WWE Royal Rumble 2022 Predictions: Rumble Winners, Roman Reigns’ Run in Jeopardy

WWE kicked off 2022 with a chaotic Day 1 pay-per-view as Brock Lesnar, mere hours after his match with Roman Reigns was canceled due to COVID-19, won a five-way to become the new WWE Champion. That brings us to Saturday’s Royal Rumble pay-per-view where both Reigns and Lesnar’s championship reigns could be in jeopardy as the WrestleMania 38 main event is reportedly a) still Reigns vs. Lesnar and b) won’t be a Champion vs. Champion match. So what does that mean for Reigns vs. Seth Rollins and Lesnar vs. Bobby Lashley? Who will actually win the two Rumble matches? And what about these new Ronda Rousey rumors? 

For the first time in 2022, we’ve assembled ComicBook’s team of pro wrestling writers to break down the biggest questions heading into Saturday night’s event. You can check out all the predictions in the list below and stay tuned for live coverage of the Royal Rumble this Saturday night! 

Roman or Brock — Who Loses Their Title?

Connor Casey: If both of those aforementioned reports are to be believed, I’m going with Reigns. Reigns vs. Lesnar is a match we have seen plenty of times before — twice at WrestleMania, inside a Steel Cage, at SummerSlam, in multi-man matches, etc. You can’t even argue that a match with new incarnations of both men is a fresh matchup since we just saw that at Crown Jewel (and nearly again at Day 1). But one thing we haven’t seen yet is a desperate “Tribal Chief” chasing a champion, so I think they’ll rest on that novelty as they book this match for the third WrestleMania in seven years. Also, Reigns already has the record for longest Universal Championship reign, Rollins hasn’t been this hot in a while and they can finally put the WWE Championship on the A-show. I’m good with a “Head of the Table” loss here.

Matt Aguilar: I’m still not sure either one loses their title headed into WrestleMania, but the only way I’d understand it is if we go with Reigns taking down Lesnar to become the WWE Champion and letting Rollins run with the Universal Championship for a bit. If that scenario happens, I think it’s a win-win though, as Reigns gets to run with the WWE title and Rollins gets another title run with some momentum behind him. Plus, you get the eventual rematch where Reigns can conquer Seth down the road on his way to becoming a face or something. So, don’t think either happens, but if it does, it will probably be Reigns. Final answer.

Evan Valentine: At this point, will absolutely anything stop Reigns’ reign as Universal Champion? If I have to go with one, it’s definitely Roman retaining his belt, though I would imagine that WrestleMania is setting up another Reigns/Lesnar showdown, but I’ll be over here crossing my fingers that they’ve managed to pull Dwayne Johnson away from his eighty movie projects to become the new Tribal Chief and finally defeat Reigns. 

Nick Valdez: This one is probably the toughest one to actually predict, let alone try and predict correctly. There are so many avenues that are possible here that could work in many fun ways. For my bet, I’d say Brock Lesnar is the one that loses the title so he can ultimately get a rematch against Roman Reigns for WrestleMania. Also, I would just like Lashley to be at the top of the Raw scene again, and having Seth Rollins already cued up for the next contender would also be a fun move. Then again, let’s see who actually wins this year’s Men’s Rumble match because that throws a wrench in things. 

Tim Adams: Brock just won the WWE Championship earlier this month, so it’s unlikely he’d lose it so soon. WWE does love Brock and long title reigns. Speaking of long reigns, Roman Reigns has a nice one going for himself as well. Honestly, I don’t think either champ will lose their belt, but if I had to pick one I’d go with Reigns, only since there were rumors that Rollins was supposed to win the WWE belt at Day 1. Reigns has been dominant since he first won the Universal title, but WWE is already running out of opponents for him. Plus, this would free Reigns up to go after Brock and the WWE title at WrestleMania.

Christian Hoffer: The fact that WWE was boasting about Roman Reigns passing the 500-day mark during his Universal Championship makes me think it’s coming to an end. It’s been over a year and a half since we’ve seen Roman have to chase after a title and I’m curious how the Bloodline reacts to Roman being a failure instead the Usos. Plus, Seth Rollins seems to be Roman’s kryptonite when it comes to title matches, so I think we’ll expect a “Head of the Table” no more story build in the lead up to WrestleMania. 

Who Wins the Men’s Royal Rumble?

