WWE’s 34th annual Royal Rumble takes place this Sunday inside the ThunderDome, and for the first time in a while the fields of possible winners for both Rumble matches is fairly wide open. With Roman Reigns and Drew McIntyre both serving as strong world champions, WWE has used the opportunity to build up a number of possible contenders (especially on SmackDown) including Daniel Bryan, Big E, Shinsuke Nakamura, Cesaro, Keith Lee and AJ Styles. Then over on the Women’s side you have stars that looked poised to jump to the next level like Bianca Belair and Rhea Ripley. And that’s all without mentioning any of the possible surprise entrants (hello, Ronda Rousey!).
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To prepare for Sunday’s show, we’ve assembled ComicBook’s team of wrestling writers to break down the biggest questions heading into the show and make their picks on who will win each Rumble and world championship match. Check out the full predictions in the list below!
Men’s Royal Rumble — Who Ya Got?
Connor Casey: I’ll take the odds-on favorite and say Daniel Bryan. No matter how many times fans have asked for it, this man has somehow never won a Royal Rumble. And now that we know his full-time career is about to wrap up, this seems like the last year WWE would be willing to do it. There’s an outstanding story waiting to be told between Bryan and Roman Reigns, and I can already envision the promo where Reigns says “Every time I found success, the fans always wanted you instead.” It could be something special.
Ryan Droste: Right now, I want to say Daniel Bryan or Edge. Bryan has seemed like the guy to go with. Then Edge gave that great promo on Raw this past Monday night. I’ll stick to my guns and go with Bryan but would not at all be surprised to see Edge get the victory.
Evan Valentine: This might be more of wishful thinking on my half, but I’m pulling for Big E to win it. I think it’s “do or die time” for solidifying his career outside of the New Day, and putting him into the main event for WrestleMania with a title shot would definitely go a long way in doing that.
Matt Aguilar: WWE has recently given both Cesaro and Shinsuke Nakamura consistent and commanding wins in a row on SmackDown, especially Nakamura, who came out on top of a challenging Gauntlet only to be screwed over by Roman Reigns and Jey Uso. If he was going to get the proper push he deserves, having him come out on top of the Royal Rumble would be the way to do it. And as much as I like Edge, a part-time legend should not be the one to win it. It should be a full-time star that can truly benefit from winning.
Nick Valdez: This is a year where I can honestly see anyone taking it and I’d be happy with the result. I’d say The Fiend. Bringing back The Fiend in the Rumble would change the entire tone of the match, but I kind of want to see what something like that would play out like. Would the rules make it easier to beat the Fiend? Tougher? I just think that would be fun.
Women’s Royal Rumble — Same Question!
Connor: Bianca Beliar. It really feels like it’s her time to make that jump to the main event status and a match between her and Sasha Banks could wind up stealing whichever WrestleMania night they’re on.
Ryan: In my opinion, Bianca Belair and Rhea Ripley are the best choices. Ripley would be a great choice to begin righting the wrongs that were done as it relates to her booking in 2020. Belair would be a great choice because I think Belair vs. Banks at WrestleMania would light it up. I’m going to go with Bianca.
Evan: I’m definitely pulling for Ripley on this one. She’s been such a big figure in the NXT and I would love for her to become the Women’s Champ and get the spotlight.
Matt: This could go several ways, but I think Bianca Belair should get the win so that she can challenge Sasha Banks for the SmackDown Women’s Championship at WrestleMania. You could easily go Bayley here to get another classic between those two, but Belair would not only benefit most from the win but also would make for an exciting new challenger to Banks, even if she doesn’t win it at the event. I would love to see Rhea Ripley make an appearance, but think they might save her for the Raw after the Rumble or even WrestleMania.
Nick: Belair is clearly the frontrunner here for SmackDown and the entire division honestly. The promos running up until Mania would be absolutely gold, and that’s something I’d want to see for the next couple of months. But if the Fiend wins the Men’s, Bliss has to win the Women’s. That would be a pretty big way to sell their new dominance.
Should WWE Have Just Gone Through With the Roman Reigns vs. Adam Pearce Match?
Connor: I’ll say yes. Not to be contrarian, but I do think Pearce and Reigns could have pulled off a fun match. He may be a few years past his prime, but Pearce was always regarded as an excellent wrestler on the indie scene and Reigns can tell a great story with just about anybody. The optics of “WWE official versus unstoppable badass heel world champion” may not have been great initially, but Pearce’s fans would’ve gotten behind it. Plus it would prevent us from watching Kevin Owens lose his third title match in a row.
Ryan: I agree with Connor that Owens losing yet again does make you groan a little bit. I get it that Reigns is an unstoppable champion right now, but you would have liked to have seen Owens gain something more out of this feud. Even if it was winning a cage match on Christmas night to win the title for a brief run until Reigns won it back at the Rumble. Under no circumstances do I think Reigns should have been pinned or submitted, but a cage match would have allowed Owens a win while still protecting Reigns (he could have won simply by escape). Instead, we’re probably getting the third loss in a row for Kevin and I’m not sure where that leaves him long term. They should have a really good match and it’s tough to make the argument for Reigns vs. Pearce at one of the biggest shows of the year, so I’ll still say Owens/Reigns was the right decision in the end.
Evan: Honestly, I’m always happy to see a Kevin Owens match, let alone another against this current incarnation of Reigns. Maybe they’re saving it for WrestleMania?
Matt: You know, I get why they did it this way, and I loved the initial swerve of getting Owens in there, but think I agree with Connor. As a match it was at least interesting and would’ve broken up the inevitable rematch coming between Owens and Reigns.
