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The Royal Rumble is one of WWE's biggest shows of all year, and it is arguably the most anticipated wrestling event of the entire year.
Nothing excites fans more than the clock ticking down from 10 and the curiosity of who could come out next. This year the Royal Rumble will be taking place in the WWE ThunderDome with virtual fans in attendance on January 31.
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The Royal Rumble match is used as an opportunity to push wrestlers towards stardom or even create big matches for WrestleMania. This year will be no different.
30 wrestlers will be competing in the Royal Rumble, and people have been coming up with their picks to win since the end of last year. However, as seen in previous years, the weeks leading up to the Royal Rumble are the most significant in determining who will be the last competitor standing.
Last year, Drew McIntyre was on a roll getting wins on RAW before the Rumble, and he carried that momentum to win the match and headline WrestleMania 36.
Since we're right around that time-frame again, it's safe to say that now would be the best opportunity to consider some of the wrestlers who have gained momentum in the past few weeks.
So, let's take a look at some last-minute favorites to win the WWE Men's Royal Rumble match.
#5 - Keith Lee (WWE RAW)
Keith Lee is one of the top babyfaces of WWE's main roster. Ever since his call-up from NXT, he has been given feuds with the likes of Randy Orton and Braun Strowman, both of whom are former World Champions.
Moreover, in recent weeks, Lee has been able to defeat Sheamus in a one-on-one match and even got a WWE Championship opportunity against Drew McIntyre.
Keith Lee will be making his second Royal Rumble appearance next Sunday, and the last time he was in the Royal Rumble, he pushed Lesnar to the limit. He is on a hot streak right now, and WWE might be ready to strap the rockets on Lee, given his recent performances.
If Lee were to win the Rumble, there is a story of "Good Friends, Better Enemies" between the Limitless One and the current WWE Champion Drew McIntyre. It could play out on the Grandest Stage of them All.
#4 - Big E (WWE SmackDown)
In the WWE Draft that took place a few months ago, Kofi and Xavier were separated from Big E, which was the start of the latter's first singles run in WWE in a long time.
Since then, fans have been demanding a proper singles push for Big E, and from his recent Intercontinental Championship win, it looks like those wishes might actually be coming true.
On recent episodes of SmackDown, Big E has collided with and conquered King Corbin and Apollo Crews to defend the Intercontinental Championship.
Moreover, an interesting fact about Big E is that he has lost only one match since July of last year. Just one. That's bizarre, given how rarely WWE protect their upper mid-carders in such a manner.
It is also much like what happened with Drew McIntyre last year. He was on a seven-match win streak heading into the Rumble.
Big E is definitely a strong contender to win the Rumble. However, one thing might suggest otherwise, which is why he isn't higher up on the list.
He currently holds the Intercontinental Championship, and WWE rarely put their main title and the mid-card title on the same wrestler. Nonetheless, with the momentum that E has right now, he could very well be on his way to headlining WrestleMania.
#3 - AJ Styles (WWE RAW)
For a long time, AJ Styles has been the safest option for WWE in any position. He can hang in the main event scene or even stroll around in the mid-card. Whatever he does, he will always deliver.
Styles is like a get out of jail free card for WWE because he can be used whenever the company has booked itself into a corner. He might be the safe bet this year too, with him announcing his entry into the Royal Rumble.
Styles has his eyes firmly set on the prize, and with the giant Omos by his side, things might be a bit different than they were before. In the last few weeks, Styles has been made to look strong by having him go over clean against Ricochet, Drek Gulak, and Elias, even though he's a cocky heel.
His matches have also gotten significant minutes and amazing spots, which could indicate that WWE wants to show us something.
Styles has also been lately making a note of mentioning in his promos backstage that he will be winning the Rumble, and from the looks of things, he might as well go on and win the whole thing. Plus, Styles will always a big enough name to sell a WWE Championship WrestleMania match.
#2 - Cesaro (WWE SmackDown)
Cesaro is the most underutilized wrestler in WWE of the past decade. Many wrestling legends, including Stone Cold Steve Austin and Mark Henry, have dubbed him the most underrated worker on the roster.
Despite his exceptional in-ring work, Cesaro hasn't won a major WWE title. He recently announced his entry into this year's Royal Rumble, and it might be time for him to win the 30-man match to begin his journey to the main event.
Only a week ago, Cesaro would not have been on anyone's list of potential Rumble winners, but within the span of a week, something changed.
Keeping in mind that this list consists of last-minute favorites, Cesaro fits perfectly here. In just a matter of one episode of SmackDown, Cesaro climbed up the ladder by defeating Daniel Bryan clean.
Beating Daniel Bryan is a major accomplishment for Cesaro. He just beat a former World Champion, which is why it feels a bit weird as to why WWE would suddenly have a heel mid-carder defeat one of their top babyfaces fair and square.
There can only be one reason; to make Cesaro look like a last-minute pick to win the Rumble, and they have done just that.
During that match, commentary also brought up how Cesaro was the winner of the first Andre The Giant Memorial Battle Royal winner and constantly put him over by mentioning his previous accomplishments.
That is something that Vince would be telling the commentary team to say, which can point to Cesaro finally getting his well overdue push.
#1 - Shinsuke Nakamura (WWE SmackDown)
Shinsuke Nakamura has become the most talked-about wrestler on the WWE SmackDown roster in the last two weeks. WWE has taken a complete U-Turn with Nakamura and has made him a favorite to win the Rumble.
It all started during a Gauntlet match two weeks ago on SmackDown where Nakamura defeated three of the biggest names on the SmackDown roster back to back; Rey Mysterio, King Corbin, and Daniel Bryan.
Nakamura ended up losing the match because of Roman Reigns, sowing the seeds for a potential match-up down the line. Shinsuke turned face in the process and defeated Jey Uso the next week on SmackDown, promptly starting a feud with Roman Reigns' group.
Nakamura is yet to win a top championship in WWE. However, the King of Strong Style might be getting an opportunity to change that. Nakamura has already won a Royal Rumble before, which makes him big enough of a threat already to the rest of the match participants.
Nakamura's performance in the last two weeks has made him the last-minute favorite to win the Royal Rumble. With a feud already begun between the Artist and the Head of the Table, winning the Royal Rumble would make the match official for WrestleMania 37.
