Royal Rumble Sports Betting Preview & Prediction (2021)
One good thing that came out of the COVID-19 pandemic was it got a fan who grew up during the glorious “Attitude Era†back into WWE.
Last March, when sports were essentially shut down, I quickly became desperate for any type of sports entertainment. I could only watch so much Netflix. So I turned to the WWE and watched their two-part WrestleMania 36 event, mainly to see what ultimately became the Undertaker’s final “match.â€
It’s been at least 10 years since I’ve watched wrestling regularly, but I have to say the current product is still pretty solid. It’s been excellent as we lead up to arguably my favorite Pay Per View event of the year, the Royal Rumble.
The men’s Royal Rumble match is wide open, and that’s always exciting. In comparison, the woman’s Royal Rumble has one clear front runner. Here’s a breakdown of who I have my eye on as WrestleMania season gets underway.
All odds are from Bovada.
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Men’s Royal Rumble Betting Breakdown
The Favorites
While there’s no clear favorite to win the 2021 Royal Rumble, there are three contenders who stand out amongst the crowd.
The first is Daniel Bryan, who is the current betting favorite at +125 to win the Rumble. Bryan has held the WWE Championship belt four times during his storied career, but he’s never won the Royal Rumble. However, he does hold the record for the longest time spent in a single Royal Rumble, lasting 76 minutes before finishing third in the 2018 Greatest Royal Rumble.
Rumors are swirling that Bryan, who retired in 2015 for medical reasons, might be calling it quits for good soon. If that’s the case, WWE may want to give him one final title run before he hangs it up. He remains a huge fan favorite and would be the perfect hero to feud against Smackdown’s Universal Champion, Roman Reigns, who has gone on a dominant run since returning to WWE at Summerslam.
The other two favorites are powerhouse performers who are also up-and-comers. Monday Night RAW’s Keith Lee is listed at +400 to win the Rumble, while Smackdown’s Big E is +750 to win the event.
Lee has taken the WWE by storm since debuting on RAW in late August. At 6-foot-2, 340 pounds, Lee is an athletic marvel displaying incredible power with even more impressive grace. He began his career by defeating Randy Orton by pinfall in his second career WWE match. His best match so far came in a loss to WWE Champion Drew McIntyre earlier in January.
Lee has proven he can compete with the very best, but it might be too early for him to be in WrestleMania’s main event. Ultimately, I expect Lee to put on a show and at least flirt with the record for most eliminations in a Rumble match.
Big E is an interesting case as well. He’s been in the WWE since 2012, but this is his first real run as a solo competitor. After six years as a member of “The New Day,†Big E was separated from his tag teammates during the WWE Draft in October.
Big E’s stock has only gone up since then. He won the Intercontinental Championship over Sami Zayn on a Christmas Day episode of Smackdown and has performed well on his own. And unlike Bryan, Big E has the size to stand up to the imposing Roman Reigns.
For weeks, I considered Big E to be the favorite to win the Royal Rumble. However, the fact that he still has the Intercontinental Championship across his waist concerns me. I have a hard time seeing Big E winning the rumble, then losing his Intercontinental title before setting up a feud with the best wrestler in the business right now.
The Longer Shots
Brock Lesnar actually has the third-best odds at +700. The only problem is he hasn’t been with the company since last WrestleMania when he lost the WWE Championship to Drew McIntyre. Lesnar put on a show in last year’s Rumble and tied the event record with 13 eliminations. If he’s in it, he has a great chance at dominating. But I wouldn’t recommend putting money down on someone as erratic as Lesnar.
Edge is also a really intriguing option at +1,000 odds. Many fans will remember “The Rated-R Superstar†made his shocking return to the ring after a nine-year absence in last year’s Royal Rumble. That appearance set off a wonderful feud with Orton. However, Edge’s comeback was halted after he tore his triceps in his third match with Orton at Backlash in June.
Edge confirmed on the January 25th episode of RAW that he will be returning for the Royal Rumble. However, will Edge go straight from on the DL to main eventing WrestleMania? And what about his feud with Orton that was put on pause?
Shinsuke Nakamura has enjoyed a recent resurgence and is now listed at +1,200 to win his second career Royal Rumble. Nakamura caught everyone’s attention a couple of weeks ago when he beat Bryan, King Corbin, and Rey Mysterio in a Gauntlet match before ultimately losing due to interference from Reigns. While he’s someone to watch in the next few months, I don’t expect him to vault into a WrestleMania feud with Reigns.
If there’s ever a year for The Rock to make a return to the ring, it’s this year. His +3,300 odds suggest that it’s a long shot, but not impossible.
Even if it’s just a three-month program, a feud between Reigns and the Brahma Bull would be epic. It would allow Reigns to truly validate himself as “The Tribal Chief.†And selfishly, it would give us one of the most exciting WrestleMania main events ever. Just imagine the work those two could do on the microphone!
Unfortunately, I don’t see what The Rock would gain out of a comeback. He’s already an industry immortal, not to mention one of the richest movie stars in the world. But maybe there’s a part of him who wants to go out in epic fashion. The last time Rock was in the ring, he defeated Erick Rowan in six seconds at WrestleMania 32. That’s not exactly epic.
In sports betting, we make picks with our brains, not our hearts. So as much as I would love to see The Rock return, I can’t recommend taking anything more than a small flyer on him, especially with no live crowd attending this year’s Rumble.
Men’s Royal Rumble Best Bet
Daniel Bryan +125 and Edge +1,000
Storylines are what matter most in WWE. Other than The Rock’s return, there wouldn’t be a better WrestleMania storyline than Daniel Bryan vs. Roman Reigns, especially if the end is near for Bryan.
Now that we know Edge will participate in the Royal Rumble, I feel much better recommending him as a value play. An Edge vs. McIntyre WrestleMania match would be awesome, and I’m willing to take a shot on it happening at 10/1 odds.
Women’s Royal Rumble Best Bets
Bianca Belair +180 and Charlotte Flair +1,200
It’s obvious that Bianca Belair will be the next women’s superstar in WWE. Not only is she an incredibly gifted athlete, but she’s also been one of the most hyped-up superstars since switching from RAW to Smackdown in October’s draft. She seems destined to win the Royal Rumble, then begin a feud with Sasha Banks that ends with Belair holding the Smackdown Women’s Championship over her head at WrestleMania.
However, if you’re looking for more value, there’s no better bet on the board than Flair. She’s practically always in the women’s title picture. Plus, WWE is hinting at a possible feud with RAW Women’s Champion Asuka after she and Flair won the RAW Women’s Tag Team Titles at Hell in a Cell last month. She’s worth a shot at these crazy odds.
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Matt Barbato is a featured writer for BettingPros. For more from Matt, check out his archive and follow him on @RealMattBarbato.