The calendar reads January, so it’s time for WWE Royal Rumble 2020. A few of us Daily DDT writers gave their answers to some questions about the Men’s Royal Rumble Match. Here’s how we see things shaking out.
On Jan. 26, Houston’s Minute Maid Park plays host to WWE Royal Rumble 2020. The longtime staple of the Road to WrestleMania is one of WWE’s most storied traditions. With numerous storylines mixing together in the titular match, it’s always an entertaining event.
Since the event’s inception, the Royal Rumble Match has provided many memorable events. Beginning in 1993, the winner has received a world championship match at WrestleMania, making the Rumble one of the most important matches in all of WWE.
A couple of members of the Daily DDT staff decided to contribute to a roundtable discussion about this year’s Men’s Royal Rumble Match. There’s no surprise at who will begin the match, but we aimed to predict how things may unfold once the second entrant is in the ring.
We know Brock Lesnar is entering at No. 1, but who will be No. 2?
Paul Bradley: I believe Dio Maddin is a strong candidate for the number two slot in this year’s Royal Rumble. We have all heard rumors for months as to when Maddin could make his return for a segment with Brock and I feel like this is the last true opportunity to capitalize on their short feud. Maddin would most likely not be the man to eliminate Brock but there is always a chance for the former King Of Sit Style to have a star making performance in Houston.
Bryan Heaton: There’s one of two ways WWE can go here to pair an entrant with Brock Lesnar: either an established foe of The Beast will immediately appear, or it’ll be someone that Lesnar can simply manhandle to demonstrate his awesome ability. While many people are picking names like Cain Velasquez, Dio Maddin, or Matt Riddle, I’m leaning towards the second option. Why not throw Bo Dallas in there unannounced? By my count, there’s 24 or 25 men declared for the match (depending on whether R-Truth’s undeclaration sticks). I BO-lieve one of those 5-6 spots will be for someone Brock can eliminate like he was Santino Marella.
Chris Jeter: While Dio Maddin would be a fun choice, it will probably be Cain Velasquez. I don’t envision Lesnar staying in this match for long and having Velasquez enter second after a long Paul Heyman promo where he declares that no one can eliminate him from the Rumble would fulfill their likely to set up another WrestleMania match between the two.
Joe Anthony Myrick: I’ll be controversial and weird by saying No Way Jose. Assuming that the first five or 10 entrants are no-name guys that Brock can chuck out with ease before a worthy adversary comes out, let No Way Jose pop out with his conga line trying to get The Beast to dance, only to get destroyed and chucked out within a minute’s time.
Who enters in the coveted No. 30 spot this year?
Paul Bradley: My best guess for the number 30 spot in this year’s Royal Rumble would be “The Monday Night Messiah” Seth Rollins. Rollins is the best heel going in the WWE today and the crowd in Houston would boo the former Universal Champion out of the building if his entourage took out the majority of the field and allowed Rollins to sneak in at number 30 to a sparse final field of competition. There doesn’t seem to be a projected big surprise entrant this year so Rollins entering in at 30, in a massive heel spot, would make perfect sense.
Bryan Heaton: If we go by the list of declared names, I could see Braun Strowman being No. 30. The Monster Among Men works best in smaller doses, so if he enters the Rumble too early it pretty much guarantees he won’t be around for long. Plus, unless Brock Lesnar is actually winning this thing, there’s a better than good shot that he’ll be out of Strowman’s way. If Braun is to be built back up to a credible world title challenger, he can’t be fed to Brock just yet. And it’s long past time Braun became a real contender again, so let’s play it slow with him.
Chris Jeter: I can easily see them giving this spot to King Corbin. He’s a heel and they still perceive him as a top guy (even though he’s clearly been overpushed) so it wouldn’t take much to picture him entering last and dumping out a few beloved babyfaces before Roman Reigns eliminates him.
Joe Anthony Myrick: I’ll also go with Corbin, just because it’s a troll job echoing the same vain as the #30 from Royal Rumble 2017. All that build up and anticipation just for a disappointing result can be used as great heat. Like in 2017, whoever tosses out Corbin (especially if it’s the winner) will get a big pop.
Who is the most likely surprise entrant?
Paul Bradley: My heart wants Velveteen Dream to be a surprise entrant this year but reports have said he is nowhere close to a return. My gut says Adam Cole will be making an appearance but that isn’t exactly a surprise entrant. Unless you use his appearance in the Rumble to set him up with a big match at WrestleMania. I believe Cole will enter the Rumble and go fairly far and will eliminate a Raw or Smackdown main eventer to set up a marquee NXT Title defense at WrestleMania. The rumor mill has brought up whispers backstage that NXT will have an appearance on the WrestleMania card this year and I believe Cole making a big splash in this year’s Rumble is how we start to build to NXT invading “The Biggest Thrill Ride”.
