10 Outside Bets To Win WWE Royal Rumble 2018

9. Finn Bálor

Daniel Bryan Shawn Michaels
WWE.com

According to a recent Wrestling Observer report, Finn Bálor was pulled from a Royal Rumble Universal Title clash with Brock Lesnar because Vince McMahon himself deemed the character not 'over' enough to be a viable challenger for the prize.

The same Vince McMahon that didn't think it necessary to put him anywhere neat the belt following his post-WrestleMania return from injury. The same Vince McMahon that allowed Paul Heyman to deliver the biggest sales pitch for Bálor/Brock in the knowledge that the match wasn't going to materialise. The same Vince McMahon that signed off on a feud with Bray Wyatt that went from never-ending to literally never ending. Just days before Bálor was supposed to take on Wyatt's 'Sister Abigail' incarnation, 'The Eater Of Worlds' went on the sick.

It freed the spot up for AJ Styles, who gave 'The Demon' the sort of contest that immediately reminded everybody why he was selected as the inaugural titleholder in the first place. In an instant, Finn was elevated all over again. In an almost identical reversal of the good work, he was pinned by Kane on Monday Night Raw merely to boost the 'Big Red Machine's profile for a quickie feud with Braun Strowman.

Finn Bálor winning the Royal Rumble shouldn't even be a 'Wild Outside Bet', but the fact that is would make a victory in the match all the sweeter.

Contributor
Contributor

Michael is a writer, editor, podcaster and presenter for WhatCulture Wrestling, and has been with the organisation nearly 8 years. He primarily produces written, audio and video content on WWE and AEW, but also provides knowledge and insights on all aspects of the wrestling industry thanks to a passion for it dating back over 35 years. As one third of "The Dadley Boyz" Michael has contributed to the huge rise in popularity of the WhatCulture Wrestling Podcast and its accompanying YouTube channel, earning it top spot in the UK's wrestling podcast charts with well over 62,000,000 total downloads. He has been featured as a wrestling analyst for the Tampa Bay Times, GRAPPL, GCP, Poisonrana and Sports Guys Talking Wrestling, and has covered milestone events in New York, Dallas, Las Vegas, Philadelphia, London and Cardiff. Michael's background in media stretches beyond wrestling coverage, with a degree in Journalism from the University Of Sunderland (2:1) and a series of published articles in sports, music and culture magazines The Crack, A Love Supreme and Pilot. When not offering his voice up for daily wrestling podcasts, he can be found losing it singing far too loud watching his favourite bands play live. Follow him on X/Twitter - @MichaelHamflett