Connor: So if Reigns loses and Lesnar retains, that has some pretty big implications for the Men’s Rumble (which I presume will end the show). They can either have Reigns jump in as a last-minute entrant and win to immediately bounce back from losing to Rollins or have Big E win so he can chase Rollins up through WrestleMania (with Kevin Owens somewhere in the equation). I’ll go with E while Reigns earns his title shot at Elimination Chamber.

Matt: Hmmm, this is a tough one. My hope is that Kevin Owens or Big E take the win. It would help Big E get back into the title mix (perhaps against Lesnar), and also give another big push to Owens, who recently re-signed with WWE. Many expected Owens to not re-sign when his contract was up, and since he did, you figure (or hope at least) that another major run was part of the deal and in the cards. Owens vs Lesnar? Yeah, I’d be down for that.

Evan: Johnny Knoxville? I kid I kid, I would probably go with Big E on this one, because that would be the most logical, best pick for the WWE to move forward with, but how often does the organization do what makes sense these days? On the road to Wrestlemania, it certainly seems as though the largest member of the New Day should get another major push to make up for his unceremonious loss of the belt against Lesnar. 

Nick: This pick is just as tough as figuring out what the heck is going to happen with the main title picture on both shows, and honestly I don’t really see anyone else who I would like tossed into the current storm brewing heading into Rumble. There are some fun possibilities such as Big E working his way back up, but if Roman Reigns keeps his title and Seth loses, I’d like to see Seth come into the Men’s Rumble and take the whole thing. Same for a potential Brock or Lashley loss. 

Tim: I miss the years where WWE would have multiple superstars in a position to win the Royal Rumble. It really became a guessing game of deciding which person was the most likely to walk away as the winner. Nowadays, you have to take a shot in the dark and hope you’re right. In any case, if Roman Reigns loses to Seth Rollins, then he can win the Rumble and challenge the retaining Brock Lesnar for the WWE Championship, giving us our long-awaited Brock/Roman WrestleMania main event.

Christian: The Royal Rumble is my favorite WWE event, in part because it’s often used as a great launching point for either a new Superstar or a big Wrestlemania storyline. Sadly, I don’t see either one of those happening this year. If either Brock or Roman lose, I feel like we’ll see them enter and win the Royal Rumble to set up the inevitable Brock/Roman match. If that scenario doesn’t come to pass (and I hope it doesn’t), I’m guessing Big E will earn another title shot with a victory, hopefully with the help of the rest of the New Day. My dark horse guess is Kevin Owens – the WWE had to offer himself something to keep him from reuniting Mount Rushmore over at AEW, and a Royal Rumble win is one of the few accolades Owens hasn’t won during his time with the company.   

How Big of an Impact Will Ronda Rousey Have If She Returns?

Connor: If it’s happening, it’s monumental. I’ll get into what it means for WrestleMania later, but for now, I expect she’ll immediately get shot back up to the top of the card just like when she left in 2019. My inclination is for her to be a heel (she’s angered plenty of fans with social media comments during her hiatus and had pretty much turned before the WrestleMania 35 triple threat) but given who is champion on both brands right now I expect they’ll start her out as a babyface again.

Matt: It will be a big moment if she returns, and she’ll immediately have an impact, though it remains to be seen on which brand. Becky and Charlotte are in need of challengers because of past releases and some questionable booking, though there is one already in the mix in Bianca. Her booking has been all over the place, but fans still love her and she is still over. If there’s a scenario where Rousey is the heel and Bianca’s the face, that could be a huge match, but a title would have to change hands to make that happen. If that’s where we need to get to, then I’m good with a Triple Threat match at WrestleMania and Rousey being the key to it. There are some cool matchups for her if she decides to stick around for a bit.

Evan: I would imagine it will be a big pop when she is announced as the Rumble begins, in terms of whether she’s returning to the WWE officially is another story altogether. The WWE absolutely needs more female superstars at this point, but it also needs wrestlers that can show their faces on a regular basis, and that’s not something I see Ronda Rousey doing in the near future, if ever at all should she actually come back to the WWE. 

Nick: Honestly, she’d probably be a big deal considering the top of the card needs a shake-up but there are plenty of others I’d hope to see come back first and instantly take that top spot like Bayley, Asuka, and more. It’s just tough to picture where she would end up, but could likely see her working with Charlotte over on SmackDown if anything. But meh. 

