The road to WrestleMania all begins at the most popular Premium Live Event of the year! Last year’s Royal Rumble was the most controversial, most shocking, and most unpredictable in the event’s history! When every wrestling fan and their mothers thought John Cena was going to punch his ticket to the main event of WrestleMania in his farewell tour, another “Main Event” superstar shocked the world! Jey Uso lived up to his nickname, solidifying his spot for a title shot at the “Grandest Stage of them All,” ultimately defeating Gunther for the World Heavyweight Title. Which superstars could make a similar impact this year?
Longshots to Win the Royal Rumble
LA Knight (YEAH!)
Despite what people may think, LA Knight (YEAH!) is still over like rover. His popularity spiked a few years ago. Minimal title reigns, and somehow not getting over the hump with creative, the Megastar should be in line for a serious championship push.
Knight is one of the most popular superstars on the roster. A mix between The Rock and Stone Cold Steve Austin, if the opportunity is there, he could be the next big anti-hero. He has the in-ring and mic skills to be at the top of the card for a few years to come!
Jacob Fatu
“All gas, no brakes” returned in a big, big way on Friday’s SmackDown. Jacob Fatu played a pivotal role in the WWE Championship match with Cody Rhodes and Drew McIntyre, resulting in a new champion being crowned. Fatu is being pushed into the main event picture, which is well deserved. Making his return after months of absence, the “Samoan Werewolf” is back just in time to make a serious impact in the Royal Rumble. Will we see back-to-back Rumble winners from the same family tree? Or should I say redwood?
AJ Styles
Shocking winner and AJ Styles should never go into the same sentence, but it would be a little surprising to see the Phenomenal One win the match. Styles is one of the greatest professional wrestlers of all time and deserves to win this specialty match. It is believed that this may be his last year in the sports entertainment world, and what better way to start his farewell tour than with an opportunity to headline WrestleMania!
Uncle Howdy
If you pay attention to any of my wrestling articles, you should know by now I am a huge Uncle Howdy fan. The late Bray Wyatt was my favorite wrestler in recent history; hell, I even named my dog after him. Before you call me crazy, let me explain. Back in the early ’90s, there was an idea to have Doink the Clown win the Rumble to go on to face Bret Hart.
The idea would have transformed the entire WrestleMania set and arena into a dark circus. Now imagine if they could do that now with Howdy. A Wyatt Sicks-themed ‘Mania set lets the imagination and creativity run wild. Could be a little more interesting than the rest, plus the build-up to the match could be eerie and interesting!
Final Thoughts
Of course, everyone has their favorites when it comes to who they want to win the Royal Rumble. Despite the Internet wrestling community being harsh on Jey Uso winning it last year, I think it was the right call. This is a match where 30 men and women fight for the chance to main event WrestleMania. The idea is to make fans think that everyone has a chance to win, and the odds should be in favor of the superstar who draws a later number.
When the Rumble becomes predictable, it is no longer a draw. Last year was brilliant, it was shocking, it was unpredictable, so do it again! Please don’t have Cody Rhodes win it for a third time in four years. It was cool when Stone Cold did it, but it’s lame now when you shove the American Nightmare down our throats.
