WWE Royal Rumble 2017 Betting Preview: Which Superstar is the latest favourite to win?
30 Superstars from Raw and SmackDown LIVE will fight it out in the famous Royal Rumble Match on Sunday, January 29th. The winner of the 30th Royal Rumble will earn a World Championship title shot in the main event at Wrestlemania come April.
21 names have already been announced for the gigantic battle and thanks to Oddschecker, we can give you an overview of the favourites to win this year’s main event, plus a couple of wrestlers to keep an eye on.
Superstar: Goldberg
Best Odds: 3/1
Worst Odds: 2/1
Chance of winning according to the odds: 25%
Bill Goldberg has been installed as the favourite to win the Royal Rumble. The WCW legend is making only his second appearance in the Rumble, his first coming back in 2004. There remained an uncertainty whether Goldberg would actually take part in the main event, however, once his inclusion was confirmed his odds of winning shortened dramatically. He remained a 16/1 shot to win the Rumble until the announcement but bookmakers have since slashed his odds to as short as 2/1.
Betting Pattern
Since Saturday morning Goldberg has been the most popular pick with punters, accounting for just under 15% of all bets placed on the Royal Rumble via Oddschecker. However, looking at the bets placed since the last Rumble, he commands just 8.6%. The most notable Goldberg bet via Oddschecker is a £40 bet on him to win at 16/1 placed on the 16th January.
If you’re split between backing Goldberg or the Undertaker, one bookmaker is offering either of them to win at a massive 10/1.
Superstar: Braun Strowman
Best Odds: 4/1
Worst Odds: 11/4
Chance of winning according to the odds: 20%
The former strongman was a 33/1 shot for the Royal Rumble at the end of December but his chances of winning have gained momentum during 2017. Strowman made his name as part of the Wyatt family but started to forge his own name in WWE in the latter stages of 2016. He was named 2/1 favourite for the Royal Rumble on the 13th January, but since then his odds have slowly drifted to 4/1.
Betting Pattern
Since last Friday Strowman has been the second most popular Superstar with Oddschecker users, accounting for 10.5% of the bets placed on the market. However, since the market first opened 5.5% of bets placed on the market have been on the former strongman. Given Strowman’s background, it’s no surprise that he’s 4/7 favourite to record the most eliminations.
Superstar: The Undertaker
Best Odds: 4/1
Worst Odds: 5/2
Chance of winning according to the odds: 20%
The next few bouts for The Undertaker have created various rumours among WWE fans, with many believing he won’t be wrestling for a title shot at Wrestlemania. Despite the rumours, the WWE legend remains among the favourites for the Royal Rumble. Way back in June “The Phenom” was a 40/1 shot to win the Rumble in January, however, his odds shortened as 2016 came to a close. Undertaker was as short as 8/11 on the 10th January but has since drifted to 4/1 with other Superstars being backed for the main event.
Betting Pattern
The Undertaker has been the most popular Superstar with Oddschecker users. 16.6% of bets and 25.5% of stakes have been placed on him since the market opened. One wise bettor snatched the 16/1 price tag available with one bookie on the 28th January, they managed to place £50 at this price. Another punter wasn’t so shrewd, they placed £100 on Undertaker on the 10th January but only got odds of 5/4.
Remember one bookmaker is offering either Goldberg or Undertaker to win at a massive 10/1.
Superstar: Randy Orton
Best Odds: 5/1
Worst Odds: 4/1
Chance of winning according to the odds: 17%
Randy Orton was 66/1 to win the Royal Rumble in the early stages of the market back in July, however, like many of the favourites, he gathered momentum in the latter stages of 2016. Orton’s current friction with Harper and Wyatt will hamper his chances of winning the Royal Rumble. Many believe the future Hall of Famer will have too many distractions to be victorious and this reflects in his odds. Normally he’d be one of the short priced front runners but his odds are drifting and he’s currently 5/1.
Betting Pattern
The Oddschecker users have steered away from backing the master of the RKO, with only 3.6% of bets placed being on Orton.
Superstar: Finn Balor
Best Odds: 6/1
Worst Odds: 9/2
Chance of winning according to the odds: 14%
Finn Balor hasn’t been announced to take part in the Royal Rumble but many WWE experts are expecting him to return from injury in time for the main event. It’s been five months since his injury, which was expected to keep him out of action for four to six months. “The Demon King” is expected to be back for Wrestlemania, which makes a Royal Rumble return a perfect fit. When asked on twitter for odds on a Royal Rumble entrance the man himself quoted odds of 30/1, however, bookmakers are seeing it very differently.
The Superstar drifted to a massive 50/1 back in September but came into 2/1 in mid-December despite being out injured. In 2017 the odds have remained around the 6/1 mark.
Betting Pattern
Oddschecker users are expecting Balor to make his return to action at the Royal Rumble, 10.5% of bets have been placed on him to win, which makes him the second most backed Superstar.
Other Notable Superstars:
Superstar: Chris Jericho
Best Odds: 12/1
Worst Odds: 7/1
Chance of winning according to the odds: 8%
Jericho has been the fifth most popular pick with Oddschecker users. The WWE legend was a massive 50/1 back in October but shortened to 3/1 in mid-December.
Superstar: Samoa Joe
Best Odds: 6/1
Worst Odds: 9/2
Chance of winning according to the odds: 14%
The NXT star was 33/1 just a week ago to win the Royal Rumble but has since his odds shorten to as short as 9/2. Long-term punters could have backed Samoa Joe at 125/1 back in October.
Superstar: Baron Corbin
Best Odds: 25/1
Worst Odds: 16/1
Chance of winning according to the odds: 4%
The cocky SmackDown star is among the favourites to have the most eliminations at 4/1 but still remains an outsider for the Royal Rumble at 25/1. In late November Baron Corbin was a 150/1 shot to win, he shorted to 12/1 in early January before his drift in the last week.