Tossing Salt Presents:
2024 WWE Royal Rumble
Thoughts & Predictions
DougMaynard.com
Doug Maynard

Coming up on Saturday night, live on the WWE Network and Peacock, the Road to Wrestlemania officially begins at The Royal Rumble. Only four matches have been announced as of this writing, early Friday morning, and I expect that one or two matches may be added to the live edition of Smackdown on Friday night on Fox. If matches are added, I’ll come back and address the additions to this epic PLE.

But that being said, let’s address the here and now that means it’s prediction time. For the two Rumble matches, I’ll not only say who I think will be winning the match, but I’ll also list who I think the Final Four participants will be, as well as three people for each match that I expect will be the surprise entrants. Yes, more bang for the buck. You’re welcome. So let’s get busy. It’s time to bust out the Crystal Ball and do this. Let’s roll.

WWE Women’s Royal Rumble Match.

There are so many top women in WWE right now and the possibilities are endless. I think WWE will go with the most obvious route and we’ll end up with Becky Lynch as the winner. I think it’s a no-brainer after the great back-and-forth promo between Becky and Rhea on RAW a few days ago. It’s too good a match for Mania to pass up. So Becky is the winner.

As for the guest appearances, I think Michelle McCool will show up as part of the match. Naomi, fresh off her run at TNA, will be there, and the biggest surprise, how about AJ Lee? As for the Final Four, it’ll be Becky Lynch, Bayley, Naomi, and Nia Jax.

Winner: Becky Lynch.

WWE Men’s Royal Rumble Match.

Which way will WWE go as we head into Wrestlemania? Are the rumors of Gunther being the man to go after Seth true? Will CM Punk get to finish his story and headline Mania? Will Cody finish the story and go after Roman for a Wrestlemania rematch? Will Drew complete his story and go after the title in front of a live crowd at Mania? It could go in so many directions and unlike many Rumbles of the past, there is no definite favorite or winner. I am truly loving this.

Let’s pick the surprises first. I was going to say Brock Lesnar, but after the news of the lawsuit against Vince McMahon for alleged sex trafficking, and Brock’s name coming up in the suit, I think that may cancel any chances of him being at the Rumble. So my surprises would be Matt Cardona, Chris Masters, and The World’s Most Dangerous Man, Ken Shamrock. For my Final Four, I’m picking CM Punk, Cody Rhodes, Gunther, and Drew McIntyre. And the winner is… Cody Rhodes.

WWE Universal Championship – Fatal 4-Way Match
Roman Reigns versus LA Knight versus AJ Styles versus Roman Reigns.

We seem to be looking at Roman versus The Rock at Wrestlemania to see who is the true Head of the Table and Tribal Chief. So will the WWE Unified Universal Championship be involved when that epic encounter happens? The best thing about this match is that Roman doesn’t have to lose to lose his belt.

So I’m saying that we’ll see a title switch. Randy wins the match and belt by beating AJ Styles. Then Randy and Roman can have a one-on-one title defense at the Elimination Chamber to calm the critics. After that, Roman goes on to fight The Rock at Mania, while Randy defends against Cody at the same event. It’s a win-win for all involved.

And in case you’re wondering, CM Punk wins the Elimination Chamber match to allow him to challenge Seth at Mania as well. And there you go and everyone is happy. Book it, Triple H.

Winner and NEW WWE Universal Unified Champion: Randy Orton

WWE United States Championship Match
Logan Paul versus Kevin Owens.

This will be an awesome match, but with news breaking today that Logan Paul has just signed a contract extension, he’s not losing that United States Championship anytime soon, or at least not until Mania, when he’ll hopefully defend against LA Knight. Wishful thinking? Who knows, but that’s for Mania. So far as the Rumble goes, I think we’ll see a great fight and they’ll try to steal the show. Logan wins and keeps the United States Championship.

Winner and STILL United States Champion: Logan Paul.

And there you go with my predictions for the Royal Rumble. So what do you think? Comments, thoughts, and any questions are welcome. What are your predictions? Let me know in the comments. If any more matches are added to the show tonight on Smackdown, I’ll be back and update this column. And with that, let’s wrap things up. Take care and be well, my friends. Watch out for foreign objects and I’ll see you at the Royal Rumble.

Ubuntu!