1. Sasha Banks
Regardless of any potential surprise Ronda Rousey returns or Alexa Bliss face runs, Sasha Banks has to be considered the favorite to win the Royal Rumble.
She just leaves the most amount of options available for WWE heading into WrestleMania. It’s as simple as that.
Let’s start with the basics. Banks has yet to win the Royal Rumble. Considering how well-received her return to WWE has been, I could easily see the company rectifying that sooner rather than later. She’s one of the best all-around superstars in WWE, which undoubtedly makes her easy for the company to trust with these big moments.
In other words, there’s some reason to believe Banks has a shot at winning the Royal Rumble even before we get to her potential rivalries.
Let’s not waste any more time though, and jump right in with where Banks should go if she wins the Royal Rumble.
Bayley and Sasha Banks have been almost inseparable so far on Friday Night SmackDown. Nonetheless, you would have to start wondering if this new attitude from Bayley would lead her to become suspicious of “The Boss” if she doesn’t outright declare who she wants to challenge at WrestleMania.
A preemptive strike from Bayley later, and WWE has the perfect flipped script set up for a massive WrestleMania match with main event potential.
Bayley succeeded in her title efforts when Banks’ most recent attempts to capture gold have ended in failure. That, combined with the aforementioned surprise betrayal, could paint Banks as the underdog in this rivalry, thus flipping the roles we’ve seen this feud take in the past.
With a lack of top faces currently in the women’s division on SmackDown, it would make sense for WWE to put someone who’s already proven themselves in that role like Banks in the driver’s seat as the division’s leading face.
On the other hand though, WWE could go the route of a rematch with Becky Lynch. Although Lynch topped Banks in their most recent encounter, it’s not hard to envision a scenario where WWE would want to run that match back, especially with the new attitude Bayley by Banks’ side.
A scenario where both Banks and Bayley helped each other retain their titles through increasingly nefarious means after WrestleMania could present WWE with a situation ripe for elevating some of those newer faces in the women’s division too.
Basically, both options give WWE a compelling path forward if Sasha Banks wins the Royal Rumble, and that’s without even mentioning the admittedly unlikely scenario that WWE uses Banks’ win to set up a Four Horsewomen feud.
That flexibility in booking is what makes me think Sasha Banks is the most likely superstar to win the 2020 Women’s Royal Rumble match right now.