WWE Royal Rumble 2024 Preview and Predictions – The Sam Edition
It’s the most wonderful time of the … January, as WWE’s Royal Rumble is set to take place this weekend! With the Royal Rumble comes the unexpected surprises, the potential to make new stars, and the excitement as the road to WrestleMania officially begins. This year’s show takes place at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, Florida, the place that housed the WWE Thunderdome during the COVID-19 pandemic. However, fans will be in attendance to see all of the action play out, and with that, here’s what I think might happen this Saturday.
My man Jiarmani has already submitted his predictions. But since I’m feeling competitive, my name is Sam Palmer from Vendetta Sports Media, and here are MY predictions for the 2024 Royal Rumble event!
Logan Paul {c} vs. Kevin Owens [WWE United States Championship]:
With only a handful of matches on the Royal Rumble card due to both Rumble matches being over an hour in length, the undercard has to be all killer and no filler. Logan Paul has been seen with the WWE United States Championship, with emphasis on seen as he posted pictures with the belt in his shower, the belt has been on his podcast, but the belt hasn’t been defended on WWE TV. In fact, Paul hasn’t wrestled since he beat Rey Mysterio for the title at Crown Jewel in November, and Owens is looking to change that this weekend.
It’s clear as day that Owens has no respect for Paul whatsoever, and that could play into the match itself. KO can be extremely brutal when he wants to be, especially when he doesn’t like someone, and with his inexperience in the ring, I’m not sure Paul can withstand it.
However, the champion seems to be one of the most naturally gifted athletes in WWE, being able to execute high-flying moves with ease while having the strength to actually wrestle bigger opponents to the ground. Given that Logan doesn’t wrestle often, it’s hard to predict what he will do in this one, but I can see him keeping the belt until WrestleMania.
PREDICTION: Logan Paul
Roman Reigns {c} vs. AJ Styles vs. LA Knight vs. Randy Orton [Fatal Four Way Match for the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship]:
We are entering a period in Roman Reigns’ Undisputed WWE Universal Championship run where he seems virtually invincible unless he’s wrestling at WrestleMania. However, he has three very worthy contenders challenging him at the Royal Rumble in the form of AJ Styles, LA Knight and Randy Orton. Styles and Orton have just come back from injury looking in incredible shape, while Knight has proved that his hot streak in 2023 wasn’t just a flash in the pan, he belongs in the main event picture. However, this is The Tribal Chief we are talking about here, so there really is going to be one outcome.
We’ve already seen the challengers in action on Smackdown and the main thing I noticed is that they all have the ability to cancel each other out. Styles’ athleticism is often countered by Orton’s unpredictability, which is then countered by Knight’s sheer will to stay in the fight. Who does that leave? Roman Reigns. Honestly, I don’t think Reigns will lose the belt outside of a WrestleMania match which makes this prediction very easy. However, don’t take that as a sign that this match won’t deliver because, let’s be honest, look at the names involved, it will deliver.
PREDICTION: Roman Reigns
The 30-Woman Royal Rumble Match:
The first of two Royal Rumble matches sees 30 women all fighting for the chance to challenge either IYO Sky or Rhea Ripley at WrestleMania.
I don’t know the running order of the show, but I’ve decided to talk about the women’s match first because I feel that has a much more limited amount of potential winners. I’m writing this prediction before the go-home edition of Smackdown, and right now there are only six women who have even entered the match, and one of them is Nia Jax. No disrespect to Jax, but she ain’t going the distance. Maxxine Dupri and Ivy Nile have thrown their names in to, but they will be fodder for the three frontrunners.
Then there are the three B’s: Bianca Belair, Becky Lynch and Bayley. All three women have a definitive case to be the winner as they all have directions following on from a potential win. Bianca wants her title back from IYO Sky after what happened at Summerslam. Becky Lynch has already told Rhea Ripley that she is coming for her WWE Women’s World Title if she wins the belt, and Bayley could either join her Damage CTRL teammate in IYO as a champion by dethroning Rhea, or turn on her friend and try and dethrone IYO.
This is the one for men, Lynch and Belair have already won the Rumble, and there is too much meat on the bone for WWE to turn away from when it comes to Bayley. She is my pick, and boy does she deserve it.
PREDICTION: Bayley
The 30-Man Royal Rumble Match:
For the first time in a long time, at least four or five different people are entering the men’s Royal Rumble that could potentially win the match. While I would love to see a second win for someone like Shinsuke Nakamura, a first win for Chad Gable, or just an outright ridiculous win for Akira Tozawa, the frontrunners for this year’s match are very clear. First, you have the WWE Intercontinental Champion Gunther, who honestly deserves the win more than anyone given the 2023 he had. However, given that he already has a belt, he will make it to the final four and get dumped out like last year.
Mr. Money in the Bank Damian Priest is in the match (for some reason) and could make a case for being a threat, as is Bobby Lashley, a man fans are refusing to boo no matter how hard WWE tries to make him booable. Drew McIntyre has already come close to gold in 2024 and will want to finally get his Mania moment that was taken from him due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
It’s honestly a toss-up between the two favorites. Cody Rhodes won last year and needs to finish his story, and the only way he can do that is by winning the Rumble. But, despite all this, it’s probably going to be CM Punk outlasting everyone, hopefully setting up a match with Gunther in the process. It’s going to be a win for Punk, but it’s going to be close.
PREDICTION: CM Punk
What do you think will happen at the Royal Rumble? Let us know in the comments section below! Don’t forget to follow myself and Vendetta Sports Media on all your favorite social media platforms.
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