6 potential winners of the 2018 Royal Rumble

If WrestleMania is like the Super Bowl of WWE, then the Royal Rumble is like the World Series - not as advertised, but still thrilling from the beginning to the end.

WWE has already started to promote the upcoming Royal Rumble pay-per-view, and I must say - I am most certainly on the hype train. As I've said in previous lists I've written, the Royal Rumble match is my favourite match type of all time. It's exciting, fast-paced, and unpredictable, just the way I like my pro-wrestling to be.

Right now, there are plenty of guys on the roster who could feasibly win the whole thing. So, I'm going to list the six superstars that I consider to be the most likely choices to win. As per my tradition, a few disclaimers before I begin - the first is that these are in no particular order. The second is that these are merely my opinions and are in no way fact-based, so you are free to share your potential picks in the comments. Finally, please note that there are plenty of guys I think will play a big role in the match, but I couldn't really imagine winning. Again, maybe you think differently, so don't be afraid to share your opinion below!

Without further ado, here are the six superstars that I believe are most likely to win the 2018 Royal Rumble -

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#6 Kevin Owens

Will KO re-capture the World Championship in 2018?

It was a bit difficult for me to choose between Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn, but in the end, I had to go with The Prizefighter.

The former Universal Champion has been embroiled in a feud with SmackDown General Manager Shane McMahon as of late. A victory in the Royal Rumble match could play well into that storyline. Like, say he wins by dishonest means (perhaps an interference by an eliminated Zayn?), so Shane tries to rescind his guaranteed championship opportunity, leading to a match between them (or somebody else) at the Elimination Chamber PPV with Owens' spot in the WrestleMania main event on the line.

Owens wins, then goes on the WrestleMania to face AJ Styles in the main event. And maybe a dejected and bitter Shane puts AJ's job on the line to raise the stakes?

Yeah, that sounds like something I'd pay to see. Those two could definitely tear up the Grandest Stage of Them All.

#5 The Miz

Could The Miz earn his way towards a second World Championship?

I have two "dark horse" picks for the winner of the next Royal Rumble. This is the first of them.

The Miz has been absolutely on fire lately. He's improved leaps and bounds in the ring, and he's arguably the best mic worker on the roster. I would even go as far to say that he's having the best run of his career right now.

Could his surging popularity lead to a Rumble victory?

Once again, we have another example of a guy who could win the match using dirty tactics. In Miz's case, the Miztourage (God, I hate that name so much) could interfere and eliminate people on Miz's behalf. Then maybe Kurt Angle puts him in a match at Fastlane with HIS WrestleMania main event on the line, likely against the last guy he eliminated.

If he loses the match, I bet he campaigns to be added to the main event, as he "rightfully deserved it". His request would be granted, then he would go on to cheat to win (again) and pin the guy who beat him for the opportunity, not the champion.

Man, I should be a booker.

No, but in all seriousness, the likelihood of Miz actually running off with a Royal Rumble victory over the others on this list is not too high, but it's definitely not outside of the realm of possibility.

#4 Finn Bálor

Could Finn Bálor go OVER in the Royal Rumble match?

If Finn Bálor were to win the Royal Rumble match, it would make a lot of sense in the storyline.

The build could be like this - Bálor declares his intent to enter the Royal Rumble match and proclaims that he will regain the Universal Title that he never lost. Then, perhaps, they could work Vince McMahon's alleged belief that Bálor "isn't over enough to be in the main event" into the narrative, similar to what they did with Daniel Bryan in 2014.

After all, wrestling fans have a lot more access to a lot more information nowadays, meaning that pro-wrestling companies have to blur the lines between fiction and reality more often than not.

Anyway, Bálor (as The Demon) goes on to win the Rumble, but Stephanie/Vince McMahon still aren't convinced that he's worthy of the spot, so they have him face off with a superstar of their choosing at Fastlane (maybe Samoa Joe, maybe Roman Reigns, who knows?). Bálor wins clean, but this time not as The Demon - as himself. See, his goal this time was to prove that it wasn't just The Demon who could hang with anyone in the ring; he could on his own as well.

