The Royal Rumble is always unpredictable, but wrestling is predetermined, and most fans can usually figure things out. While that is usually the case, there are some years when it is much harder to try and predict things, and 2017 is one of them. WWE is constantly throwing curveballs for this event, and the betting odds are always changing with the most recent having a legend as the favorite.
Back in late November, Goldberg was the first man to officially declare as an entrant for the Royal Rumble , and he was instantly seen as the favorite. Then, Brock Lesnar entered, and he became a favorite at one point. After The Undertaker joined the match earlier this month, he immediately became the favorite, and now, he is once again.
BETWrestling , via Wrestling Inc. , has revealed the latest betting odds for the Royal Rumble, and The Undertaker is back in as the favorite. Goldberg and Braun Strowman, both previous favorites, are still very close to the top, but it is indeed the legend who is favored to take the main event slot at WrestleMania 33 in Orlando.
Looking at the odds, some of the names have not even been announced to be entrants in the Royal Rumble , but they’re still up there. For instance, Hulk Hogan is set at +25000 which means he is a big-time long shot , but if the Hulkster was a surprise entrant and won, you’d win a lot of money.
Here are the top 10 favorites to win the Royal Rumble as of Thursday afternoon.
- The Undertaker +200
- Goldberg +250
- Braun Strowman +350
- Randy Orton +400
- Finn Balor +500
- Samoa Joe +575
- Chris Jericho +1000
- Brock Lesnar +1000
- Sami Zayn +1700
- John Cena +1800
As you can see, Samoa Joe isn’t even in the Rumble, and Finn Balor is still recovering from an injury, but they are rumored to be in it. Some other interesting names are in the list of betting odds including Kurt Angle , Austin Aries, Bobby Roode, CM Punk, Conor McGregor, and even Shaquille O’Neal.
The list of entrants for the Royal Rumble has a number of holes in it still as there are eight open slots remaining. Here are all the wrestlers who have been officially announced.
Monday Night Raw
- Goldberg
- Brock Lesnar
- Big Show
- Sami Zayn
- Big E
- Xavier Woods
- Kofi Kingston
- Braun Strowman
- Chris Jericho
- Cesaro
- Sheamus
- Big Cass
- Rusev
SmackDown Live
- The Undertaker
- Dean Ambrose
- The Miz
- Dolph Ziggler
- Bray Wyatt
- Randy Orton
- Luke Harper
- Mojo Rawley
- Baron Corbin
As of this writing, this is the full list of all 22 entrants who have been officially confirmed for Sunday’s Royal Rumble match. That leaves eight open slots for other WWE main roster stars, surprise returns, or even some members of the NXT roster .
Things took a wild turn this week as WWE took one of the clear-cut favorites to win the Royal Rumble completely out of the match. As reported by the Inquisitr , Seth Rollins was replaced in this Sunday’s match by Sami Zayn after their bout on Monday Night Raw . It was thought that Rollins might have ended up winning the whole thing, but now, he isn’t even on the pay-per-view card.
Obviously, WWE is setting up a feud between him and Triple H, but this kind of move goes to show you that they want the Royal Rumble to be unpredictable. This has led to The Undertaker getting an extra push in the over-the-top-rope battle royal.
With just a few days remaining until the Royal Rumble , the betting odds are bound to change a few more times before being finalized. The Undertaker is a very worthy option as the favorite to win the main event spot at WrestleMania 33 , but does Vince McMahon want that? Goldberg, Brock Lesnar, Braun Strowman, and a handful of others could end up taking the whole thing, but no one will really know until Sunday night.
[Featured Image by WWE]