Nick: Yeah why not? Pierce has been used especially well since he became the face of management, and that would’ve been a fun peak to that story. But I’m also not mad at getting another good match between Reigns and Owens…even if Owens has to take another big loss here.
Do They Really Give Goldberg Another Championship Win Here?
Connor: Lord I hope not. Some of you may recall when I infamously ranted on ComicBook Nation last year (“Camera 2, close up on me!”) right after Goldberg beat The Fiend in Saudi Arabia. I was so frustrated at the time because it was the perfect encapsulation of WWE sabotaging its current stars in favor of nostalgia acts.
It doesn’t need to happen. Goldberg doesn’t need a championship to be a big draw. McIntyre gains nothing by dropping it here and winning it back at WrestleMania. So let’s get this out of the way now so Drew can have a real program for the first time he gets to wrestle in front of a live crowd as WWE Champion. He deserves that at least.
Ryan: It would be an absolutely atrocious decision to put the championship on Bill Goldberg in 2021. I understand why they’re doing the match: a lack of challengers for McIntyre at such a big show and Goldberg is a big name. But under no circumstance should he win.
Evan: Please no. Goldberg has some serious limitations with his ring time and man do I not want another Goldberg vs Strowman like match in the future that has a total time of around two minutes. I just can’t see the appeal of giving Bill the belt at this point.
Matt: If they value Drew McIntyre then no, they better not. This wouldn’t benefit anyone really, as it just weakens McIntyre (who has become a fan favorite) and doesn’t add anything to Goldberg, who is already a legend regardless of coming back to the ring too many times.
Nick: Definitely agree with everyone else that Goldberg should not win it, but he will. Why else would he bother coming back now?
Name One Surprise Rumble Entrant We’ll See This Year
Connor: Edge was my pick but he spoiled the surprise on Monday. I’ll say Finn Balor, just for fun.
Ryan: Rhea Ripley.
Evan: Could you imagine if Undertaker came back? Me neither. In the back of my mind, I’ve thought that Reigns’ current storyline would have to put him against the Rock at some point to prove who is the “tribal chief”, and as crazy as it sounds, I could see him making his way to the ring.
Matt: For me I would love to see Rhea Ripley pop up, but not sure if they’ll pull the trigger on that yet. Will say Shotzi Blackheart makes an appearance though, and for the Men’s side will say Adam Cole.
Nick: Karrion Kross! He and Scarlett are ready made for Raw or SmackDown, and that’d be a fun tease! Other than that, I’m going to hope we’ll get another MVP-like return where a veteran gets a longer and more prominent run than an expected cameo.
What Are Your WrestleMania 37 World Championship Matches As of Today?
Connor: Roman Reigns vs. Daniel Bryan and Drew McIntyre vs. Edge
Ryan: If Edge wins the Rumble, I could actually see him challenging Reigns and moving brands (it would be his choice). You’d have the more traditional heel/face dynamic then for what would be a huge match for the former champ. If they did that, maybe McIntyre/Lee on Raw or McIntyre/Lesnar once again. Maybe even a triple threat. If Bryan wins the Rumble, my other top choice, we’re looking at Reigns vs. Bryan and McIntyre vs. Lesnar/Lee I think. That being said, the Mania card is reportedly undecided at this moment so who knows!
Evan: Drew McIntyre Vs. Big E and Roman Reigns Vs. The Rock (I’m sticking by the insanity of the latter actually happening).
Matt: Roman Reigns vs Shinsuke Nakamura and Drew McIntyre vs Edge
Nick: Roman Reigns vs. Daniel Bryan and Drew McIntyre vs. Bobby Lashley.
Full Predictions
Connor
- WWE Championship: Drew McIntyre def. Goldberg (phew!)
- WWE Universal Championship: Roman Reigns def. Kevin Owens
- Men’s Royal Rumble: Daniel Bryan
- Women’s Royal Rumble: Bianca Beliar
- WWE Women’s Tag Team Championship: Nia Jax & Shayna Baszler def. Asuka & Charlotte Flair
Matt
- WWE Championship: Drew McIntyre def. Goldberg (he better!)
- WWE Universal Championship: Roman Reigns def. Kevin Owens (and then we move on)
- Men’s Royal Rumble: Shinsuke Nakamura
- Women’s Royal Rumble: Bianca Belair
- WWE Women’s Tag Team Championship: Asuka & Charlotte Flair (though think they’ll lose them on Raw soon after to set up their breakup as a team)
Ryan
- WWE Championship: McIntyre def. Goldberg
- WWE Universal Championship: Reigns def. Owens
- Men’s Royal Rumble: Daniel Bryan
- Women’s Royal Rumble: Bianca Belair
- WWE Women’s Tag Team Championship: Asuka and Flair retain.
Nick
- WWE Championship: Goldberg def. Drew McIntyre
- WWE Universal Championship: Roman Reigns def. Kevin Owens
- Men’s Royal Rumble: “The Fiend” Bray Wyatt
- Women’s Royal Rumble: Alexa Bliss
- WWE Women’s Tag Team Championship: Nia Jax & Shayna Baszler def. Asuka & Charlotte Flair
Evan
- WWE Championship: Drew McIntyre def. Goldberg
- WWE Universal Championship: Roman def. Beats Kevin Owens
- Men’s Royal Rumble: Big E
- Women’s Royal Rumble: Rhea Ripley
- WWE Women’s Tag Team Championship: Asuka & Charlotte def. Nia Jax & Shayna Baszler
