WWE Royal Rumble 2024 Predictions: Wrestling Inc. Picks The Winners
The day has arrived. The time is now. The gateway to the Road to WrestleMania stands open before us. On Saturday, January 27, at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, Florida, two championships will be on the line, while 30 men and 30 women will compete in possibly WWE's most famous match: the Royal Rumble.
As we always do before a PPV/PLE, the Wrestling Inc. staff have come together to determine who we think will win each match. These picks, however, carry more weight behind them than usual, and though there are (as of this writing) only four matches on the card, some of them carry more weight than others. After all, it's one thing to be right or wrong about whether or not Kevin Owens will dethrone Logan Paul for the United States Championship on Saturday — it's another thing to predict the results of the Rumble matches, which will determine the overall direction of WrestleMania 40, along with the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship match, which will determine if Roman Reigns walks into WrestleMania 40 with his historic championship reign intact.
For this article, the WINC staff were polled on who they believed would win each match, and the results lie before you. We're even going to circle back around after the event and let you know how accurate we were, so keep an eye out for that. In the mean time, on to the picks!
Women's Royal Rumble Match: Bayley (58%)
The field for the 2024 Women's Royal Rumble remains relatively wide open, as only six entrants have been confirmed for the bout so far. However, over half of Wrestling Inc. staff have pinpointed one name as the likely winner of this chaotic, over-the-top-rope marathon of a match.
According to a survey posed to Wrestling Inc. staff, 58% percent of voters believe former "WWE SmackDown" Women's Champion Bayley will emerge victorious in the 2024 Women's Royal Rumble, and beat the likes of Bianca Belair, Nia Jax, Becky Lynch, and Ivy Nile. It should be noted that this prediction selection process included the six participants already confirmed for the match-up in addition to a write-in — an option invoked by only one Wrestling Inc. staff member, who identified the recently-signed Jade Cargill as their pick.
Much like the majority of our staff, betting odds (via Bet Online) have also indicated Bayley as the frontrunner to win the 2024 Women's Royal Rumble. In recent weeks, Bayley has made it clear that she intends to see championship gold strapped around the waists of all the members of Damage CTRL. And while Bayley appears to be eyeing Rhea Ripley's WWE Women's World Championship, the budding fractures within Damage CTRL may sway her in another direction — that of her stablemate, WWE Women's Champion IYO SKY.
Given that Bayley has predominantly been presented as a heel the last four years, a challenge toward SKY may also pose a dramatic character shift for "The Role Model," providing her with another chance to don the skin of a beloved babyface (that wrestling fans love to shower in song). Creative plots aside, a Royal Rumble victory for Bayley seems like a well-deserved reward for the 16-year veteran, who has feverishly worked to not only elevate her Damage CTRL counterparts, but all the up-and-coming performers around her as well.
With all of this in mind, more than half of the Wrestling Inc. staff are confident that Bayley will outlast 29 other women this weekend, and become the third WWE Horsewoman — behind Charlotte Flair and Becky Lynch — to conquer the Women's Royal Rumble match.
Written by Ella Jay
United States Championship: Logan Paul (84%)
That Kevin Owens worked his way through the eight-man United States Championship Tournament field to earn this match against champion Logan Paul apparently does not impress our collection of pundits. Despite Owens' status as a WWE Grand Slam Champion (and a three-time holder of this particular title), we see things going the way of "The Maverick" here, extending the title run that began when he took care of Rey Mysterio at Crown Jewel in early November.
Paul's time in WWE couldn't have gone better from the jump, with him taking to the craft far more quickly and smoothly than many expected, drawing praise for his work all the while. Add to that a series of impressive high spots in the various matches he's had and you have the makings of a guy who can put on a show on the biggest of stages and, though this match will likely be more of a slugfest (between two guys who have a common affinity for throwing a solid punch), he and Owens should deliver at the Royal Rumble as well.
Ultimately, it stands to reason that Paul's U.S. title run will continue on the path toward WrestleMania, where we can easily see it ending in spectacular fashion (perhaps in a multi-man match where tons of chaos can ensue?). But to get there means he'll have to endure past Owens at the Rumble, likely with some help from a crony of his and/or his beloved brass knucks. A loss won't hurt Owens either, as he has achieved the level where not much will, and he'd surely remain in the U.S. title hunt, perhaps pegged for that Mania match we attempted to manifest above.
Written by Jon Jordan
Undisputed WWE Universal Championship match: Roman Reigns (95%)
Roman Reigns is undeniable at the moment. With the Undisputed WWE Universal Champion nearing the number 2 spot for longest-reigning WWE Champion, there are very few people in WWE who feel like legitimate contenders to Reigns' throne. This is why 95% of the Wrestling Inc. staff seem certain that Reigns is walking out of the Royal Rumble in St. Petersburg with his title run intact.
While LA Knight, AJ Styles, and Randy Orton are all true-blue stars — two of whom are even former WWE Champions, while Knight is also a former TNA World Champion — none of them feels like a legitimate threat to Reigns at the moment. The only factor that leaves a sliver of the staff uncertain is the Fatal-Four-Way stipulation that would allow Reigns to lose the match, and his title, without being involved in the decision. In a vacuum, that would be a perfectly legitimate outcome but this is not taking place in a vacuum.
There's a massive Dwayne Johnson-sized shadow hanging over WrestleMania, as The Rock has teased the possibility of challenging Reigns' spot as "The Head of The Table," meaning a clash between the two Samoan Dynasty members could be nearing. It's always possible that WWE could take the title out of the situation, but where's the fun in that?
Reigns will likely win the match, probably with help from Solo Sikoa, Jimmy Uso, and/or any other Samoan family members who haven't been debuted yet. Rikishi has a lot of kids, after all.
Written by Ross Berman
Men's Royal Rumble Match: CM Punk (58%)
Over half of us here at WINC who made our Royal Rumble predictions don't have faith in Cody Rhodes finishing the story, at least not in the Rumble match. A total of 58% of those who voted believe the newly-returned CM Punk will walk out of Tropicana Field as the winner. If Punk wins the match, it will be almost 10 years to the day of his final match with WWE, which was the 2014 Royal Rumble on January 26. Punk's recent heated exchange and real-life heat with World Heavyweight Champion Seth Rollins may have influenced some of our choices, alongside the fact Punk had been adamant following his previous time with WWE that he was upset he never got the chance to main event WrestleMania. With everything that has been said in promos and our knowledge of Punk's history with the company, 58% of us are certain in our prediction that Punk will win the 2024 Royal Rumble. There is the potential for Rhodes to be the final person Punk eliminates in the match – if he wins – after their face-to-face confrontation on Monday's episode of "WWE Raw."
We chose from the 11 confirmed Rumble entrants so far, which also included, in addition to Punk and Rhodes, Bobby Lashley, Drew McIntyre, Intercontinental Champion GUNTHER, Chad Gable, Otis, Tozawa, Kofi Kingston, and Damian Priest. There was also the option to write in who we thought could be a potential winner, with two staff members choosing The Rock, and another choosing former NJPW star and current free agent Kazuchika Okada.
Written by Daisy Ruth