WWE Royal Rumble 2018: Rating Each Entrant’s Chances Of Winning
Reigns Or Nakamura? Cena or Bryan?
Royal Rumble season is in full effect, and with WWE set to unleash two traditional 30-person over-the-top-rope battle royals on Sunday, the hype levels are through the roof.
This is the first time the company have booked a women's match of the kind. WWE have filled 18 of the available spots thus far, with every active main roster member confirmed, a host of surprises expected, and Ronda Rousey lurking. Her and Asuka are red-hot favourites, but what about the men's bout?
17 names have been confirmed thus far, leaving plenty of scope for the kind of shocks the Rumble is known for. This makes it tough to gauge the participants' chances, but we'll give it a bash regardless.
Looking at WWE's rumoured WrestleMania plans makes things easier, though there's still uncertainty over the outcome, as we've no idea how the company plan on building those bouts. A surprise entrant the magnitude of Daniel Bryan or Batista would throw a huge spanner in the works too, but this unpredictability is a major part of the show's enduring appeal.
Who's on their way to WrestleMania 34's main event, and who's ready to become this year's Santino Marella? Let's take a look.
19. A Surprise Entrant
While historical trends suggest the chances of a mystery entrant winning the Royal Rumble are slim, it does vary from case to case, so let's take a look at some likely inclusions.
Ex-main-eventers like Batista and Daniel Bryan stand a decent chance. The former's universal rejection as the 2014 winner means he'd be a risk, but he probably won't have the latter to screw over this time. Bryan, meanwhile, would be the most welcome winner in years, though his participation remains extremely unlikely despite his rapidly shortening odds.
No NXT or United Kingdom wrestler has a hope in hell. Neither do Attitude Era nostalgia acts like The Godfather and New Age Outlaws, who appeared during Raw's 25th Anniversary, and could worm their way in. Dolph Ziggler? There's a case for it. Bobby Lashley or Ethan Carter III? Perhaps, but the odds are against them. Kenny Omega? Only those living in cloud-cuckooland would put money on him being in the Rumble, let alone winning it.
Chances: Varied.