Early Favorites for the Royal Rumble 2015

The Frontrunner – Roman Reigns

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The first competitor on this list is undoubtedly the outright favorite, and has arguably been since last year’s Royal Rumble. Roman Reigns has been pushed harder than any superstar on the roster in the last two years. As the explosive powerhouse behind the Shield, he set a new record in 2014, eliminating a dozen superstars in the match, ending up as runner-up to Batista. Since this, he has been placed in a number of WWE Championship matches, and defeated some top opponents like Randy Orton, Big Show and Seth Rollins.

This certainly places Reigns near the top of the list. It is clear that those backstage are determined to have the crowd recognize him as a main event player. His power and speed should allow him to appear as a legitimate threat to either Lesnar or Cena for the title. He has developed as a competitor to escape the shadow of his more technically proficient ex-partners Rollins and Dean Ambrose. Of course, he needs a great deal of development on the microphone, but has always preferred to let his fists do the talking.

However, after being injured at the back end of the year, some of that momentum Reigns built has arguably been lost. Being voted Superstar of the Year was certainly a great boost to his recent return, but a portion of the crowd have become disillusioned with the Samoan. The fact that he has seemingly been pushed down the throats of the audience and was hand-picked from backstage has led to him receiving mixed reactions since becoming a singles star. It is an affliction that has befallen Cena and will likely continue, as he isn’t one of the ‘Internet darlings’ live fans love to see succeed. If he’s opposite one of those in the Rumble at its conclusion, expect him to become this year’s Batista buzzkill.