Top 5 Most Likely Winners Of The Men's Royal Rumble
The Royal Rumble is the greatest gimmick match of all time. 30 WWE Superstars get a moment to shine on a grand stage in one match. New feuds, new characters, surprise returns, betrayals, new alliances, and multiple stories are built throughout the match. It's the start of WrestleMania season, the most fun part of the year for a WWE fan. Here are the top 5 most likely winners of the 2019 Men's Royal Rumble Match.
5. Samoa Joe
Samoa Joe is one of the few NXT champions to not win gold since being called up to the main roster. After spending most of 2018 feuding with AJ Styles and Jeff Hardy, Joe has targeted Mustafa Ali in 2019. It will be interesting to see who Samoa Joe tangles with in the Rumble. With his size, strength, cunning, and agility – he is a great candidate to win this year's Royal Rumble. Samoa Joe can also carry feuds with his ability on the mic. WrestleMania would be a tremendous stage for him to showcase his abilities in and outside of the ring. Samoa Joe's charisma is perfect for mainstream promotion of WrestleMania. He can deliver great live TV interviews with mainstream media. If there is a babyface nearby, Samoa Joe will make sure to knock him down. Look to Samoa Joe to be a force in this year's Rumble.
4. Andrade
After compiling a 9-7 record in televised main roster matches it would appear that Andrade has no business on this list. When you look at the matches he had on the main roster in 2018, you'll see that his televised losses are to AJ Styles, Daniel Bryan, Rey Mysterio, Jeff Hardy, and Mustafa Ali. That's some pretty great competition and each of those matches were fantastic. Andrade proved himself to be a best bout machine in NXT and he is building that reputation on SmackDown. He is only 30 years old and has tremendous potential to be a top star in WWE for a long time. Andrade's most recent SmackDown match with Rey Mysterio awakened the wrestling world with clips of their match being shared all over the internet. If AJ Styles beats Daniel Bryan for the WWE Championship, Andrade would be a fantastic challenger to push AJ Styles at WrestleMania 35.
3. Drew McIntyre
Drew McIntyre destroyed Kurt Angle on RAW back in November, skyrocketing him to the top of the RAW roster as a serious Universal Title contender. At the same time, Finn Balor began his climb back to the top leading to a showdown between the two at TLC where Finn walked away victorious. McIntyre is looking for a new feud and he'll likely find it in the Rumble. John Cena returned to RAW to verbally spar with McIntyre, keeping McIntyre in the limelight in spite of his recent losses to Finn Balor & Dolph Ziggler. 2019 could be the year that the Chosen One finally fulfills Vince McMahon's prophecy from almost a decade ago that he would become WWE Champion. Look to him to be in the final four this year to start a feud with Seth Rollins or John Cena for a spot in the main event at WrestleMania.
2. Braun Strowman
If Strowman is added to the Royal Rumble, he will decimate everyone in his path.The Monster Among Men needs to be built up again after suffering multiple losses to Brock Lesnar in 2018 and being exposed in mediocre TV segments on RAW. The Royal Rumble can build any character to be a top contender in one match. It's part of why we love the Royal Rumble so much; the feeling that anything can happen. Last week on RAW, creative had Braun return to the roots of his character by ripping the door off Vince McMahon's limo then flipping it after Vince took away his Universal Title shot. Braun is at his best when he is plowing through obstacles in his path until he succeeds. Creative has given Braun obstacles once again, 29 of them. Braun will terrorize every entrant in the 2019 Royal Rumble. Sit back and enjoy this magnificent monster while we have him.
1. Seth Rollins
Seth Rollins' couldn't have a bad match in 2018. Rollins competed in 7 of the 35 matches that WWE Network put in their WWE Match of the Year 2018 Collection – that's more than any Superstar on any brand. Seth is the most popular Superstar on RAW and is a locker room leader. After Crown Jewel, Rollins called out Lesnar saying that Lesnar's championship reign is "a slap in the face to the fans and the wrestlers in the locker room." If Lesnar retains his title at Royal Rumble, we may finally get a one-on-one match between the two with a clean finish. The two first clashed at WrestleMania 31 when Rollins committed the "heist of the century" by cashing in his Money In The Bank contract during Lesnar's title match with Roman Reigns by pinning Reigns. Their match at Battleground 2015 was interrupted by Undertaker, leaving us wondering, can Seth beat Brock one-on-one? However, if Finn Balor defeats Lesnar at Royal Rumble, Seth Rollins would also be the best choice to face Finn. They have excellent chemistry together and their match could parallel Shawn Michaels & Bret Hart's WrestleMania 12 Iron Man Match. In all scenarios, Seth Rollins looks to be the most likely to win this year's Royal Rumble.
1(a). Finn Balor
Finn Balor is on the precipice of greatness and all WWE has to do is pull the trigger. Balor's keen sense of pop culture coupled with his ability to lead a brand make him a perfect face (and abs) for the RAW brand. WWE traditionally has a babyface champion taking on challengers. What better champ than someone who can work with anyone, someone who represents the fanbase, and has a look that will be featured in mainstream media? WWE made Finn Balor the first Universal Champion for a reason and now it's time to go all-in on Finn. If he loses to Lesnar, he could enter the Royal Rumble and win building to a rematch with Lesnar at WrestleMania 35 with Finn turning up the intensity by bringing out his Demon character on the grandest stage in wrestling. A win for the Demon over Lesnar at WrestleMania 35 would send a message throughout the wrestling world that WWE is on board with the changing product and that international stars can come to WWE and truly shine brighter than any other wrestling company.