So then, he goes on to WrestleMania to face Brock Lesnar, this time as The Demon (because...well, imagine the entrance). Their match goes a lot like Brock's match with AJ Styles did - Lesnar tosses Bálor around the ring like a rag doll for several minutes, then Bálor mounts an inspiring comeback. He eventually hits a Coup de Grâce and regains his title to much fanfare. The higher-ups lose, and we all live happily ever after. The end.

What a way to get a guy OVER.

#3 Bobby Roode

Will the former NXT have a GLORIOUS Royal Rumble?

Bobby Roode is my second "dark horse" candidate to win the 2018 Royal Rumble. Only, there's one catch...he would have to turn heel.

This could happen one of two ways - he could turn prior to the Rumble, or they could plant the seeds for his heel turn during or after the Rumble. If they go with "during," the best way to do so would be to have him eliminate a beloved babyface (like Shinsuke Nakamura or Seth Rollins) last or to have him win using cheap tactics. Both of these scenarios could lead to more of a slow-burn turn, as well.

So anyway, a now-heel Roode wins the Rumble and goes on to face AJ Styles for the WWE Championship at WrestleMania, That's right - two of the biggest names to come from TNA would the main event WWE's most important PPV of the year. And just imagine how...well, for lack of a better word, GLORIOUS...Bobby Roode's WrestleMania entrance will be. I mean, that sort of first-'Mania entrance would seem wasted on, say, a United States Championship match.

Alright, fine, I'll admit - the notion of seeing his WrestleMania entrance going into a WWE Championship match was the main reason I put him on this list. But still, it could happen.

#2 Shinsuke Nakamura

Can the King of Strong Style become royalty once again?

Of all the guys on this list, Shinsuke Nakamura is the person I want to win the most.

Nakamura is one of the best pro-wrestlers in the world today and most certainly one of my favourites to ever lace up a pair of boots. Sadly, his main roster run has been pretty lacklustre thus far. A Royal Rumble win would be just the thing to bring Nakamura up to the level he should be at.

Think about it - he comes in, starts throwing kicks around like it's going out of style, his flexibility and ring-awareness prevent people from getting him over the top rope, and hell, he could even eliminate a guy with his entrance taunt. I don't know about you, but I would mark out for that.

Of course, his victory would then set up a match with AJ Styles at WrestleMania. WWE clearly knows we want this match. After all, the two got a massive pop when they teased a one-on-one match at this year's Money in the Bank PPV, and Styles even directly alluded to it at a house show in Florence, Italy (this exchange ended up on WWE's Instagram as well). And those two have already proven that they can create magic between one another - just watch their match at Wrestle Kingdom 10 to see what I mean. It is absolutely fantastic.

And just imagine what Nakamura's WrestleMania entrance will look like...my goodness, that's a beautiful sight to imagine.

Anyway, as I said before, this is my most desired scenario for the Road to WrestleMania. Even though babyface vs. babyface matches aren't entirely common for a WrestleMania main event, putting these two in a match at anything less than the Grandest Stage of Them All would be a disservice to both men. The kids would go home happy, the IWC would go home happy, it's a win-win!

#1 Roman Reigns

Could Roman Reigns pull off a second Royal Rumble victory?

Sadly, this appears to be the most likely scenario.

They've been building towards a second confrontation between Roman Reigns and Brock Lesnar for the nearly three years. Think about it - Reigns never lost to Lesnar at WrestleMania 31, he and Lesnar are the only two men to have defeated The Undertaker at WrestleMania, and the only time Brock was able to pin him was in a Fatal 4-Way match, so he'll likely want redemption for that.

So get ready, folks, because this is "The Guy" who is probably going to win the 2018 Royal Rumble, then the Universal Championship at WrestleMania 34.

Unless they plan on using the Rumble as a means of starting a feud for the WWE Championship and having Reigns challenge Lesnar later on, I am about 95% sure that Reigns will win his second Royal Rumble next month. It wouldn't be the first time that WWE pushed Reigns over other superstars despite the best interests of the fans.

Now, none of this implies that I think Reigns is horrible or anything like that - I just think that his character is trite and that WWE does far too much to protect him and far too little to protect the rest of their roster. That's why I think they're going to book him to win the 2018 Royal Rumble.