The most exciting time on the pro wrestling calendar is here. The Royal Rumble will take place on Saturday at the Alamodome in San Antonio, officially kicking off the road to WrestleMania in April.
The men’s and women’s Royal Rumble matches themselves are the most anticipated events of the year, always full of surprise entrants and performances from Nos. 1 through 30.
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In the spirit of the season, we decided to have fun and make prop betting odds on some of the possibilities and unique quirks that come along with this match.
Number of non-wrestlers in the men’s Rumble match: Over/under 1.5
Last year’s event saw Johnny Knoxville and Bad Bunny participate in the match. The possibilities this year could include those two again, along with Pat McAfee and Logan Paul (or maybe others). At the time of publication, only 16 of 30 men’s Rumble entrants have been announced, leaving open a lot of possibilities.
Pat McAfee to return in the men’s Rumble
Yes (-250)
No (+250)
McAfee left the WWE commentary desk in the fall as he joined ESPN’s College GameDay, announcing he planned to return after the year. The college football season is over, and McAfee has yet to come back. The Rumble would be a perfect spot to make a big splash return and start a storyline for WrestleMania.
Stone Cold Steve Austin to win the men’s Rumble
Yes (+750)
No (-5000)
Recent rumors have linked him to potential big matches at WrestleMania, after last year’s return and “spontaneous” match with Kevin Owens. The markets have swung heavily toward Austin’s chances of winning in recent days. The uncertainty of an appearance makes this a difficult market to set.
The Rock to win the men’s Rumble
Yes (+500)
No (-3000)
Dwayne Johnson is the cousin of current champion Roman Reigns (real name Joe Anoa’i), and the two have teased a potential match for years. This year’s WrestleMania is in Los Angeles, and this felt like a natural main event to pencil in for a long time. But there has not been much recent news on The Rock’s plans, making this hard to peg as well. If he shows up, he’s almost certainly going to win.
Will someone eliminate 10 wrestlers in either Rumble?
Yes (+600)
No (-600)
There have been just five instances of a wrestler eliminating double-digit opponents in a normal Rumble (excluding the 2018 Saudi Arabia event). The most recent was Brock Lesnar with 13 in 2020.
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Will someone last one hour in either Rumble?
Yes (+400)
No (-400)
There have similarly been just six instances of someone lasting one hour in a normal Rumble match, most recently Chris Jericho in 2017. But Edge and Randy Orton lasted 58:30 in 2021, and Bianca Belair lasted 56:49 in the women’s Rumble that same year.
How many members of The Bloodline will be in the men’s Rumble? Over/under 2.5
The most dominant stable in pro wrestling, The Bloodline has been the hottest story in the business for well over a year, led by Reigns and his family members. The winner of this match will face Reigns at WrestleMania, so it’d make sense in storyline for a Bloodline member to try to win and protect Reigns’, well, reign. The Usos (Reigns’ cousins) don’t have a scheduled match as tag team champions, opening up their possibility to appear. The same goes for their brother Solo Sikoa. Sami Zayn is supposed to have a “test” from Reigns on Saturday. Perhaps that test is to win the Rumble.
Bad Bunny to return in the men’s Rumble
Yes (-100)
No (+100)
The Puerto Rican recording artist has impressed in each of his WWE appearances, including a WrestleMania match in 2021 and Rumble appearance last year. Bad Bunny has said he plans to pull back on his schedule in 2023, but he’s not on tour right now…
Logan Paul to return in the men’s Rumble
Yes (+100)
No (-100)
The controversial social media star turned heads in his two WWE matches in 2022, but he reportedly tore his ACL, MCL and meniscus in a November match against Reigns in Saudi Arabia. How real that knee injury was is up for debate, since this is pro wrestling and you never know what to believe, and later reports indicated it was more minor. Rumors have linked Paul and John Cena to a potential WrestleMania match.
Will someone compete multiple times in one or both Rumble matches?
Yes (+600)
No (-600)
This has only happened twice, but the possibilities are fun. Mick Foley competed in the 1998 Rumble match as three different characters, and Nia Jax appeared in both the men’s and women’s Rumble matches in 2019. The potential here is for Rhea Ripley to appear in both matches, as she’s teased confrontations with men several times in recent weeks. Imagine if she wins the women’s Rumble and then tries to win the men’s match, too. We could also see Elias appear in the men’s Rumble, then shave his beard and return as Ezekiel, Elias’ younger brother.
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How many wrestlers will Rhea Ripley eliminate in the women’s Rumble? Over/under 7.5
The women’s record is eight, done by both Belair and Shayna Baszler in 2020. Ripley, the heavy 2023 favorite, eliminated seven competitors in 2021. She’s not officially in the match yet, but can she tie or break the record?
Will Kane return for the men’s Rumble?
Kane’s 20 Rumble appearances are a WWE record. He made a brief appearance in 2021 and did not appear last year.
Yes (+400)
No (-400)
How many different sets of pyro will Cody Rhodes get? Over/under 2.5
Before he was sidelined with a pectoral injury last summer, Rhodes’ elaborate entrances became an in-joke, with a ridiculous amount of fireworks pyro. He will be in the men’s Rumble and he’s the favorite to win. He had three different sets of pyro for TV entrances before the injury, but he may not get the flares while he’s in the ring. This number may depend on whether or not he wins the match.
Sasha Banks or Naomi to return in the women’s Rumble
Yes (-150)
No (+150)
Ever since Banks and Naomi’s high-profile walkout from WWE last May as tag team champions, fans have wondered when they’d return. Banks recently showed up in New Japan Pro Wrestling as Mercedes Moné, and she has a scheduled NJPW match in February. She’s also been moved to WWE’s alumni page on its website. Naomi, however, has not returned to wrestling yet and remains listed on the current roster. She seems much more likely to make a return than Banks.
(Photo of Dwayne Johnson: Greg Doherty / Getty Images)
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