WWE Royal Rumble 2022: Full match-card predictions

The WrestleMania season is almost here as WWE Royal Rumble 2022 will kick things off for The Show of Shows in grand style. Royal Rumble is set to take place on January 29, 2022, at The Dome at America's Center in St. Louis, Missouri.

One of the "Big Four" pay-per-views of WWE, Royal Rumble is one of the most exciting shows of the year. The majority of this excitement is due to the traditional Royal Rumble matches for men and women with a WrestleMania main event at stake.

Shocking appearances, massive returns, star power, excitement, nostalgia, and so much more make this pay-per-view a must-watch for any wrestling fan.

With the build-up to the show in full swing on both RAW and SmackDown, let's take a look at the full match card predictions for Royal Rumble 2022. Be sure to comment down and let us know your thoughts and predictions for the show. Who are you rooting for to be the last man and woman in the ring?

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#7 Roman Reigns (c) vs. Seth Rollins for the Universal Championship at Royal Rumble

This past week on Friday Night SmackDown, Universal Champion Roman Reigns got a massive surprise. Adam Pearce got the task to decide Reigns' next opponent and the show ended with RAW superstar Seth Rollins confronting The Tribal Chief.

WWE on FOX's Twitter account jumped the gun and confirmed the match, only to take down their tweet. However, it's clear that we are headed towards a title clash at Royal Rumble 2022 between these two former Shield brothers.

Roman Reigns vs. Seth Rollins is a massive feud and fans are already excited for this. While the "heel vs. heel" issue is there, WWE can pull this off. Rollins is one of the few stars on the current roster that can realistically dethrone Reigns as the Universal Champion. But we believe The Tribal Chief will come out victorious and continue his historical title run.

Prediction: Roman Reigns retains the Universal Championship

#6 Edge and Beth Phoenix vs. The Miz and Maryse at Royal Rumble

WWE has already announced a major mixed tag team match for Royal Rumble 2022 as two real-life couples will square off against each other. Edge will team up with his wife and WWE Hall of Famer Beth Phoenix to take on the "It couple" Miz and Maryse.

This angle started at Day 1 where Phoenix returned to even the field for The Rated-R Superstar in his one-on-one match against The A-Lister as he was getting outnumbered due to Maryse's involvement. Fans are excited to see Edge and Beth Phoenix share the ring and the babyfaces are the favorites to win this match.

Prediction: Edge and Beth Phoenix win

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#5 Becky Lynch (c) vs. Doudrop for the RAW Women's Championship at Royal Rumble

RAW Women's Champion Becky Lynch will be defending her title at WWE Royal Rumble. However, her challenger will be determined next week on the red brand in a triple threat match between Bianca Belair, Liv Morgan, and Doudrop.

On paper, Belair seems to be the favorite. However, WWE would likely want to save the big Becky Lynch vs. Bianca Belair feud for WrestleMania. As for Morgan, she has already challenged Big Time Becks recently.

At Royal Rumble, we might see Doudrop get her chance to shine and challenge for the RAW women's title. However, Lynch would be the favorite to retain her title.

Prediction: Becky Lynch retains the RAW Women's Championship

#4 Brock Lesnar (c) vs. Bobby Lashley for the WWE Championship at Royal Rumble

Another massive match already announced for Royal Rumble 2022 is a massive dream match as Bobby Lashley is set to challenge WWE Champion Brock Lesnar.

Lashley has previously stated on many occasions that he returned to the company in 2018 for a match against The Beast Incarnate. It's great to finally see this match happen and the fans are equally excited to witness these two heavyweights go to war at Royal Rumble.

We got a tease of this at Day 1 earlier this month where both of these were part of the WWE Championship fatal five-way match. While Brock Lesnar dominated every other competitor in the match, Bobby Lashley had the upper hand over him.

It will be special when these two finally collide at Royal Rumble. As much as Lashley deserves to pick up a victory, Lesnar might be the one to come out victorious.

Prediction: Brock Lesnar retains the WWE Championship

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#3 Shinsuke Nakamura (c) vs. Sami Zayn for the Intercontinental Championship

Shinsuke Nakamura's current Intercontinental Championship run has been forgettable, to say the least. Nothing against Nakamura, who is one of the best at what he does, however, his booking as a champion has been disappointing and the title seems to have no value.

He was set to defend his title against Sami Zayn at Day 1. However, the match was pulled from the show. We may now see these two face each other at Royal Rumble 2022. It's about time WWE takes the title off Nakamura and make it relevant again. He could go on to enter the tag team division with Rick Boogs.

Prediction: Sami Zayn becomes the new Intercontinental Champion

#2 Women's Royal Rumble match

The first of the two Royal Rumble matches at the pay-per-view will see 30 women battle it out against each other for the chance to challenge a champion of their choosing at WrestleMania 38.

This past week on Friday Night SmackDown, WWE shockingly announced several participants for this bout. This includes some massive surprises like Lita, The Bella Twins, Michelle McCool, Summer Rae, and Kelly Kelly.

But none of them was as big as a surprise as Mickie James, the IMPACT Knockouts World Champion. The forbidden door has been kicked open and fans are excited!

Another major announcement was made by SmackDown Women's Champion Charlotte Flair, who has also officially entered the women's Royal Rumble match. However, we could see multiple more surprises in the match as many spots are still left.

One name that fans would love to see return is that of former Divas Champion Paige. She was unfortunately forced to retire from in-ring competition in 2018 but has been teasing a return to the ring recently. If she does come back, she would be the perfect choice to win it all and shake up WWE's women's division.

However, a more realistic huge return at the Royal Rumble is that of former SmackDown Women's Champion Bayley. WWE has also announced the return of Alexa Bliss and fans can expect her to enter the Royal Rumble as well.

Our pick for the winner of the 2022 women's Royal Rumble match would be either Bayley or Bliss unless Paige makes her surprise return.

Prediction: Bayley or Alexa Bliss win the 2022 women's Royal Rumble match

#1 Men's Royal Rumble match

This year we will witness the 35th edition of the annual men's Royal Rumble match. Arguably one of the most historic and entertaining match concepts in WWE history, 30 men will enter the ring to earn an opportunity to main event WrestleMania 38.

Unlike the women's match, WWE hasn't announced many participants for the men's Royal Rumble match yet and we hope it stays this way. The announced entrants so far are - Angelo Dawkins, Montez Ford, Rey Mysterio, Dominik Mysterio, Austin Theory, Johnny Knoxville, and Sheamus.

With the rumors of Roman Reigns vs. Brock Lesnar in a champion vs. champion match at WrestleMania 38, the biggest concern is - what happens to the Royal Rumble winner then?

Could we possibly see a triple threat "winner takes it all" match between the Universal Champion, WWE Champion, and the winner of the 2022 men's Royal Rumble match?

As for the winner, recent reports suggest that Big E was the front-runner according to initial plans. However, this would be the perfect spot to get someone like AJ Styles back in the main event scene.

Predictions: AJ Styles or Big E win the 2022 men's Royal Rumble match