Charlotte Flair would clearly be the favorites but The Queen also has her eyes set on the RAW Women's title and it won't be very shocking to see the two losing their tag titles and starting a feud against each other on the Road to WrestleMania 37.
Prediction: Ruby Riott and Liv Morgan become the new WWE Women's Tag Team Champions
#5 Big E (c) vs. Sami Zayn - Intercontinental Championship at Royal Rumble 2021
Big E won the Intercontinental Championship for the second time in his career on the Christmas special edition of Friday Night SmackDown by defeating Sami Zayn in a Lumberjack match. Many in the WWE Universe are considering this to be the start of Big E's major push on SmackDown.
However, it is possible that Sami Zayn continues to rant about the manner he lost his title to Big E with all the lumberjacks involved. Zayn could further demand a rematch at Royal Rumble 2021 with the IC title on the line. It will be interesting to see how WWE books Big E as the IC champion heading into the WrestleMania season.
Prediction: Big E retains the Intercontinental Championship
#4 Roman Reigns (c) vs. Kevin Owens - Universal Championship at Royal Rumble 2021
As per rumors, Daniel Bryan was the one penciled in to challenge Roman Reigns at Royal Rumble 2021 for the Universal Championship. However, Bryan announced his entry into the Royal Rumble match on SmackDown which makes it unlikely for him to challenge for the Universal title.
As seen at WWE TLC 2020 and the SmackDown after that, Kevin Owens has come short of winning the Universal title from Roman Reigns. However, on both occasions, Owens has lost due to outside interference from Jey Uso. It is likely that the company continues this feud all the way to Royal Rumble 2021, but can KO overcome The Tribal Chief or will he fall victim and get outnumbered once again?
Prediction: Roman Reigns retains the Universal Championship
#3 Bobby Lashley (c) vs. Riddle - United States Championship at Royal Rumble 2021
The Hurt Business has been on a dominating run on WWE RAW recently and The Chief Hurt Officer of the faction and the United States Champion Bobby Lashley has been leading from the front. As per reports, the plans for Royal Rumble 2021 include Lashley defending his title against Riddle.
Reports have also suggested that Vince McMahon likes Riddle to an extent and considers him to be funny. However, does he like him enough to put the United States title on him? From the looks of it, we might also see Jeff Hardy get involved in the mix.
Prediction: Bobby Lashley retains the US Championship
#2 Women's Royal Rumble 2021 match
One of the biggest steps in solidifying the Women's Revolution in WWE was introducing a separate Royal Rumble for women in 2018. So far, Asuka, Becky Lynch, and Charlotte Flair have won the match. Royal Rumble 2021 would see WWE's women roster compete in the over-the-top-rope match for the fourth time.
There is no clear favorite this time around which makes things even more interesting. From SmackDown, Superstars like Bianca Belair and even Bayley could win the match this year, and from RAW, the likes of Alexa Bliss is considered by many to be a possible pick. However, WWE could also throw a massive curveball by letting Charlotte Flair win the Royal Rumble match on back-to-back years.
Prediction: Alexa Bliss or NXT's Rhea Ripley wins
#1 Men's Royal Rumble 2021 match
Just like on the women's side, the men's Royal Rumble 2021 match doesn't have any clear favorite so far. Last year, WWE did a great job with booking the Royal Rumble match and the company would want to deliver yet another solid performance.
Early reports suggest that the planned world title matches for WrestleMania 37 are Drew McIntyre vs. Brock Lesnar vs. Keith Lee and Roman Reigns vs. Goldberg. Among all the three challengers listed above, fans won't mind seeing Keith Lee win the Royal Rumble match. However, if WWE decides to let either Goldberg or Brock Lesnar return and win the Royal Rumble, it would surely lead to a massive fan outburst. Or could be an unlikely name to win the match?
Prediction: Goldberg or Keith Lee wins
What are your predictions for the show, dear reader?
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