5 Outside picks to win the Royal Rumble this year

The Royal Rumble PPV is this Sunday, live on the WWE Network and will feature the 30 Man and 30 Woman over the top rope annual classic. As of this writing twenty two men have been announced for the Rumble match and this leaves just eight spots remaining in the match. In the "Rumble by the numbers" video produced by WWE, the NXT brand is teased as also having competitors in this matchup.

Not to mention the tendancy to have massive returns from legends entering into the contest as a way to earn a WrestleMania title match. So far, there are six former world champions already announced for the match, including the WWE Champion Brock Lesnar himself.

While many are considering the likes of Roman Reigns, Shayna Baszler and Drew McIntyre as favourites to win the Rumble matches, we look at some outside picks who could spring a surprise and win the whole thing.

Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in the article belong to the writer and doesn't necessarily represent Sportskeeda's stand.

#5 Kofi Kingston

There is nobody else in WWE more deserving of a title match with Brock Lesnar than Kofi Kingston. His Cinderella run came to a grinding hault on the Fox debut of SmackDown and he just shifted right back to the tag title scene.

What better way for Kofi to extract his revenge and have another shot at the WWE title than by eliminating Brock Lesnar and setting himself up for another underdog story at WrestleMania?

The Dreadlocked Dynamo has proven he can deliver in the biggest of spots and last year his WrestleMania bout with Daniel Bryan was certainly Match Of The Year worthy. Also to note, Fox has loved Kofi being an ambassador of the WWE and helping with marketing across their different stations.

What better way to kickoff his next story than by going on the Fox pre-game show for the Superbowl to announce which title he will be going after at the biggest stage of them all?

#4 Matt Riddle

There hasn't been a more outspoken person that has wanted a shot at Brock Lesnar in recent memory than The Original Bro himself. The former MMA fighter turned professional wrestler has excited crowds in every arena that he has ever been in. However, no moment for him at this point in his career would be bigger than standing across from Lesnar in the Royal Rumble.

Matt Riddle has teased a potential entry into the Rumble match, saying so much as he may do something that many people wouldn't like if he's not in the match. He is currently in a tag team with Pete Dunne in the Dusty Rhodes Classic tournament.

They advanced to the final of the tournament where the duo will be facing the Grizzled Young Veterans next week on NXT. One thing is for sure, if he does enter the Royal Rumble match and fans do see him stand across from The Beast Incarnate it will be a moment that the WWE Universe nor Riddle will forget.

Unlike Ciampa however, I wouldn't see Riddle staying in NXT with a victory, instead I would see him challenging Brock Lesnar for the title.

#3 The Undertaker

The Undertaker's Most Surprising Returns

First off, I understand that The Undertaker in name alone would never be an outside pick to win the Royal Rumble.

However, he hasn't been on telvision for sometime now and his age is on the wrong side as well. Not to mention his match with Goldberg last year is considered one of the worst matches in recent memory.

Now you may ask, with those things considered why have him win? The answer is simple. There is simply no other Superstar that has the kind of ties to both Brock Lesnar and The Fiend as The Deadman. The story along could drive the build of either The Beast or Wyatt.

Let's dive even deeper and say that The Fiend may be the target, don't you believe Fox would love to promote The Undertaker during the Superbowl? If you remove names like The Rock and John Cena, then the Phenom would make for a perfect building block for WrestleMania. Not to mention, it's rumored that The Fiend will be taking on Kane in Saudi Arabia this February for the title.

#2 Nia Jax

Almost everyone has four names as potential winners of the Women's Royal Rumble this year. Many believe it will be Sasha Banks, Shayna Baszler, Ronda Rousey or Charlotte Flair as the last woman standing at the end of the night.

What if I told you there is someone that Becky Lynch still has some unfinished business with? What if I told you there is someone who should be due back from injury at any time?

Nobody is picking Nia Jax as a potential winner of the Women's Rumble which leaves her to be an outside pick to win. Jax could easily return in the Rumble match and win the whole thing.

We could be in for a proper build as she could go and challenge Becky for the title at the Grandest Stage Of Them All. If WWE does decide to go with Jax winning the Rumble it would help bring the story full circle with The Man and help lead to the next chapter in her story.

#1 Tommaso Ciampa

Possibly the best story going in NXT right now is the long angle of Ciampa trying to find a way back into the title picture. He was gone for many months and had to forfeit the NXT Championship, something that he holds near and dear to his heart.

If WWE wanted to truly shock the fans and at the same time put over NXT big time they could have Ciampa win the Royal Rumble. The Blackheart has stated before he has no desire to go to the main roster as he feels his long term health would be in jeopardy. However, if you had Ciampa win he could challenge Adam Cole for his NXT championship. This would solidify the Black and Gold brand as an equal to RAW and SmackDown as well as possibly have storyline reasons to put the NXT Title on the WrestleMania card.

There is no better person to help elevate the NXT brand as a whole as well as the title than Ciampa. This would be an incredible way for the Blackheart to bring this chapter of his chase for gold to a close.

Edited by Alan John