On 27 January, down at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, Florida, the WWE will stage one of its most hotly-anticipated annual events. The Royal Rumble will, once again, put so much on the line for the 30 men and 30 women ready to run into the square circle and try to fend off their competitors. The winner will get to choose a championship to compete for at the upcoming WrestleMania XL on 6 April.
Also on the night will be Roman Reigns putting his Undisputed WWE Universal Championship up for grabs. The winner of that fight could end up facing the Royal Rumble winner at WrestleMania XL if they’re selected. With it being such a prestigious event, experts and pundits have already begun to weigh in on who they think will win. This far out, there are already clear favourites to take the crown in both Royal Rumble events.
Men’s Royal Rumble to go to the returning favourite
Making a return after some ten years out of the ring, CM Punk won on his first WWE outing on Boxing Day 2023. After his victory, Punk made a speech to inform the crowd of his intent to both win the Royal Rumble and be the headliner at WrestleMania XL. His return has been long-awaited, and with Reigns being so dominant as the title holder of over 1,200 days, maybe the plan is to essentially bring an outsider to break the chain.
Punk has swiftly been taken as the favourite to win the 2023 Royal Rumble. At odds of 2/3 with sites toting one of the best sign-up offers betting has in store, the Bet & Get offer, the 45-year-old is head and shoulders in front of the rest. Within WWE storylines, though, second-placed Cody Rhodes would be the natural choice as the Royal Rumble winner, even if the ESPN 2023 Male Wrestler of the Year is out at 3/1.
After Rhodes, some fancy Gunther to come out on top, while others are looking to the long-rumoured return of The Rock. Dwayne Johnson has been teasing an appearance on a WWE card for some time, and the Royal Rumble looks to be a great place to suddenly appear. While he probably shouldn’t win it, his appearance would help boost the interest in the upcoming WWE Elimination Chamber down in Perth, Australia.
Women’s Royal Rumble siding with the big new contract
In December, the WWE went on a bit of a spree with new contracts, signing up Rey Mysterio, Dominik Mysterio, and Charlotte Flair, as well as Bayley to a multi-year deal. The 34-year-old former SmackDown champion has become a fan-favourite and a key feature of the Damage CRTL narrative. While not as short in the odds as CM Punk, Bayley is the clear favourite at around evens with most bookies offering Bet & Get bonuses.
After Bayley, it’s Becky Lynch, who’ll be looking for a big payday around this time next year, when her contract expires. As it stands, Lynch is reportedly the highest-paid woman in the company. The consistently strong Lynch is the second-favourite with most sites at 5/1, but Jade Cargill is also muscling in on that spot. The former AEW champions of 508 days came to the WWE in October 2023, exploring all programs to tease her final landing place.
There’s still some time for different leading contenders to climb the odds, but as it stands, Bayley and CM Punk are the clear favourites to win the Royal Rumble and headline WrestleMania XL.
