On February 1st, WWE will host one of their most popular annual events, the Royal Rumble. This historic event kicks of the Road to WrestleMania and could catapult a new superstar into the main event scene. Let’s look at the most Likely winners of this year’s Royal Rumble.
Could we see Randy Orton claim his third Royal Rumble victory? Don’t rule it out. It has been seven years since Randy Orton last won the Royal Rumble. It seems crazy to be here in 2025 looking at WWE’s Apex Predator as a favorite again, but here we are.
Of course, the story with Cody Rhodes writes itself. Mentor vs star pupil. Is Orton jealous of Cody’s success? Has Rhodes surpassed Orton, or does the veteran still have some tricks up his sleeve? The Viper vs The American Nightmare is a strong story, and the in-ring work would be stellar.
There is also a chance we will see Kevin Owens defeat Cody Rhodes for the WWE Championship, allowing Randy Orton to target the man who put him out of action with a piledriver a few months ago.
The Queen’s return has been rumored for a while now. What better time to make her presence felt by the WWE Universe again than the Royal Rumble?
We could see Charlotte rekindle her rivalry with Rhea Ripley. They have met at WrestleMania twice before, and each walked away victorious. As someone who views herself as the greatest women’s wrestler of all time, Charlotte Flair will want to leave no doubt that she is better than Rhea Ripley.
Will Charlotte focus on Ripley or turn her sights to another champion? After a successful cash-in of her Money in the Bank contract, Tiffany Stratton won the WWE Women’s Championship. It may be time for the Queen to return and remind everyone who runs the show in WWE.
CM Punk is the favorite by many to win this year’s Royal Rumble. Much has been made of Punk, who has never main-evented a WrestleMania. If he will reach that milestone, now seems to be the best time to do so.
After his victory over Seth Rollins on Raw’s debut episode on Netflix, Punk wasted no time calling out both Gunther and Cody Rhodes. The Voice of the Voiceless has one goal in mind. That is championship gold. Will we see Punk vs Rhodes? Punk vs Gunther? Either matchup would be an electric WrestleMania main event.
From a storytelling perspective, Nia Jax seems to be a clear winner in this year’s Women’s Royal Rumble. Jax will be looking for revenge after losing her WWE Women’s Championship to her protegee Tiffany Straton.
Jax is always a favorite in these types of matches due to her size and power. Adding to that her motivation to regain her title there may be no stopping Nia Jax from claiming victory.
Since her return to WWE, Nia Jax has won the “Queen of The Ring” tournament and the aforementioned WWE Women’s Championship. Winning the Royal Rumble will be another accolade in their growing list. We may very well be setting up for a personal WrestleMania title match if Jax can cash in her ticket to try and regain her title from Stratton.
When WWE announced that John Cena would be on the debut episode of Monday Night Raw on Netflix, there was an expectation that we would get a direction on where Cena’s retirement tour was heading. Boy, did we.
Cena clearly stated that he wanted to make some history by winning his 17th World Championship. He clarified his intentions; he is coming for a win in this year’s Royal Rumble. Cena immediately becomes a favorite to win the event.
The idea of what a John Cena title reign has been discussed here at Stadium Rant, but the first step is earning his shot. Will Super Cena have a chance to become a 17-time World Champion at WrestleMania, or has the clock run out on his opportunity to make history?
Chelsea Green’s commitment to taking whatever she is given and giving it her all has endeared her to the fans and WWE officials alike. This was evident when she became the inaugural Women’s United States Champion at December’s “Saturday Night’s Main Event.”
Green is a dark horse candidate to win this year’s Royal Rumble. Her biggest obstacle will be the target she already has on her back concerning her U.S. Championship. Superstars like Michin are actively targeting Green’s title, and what better way to stake your claim for a title shot than eliminating her from the Rumble match?
She may not be the betting favorite, but don’t be too surprised if Chelsea Green can outlast the rest of the field and earn her shot at becoming a double champion at WrestleMania.
What does WrestleMania look like for the Tribal Chief? After defeating Solo Sikoa and regaining the Ula Fala, it seems his issues with The Bloodline are over. However, Solo Sikoa will have other plans.
While Reigns continues to fight off Solo Sikoa and his version of The Bloodline, he will still look to regain the WWE Championship after Cody Rhodes ended his one thousand-plus day reign. Even while fighting next to Cody Rhodes in late 2024, it was apparent Reigns still had some disdain for The American Nightmare.
The WWE Universe can get behind Reigns and Rhodes in completing the trilogy. Will Reigns be able to hold off The New Bloodline long enough to win the Royal Rumble and begin chasing Rhodes? We will find out in February.
Another dark horse candidate for this year’s Rumble, Iyo Sky, finds herself in a much different position than last year. After watching last year’s match from the sidelines as the reigning Women’s Champion at this time, Sky must compete to earn her title shot this year.
After recently falling short in the Women’s Intercontinental Title tournament, Sky has no clear path to the Grandest Stage Of Them All. Her only chance at a prominent spot on the card may be winning the Royal Rumble. A win for Ito Sky could lead to an exciting matchup.
Iyo Sky vs Rhea Ripley is a match that could very easily steal the show at this year’s WrestleMania. Both women have carried the women’s division in WWE at different times over the last year, and seeing them clash on such a massive stage would be a treat for the WWE Universe.
As we get closer to WrestleMania, it becomes more and more likely that we will not see The Rock wrestle at this year’s event. However, in pro wrestling, you never truly know what will happen.
The Final Boss promised he would be the one to take care of Cody Rhodes, but he still needs to back up those words. After an intense lead-up to last year’s Mania and Rock gaining a pinball on Cody Rhodes, there may not be a bigger possible match than Rock vs Rhodes.
If the Rock can wrestle at this year’s event, a Royal Rumble win is a high possibility. Fans would love to see Rhodes get his revenge on The Rock and defeat the Final Boss once and for all.
It has been reported that Becky Lynch has re-signed with the WWE. The timing of this agreement is not a coincidence.
Lynch is arguably the biggest star in WWE’s women’s division, and the Royal Rumble is the perfect place for her to return. After losing to Rhea Ripley at last year’s WrestleMania, Lynch is poised to win the Royal Rumble and take another shot at The Eradicator.
WWE is a company that loves to create “moments,” and what a moment it would be if the Irish Lass Kicker returned to win the Royal Rumble match. The Road To WrestleMania is always full of surprises, and Lynch’s return and win may very well be the first of many.
The Royal Rumble is always full of surprises, and this year will be no different. The unpredictable nature of the match means that the eventual winners may not even be included on this list or even on the WWE roster at this point. Who is your pick to win the Royal Rumble? Share this article and give your thoughts.
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