Leading up to the 2017 WWE Royal Rumble, the betting odds for the 30-man battle royal are constantly changing. According to Oddsshark, the favorite to win the Royal Rumble match has changed four times since Jan. 12 and we’re likely to see more than that in the days leading up to the main event. With this year’s Rumble being one of the most unpredictable in history, this is to be expected.
Here are the odds for the top five as of Jan. 28 from Oddsshark and William Hill.
Randy Orton: -138
The Undertaker: +400
Bill Goldberg: +450
Braun Strowman: +600
Finn Balor: +700
No Chris Jericho, no Bray Wyatt and no Baron Corbin in the top five? Samoa Joe, who hasn’t even appeared on the WWE main roster as of yet, is sixth in line at +700. You have to take betting odds with a grain of salt, but Strowman will not and can not main event a WrestleMania yet. He can't wrestle in a match that's over eight minutes, let alone attempt to carry a 15-20 minute match.
Orton as the favorite is interesting, however. The WWE Title picture has been dominated by AJ Styles and John Cena for over a month. While this feud has grown to mythic proportions with many believing that Styles has ascended to the level of Cena during their feud, the addition of Orton, and possibly the Wyatt family, adds a different dimension to Smackdown Live .
The smart money's on Orton eventually turning on Wyatt after taking apart the family brick by brick. However, what if he doesn’t leave the family as quick as everyone believes he will? “If you can’t beat them, join them” was what Orton said when he first began his overtures to The Wyatt Family.
What if Orton wins and then bequeaths the WrestleMania title shot to Bray Wyatt? What if Orton continues on with Bray until ‘Mania, where he turns on the Wyatt finally and costs him the title? The sizzle of a Wyatt addition to a title chase and Orton lurking is something that fans can get into.
The other interesting part of the betting odds is Finn Balor. The WWE had Balor out four to six months with a torn labrum. The Royal Rumble is five months after surgery, which makes a very interesting decision for the WWE. Could they re-introduce Balor in the Rumble and actually win it? Yes, but I don’t see Balor return only to get overshadowed by names like Goldberg, Brock Lesnar and The Undertaker. Here’s an alternative: Balor return after WrestleMania when the Universal Champion, whoever it may be, comes out to brag that he is the man after winning/defending the title. The lights go out, Balor’s music hits and we now have a challenger for the Universal Title who never really lost his title after relinquishing it in August.
The worst of the five wrestlers mentioned was Bill Goldberg. Goldberg will wrestle Brock Lesnar at WrestleMania . But why would you give the title shot to Goldberg, who is a part-time performer, to hype a WrestleMania title match? Goldberg is a name so it's easy to put all of your money on the name you know, but c’mon everybody. Goldberg will make a decent showing in the Royal Rumble, but he will not win and I guarantee that.
On Sunday night at 11:05 p.m ET, our questions will be answered as to the direction the WWE will be going on the road to WrestleMania in Orlando. But for now there are so many ways they can go that would excite fans and make many forget about The Roman Reigns Show they have seen for the last two years. The conventional wisdom is that an established star will win the Royal Rumble but the questions remains on Rumble weekend...who?
