The 2016 Royal Rumble is still more than a month away — hell, it’s not even 2016 yet — but predictions on who’ll walk away the winner are already starting to surface. That includes the international gambling community, who have not yet figured out that betting on pro wrestling is like betting on the outcome of an episode of NCIS, even if it looks like sports.
Sky Bet recently posted their odds for the 30-man Royal Rumble match, which you can see below. We need to talk about them.
Okay, so.
– They’re really giving Dean Ambrose a lot here with 4/1 odds. That’s the same they’re giving to Triple H, one of the people commonly tossed around on the Internet as a potential winner, and John Cena, perpetual everything winner.
– The way the Rumble is set up and with only one WWE World Heavyweight Championship, there should be, like, two Superstars with 1/1 odds, maybe two more at 4/1, and everyone else at 1000/1. I love Rusev, but how does he get 8/1 odds? Winning the Rumble essentially means you’re the challenging half of the WWE title match. Is there an imaginable scenario where they push Rusev to the moon in the Royal Rumble and have him challenge in the main-event of WrestleMania 32? What about Ryback at 12/1? If Ryback spends more than five minutes in the match, they should give you $100.
– They’re also really optimistic with the returns. Daniel Bryan is set at 7/1, but Cesaro’s in there at 10/1. Randy Orton won’t compete for another six months (if ever) and he’s got better odds to win than Sheamus or Big Show. Seth Rollins could barely get to a Slammy lectern a week and a half ago and they’ve got him at 33/1. That’s the same odds of winning as King Barrett. Okay, that’s probably accurate, but still.
– Stone Cold Steve Austin, who has given no indication that he’ll return at the Rumble or wrestle at WrestleMania and has repeatedly said he’s not jonesing for a return match, has 25/1 odds to win. That’s better odds than Big Show, who had a Raw segment built around him being the first person to announce he’s entering the match. The Rock, Kurt Angle and The Undertaker all have better odds for winning than anyone in The New Day.
– Speaking of New Day, Kofi and Big E both have odds, but Xavier Woods doesn’t. They’ve given Shane McMahon odds to win, but not Woods. Not that Woods has a shot in hell, mind you, but he’s got a 100% better chance of actually being in the match.
– Alex Riley has 80/1 odds. I could throw up in a Wendy’s bag and it’d have a better chance of winning the Royal Rumble than Alex Riley.
What’s the smart bet here? It’s a long shot, but I’d throw a few bucks on Vince McMahon. Vince has been a big focus of the show the past few weeks, they love ridiculously disappointing Royal Rumble finishes, and 100/1 could pay off big. Especially when they’re giving Fernando of Los Matadores the same odds.
