The WWE has formally announced a provisional date for next year’s pay-per-view Royal Rumble. The 2021 Royal Rumble is scheduled to be staged in St. Petersburg’s Tropicana Field in Florida. Already attentions are turning to the likely contenders for the coveted Royal Rumble crown with one up-and-coming candidate at the top of the bookmakers’ odds list.
Former NXT North American Champion and NXT Champion Keith Lee is rapidly advancing through the ranks, after being called up to RAW in recent times. Having already brawled with the likes of Randy Orton and Braun Strowman, the stage is set for Lee to make an even bigger impression at next year’s Royal Rumble.
At least that’s what the bookmakers believe, given his 4/1 favouritism on the moneyline.
If you’re wondering how to bet on sports and entertainment markets like WWE, it’s important to understand that the moneyline is simply a straight-up wager on the winner of an event. It is also one of the easiest ways to bet on the Royal Rumble. You should also get to grips with the difference between fractional and American betting odds, with the latter using positive and negative numbers to denote underdogs and favourites respectively.
People looking to make a wager on WWE wrestling are likely to see Lee’s name as made a real statement as part of Team NXT in the Survivor Series campaign when he was the last surviving member. Despite eventually being eliminated by WWE Universal Champ Roman Reigns, Lee has been taken to the hearts of many WWE fans, underlining his Royal Rumble favouritism.
Other Likely Contenders for the 2021 Royal Rumble
If we’re talking about outright fan favourites, they don’t come any more loved in WWE than Big E. He shot to prominence as part of the New Day, in collaboration with Kofi Kingston and Xavier Woods, who are the present WWE Raw Tag Team champions. Since his surprising split from Woods and Kingston, many have suggested that Big E is on a one-way ticket to WWE stardom, with his box office personality, along with his new, popular entrance song.
Stalwart Edge made his long-awaited return to the WWE ring in this year’s Royal Rumble and the sportsbooks believe he has a good chance of entering and lasting the course in 2021. Edge came bitterly close to winning this year, eventually losing in the final three battle with Roman Reigns. Edge sustained an injury in a clash with former tag team partner Randy Orton, a battle which contained plenty of bad blood. Yet reports suggest Edge is pinning his hopes on a 2021 return and a rematch with Orton en-route to WrestleMania 37.
It would also be foolish to discount Goldberg, who has also risen to among the top five contenders in the 2021 Royal Rumble moneyline markets. The former holder of the WWE Universal Championship crown surrendered his crown to Braun Strowman during WrestleMania 36. The defeat clearly hit Goldberg hard as he’s had very little airtime since, except taking pot-shots at Roman Reigns. A Royal Rumble victory for Goldberg could set him up nicely for a tilt at Reigns during WrestleMania 37.
Although Brock Lesnar is no longer thought to be contracted to WWE, the rumour mill is in full swing over the potential of Lesnar appearing at the 2021 Royal Rumble. Lesnar’s battle with Drew McIntyre was one of the highlights of this year’s Royal Rumble and many fans would be delighted to see him back in the ring in January. Some wonder whether Lesnar will be given a chance to win the Royal Rumble for another shot at McIntyre and the WWE Championship.
The tagline of next year’s Royal Rumble has been revealed by WWE as “New Year, New Opportunities, Same Dream”. Could the ‘new opportunities’ angle allude to the prospect of a returning icon like The Rock? At just 14/1 in the moneyline betting, The Rock’s 2021 Royal Rumble odds are shorter than the likes of Braun Strowman, Andrade and Jey Uso.
More outlandish potential inclusions at the 2021 Royal Rumble include world heavyweight boxing champion Tyson Fury, who remains a big hit with American fight fans. Fury would be box office entertainment in the Royal Rumble and at 50/1 it might be a value pick, particularly if his two-fight duel with Anthony Joshua is likely to be scheduled for the summer. Fellow fighter Conor McGregor is another 100/1 outsider who would certainly upset the applecart if selected. One thing is for sure, next year’s Royal Rumble will throw up one or two surprises.
