WWE Royal Rumble Predictions: Who Will Punch Their Ticket's To WrestleMania 41?

Kevin Owens has a chance to knock Cody Rhodes off the Road to WrestleMania when he challenges him for the WWE Championship at the Royal Rumble.
Cody Rhodes defends his WWE Championship against Kevin Owens
Cody Rhodes defends his WWE Championship against Kevin Owens / WWE.com

Royal Rumble weekend is finally here!

Does Kevin Owens have any shot of defeating Cody Rhodes when he challenges for the WWE Championship? A victory for the 'rightful' WWE Champion would certainly create all-out chaos along the road to WrestleMania 41. Will Sami Zayn choose to side with The American Nightmare or his long-time best friend? Will Randy Orton make his return to action and seek revenge against KO? It's a Ladder Match, after all.

Let's get ready for some craziness.

Which two Superstars will emerge from their stacked fields and win the Men's and Women's Royal Rumbles Matches?

Is this year that CM Punk finally punches his ticket to the main event of WrestleMania? Will Roman Reigns put himself on the path to winning back his Undisputed WWE Title? Or could John Cena cash in his lottery ticket for a shot at history before he retires?

There are so many questions heading into this Saturday night in Indianapolis. Let's try to answer some of them for you.

Rick Ucchino, Jon Alba, and Zack Heydorn are offering up their predictions for this weekend's big PLE. Get their complete analysis by checking out The Takedown on SI Royal Rumble Predictions video above. Don't forget to subscribe to our YouTube channel for all of our exclusive interviews and more!


#DIY vs. Motor City Machine Guns in a '2 Out of 3 Falls Match' for the WWE Tag Team Championships

DIY vs. MCMG
DIY vs. MCMG / WWE

This is a great spot for both these teams to go out and put on a show under some of the brightest lights imaginable. The SmackDown Tag Team Division has steadily picked up steam as of late, with DIY and the MCMG right at the heart of that ascension. Zack likes the Motor City Machine Guns to get their titles back, while Rick and Jon are riding with #DIY. It feels like WWE is going to stick with Tommaso Ciampa and Johnny Gargano for a while longer. Keeping the titles on a heel team allows the Street Profits to swoop in a claim next once they are ready to compete.

Predictions:

Rick Ucchino: #DIY
Jon Alba: #DIY
Zack Heydorn: AND NEW... Motor City Machine Guns

Cody Rhodes vs. Kevin Owens in a Ladder Match for the WWE Championship

Cody Rhodes Kevin Owens
Cody Rhodes vs. Kevin Owens / WWE.com

At no point during his run as the Undisputed WWE Champion has it felt like Cody Rhodes was in real danger of dropping the title. Unfortunately for Kevin Owens and his passionate fanbase, that still holds true heading into the Royal Rumble on Saturday. There's no doubt that these two bitter rivals will put on a show, but the result will not be in question. Sami Zayn does play an interesting wild card in this match, as does the potential for the return of Randy Orton. Regardless of what shenanigans are abound, Cody Rhodes will walk out of Indianapolis as the WWE Champion.

Predictions:

Rick Ucchino: Cody Rhodes
Jon Alba: Cody Rhodes
Zack Heydorn: Cody Rhodes

2025 Women's Royal Rumble Match

WWE Women's Royal Rumble
WWE Women's Royal Rumble / WWE

The field for the 2025 Women's Royal Rumble feels as wide open as it's ever been. You could make a case for why several different women should be the ones to earn their WrestleMania main event, including, but not limited to, Bianca Belair, IYO SKY, and Jordynne Grace. That said, it feels as though this is the weekend that history is made and the first two-time Women's Royal Rumble winner is crowned.

Speaking of crowns, Jon and Zack are going with The Queen. Charlotte Flair will be making her triumphant return to the ring after missing all of 2024 with a knee injury. There are rumors that she's being considered for a match with WWE Women's Champion Tiffany Stratton at WrestleMania, so it's certainly likely that she's receiving 2023 Cody Rhodes treatment this weekend.

For the sake of being different, because the Charlotte victory is extremely plausible, Rick is going to pick Becky Lynch to make history yet again. The Man comes back around to win her second Rumble by eliminating Liv Morgan last to get her receipt on the former Women's World Champion and setting the stage for her rematch with Rhea Ripley.

Predictions:

Rick Ucchino: Becky Lynch
Jon Alba: Charlotte Flair
Zack Heydorn: Charlotte Flair

MORE: WWE Royal Rumble 2025: Confirmed Entrants List [Updated Jan 28]

2025 Men's Royal Rumble Match

WWE Men's Royal Rumble Match
WWE Men's Royal Rumble Match / WWE

There are five to seven Superstars that could conceivably be pointing toward the WrestleMania sign by the end of the night on Saturday. John Cena, Roman Reigns, CM Punk, Seth Rollins, Drew McIntyre, Sami Zayn, and many others see the bright lights of Las Vegas just over the horizon. And all three members of our panel are going in different directions.

Rick talked himself into choosing Roman Reigns, who is an all-time dominant performer in Royal Rumble matches. Reigns will last eliminate CM Punk to win his second Rumble match. Punk will then go on to win the World Heavyweight Championship at Elimination Chamber to set up his showdown with the Tribal Chief in Vegas.

Zack believes this is the year that the self-proclaimed 'Best in the World' gets the job done and wins his first Rumble, while Jon is taking Seth Rollins to become a two-time winner. He likes the Visionary to face Gunther for the World Heavyweight Championship at WrestleMania 41.

Predictions:

Rick Ucchino: Roman Reigns
Jon Alba: Seth Rollins
Zack Heydorn: CM Punk

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Rick Ucchino
RICK UCCHINO

Rick Ucchino has been covering professional wrestling since 2019, but his broadcast career has spanned over 15 years. He can be heard every weekday morning on 700WLW radio in Cincinnati, OH. You can also read his work over on SI's Cincinnati Reds Talk. Follow Rick on X and Instagram: @RickUcchino