With the Royal Rumble around the corner, the betting odds are beginning to come in. The likes of Keith Lee, Daniel Bryan, Bianca Belair, and Rhea Rhipley are the current favourites.
Despite this, there are a number of wrestlers who are being forgotten in the discussion of possible winners.
With stars returning from injury, some having a great 2020, and Vince having his favourites, could any of these men and women win their respective Rumbles?
8. Bobby Lashley
In Drew McIntyre’s first title reign, we saw Bobby Lashley take him on at BackLash. While the three sisters/Lana’s husband version of Bobby was going, he still wasn’t quite what he is today.
The former ‘Walking Armageddon’ is somewhat back, with the Hurt Business saving his second WWE run.
He is now one of the most protected stars in the company, with the recent loss to Riddle being his first singles lost since his match against McIntyre in June.
While having the United States Title caught up in the WWE Title picture could cause it to be overshadowed, it could also make for a very exciting feud.
As seen with Seth Rollins in 2015, a guy holding both the US and WWE Championships makes for unique possibilities.
With McIntyre and the Hurt Business being the main stars of Raw, they could be set for a marquee match.
7. Naomi
Oh, Naomi.
When Naomi returned from a lengthy injury in the Royal Rumble last year, the excitement was huge. The pop she got was like no other, and it shows how much of a star she could be.
One year later, and she has once again been on the injury list since early September.
While there are currently no clear feuds for Naomi to go into, WWE could use her natural popularity to push her to the top.
The same fan reception won’t be replicated in the Thunderdome as the fans in Texas last year, but having her as the last woman standing would create mass buzz.
The company is clearly somewhat behind her with her résumé including two Women’s Championship reigns, so let’s hope to see Naomi.
6. Damian Priest
Following his loss to Karrion Kross at New Years Evil, Priest’s NXT run looks to be over.
He leaves the brand with only having had a short North American title run, and never grabbing the ‘big gold’.
While this entry may seem random to people who haven’t read the recent reports, Priest’s main roster debut is imminent.
With a planned segment with Roman Reigns and Kevin Owens scrapped a few weeks ago, it’s certainly possible that the ‘Archer of Infamy’ could debut at the Rumble.
The man formerly known as Punishment Martinez is billed at 6’5″, which will make Vince McMahon’s mouth water.
Further to this, he is full of charisma, while also being a tremendously talented performer within the ring.
An NXT star winning the Rumble would be such a huge surprise, that they will almost certainly do it at some point, so why not Priest?
5. Randy Orton
2020 has been one of Orton’s best in his career. With great feuds against Edge, Drew McIntyre, and “The Fiend” Bray Wyatt, the ‘Legend Killer’ could be on course to win the Rumble.
When Orton won the WWE Championship last year, a match with Edge was clearly the long-term plan. This was soon dropped and changed to a feud with Bray Wyatt, but surely there will be more for the 14-time World Champion.
The possibility of Orton taking on McIntyre or Edge again (somehow) cannot be overlooked.
While it’s more likely to see Edge coming out as the winner of the Rumble, Orton needs a ‘Mania match.
4. Karrion Kross
As previously mentioned, it’s been heavily rumored that Damian Priest is being called up following his loss at New Years Evil.
However, with Karrion Kross already previously gaining the NXT Title, he could be the one to move up.
With backing from management because of his great look, entrance, wrestling ability, and talented manager, McMahon surely is waiting to grab Kross.
Similar to McIntyre’s surprise win last year, if Kross was to win it would be a huge shock outcome. With this Rumble being like no other with no fans in attendance, WWE could be taking a different route to coincide with the obscure year.
With Rhea Rhipley having great odds to win the female counterpart of the match, could NXT be pushed in the men’s match later on in the night?
The former ‘Killer Kross’ is more than ready for the main roster, and the Rumble win would be a great start.
3. Carmella
Earlier in December, a report came out highlighting some names that WWE’s writers believe are underutilized. This list included Angel Garza, Cesaro, Chad Gable, Peyton Royce, and Carmella.
While Royce is stuck in a team with Lacey Evans, it is clear WWE has already begun to push ‘Mella. Despite the loss against Sasha Banks at TLC, Carmella and her sommelier continue to feud with the SmackDown Women’s Champion.
Despite the lack of popularity in comparison to other women, the ongoing feud with Banks could suggest there is more to come for the “untouchable” one.
Her new gimmick has reinvented her from the dried out “Princess of Staten Island”, and more importantly she has the crucial feature for any female WWE star… she’s blonde.
You can’t overlook someone like ‘Mella who is usually around the top of the women’s division.
2. Edge
It was nearly nine years since Edge retried from professional wrestling when he returned at the Royal Rumble last year
The pop, the buzz from fans all around the world, and Edge’s pure excitement made this such a spectacular moment. The feud with Randy Orton started brilliantly, but the long ‘Mania match and ridiculously built Backlash match hindered the rivalry.
The ‘Rated R Superstar’ has now been gone for nearly seven months, so a third big rumble return similar to 2010 and 2020 could be in the plan.
As mentioned in the Orton entry, it appeared clear that Edge vs Orton III was being set up for ‘Mania. These rumors have drifted slightly with ‘The Viper’ only holding the title for a few weeks, and it being unclear how far along Edge is in recovery.
Nevertheless, if the planned third match is scrapped, Edge vs McIntyre or Roman Reigns is a possibility.
Both are dream matches, and Edge hasn’t hidden that he would love to face Reigns, therefore a win for the former World Champion is certainly a possibility.
1. Becky Lynch
Becky Lynch and Seth Rollins welcomed their first child in early December last year. Previous to that, we didn’t hear much from Lynch since she announced her pregnancy in early May.
Nevertheless, with Seth Rollins’ planned return on SmackDown suggesting he’s ready to come back, could ‘The Man’ be returning too?
With her recent Twitter bio saying “Time to go to work”, it appears she’s ready to regain what she never lost.
WWE is desperately in need for female stars with the only two currently being Charlotte Flair and Sasha Banks. The current Raw Women’s Champion, Asuka, has been massively underused, and Bianca Belair has just begun to become a star.
Lynch returning to win the Rumble would give her the reinvention that she’s been needing since teaming with Rollins.
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