The Rock now close to becoming favorite in WWE Royal Rumble

WWE legend The Rock is close to becoming the favorite to win the Men's Royal Rumble match on January 27.

The Great One electrified the WWE Universe with his return during the Day 1 edition of RAW. He interrupted Jinder Mahal to an incredible ovation from the fans in San Diego.

The two stars traded words before The Rock hit Mahal with The People's Elbow to end the segment. Jinder Mahal interrupted World Heavyweight Champion Seth Rollins last week and will be battling for the title tonight on RAW.

WWE Royal Rumble 2024 will take place in less than two weeks at Tropicana Field in Tampa Bay, Florida. Last year, Cody Rhodes won the Men's Royal Rumble match but came up short against Roman Reigns in the main event of WrestleMania 39. Rhea Ripley won the Women's Royal Rumble match and defeated Charlotte Flair at WrestleMania 39 to become champion.

According to Sky Bet, CM Punk is the favorite to win the Men's Royal Rumble match later this month. Cody Rhodes was originally favored to win the Royal Rumble but has now been overtaken by The Rock. You can check out the odds for the match in the image below.

Odds for the Men's Royal Rumble match.

Former WWE writer comments on The Rock's return

Wrestling veteran Vince Russo believes The Rock has lost a bit of his shine and is not as popular as he used to be.

Speaking on Sportskeeda Wrestling's Legion of RAW show, Vince Russo commented on The Brahma Bull's promo with Jinder Mahal on the Day 1 edition of the red brand. Russo claimed that The People's Champion's politics may have caused some fans to dislike him.

"I think the dude for doing some political things that really p*ssed a lot of people off. And bro you gotta understand, we got sides here bro. You are either on this side or you are on that side... When Rock is on there with Biden and Kamala [Harris], you got a whole other side that's like, 'Are you effing kidding me?'" [From 09:46 onwards]

You can check out the full video below:

Cody Rhodes is determined to finish his story and dethrone Roman Reigns of the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship. Only time will tell if The American Nightmare will get the opportunity to do so in 2024.

Would you like to see The Rock vs. Roman Reigns at WrestleMania 40? Sound off in the comments section below.