WWE’s Royal Rumble 2025 is just weeks away, and wrestlers have been adding their names to the Men’s Royal Rumble match. Who could come out on top with veterans and new talent in the mix?
John Cena, CM Punk, Drew McIntyre, Roman Reigns, Seth Rollins, Rey Mysterio, Jey Uso and LA Knight announced they would be part of this year’s WWE Men’s Royal Rumble.
The Royal Rumble PLE has always been known to have surprise returns, which does shake things up. The same could happen this year with stars coming out of nowhere at the last moment.
With Cena’s retirement tour starting at The Royal Rumble, he seems like the best candidate to win. He expressed his desire to break Ric Flair’s record for most WWE Championship wins on the RAW Netflix debut show.
As a fan favourite going into The Royal Rumble, all eyes will be on Cena. He gets to challenge Cody Rhodes or Gunther for the WWE title if he wins.
While Cena is a great pick to win, we don’t think his journey to winning the WWE World Heavyweight or Undisputed title will come that easily. He may survive until the last five or three before getting eliminated.
Roman Reigns
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After winning the Ula Fala and regaining his title of The Tribal Chief of The Bloodline, Reigns has a new target. As Paul Heyman told Rhodes on SmackDown, Reigns wants his title back.
If Reigns wins the Men’s Royal Rumble, fans will get Reigns vs Rhodes II at WrestleMania 41. While this could happen, it seems too quick.
Reigns facing Rhodes for the title would be a huge draw for WrestleMania 41, but a bigger one would be The Rock vs Reigns. While it would seem odd for The Rock to face Reigns after bestowing the Ula Fala on him, it could still happen.
CM Punk
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Punk’s plans of main eventing WrestleMania were put on hold last year due to his injury. While it led to a year-long feud with McIntyre, this could be Punk’s year.
However, Punk will have to deal with Rollins and McIntyre at the Rumble. Many fans want Punk to have his WrestleMania moment, but these two stars could be an issue.
Moreover, Punk has a mystery favour with Heyman, which has yet to be revealed. This could be Punk’s one-way ticket to WrestleMania 41, even if he loses the Rumble match.
The Rock
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While this could be a stretch, entering at number 30 would give The Rock a major advantage over the other stars. The whole storyline for The Rock and his involvement with WWE has been convoluted.
He returned at Bad Blood to tease his feud with either Rhodes or Reigns. Following that, he arrived on the Netflix debut to give Rhodes his flowers as a babyface and personally put the Ula Fala on Reigns.
The next night, he behaved like The Final Boss on NXT and claimed he was taking everyone on a ride. This left fans confused but hopeful that he could be at WrestleMania 41.
Randy Orton
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On the November 8, 2024, episode of SmackDown, Kevin Owens took Randy Orton out with a banned Piledriver. While this was a kayfabe injury, he has not been seen since.
Returning at the Rumble would cause a major pop and would fit his storyline. Since his return at Survivor Series: WarGames 2023, he’s been eyeing a title belt.
Being part of the Men’s Royal Rumble would also give Orton a chance to face Cena. This is a showdown fans have been waiting for.