Happy Royal Rumble Weekend everyone! I can’t wait for this event to come around each year and this will finally get fans back at full capacity. We were only without it for one year, but it felt like it was forever ago. There is a lot of buzz surrounding this Rumble and we could see some major surprises and I think there will be some unexpected things happening tomorrow night. We get to get a preview of WrestleMania a couple months early and it will be interesting to see who gets the push to the main event scene. I’ll not waste any more time though, let’s get to it.

- Mixed Tag Team Match

Edge and Beth Phoenix vs. The Miz and Maryse

I have to say, it is really cool to see Beth Phoenix and Edge finally teaming up. I’m not expecting this match to be awesome, but it won’t have to be. We’ve seen Miz an Maryse in action before and Maryse is getting back into the ring having last wrestled in September of 2018. Unless something crazy happens, Edge and Beth will win here. They’re -500 favorites and unless The Miz and Maryse cheat to win, the favorites will win here.

- Women’s Singles Match: RAW Women’s Championship

Becky Lynch (C) vs. Doudrop

I will never understand the urgency for talent to have their name changed once they move to the main roster, but Doudrop is getting a shot at Big Time Becks’ RAW Women’s Championship. I think this will be a great match. It will give Doudrop a chance to showcase what she can do on a big stage and it will give Becky Lynch a new and fresh opponent to defend the belt against. Becky is a big -1400 favorite and it would be an absolute shock if she drops the belt tonight. Don’t expect it. Becky will walk out of Royal Rumble as champ.

- Men’s Singles Match: WWE Championship

Brock Lesnar (C) vs. Bobby Lashley

I think the timing of this match will tell the result of the match and the Men’s Rumble match. If this match is going on before the Rumble match, Lesnar will drop the title. If it is after the Rumble match, I think Lesnar will retain. Lesnar is the favorite to win the Rumble match at this point, but other than the possibility of a title unification match at WrestleMania, there would be no reason for Brock to enter the Rumble if he retains the championship. Brock is a slight favorite in this match at -165, so that puzzles me a little bit. Lesnar’s promos since meeting up with Lashley lead me to believe that Lashley will win here. Lesnar is passing him off as a nobody and I think it will lead to a title change. We’ll see what happens in the Rumble match.

- Men’s Singles Match: Universal Championship

Roman Reigns (C) vs. Seth Rollins

I really like this matchup. We’ve seen before in the past, but not in this capacity. Rollins has a lot of momentum and Roman is the leader of the pack, it’s a little different this time. Roman is obviously the favorite here at -250, but Rollins has a shot. Roman has had the longest reign in the history of the Universal Championship and has nothing else to prove at this particular moment. Rollins is a RAW superstar and could bring the title back to Raw. With that being said though, it would likely mean that Lesnar would retain and take the title to SmackDown. There are a lot of possibilities, but I think it’s easier to predict a successful Roman Reigns title defense rather than go off on a tangent to nowhere.

- 30-Woman Royal Rumble Match

WINNER: Ronda Rousey

LAST 4: Rousey, Charlotte Flair, Lita, Bianca Belair

Dark Horse Pick: Liv Morgan

Yes, I’m buying into the rumors! If Ronda Rousey enters the match, she will win the match. There are no ifs, ands, or buts about it. It has been a crazy week for the Women’s Rumble rumors and it has jumbled up the odds like crazy. Around the beginning of the month, Bayley was the favorite, Ronda wasn’t even listed in the odds. Then a couple of weeks went by and Bianca Belair became the favorite. A couple days ago, Ronda was listed at +500 to win the Rumble after not even being listed. As of today, she is listed at -155. I’m buying into the hype. It wouldn’t shock me though if she doesn’t appear. If she doesn’t appear, I think Bayley will win. There are endless possibilities if she wins and it is very possible. Bayley is 12/1 to win. I like to do a Dark Horse every year and this year isn’t one that I’m really going out on a limb for, but I think Liv Morgan has a decent shot. Her odds are at 10/1 and honestly, that’s a steal. If we hear Joan Jett over the loud speakers, Rousey will be heading to WrestleMania.

- 30-Man Royal Rumble Match

WINNER: Brock Lesnar

LAST 4: Lesnar, AJ Styles, Omos, Big E

Dark Horse Pick: Drew McIntyre

I know I’m not really going out on a limb with these Rumble winners, but I’m really conflicted this year. This just proves that they’ve done a solid job to disguise the possible outcomes. There are a lot of possible scenarios for the Men’s match. I honestly could see about 8-10 potential winners this year. There’s a lot to work with, but that can be a good thing for fans. I hate that I’m picking the two favorites this year, but I’m really having trouble predicting this year. If Lesnar loses the belt, I think he’ll enter the match and win, but then again, he really doesn’t have to win to be in a WrestleMania title match. It really is a tough prediction for this match. I was tempted to pick Drew McIntyre to win, but I’ll play it safe and pick him as the dark horse. He is currently 14/1. He hasn’t been confirmed, but if he’s healthy enough to compete, I think he’ll be a major player. I would like to see them revisit that WrestleMania 35 matchup between him and Roman Reigns. Their characters are totally developed now, and it would be a great matchup. Lesnar winning is a safe pick here, but it’s the one I’m going with.

Yacs

Royal Rumble (2022) Predictions