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We are merely a few days away from the annual extravaganza dearly known to pro-wrestling fans as the Royal Rumble. The pay-per-view (or premium live event) is set to take place this year at The Dome at America's Center in St. Louis, Missouri on January 29, 2022.
The good thing about this year's Royal Rumble is that it's tough to predict the winner of both the men's and women's matches or call anyone the clear favorite. WWE has already surprised fans by announcing several surprises for the women's Rumble match and reports suggest there could be more unannounced surprises this Saturday as well.
With that in mind, here are our five bold predictions for the winner of this year's Royal Rumble matches. Be sure to comment down and let us know your thoughts on the same as well as predictions for both matches. Who are you rooting for to get a ticket to the main event of WrestleMania 38?
#5 Ronda Rousey could return and win the Royal Rumble
Recent reports suggest that former RAW Women's Champion Ronda Rousey could be making her return to WWE this Saturday. It was four years ago at the very same pay-per-view when she first made her official debut and took the women's division by storm over the course of the next one year.
Truth be told, WWE's women's division is lacking a lot of star power with only a select few stars like Becky Lynch and Charlotte Flair dominating it. The return of Rousey would surely be a huge boost for the company.
The Baddest Woman on the Planet last wrestled for WWE in the main event of WrestleMania 35 where she dropped her RAW Women's title to Lynch in a triple threat match also involving Charlotte.
Fans are yet to witness a one-on-one match between Becky Lynch and Ronda Rousey and that could happen at this year's WrestleMania. If Rousey does return in the Royal Rumble match, it's tough to imagine her not winning it.
#4 Paige could shock the world at Royal Rumble
Another massive return that could take the WWE Universe by storm at Royal Rumble is that of Paige. The two-time Divas Champion has been retired since 2018 due to her neck issues. However, fans still miss her and want to see her make her comeback for one last run.
Over the last years, Paige has given several subtle hints of returning to the ring and that big moment might finally happen in this year's Rumble match. She has the star power to bring a huge set of extra eyes to the WWE programming.
The Anti-Diva could win it all and have an amazing feud and WrestleMania 38 clash with either RAW Women's Champion Becky Lynch or SmackDown Women's Champion Charlotte Flair.
#3 Ding Dong... Hello Bayley!
Former SmackDown Women's Champion Bayley ruled the ThunderDome era of WWE during the pandemic in 2020. While fans have returned to the arenas, The Role Model is unfortunately yet to perform in front of them.
Firstly, she didn't have a match at WrestleMania 37. After that, when the company was about to resume their live touring with Money in the Bank, Bayley suffered an injury right before the show and has been out of action ever since.
While there is no confirmation about her return status, Royal Rumble could be the perfect stage for her to make her grand come back. Since both the top champions are currently heels, could we see Bayley return as a babyface and win the women's Royal Rumble match?
#2 Brock Lesnar could enter and destroy the field at Royal Rumble
WWE Champion Brock Lesnar is currently scheduled to defend his title against Bobby Lashley in a dream match at Royal Rumble 2022. While he is the favorite to retain his title, there could be a twist in the tale as well with Lashley picking up an upset victory and becoming the new WWE Champion.
If that does happen, we might see Paul Heyman pull some strings, leading to The Beast Incarnate entering the men's Royal Rumble match later in the night. The truth is that Lesnar was never supposed to win the WWE Championship and it was just a last-minute decision from the promotion to put the title on him.
He could drop the title to Bobby Lashley, enter the Rumble, win it, and challenge Roman Reigns for the Universal Championship at WrestleMania 38. What if he doesn't drop the title and still decides to enter and goes on to win the Rumble?
#1 Roman Reigns once again proves that he is "The One"
Roman Reigns has been the Universal Champion for the past 500+ days. Truth be told, there's nothing stopping WWE from keeping the title on him for another year, maybe even until WrestleMania 39 next year.
At Royal Rumble 2022, he is set to defend his title against his former Shield brother Seth Rollins. There is a very small group of current superstars who could realistically dethrone Reigns and one of them is Rollins. While Roman Reigns is still the favorite to win the match, The Visionary could pull off an upset and become the new Universal Champion.
In the unlikely scenario that this happens, we might see The Tribal Chief enter the Royal Rumble to once again prove that he is the top guy. He could win the match and go on to continue his feud with Brock Lesnar, this time for the WWE Championship instead.
Of course, there are better ways to set up a WrestleMania match between Reigns and Lesnar, but one can't completely deny this possibility.
