4 wild predictions for WWE Royal Rumble 2024
On Saturday, January 27th, WWE will present the Royal Rumble, kickstarting the road to WrestleMania 40.
The two marquee matches will see 30 men and 30 women looking to book their ticket to 'Mania, where they will compete for a title of their choosing.
While there are many aspects of the show that fans feel are a certainty to take place, we will look at four wild predictions for the 2024 Royal Rumble Premium Live Event.
#4 - AEW's scumbag jumps ship
Hailed as the bidding war of 2024, the former AEW Champion MJF has long teased his departure from the company where he made his name, with him potentially leaving for WWE.
Many feel he is set to stay in All Elite Wrestling even after losing his world title recently. Given the various big names who have left AEW for WWE, do not be surprised if he shows up in Florida this month.
During a recent interview with Sports Illustrated, Max was asked if he thinks his character would be changed if he moved to WWE:
"I just don't know how the f*** you put a leash on me. And I swear to God that's my honest opinion... I don't know, I don't think anybody can hold me back from being the monster that I am. I think my career trajectory in any company is going to be exactly the same." (H/T ITRWrestling)
#3 - The Great One attacks The Head of The Table
At RAW: Day 1 on January 1st last week, fans were stunned as The Rock made his shock return to WWE.
The closing line of his promo saw him send a verbal warning to his cousin and head of the table, Roman Reigns. The Great One finally seemed to begin the build to their long-awaited match.
While he is not booked on the show in Florida, fans may see Rocky attack Roman post-match or during his fatal four-way showdown against AJ Styles, Randy Orton, and LA Knight.
#2 - The American Nightmare gets added to the mix
One person who would have a lot to say about The Rock facing off against Roman for the Undisputed WWE Universal title in Philadelphia on April 7th would be the man many feel is destined to beat Reigns, Cody Rhodes.
The American Nightmare came within inches of beating Reigns in the main event of WrestleMania last year. The Tribal Chief used underhanded tactics to come away with the win.
Now, almost a year removed from their match, fans are still desperate for Cody Rhodes to finish the story and win the world title for himself and his late father, Dusty.
One person who feels that both Cody and Rock can be in the main event against Roman is the WWE Hall of Famer Bully Ray (a.k.a Bubba Ray Dudley). He recently pitched how the triple threat would come to fruition while speaking on Busted Open Radio:
"Roman goes over at the Rumble. Cody wins the Rumble. Now we get to Elimination Chamber. Rock vs. Roman at Elimination Chamber...Rock wins. Rock is your Universal Champion. At the moment, it's Cody and The Rock at WrestleMania. The 'Monday Night Raw' after Elimination Chamber, Cody cuts a promo on The Rock. The 'SmackDown' after Elimination Chamber, Roman and Rock are face to face, with Roman invoking his 30-day clause immediately, for his rematch...so Roman now wants his shot at WrestleMania, against Rocky. Cody comes out. 'Don't forget about me, I won the Rumble.' Aldis comes out. Somehow Aldis...they try to make the match, maybe this is where you introduce Hunter as the ruler, the big head, big GM. The match becomes Cody vs. Roman vs. The Rock at WrestleMania." (H/T Wrestling Inc)
#1 - The Boss returns to WWE
One performer fans feel she is destined to return and be the main event star she was born to be is Mercedes Mone (a.k.a Sasha Banks).
The former RAW and SmackDown Women's Champion has been performing outside of WWE over the past year, where she made a huge impact in New Japan Pro Wrestling. However, with her pro wrestling career seemingly in limbo at the moment as fans await her next move, many are hoping that she will return to the place where she made her name.
Speaking on his Keeping it 100 show, pro wrestling legend Konnan stated that Mone will eventually return to WWE:
"She's a big megastar, looks professional, has worked on 'The Mandalorian,' ... she's from their system. I said this a couple of months ago, and I'm going to repeat it again — everybody comes back to WWE." (H/T SEScoops)
Although she has main-evented WrestleMania in the past, one major moment missing from her resume is winning the Royal Rumble match. She could finally achieve this goal if she were to return to WWE on January 27th.