10 WWE Royal Rumble 2017 Predictions
30 men enter... which one survives?
This Sunday, WWE presents the 2017 Royal Rumble. While the whole event is looking like one of the more significant Rumble pay-per-views in history - almost a mini-WrestleMania on the road to the real thing - it's the Rumble match itself that's drawing the most interest, just like every year.
So what can fans expect from the Royal Rumble? Well, for starters, it's one of the most star-studded Rumble matches in history. The first two men announced for the bout were Goldberg and Brock Lesnar, hot off the heels of their newsworthy Survivor Series main event, and they were soon followed by Chris Jericho and The New Day. In the weeks to come, the bout was joined by the likes of Dean Ambrose, The Wyatt Family, and The Undertaker.
All of those combustible elements have come together to create the first Rumble match in years where the winner isn't obvious. Plus, after AJ Styles's debut in last year's Royal Rumble, fans are expecting some more major surprises this time around. So how can anyone possibly make a plan for what to expect in the most exciting match of the year?
It wasn't easy, but here are 10 predictions for the 2017 Royal Rumble match...
10. Chris Jericho Is #1, Sami Zayn Is #2
Every Royal Rumble has to have someone step in at number one. It's an unenviable position, but it takes a special kind of worker - someone talented and popular, capable of starting the match out at a certain level of excitement so it never gets too slow.
This year, #1 will be Chris Jericho, who's already announced that he's going to win the Royal Rumble and challenge best friend Kevin Owens for the Universal Championship - that way, "they'll" still be champion after WrestleMania. His draw won't assure victory, but it will ensure that Chris Jericho will be the first man to log more than four hours of cumulative time in the Rumble match.
Number two - who really has just as hard of a time in the bout as #1 - will be Kevin Owens's former best friend, Sami Zayn. Zayn and Jericho have come to blows over their associations with Owens before, and that lingering bad blood will propel them to a wild opening 90 seconds.