Bryan Heaton: Who really counts as a surprise these days? Anyone not declared would be a good bet, but as of this writing there’s already more than 20 superstars officially entered. With less than 10 to go, the surprise entrants really need to be attention grabbers, and not “oh hey it’s Zack Ryder.” Many fans may be hoping for CM Punk to make a surprise appearance, but I don’t think that’s in the cards. Perhaps John Cena has some time open in his busy Hollywood schedule to shock the WWE Universe?
Chris Jeter: The Worlds Collide show that takes place the night before the Rumble guarantees that some of the NXT UK talent will be in the area for the show, so it stands to reason that at least one or two members of that roster will appear in the match. As to who, I guess Tyler Bate makes the most sense. He’s popular enough and given his move set, he could produce some fun spots for a few minutes before he’s tossed out.
Joe Anthony Myrick: I’m not exactly sure how likely it is we’ll see Keith Lee, but after his Survivor Series performance, I’d be surprised if WWE don’t have him show out again at another one of their Big Four shows.
How will Kofi Kingston (or John Morrison) save himself from elimination this year?
Paul Bradley: I think WWE may be planning a double close elimination spot where both of these men almost get eliminated simultaneously but grab onto the barricade at the same time. It would be a hard spot to pull off with two men attempting it at the same time but if anyone can do it “The Monday Night Delight” and Kofi Kingston can.
Bryan Heaton: John Morrison hasn’t declared for the Men’s Royal Rumble yet, but if he is an entrant I’d expect him to be paired off with Kofi Kingston just on principle, never mind the fact that they’re actually feuding. The agility and creativity Kofi has displayed in his Royal Rumble career combined with the parkour-type maneuvers Morrison is capable of executing is too delicious a combo to pass up. Here’s what I see happening: Big E is eliminated first, perhaps due to the appearance of The Miz. Morrison and Kofi tussle near the ropes, and land on E and Miz — but Kofi is on Miz and Morrison on E. It turns into a weird game of chicken, with Miz and E trying to eliminate the guy on their shoulders, but Kofi and Morrison hang on to each other trying to avoid their feet hitting the ground.
(Of course, this assumes The Miz can catch a falling opponent, and I say this as a big fan of The Miz.)
Chris Jeter: Well, as long as neither of them try to impale themselves on the ring post like Kingston did that one year, then I’ll be satisfied. I guess if one of them uses an announce table cover, if they’re sturdy enough, to bridge between the announce table and the ring apron and tightroped their way back to the ring, that would be fine.
Joe Anthony Myrick: There’s only one way either of them can top their past elimination saves: let them fly. Literally. Flying. Throw one of them a jetpack in mid-fall to the ground and watch them levitate back to the ring. It’s plausible, no?
Finally, who do you think wins the Men’s Royal Rumble Match this year?
Paul Bradley: My pick for the winner of this year’s Rumble match is “The Big Dog” Roman Reigns. Reigns has been kept away from the main event scene for over a year now and the writing is on the wall for the former WrestleMania main eventer to make his return to the main event scene to take on The Fiend. Reigns is a heavy favorite to win this year and I personally don’t see anyone else on the roster who has been set up to win this year’s Rumble better than Reigns has.
Bryan Heaton: Smart money seems to be on Roman Reigns winning the Men’s Rumble this year, and I can absolutely see why. But the question is, will the winner challenge for the Universal Championship or the WWE Championship? If the plan is for the eventual Rumble winner to face Brock Lesnar, I’d be very leery of Reigns getting dumped right back into that feud, abbreviated run as Universal Champion or not. Personally, I’d love to see Kevin Owens challenge Lesnar at WrestleMania, so I’d place my bets on KO.
Chris Jeter: The winner for the women’s Rumble will likely challenge for the RAW Women’s Championship, so there’s a good chance that the men’s winner will come from SmackDown. If that’s the case, then the likeliest choice is Roman Reigns. He’s a choice that would’ve elicited groans a few years ago, but the fans have warmed up to him over the last year or so, so he wouldn’t receive the backlash he got in 2015. Plus, he’s been out of the title picture for over a year since his return from sabbatical, which has to feel like a millenia for Vince McMahon, so the Rumble win would be an easy way to reinsert him back into the main event.
Joe Anthony Myrick: After being away from the title picture for the better part of a year, I gotta go with Roman Reigns. Kick off his redemption arc with a Rumble win. Easy way to get him back into that title picture that alluded him all of 2019.
Tune in to WWE Royal Rumble 2020 on Sunday Jan. 26 to find out how we did with these predictions. And sound off below in the comments with yours!