It’s the time of year when the action begins to hot up in World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE). The Royal Rumble takes place in St Louis, Missouri on January 30. Just what will happen and are sportsbooks right with their latest odds?
The Royal Rumble is one of the longest-running events in WWE. It’s thrilling to bet on because just about anything can happen. Therefore, look out for the UK betting offers on this event.
There are two Royal Rumble matches, one for men and the other for women. Each Royal Rumble match has 30 participants who come into the ring one at a time over a specified time period. The only way to eliminate a rival is to throw them over the top rope resulting in both feet touching the ground. The last person remaining in the ring wins a title shot at WrestleMania, their biggest show of the year.
You can always bet on there being surprises in these matches. Last year saw former WWE star Carlito make his return. This year has already seen some names from the past confirmed for the show. Mickie James, Michelle McCool, Lita, the Bella Twins, and Summer Rae will all be making appearances.
Why those returns have already been confirmed is a bit of a mystery. You can bet that fans would have loved to see those returns take place as a complete surprise, not be announced weeks before the show.
Only one surprise entrant has been announced for the men’s Royal Rumble. Johnny Knoxville will be taking part as he publicizes the latest Jackass movie. It’s a common occurrence these days in WWE but doesn’t bet on Knoxville following in the footsteps of David Arquette and winning a major wrestling event. Some interaction with Sami Zayn who he’s interacted with on Smackdown is more likely.
That’s another feature of the Royal Rumble. It gives WWE the chance to build on current feuds and create new ones. The order of entrance into the match is made by a draw. It’s one however that we never get to see. Fans go crazy when the clock counts down to when the next wrestler (or Johnny Knoxville) has their time to enter the match.
How strange that often we end up with feuding wrestlers entering the match within minutes of each other. The odds are that year in the women’s Royal Rumble as Nikki A.S.H. is bound to be in the ring at the same time as Rhea Ripley who she recently turned on. The same goes with Knoxville and Zayn in the Men’s Royal Rumble
How about the creation of new feuds? It’s so easy to do in a Royal Rumble match. Wrestler A is eliminated by Wrestler B and seeks revenge for that, most likely at WrestleMania in April. The saying is that you have no friends in a Royal Rumble match. That could apply to a father and son this year.
Rey Mysterio has been joined by his son Dominik and they have won tag team gold since doing so. They’ve lost their titles and there have been the occasional signs of discontent between the two. A father v son feud is perhaps the best thing that could happen to the Mysterio family. The odds are that one will eliminate the other (most likely Dominik throwing Rey over the top rope) to set up a family feud that will end at WrestleMania.
Sportsbooks have Brock Lesnar as the favorite to win the Men’s Royal Rumble. On the same card, he’s due to defend his WWE title against Lashley and the bookies believe he’ll win that match too. It doesn’t seem logical that he’d successfully defend his title and win the Men’s Royal Rumble.
High in the betting is Big E. who lost the WWE title to Lesnar earlier this month. He looks a strong contender and is odds-on to be one of the final four left in the ring. Others well fancied by sportsbooks include AJ Styles and Omos but those two are building towards a big singles match.
Outsiders include The Rock but will film commitments allow him to appear? Even Tyson Fury and Conor McGregor are In the betting as well as The Undertaker and Kane.
The Women’s Royal Rumble has former champions Alexis Bliss and Bianca Belair (the winner last year) favored by sportsbooks. Bayley is due to be making her return from injury and looks a good bet here. A major surprise would be Paige taking part. The British wrestler retired due to injury but the word is a comeback is possible. Could Ronda Rousey also be making a return to the ring?
The Royal Rumble is a fascinating match and a great one to bet on. Expect more surprises on January 30.
