The Royal Rumble is suddenly less than 10 days away, and by the end of that pay-per-view, we’ll have at least a glimmer of an idea of what one of the main events for WrestleMania 33 will be. The two world title matches on the show will give us a pretty good idea of who might be holding those top championships heading into Mania, and the winner of the Royal Rumble match will challenge for one of those bad boys. Of course, there’s still the Elimination Chamber, and then Fastlane to get through, but still! We’ll have an idea! An idea, I tell you!
The heavy hitters in the Rumble match at the moment are Goldberg and Brock Lesnar, who have a thing going on; The Undertaker, who is getting all “This Used To Be My Playground” about both WrestleMania and the world title picture; Braun Strowman, who has undeniably become a force worth reckoning with; and then there’s the field.
When betting first opened for the Royal Rumble (and yes, betting on professional wrestling is absolutely a thing, and thank god for that), the Undertaker was the odds-on favorite. He remained the favorite for a few weeks, but on Thursday, those betting lines shifted a bit.
Here are the current leaders in terms of odds, from most likely to least likely among the top 10 odds-on favorites. (As always, there are long shots you can vote on if you want to just throw your money away, like 500-to-1 gambles on Hulk Hogan, or names like [Sideshow Bob grumble] Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton. But that’s the opposite of important.) As of right now, the oddsmakers like Braun Strowman to win the Rumble, although Undertaker is still very much in the running.
The current odds as of Thursday night, according to Sky Bet:
Braun Strowman (5/2)
The Undertaker (11/4)
Randy Orton (7/2)
Finn Balor (9/2)
Samoa Joe (11/2)
Chris Jericho (11/1)
Goldberg (14/1)
Seth Rollins (14/1)
John Cena (16/1)
Brock Lesnar (16/1)
Please note that Finn Bálor, who has the fourth-best odds, is not supposed to be ready to compete at the time of the Rumble. Also notable is Samoa Joe, with the fifth-best odds to win the whole damn shebang on what would be his main roster debut. That would certainly be interesting!
As always, since you can find a bookie to take your money under any circumstances, there are lots of fun prop bets, and Strowman is also the overwhelming favorite to have the most eliminations in the match. That’s a safe-ass bet, right there.
Yes, we’re aware that these odds show John Cena — a man who is scheduled to have a world title match at the Rumble, but is not scheduled to be in the Royal Rumble match — to have the same odds of winning the Royal Rumble match as Brock Lesnar, who was one of the first two people to declare for the match. Maybe Cena will win the world title AND the Royal Rumble? Will he face himself at WrestleMania? FINALLY A WORTHY OPPONENT.
Anyway, the odds generally shift drastically in the final days (and sometimes hours) before the event, so there could be a huge, late swing in any direction. But 10 days before the show, Braun Strowman is your betting favorite. Please be careful with your money, everyone.
