Veteran NFL writer and Pat McAfee Show contributor Mark Kaboly picks his top 5 choices to win the Men’s and Women’s Royal Rumble Matches set for Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis on Saturday (6 p.m./3 p.m.)
Men’s Royal Rumble Picks
5
Roman Reigns: This will be only the second time over the past eight years that Roman Reigns has participated in the Royal Rumble Match. When you hold either the Universal Championship or the WWE Championship for more than 2,000 days, the Rumble is not really an option. But with The Head of the Table almost a year removed from holding the gold and a few weeks removed from regaining the Ula Fala from Solo Sikoa, The OTC has refocused on taking back the Undisputed WWE Championship. Reigns has the talent and the experience, having participated in six previous Rumbles and winning one. He’s made way too many enemies during his run as The Tribal Chief, though, not to have a target on his back. Reigns’ participation takes the Rumble to the next level, and you can’t count him out, but a third-straight WrestleMania main event against Cody Rhodes isn’t as appealing as it once was… at least to me.
4
John Cena: Embarking on his Farewell Tour, John Cena produced a promo at the Raw Netflix debut and a post-show press conference. It’s been radio silence from the 16-time World Champion ever since, and the fact that he has had one match in 15 months and has been in one Rumble in a dozen years should make him a long shot. But come on, he’s “The Greatest of All Time.” Cena is known for facing impossible odds, but as he said the last time we saw him, “nothing is impossible.” Take away the nostalgia involved with Cena, however, and there’s nothing that you can grasp onto with him at this point. I can see something happening at the Rumble that will carry over into WWE Elimination Chamber and then WrestleMania more than Cena winning the Royal Rumble Match and being handed a title opportunity now. But again, it is Cena. It is a Farewell Tour. A good showing in the Rumble where he is one of the final competitors eliminated can do just as well as a victory,
3
Drew McIntyre: Drew McIntyre makes all the sense to be the last man standing at the Rumble. Ever since The Scottish Psychopath returned last month, he’s been on a mission to eliminate anything and everything associated with The Bloodline and has done a pretty good job of accomplishing his goal. Even though he’s lost two of his previous three matches to Jey Uso and Seth “Freakin” Rollins, he still came out of each match as the dominant participant. However, for McIntyre to win the Rumble like he did five years ago, I do believe somebody will have to take out CM Punk before that. It was McIntyre who tore Punk’s triceps during last year’s Rumble. Don’t think that The Second City Saint has forgotten that. Although Punk battled McIntyre at SummerSlam, WWE Bash in Berlin, and WWE Bad Blood, the fact that McIntyre destroyed Punk’s WrestleMania plans last year could ultimately prove to be McIntyre’s undoing this Saturday.
2
CM Punk: After the in-ring promo with Cody Rhodes at the end of Raw on Monday, how can you pick against CM Punk at the Rumble? He did what he does best: stir the pot and put everybody on notice, especially the Undisputed WWE Champion. Everything is trending for him to face The American Nightmare for the Title at The Showcase of the Immortals, including being red-hot since returning to the company with some good matches and some pretty boisterous crowds chanting his name even when he’s not in the ring. Punk has never won a Rumble and never headlined WrestleMania, and if it is not now, when? Although there is a good chance that Punk is the last one left standing in the ring inside Lucas Oil Stadium, however, he’s not the one I’m going with. It’s just a feeling.
1
Seth “Freakin” Rollins: Seth Rollins is the forgotten man. Literally. There hasn’t been a more consistent performer in the WWE than The Visionary, and yet we haven’t seen him main event at WrestleMania – at least in singles competition. That was ripped away from him last year when Punk got hurt in the Rumble, and the other two times he was part of a tag team match and a Triple Threat Match. Rollins doesn’t necessarily need to win the Rumble to main-event WrestleMania. But a Rollins vs. Gunther main event at The Show of Shows sounds enticing, and that was hinted at when the two Superstars traded words at Raw recently. With so many top-end talents in this year’s Rumble, it’s hard to pound your fist on the table for one over the other. I keep thinking that Sami Zayn somehow screws Rollins out of victory.
Women’s Royal Rumble Picks
5
Bayley: Bayley won the Royal Rumble Match a year ago in a feel-good moment and can’t be counted out in a match of that magnitude. What is currently going against her is that she has spread herself thin recently between Raw, SmackDown and NXT. I don’t think it helps her cause that she hinted toward going after Giula’s NXT Women’s Championship. Would it be interesting for Bayley to oppose Rhea Ripley or Tiffany Stratton at WrestleMania? Probably not. Bayley isn’t the favorite, but she can’t be labeled a long shot either.
4
Nia Jax: Nia Jax didn’t waste any time after losing her WWE Women’s Championship to Tiffany Stratton to focus her attention on the Women’s World Champion Rhea Ripley. Whether or not it would work for Jax to jump right back into competing for a championship so quickly may prove to be a detriment, but the power, size and nastiness of Jax gives her a fighter’s chance.
3
Bianca Belair. Is she ready for a run at the Women’s Championship is the biggest thing when it comes to Bianca Belair. She’s been part of a tag team with Jade Cargill and now Naomi for so long that winning the Rumble and being a threat for either Women’s Title might be a tad premature. Now, that doesn’t mean she can’t win it. Having her go out on her own might be the best thing. Belair has been extremely impressive lately, especially with her unsuspecting strength. Not only did she win the Rumble back in 2021, but she did it from the No. 3 spot and spent nearly an hour in the ring.
2
IYO SKY: There might not be a Superstar who deserves to win the Rumble more than IYO SKY. She has quietly put together a hell of a run over the past year with some very good matches that have also gotten her over with the fans. She has defeated Bianca Belair, won the Women’s World Title No. 1 Contender’s Battle Royal, and was a star at Survivor Series: WarGames. SKY has also never won the Royal Rumble, and the fact that Charlotte Flair, Becky Lynch, Belair and Bayley have won four out of the seven is strangely a good sign for the one top participant who has yet to win it. The argument can truly be made that it’s her time.
1
Charlotte Flair: It’s almost too easy to predict that Charlotte Flair will return after more than a year off due to injury and immediately win the Royal Rumble Match to main-event WrestleMania against Tiffany Stratton. Flair is The Queen, and you can warm up to her jumping right back into the championship conversation. What better way to do that than to become the first woman to win the Rumble twice and do it in her first match back in 13 months? Go with the chalk in the Women’s Rumble.
In a perfect world: Natalya. How great would it be for Natalya to have a chance at her first singles title in more than seven years? She’s been with WWE for 18 years, has nearly 1,600 total matches on her company resume and has held a singles title for a total of 156 days over two title reigns. She might not even be in the Rumble, but if she is, it would be such a feel-good moment.