Tim: Of course, Ronda Rousey will get a massive pop if she makes a return at the Royal Rumble. Plus, it sets up another co-main event for the two-night WrestleMania if she were to win the Royal Rumble and challenge either Becky Lynch or Charlotte Flair for their title. The only problem is the champion not competing against Rousey will feel left out, making their title defense appear as an afterthought. So with that in mind, Rousey’s return will result in another Becky/Charlotte/Ronda triple threat main event at WrestleMania.

Christian: The WWE has failed to properly build up any viable new opponents for either Becky Lynch or Charlotte since SummerSlam, so Ronda Rousey gives the company an easy big name match for WrestleMania that should attract some mainstream attention. Rousey is immediately a favorite to win the Royal Rumble, although I think that speaks more to the terrible state of the women’s division over the past year due to injuries, releases, and poor booking. Let’s just hope that the WWE and Rousey know that she won’t be welcomed back as a face, even against Charlotte Flair. 

What Will the Women’s Championship Matches at WrestleMania 38 Be?

Connor: Ronda Rousey vs. Charlotte Flair and Becky Lynch vs. Bianca Belair. Hear me out. 

Obviously, the moment Rousey comes back people will want to see her and Lynch finally have the one-on-one match that was taken from them twice before. The only problem is Raw is no longer the company’s main focus — SmackDown is — meaning there’s a much greater chance she’ll get paired up with Flair despite outrage from fans online (and probably from Lynch herself). Over on Raw, Belair is the only woman who is anywhere close to Lynch’s level and they’ve been keep good track of the story between the two that’s been going since SummerSlam. Either Rousey wins the Rumble and challenges Flair or she eliminates “The Queen” from the Rumble (setting up their feud) while Belair gets another feather in her cap with back-to-back Rumble wins. I’m expecting the former but would applaud the latter.

Matt: If Rousey returns, then thinking it’s Rousey to set up a Lynch or Charlotte feud, or in one scenario, both. If she doesn’t return but Bayley does, it’s Bayley to catapult herself into the title picture and into a big spot at WrestleMania. If neither of those happen, then it has to be Bianca, who should be right back in the title mix and remains over as ever. If that’s the case, I could see a Triple Threat between Lynch, Flair, and Belair as a great WrestleMania matchup.

Evan: I’ll definitely throw Ronda into the mix somewhere in these upcoming matches, but where exactly is leaving me scratching my head. I do like Connor’s idea of having Rousey and Flair facing off, and I’ll throw a wrench into these predictions by thinking that maybe Becky Lynch can face off against Alexa Bliss, to throw some more supernatural into the proceedings. 

Nick: If I could have my druthers about it, I’d like to see Bayley vs. Charlotte for SmackDown, and Bliss vs. Becky for Raw. 

Tim: Just for fun, let’s say Ronda Rousey isn’t in the equation. I’ll go Bianca Belair vs Becky Lynch, and Bayley vs. Charlotte.

Christian: Given that Asuka and Bayley are both gearing up for a return, I feel like we’re going to get at least one multi-woman match for a championship this year, which makes this a tough one to predict. The biggest match the WWE could run at the moment is Becky Lynch vs. Ronda Rousey, which feels a lot fresher than the umpteenth Brock vs. Roman match that’s sure to headline one of Wrestlemania’s two nights. If she’s back, Ronda’s likely going to win at Wrestlemania, and I’d love Becky to get her edge back by bringing back The Man in her chase to regain her title. Personally, I’d love to see Charlotte actually give the rub to Bianca Belair, Asuka, or Sasha Banks, so let’s just put all three of them in the title picture against her and see who comes out on top. 

Better Chance at an Upset — Doudrop or Miz & Maryse?

Connor: Miz & Maryse, because there’s no chance Becky is dropping her title between now and WrestleMania.

Matt: WWE is known to swerve when you least expect it, but as a first pay-per-view match-up between them, I think Becky leaves the winner. So, by default, I’ll say Miz and Maryse. Miz and Maryse are some of the best heels in WWE so it would be nice to actually give them a win here, and Edge and Phoenix are Teflon at this point, so they can take a loss.

Evan: Miz & Maryse for sure. I still remember thinking how big of a move it was last year to drop the Championship in Miz’s lap and I could definitely see this unique pair managing to take down Beth Phoenix and Edge during this year’s Rumble. 

Nick: Doudrop! I’ve been a big Piper Niven fan (gonna miss that name forever) since she popped up in the Mae Young Classic, and it’s ultimately easier to imagine her taking some kind of win over Becky rather than the crowd-pleasing Mixed Tag Match going to anyone but Edge and Beth Phoenix.

