The “Road to WrestleMania 33 ” is about to begin, and everything will truly get started at the Royal Rumble on Sunday. The winner of the 30-superstar over-the-top-rope match will go on to main event the big pay-per-view (PPV) in April, but much more is going to get started. This weekend is when WWE will set the plans in motion, and there are already a number of matches which are rumored.
With two months to go until WrestleMania 33 , there are a lot of things that could happen such as injuries or even just WWE wanting to change plans. Let’s not forget that there are two more PPVs coming with Elimination Chamber for SmackDown Live in February and Fastlane for Monday Night Raw in March.
If things go as WWE currently has planned, here are five of the top rumored WrestleMania 33 matches that could come out of Sunday’s Royal Rumble .
Goldberg vs. Brock Lesnar
Ever since Goldberg returned to WWE in October, this one has been in the works and planned by WWE. Once it was known that Goldberg would be sticking around past Survivor Series , the company realized that their WrestleMania 33 match was going to happen.
The Wrestling Observer , by way of WrestleZone , reports that this match is still going to be one of the headliners for the PPV.
Shaquille O’Neal vs. Big Show
Last year at WrestleMania 32 , NBA legend Shaq got involved in a battle royal and had a showdown with Big Show which led to a lot of speculation a year early. In August, CBS Sports reported that both big men agreed to the match and were ready for it to happen. Big Show said he didn’t have a lot of time left in the ring, so he’d “rather have some fun” with Shaq.
Big Show looks to be in the best shape of his life as he has been training extremely hard and wants to put on a good show with Shaq. The Sun reports that Shaq is gearing up for the match too, and it makes sense for WWE as the event takes place in O’Neal’s original NBA home of Orlando.
Shaq may very well show up as a surprise entrant and take one of the eight remaining spots left open for the Rumble .
Shane McMahon vs. AJ Styles
Forbes reported that AJ Styles is likely going to have one of the bigger matches at WrestleMania 33, and it will be against Shane McMahon. Even if he doesn’t lose the WWE Championship at the Royal Rumble , Styles is not expected to go into April with the belt around his waist.
As reported by Inquisitr , the early stages of this feud were put in place this week on “Talking Smack.” AJ Styles had issues with being placed so far back on the Royal Rumble poster, and he blamed Shane-O-Mac for playing favorites with John Cena.
WWE Championship: Randy Orton (c) vs. Bray Wyatt
This latest match is a very interesting one, and it has just become a rumor in the last day or two. Cageside Seats is reporting that Randy Orton could very well win the Royal Rumble and take the main event spot at WrestleMania 33 to compete for the WWE Championship, which will be held by Bray Wyatt.
Now, for this to happen, it would mean that Bray Wyatt would have to win the WWE Championship before WrestleMania 33 comes along. According to the rumor reports, he will capture his first major singles title at the Elimination Chamber in February.
John Cena vs. Samoa Joe
With Vince McMahon reportedly scrapping all WrestleMania plans for The Undertaker for this year, it looks like his match against John Cena is off. If that is the case, Cena will need a major match at the biggest PPV of the year, and that feud could also be Samoa Joe’s first big program on the main roster.
Sports Keeda has reported that Samoa Joe will make his main roster debut at the Royal Rumble , and that will lead to the feud with Cena. While Joe would have some other bouts in the coming months, his first major WWE match being against John Cena is huge for him going forward.
Roman Reigns, The Undertaker, and countless others will have matches as well, but not all of the plans are in place yet. Triple H vs. Seth Rollins and a big Raw women’s tag team match are also rumored, but the Royal Rumble is rumored to get all these feuds rolling and started.
The Royal Rumble is always one of the best PPVs of the year as anything could happen, and this year is easily one of the most unpredictable in a long time. Still, it will be Sunday that sees the wheels start rolling on WWE’s road to WrestleMania 33 . These rumored matches are very possible, and they are actually in the backstage plans, but with two months to go, so many things could change or go wrong or get scrapped.
[Featured Image by WWE]