2017-01-27

There will be chaos and surprises aplenty this Sunday for the 30th annual WWE Royal Rumble pay-per-view—and this year's event promises to be one of the most unpredictable in history.

Potentially as many as a dozen men could win the main event and move forward to WrestleMania—while the night's other matches make for a card that looks like one of best in a long time.

But who will be the last man standing and the one who wins the Rumble this weekend? Here's a look at the latest odds and the night's biggest matches.

Odds

All odds courtesy of OddsShark:

Randy Orton 8-13

The Undertaker 4-1

Goldberg 9-2

Braun Strowman 6-1

Finn Balor 7-1

Samoa Joe 7-1

Chris Jericho 9-1

Bray Wyatt 10-1

Brock Lesnars 14-1

Baron Corbin 20-1

AJ Styles vs. John Cena

The WWE Championship—and a potential place in the main event of WrestleMania 33—is on the line as John Cena looks to make history at the Royal Rumble.

Can AJ Styles retain his championship and round off a stellar first year in the company, or will Cena finally gain revenge for his defeat to the Phenomenal One at last year's SummerSlam?



Either way, it promises to be a fantastic contest. Cena is notoriously great at raising his game for big matches—his previous bouts against Styles and matches against the likes of CM Punk in recent years prove that.

So with Styles' undoubted ability and the potential for the two to get a lengthy match if time permits, this has all the makings of a classic.

The fact nobody is quite sure who will win—or what happens for both men beyond Sunday night—makes things all the more intriguing.

Kevin Owens vs. Roman Reigns

While Styles' title match against Cena is difficult to call as things stand, the WWE Universal Championship bout is slightly easier to predict.

WWE will surely have Roman Reigns feature as a pivotal part of the card at WrestleMania 33, therefore it seems likely to have him holding the title going into that show.



When you factor in that Kevin Owens can drop back into a United States Championship feud with Chris Jericho too, it ticks two boxes in one go if Reigns goes over on Sunday—no matter how much WWE fans dislike the concept.

The only saving grace for Owens remaining champion looks to be if Jericho emerges victorious and wins the Royal Rumble for the first time in his career, meaning their likely match is for the Universal Championship. However, Jericho's influence on the title match, hovering above the ring in a cage, seems more likely to set up a Reigns victory.

2017 Royal Rumble Match

Whereas it's been fairly easy to pick out Triple H, Roman Reigns and Batista as the last three winners of the Royal Rumble match, this year's is the toughest to predict in a long time.

There seem to be credible and realistic winners everywhere you look. They range from the part-time veterans like The Undertaker, Brock Lesnar or even Goldberg, to mainstays of the company like Chris Jericho and The Miz.

Then there's the new, fresh talent. Baron Corbin or Braun Strowman could be classed as winners in their own right—while returning stars like Finn Balor may immediately jump to the front of the queue if they return at the show.

Throw in Samoa Joe, Randy Orton and Bray Wyatt, and you're almost at a dozen candidates to win the match.

When was the last time anyone could say that about a Royal Rumble match? It should be an incredible crescendo to an exciting night for WWE.

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