Tim: This is an easy one: Miz & Maryse. Edge and Beth Phoenix will get some good pops from the crowd mixed in with some crowd-pleasing moments, but I can totally see the stars of Miz & Mrs coming out the winners. If Becky wasn’t losing to the very over Bianca Belair and Liv Morgan, then Doudrop has no chance.

Christian: Miz and Maryse at least have a TV show to promote. A win over Edge and Beth Phoenix makes for some great reality TV in the fall. However, I don’t see either upset actually happening. 

Name One Surprise Entrant for Both Rumble Matches

Connor: For the Men’s I expect the artist formerly known as WALTER. And let’s give Io Shirai a surprise spot in the Women’s. 

Matt: This is more of my trying to put a wish out there into reality, but Bayley for the women’s match, as that pop will be insane for her. If not Bayley though, think Raquel Gonzalez would be a smart play since she is headed to Raw or SmackDown sooner than later according to reports. On the Men’s side, Bron Breakker is a no-brainer, especially with all the WWE NXT synergy lately.

Evan: You all know we’re getting another person from Jackass right? What’s Steve-O’s schedule look like? I’ll definitely agree on Alexa Bliss for the Women’s side. 

Nick: For the Men’s, I’d like to see NXT Champion Bron Breakker, for the Women’s, Bayley

Tim: Alexa Bliss for the Women’s match, and Bray Wyatt in the Men’s match because why not. Let him get one big payday.

Christian: I know Johnny Gargano is taking some well-earned time off before the birth of his child, but wouldn’t it be wild if the biggest free agent in wrestling made a shock appearance at the Royal Rumble? Realistically, I expect the “Savior of Misbehavior” Corey Graves to be a surprise entrant now that he’s cleared to wrestle and then immediately get kicked out by Byron Saxton. I feel like the biggest “surprise” for the women’s Royal Rumble was already spoiled, but I’m very clearly on Team Asuka and would be happy to see her come back and put both women’s divisions on notice.  

Predictions

Connor:

• WWE Universal Championship: Seth Rollins def. Roman Reigns
• WWE Championship: Brock Lesnar def. Bobby Lashley
• Raw Women’s Championship: Becky Lynch def. Doudrop
• Edge & Beth Pheonix def. The Miz & Maryse
• Men’s Royal Rumble: Big E
• Women’s Royal Rumble: Bianca Belair

Matt:

• WWE Universal Championship: Roman Reigns def. Seth Rollins
• WWE Championship: Brock Lesnar def. Bobby Lashley
• Raw Women’s Championship: Becky Lynch def. Doudrop
• The Miz & Maryse def Edge & Beth Phoenix
• Men’s Royal Rumble: Kevin Owens
• Women’s Royal Rumble: Bayley (but if not, Rousey, but if not, Bianca)

Evan:

• WWE Universal Championship: Roman Reigns def. Seth Rolins
• WWE Championship: Bobby Lashley def. Brock Lesnar
• Raw Women’s Championship: Becky Lynch def. Doudrop
• The Miz & Maryse def. Edge & Beth Pheonix 
• Men’s Royal Rumble: Big E
• Women’s Royal Rumble: Bayley (I don’t see Bianca winning this again)

Nick:

• WWE Universal Championship: Roman Reigns def. Seth Rollins
• WWE Championship: Bobby Lashley def. Brock Lesnar
• Raw Women’s Championship: Doudrop def. Becky Lynch
• Edge & Beth Pheonix def. The Miz & Maryse
• Men’s Royal Rumble: Seth Rollins
• Women’s Royal Rumble: Bayley

Tim:

• WWE Universal Championship: Seth Rollins def. Roman Reigns
• WWE Championship: Brock Lesnar def. Bobby Lashley
• Raw Women’s Championship: Becky Lynch def. Doudrop
• Edge & Beth Pheonix def. The Miz & Maryse
• Men’s Royal Rumble: Roman Reigns
• Women’s Royal Rumble: Bianca Belair

Christian:

• WWE Universal Championship: Seth Rollins def. Roman Reigns
• WWE Championship: Brock Lesnar def. Bobby Lashley
• Raw Women’s Championship: Becky Lynch def. Doudrop
• Edge & Beth Pheonix def. The Miz & Maryse
• Men’s Royal Rumble: Big E
• Women’s Royal Rumble: Ronda Rousey