5 early favourites for the 2020 Men's Royal Rumble

#4 Cain Velasquez

Cain Velasquez

Whilst it hasn't been plain sailing just yet for the former UFC standout, it's clear WWE has big plans in the works for Cain Velasquez.

A knee injury has stalled his early momentum in the WWE, resulting in the quick two minute match we saw at Crown Jewel between Velasquez and Brock Lesnar.

It was an injury which Cain had before joining the company, so WWE clearly pushed the boat to bring him in.

The way his last match with Brock finished left open the possibility for a rematch, presumably on as big a stage as possible.

With no Saudi Arabia shows scheduled until after WrestleMania, that makes the 'Showcase of The Immortals' as the next possible place for this showdown.

With Lesnar currently in possession of the WWE Championship, the easiest way for WWE to book this match would be for Velasquez to win the Rumble.

The obvious complication to this option would be the aforementioned knee injury. If Velasquez does need surgery as speculated, then the chances of him being fit and ready-to-go in two months are highly unlikely.

His time in the Octagon showed just how tough a competitor he is, so I wouldn't rule out the possibility of Velasquez delaying his procedure and working through the pain barrier if WWE want to make this happen. But is it worth the risk long term?