Outside of WrestleMania, no other WWE event is as storied as Royal Rumble. Therefore, we’re making very early predictions on the 2023 Rumble winners — both on the men’s and women’s sides. Keep reading if you want to cash in come January 28.
2023 Men’s Royal Rumble Pick
Roman Reigns holds both WWE championships and it seems that will remain the case until WrestleMania 39. But who is he facing on the WrestleMania card? That’s as much the question here as who wins the 2023 men’s Royal Rumble (no choice between brands this year as Reigns is the undisputed title-holder). Here are the top favorites to win, per the best entertainment-based betting sites:
| Wrestler |  |  |
|---|---|---|
| Cody Rhodes | -125 | -125 |
| The Rock | +400 | +400 |
| Roman Reigns | +650 | +650 |
| Drew McIntyre | +1000 | +1000 |
| Seth Rollins | +1000 | +1000 |
| Matt Riddle | +1200 | +1200 |
| Brock Lesnar | +1400 | +1400 |
As you can see above, Cody Rhodes and The Rock are far and away the betting favorites, the third-best line is Reigns himself (in case he drops the belts before January, which we strongly doubt). Both those matchups — Reigns vs his cousin Rock and Rhodes vs. Reigns — have been heavily rumored over the past several months.
Both would be a box-office success, but let’s not kid ourselves, The Rock returning (for a potential career-ending match as he is 49 years old now) is the much bigger business draw. WWE brass would prefer that. Reigns likely would too in order to increase his own star power. But the literal million-dollar question is does Rock want to? Or more specifically, would his busy schedule allow it?
The man is the world’s most popular movie star. And a fledgling entrepreneur. And in April — when WrestleMania is scheduled — a co-owner of the resurrected XFL (which he bought from Vince McMahon). On paper, there are certainly a ton of roadblocks stopping Rock from headlining the show in Los Angeles.
If he’s a no-go, then one would think Rhodes is Plan B for the new head of creative, Triple H, so long as he’s healthy. Rhodes is recovering from a brutal pec tear but reports suggest he could be back by the start of 2023, which just so happens to line up with the Royal Rumble. Rhodes is the biggest face of the company, which makes a showdown with super-hot heel Reigns all the more imaginable.
We’re going to go out on a limb here and pick Rock as the underdog. If he’s ever going to make one last run in the WWE, this is the time. He’s not getting any younger, plus this is the perfect scenario — against his own blood and in media capital LA, where he lives. Is it a risky bet given Rock’s busy lifestyle? Sure, but that's why the potential payday (+400) is so high too.
WWE Women’s Royal Rumble Pick
And then there’s the women’s match, which as you can tell from the underneath table, is much more wide-open. Seven different women’s wrestlers have betting lines under +1000 to win the Royal Rumble — as compared to three for the men. Here’s a look at the top betting contenders:
| Wrestler | | |
|---|---|---|
| Becky Lynch | +250 | +250 |
| Rhea Ripley | +425 | +425 |
| Bayley | +425 | +425 |
| Charlotte Flair | +600 | +600 |
| Alexa Bliss | +850 | +850 |
| Raquel Gonzalez | +850 | +850 |
| Sasha Banks | +1000 | +1000 |
| Liv Morgan | +1200 | +1200 |
| Ronda Rousey | +1600 | +1600 |
Honestly, making more than one bet might be a smart betting strategy here. The current odds lend themselves to this approach. We mean, the odds-on favorite to win is +250 so that leaves cushion for bettors to add another wager. This is exactly what we’re doing, in fact.
Our first bet is going on "The Man" Becky Lynch. Like the men’s betting favorite, she too is injured at the moment after separating her shoulder at SummerSlam. The timeline for her return has been kept under wraps, but historically, surprise returns from injury have been big hits at Royal Rumble — Triple H in 2002 and John Cena in 2008 both come to mind.
Even if Lynch's injury heals sooner, she’s still a prime candidate to win out. She’s returning as a face — the same position where she was once the number-one most popular star in the company, male or female. If Triple H wants her back to that level, a win at the Rumble would be a good starting point.
But hey, speaking of returns, Sasha Banks also falls into this category. Most expect her and Naomi back after “walking out” on the company in May. What we really love about Banks here is her long +1000 price. That’s awfully high for a wrestler with her star power and one that has surprise value right now — two winning combinations for a Rumble winner. Bank on Banks to win (pun fully intended)!
How To Bet On WWE?
With multiple weekly shows and almost monthly “premium live events” (formerly called pay-per-views), WWE is actually a great “sport” to bet on regularly — despite the outcomes being fixed behind the scenes. To get in on all the WWE betting action, whether it’s on the Royal Rumble or a normal RAW event, hit one of the betting sites we’ve listed in the table below.
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