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To the everyday folk, we can’t predict the future. From lottery odds to the weather, we can only make educated guesses that potentially come to fruition.
However, the same cannot be said for Vince McMahon and his world that is the WWE. The rules don’t apply to McMahon inside his monopoly of professional wrestling. Sometimes it can be frustrating, but for wrestling fans over the years, the good has heavily outweighed the bad.
One of the most controversial decisions inside the WWE is the winner of the Royal Rumble. The event kicks off the road to WrestleMania, with the winner earning a title shot during the pinnacle of sports entertainment.
WWE hasn’t always been praised for the Royal Rumble winner. Wrestlers like Drew McIntyre (2020) and Shinsuke Nakamura (2018) were well accepted by the WWE Universe when they won their respective Rumbles. The same cannot be said about Alberto Del Rio (2011) and Vince McMahon (1999).
It’s a tough decision for the company to decide who will win the Royal Rumble and the inclusion of many surprise entrants like last year further adds to the complexity of that decision. The winner goes on to WrestleMania and unless some tomfoolery occurs, they will compete for the WWE Championship. The winner of the Rumble is thrown into the spotlight and is expected to be a focal point for not only WrestleMania but potentially down the line as well.
It makes sense that WWE would bank on established stars to win the Royal Rumble. The event isn’t necessarily used to build new stars, but to propel current ones. Winning the Royal Rumble is arguably the second-highest push a wrestler can win inside the company, other than winning the Championship for the respective brand they are on.
With that being said, odds have already been released for the 2021 edition of the Royal Rumble. Of course, the curtain has been pulled on the industry and even if the odds are in favor of one specific wrestler, it doesn’t mean they are going to win.
WWE has been known to throw off fans by dropping fake hints about a certain wrestler winning.
In this case, a familiar face has the best odds to win the Royal Rumble in 2021. According to Betway (as of May 2nd, 1:00 PM EST), Roman Reigns is listed at +650 to win the Men’s Royal Rumble next year. If that were to come true, it would be Reigns’ second Royal Rumble victory, putting him with the greats such as Shawn Michaels, Triple H, Batista, Randy Orton, John Cena, Hulk Hogan, and Stone Cold Steve Austin, although Stone Cold has won the event three times.
Daniel Bryan and Edge own the second-best odds. Both men are listed at +1000 to win the Rumble. Edge won the Rumble back in 2010, while Bryan has never won the event.
Edge fittingly returned to WWE during the Rumble in 2020. Fighting back tears on his way to the ring, it was a memorable and defining moment for Edge in his career. It was poetic returning to action after being forced to retire due to injuries.
Reigns, Edge, and Bryan own the best odds, but that could change. Storylines will be huge and the current champions at the time of the Rumble will affect the winner in 2021. Sitting in May, it’s almost an eternity until the Royal Rumble will take place next year in January.
It’s almost too early to even focus on odds for the Rumble, but it’s interesting to try and see inside WWE and their plans for the future. Current champions could even change, affecting who will win the Rumble. McMahon and his producers are known for making changes on the fly, so a favorite (to win the Rumble) the day of the event may change ten minutes before the show kicks off.
Odds are not set in stone of course, but all three men listed above (Edge, Reigns, and Bryan) would be compelling stories to win the Royal Rumble. Edge winning the Rumble after his triumphant return to wrestling would be magical. Reigns battled Leukemia and has since become a fan favorite in the business, while Bryan would capture his first Royal Rumble victory in his career.
The only poor choice to win the Rumble is one that McMahon doesn’t know how to use during the lead up to WrestleMania. It is a tremendous honor to win the Royal Rumble and as long as the WWE has a plan (they usually do) for the respective wrestler, the Rumble winner could become or continue to be a star.
We’re months away from the over-the-top-battle-royal event. Odds can change and so can plans and nothing is off the table in the world of Vince McMahon.