10 Wild Outside Bets To Win The 2022 WWE Royal Rumble

4. Braun Strowman

What's the most effective way of getting over in WWE?

Why, not being in WWE, of course!

WWE may have stumbled onto something cynically quite brilliant with the release of certain A-/B+ tier stars such as Braun Strowman. In the '90s, the independent contractors used to follow the money in a fairly competitive landscape in which the big two, WCW and the WWF, generally sought out wrestlers with similar attributes. Jumps were frequent; Sid, for example, hopped between the two promotions every 18 months or so and was able to reestablish his aura in front of a refreshed audience ready to embrace his awesome dumb jock energy and immense presence all over again.

This is something WWE can replicate with Braun Strowman, who is toiling in relative anonymity working a weird gimmick that is basically "Tell me you have terrible and likely dangerous opinions without telling me you have terrible and likely dangerous opinions". His star power has faded significantly.

But.

If he popped up in a WWE ring tomorrow, or at the Royal Rumble, the machinations of time would conspire to make him feel brand new or at least allow fans to disassociate from the memories of choo-choo noises and unspeakably weird Shane McMahon promo segments.

Probability: 45%