The road to WrestleMania 39 kicks off this Saturday, as the Royal Rumble presents a huge opportunity for WWE.
The Bloodline angle is the biggest storyline the company has going heading into the premium live event in San Antonio, so all eyes will be on who will challenge for the undisputed universal championship at WrestleMania 39 in Inglewood, Calif.
There also are three other matches on the card outside of the Royal Rumble matches. Bianca Belair will defend her Raw women’s championship against Alexa Bliss, and Roman Reigns will defend his world titles against Kevin Owens.
The most interesting match on the card is the “Mountain Dew Pitch Black” match between Bray Wyatt and LA Knight. The Uncle Howdy storyline is up there with The Bloodline as one that has captivated WWE fans, but it’s not known how this match will play out.
NESN.com’s Jason Ounpraseuth and Ricky Doyle offered their predictions for what’ll transpire this Saturday at Alamodome.
Men’s Royal Rumble winner:
Jason: Sami Zayn. Cody Rhodes is a favorite, but WWE already has announced his participation in the match and has made a concentrated effort to showcase Rhodes’ recovery from a torn pectoral. It would be too predictable for the former All Elite Wrestling star to win the Royal Rumble, which is why it feels more likely Rhodes comes close to winning but falls short to further build a comeback story. This is WWE’s chance to make a huge statement. Zayn was rarely seen as a big star by Vince McMahon, but he has grown to become a fan favorite in The Bloodline storyline. The time is this weekend to put the rocket on Zayn back’s and establish him as a main event star to show how different the company can be.
Ricky: Cody Rhodes. Predictable? Yes. But that’s never stopped WWE before. Sami Zayn should be the one to emerge victorious, as it would add another compelling layer to his involvement in The Bloodline storyline: Does he accept a title shot against Roman Reigns (or his former best friend Kevin Owens), or does he pledge allegiance to The Tribal Chief and relinquish the opportunity? But it certainly feels like WWE wants to build toward Rhodes fulfilling his destiny on the grandest stage of them all. And beyond Zayn and Rhodes, there aren’t many other viable candidates, unless WWE has a huge surprise up its sleeve.
Women’s Royal Rumble winner:
Jason: Rhea Ripley. WWE is at an odd place with its women’s division. Charlotte Flair, Ronda Rousey, Bayley and Becky Lynch remain the top stars, and Belair has built herself up to be at that level, but no other talent has come close to reaching top-tier status. Ripley has an opportunity to do that. WWE made a complete misstep in 2020 when Flair beat Ripley for the NXT Women’s Championship at WrestleMania 36 after the latter won the Royal Rumble that year. It completely halted Ripley’s momentum, but her involvement with The Judgment Day has done a solid job at rebuilding her. The 26-year-old is exactly the kind of young star WWE needs to build up and grant her the WrestleMania moment she should have had in 2020.
Ricky: Naomi. Ripley is the likely winner, for all the reasons Jason mentioned, but let’s go off the grid here and pick a superstar who’s been away from the company for months. This would be the perfect way to inject a fresh (but familiar and proven) face into the main-event picture. And let’s take things a step further and say this version of Naomi will look much different, as she’ll align with The Bloodline alongside her real-life husband Jimmy Uso.
Will Sami Zayn get involved in Reigns vs. Owens?
Jason: Yes. This match should be where the seeds of Zayn’s Royal Rumble win are planted. It would be a case where The Bloodline attempts to interfere in the match, but Zayn accidently goes against Reigns. It could set up a near fall for Owens to almost win the championship, but Reigns kicks out. He can give Zayn a dirty look as The Usos and Solo Sikoa admonish Zayn for his actions. Reigns beats Owens to retain the title, and there could be tension for the rest of the night until the Royal Rumble match.
Ricky: Yes. He has to, right? In some capacity. My guess is the “final test” for Zayn that Reigns teased Monday night on “RAW” has to do with the former winning the Royal Rumble match for The Bloodline, but it’s also possible he’ll be tasked with some chicanery here.
Will the “Pitch Black” match be a disaster?
Jason: It’s hard to see this actually working out. The only match in WWE history that comes close to this is when Jake Roberts took on Rick Martel in a blindfold match at WrestleMania 7 in 1991. That was an eight-minute match that boiled down to Roberts setting up the DDT. What other intrigue could there be for Bray Wyatt and LA Knight? Uncle Howdy surely will be involved somehow, and it appears Alexa Bliss might renew her partnership with Wyatt, and her likely loss to Belair could be the catalyst for that. The wrestlers in the match can be as creative as they want, but if the crowd starts chanting, “We can’t see,” then there are very few ways to regain their support.
Ricky: Oh yes. Of epic proportions, probably. We obviously have no idea what the rules are or anything like that, but the supernatural stuff isn’t really my cup of tea. WWE needs to make some headway on whatever they’re planning for Bray Wyatt, because his return quickly is becoming a snooze fest.
