It’s Royal Rumble time, and here are my picks! See if you agree, and if you don’t, share why!

The Royal Rumble is a favorite event of many, including my best friend Patrick O’Dowd. I’m still a WrestleMania and NXT Takeover guy, but the Royal Rumble will always be a special event for me. I got to attend my first Royal Rumble in 2019, and it’s a night I will never forget. If you’ve never been to a Royal Rumble, I highly recommend adding it to your bucket list, and then cross it off like Miranda Morales and I did last year.

But this isn’t about Becky Lynch and Seth Rollins winning their respective Rumbles, this is about who will win this year! So here are my picks, along with your betting odds courtesy of 5 Dimes.

Daniel Bryan vs. Bray Wyatt’s The Fiend (c)
Strap Match for the WWE Universal Championship

Daniel Bryan is a great story, and will forever will be part of WWE lore. He’s a great fit to feud with The Fiend, but I think there is a bigger story looming for The Fiend at WrestleMania. In order for that to happen, Bray wins here. The Strap Match stipulation could protect The Fiend in a loss, but I still don’t see it happening.

• Betting Odds: Bray Wyatt -650
• My pick: Bray Wyatt wins and retains the Universal Championship

Asuka vs. Becky Lynch (c)
WWE Raw Women’s Championship

I wouldn’t be surprised to see Becky’s (and Bayley’s) title renamed tonight, after what’s happened on NXT. And when it does, remember who was calling for it MONTHS AGO! But that’s not the story here, its Becky vs. Asuka in a rematch from last year, when Asuka forced “The Man” to tap out. I expect a reversal of fortunes here, as Becky retains her championship and heads to a WrestleMania showdown that has obviously been in the works since at least November.

• Betting Odds: Becky Lynch -505
• My pick: Becky Lynch wins and retains the Raw Women’s Championship

Shorty G vs. Sheamus

C’mon now, don’t be silly. The only way Sheamus loses is if the decision is reversed when he won’t stop beating down Chad “Shorty G” Gable. And that’s simply not Sheamus’ style.

• Betting Odds: Sheamus -780
• My pick: Sheamus wins

Lacey Evans vs. Bayley (c)
Smackdown Women’s Championship

Lacey Evans is a great story, and she should have a good babyface run before turning full heel again in the future. They’d be smart to focus some energy on her come WrestleMania time, purely because of her background and story. There isn’t really a good opponent for Bayley at WrestleMania, unless either she or Sasha Banks turns. That’s why I am picking the upset in Houston.

• Betting Odds: Bayley -210
• My pick: Lacey Evans wins and captures the Smackdown Women’s Championship

Roman Reigns vs. Baron Corbin
Falls Count Anywhere

The Falls Count Anywhere stipulation could protect Roman Reigns, thanks to interference from Bobby Roode and Dolph Ziggler. And we’ll probably see that interference happen, but The Usos can handle that work for their Bloodline partner. This is Roman’s match to lose, and I don’t see him losing it tonight. It’s going to be a huge night for The Big Dog. I also expect this to kick the card off tonight.

• Betting Odds: Roman Reigns -150
• My pick: Roman Reigns wins and has all the momentum headed into the Royal Rumble match

Humberto Carrillo vs. Adrade (c)
WWE United States Championship Match

Humberto Carrillo is a tremendously talented performer, but honestly Andrade needs to win in somewhat dominant fashion at the Rumble. With the WWE Championship firmly secured by Brock Lesnar, Andrade can be the lead weekly champion on Raw. Use this to establish Andrade, and don’t worry about “hurting” Humberto. He’ll be fine.

• Betting Odds: Andrade -300
• My pick: Andrade wins and retains the United States Championship.

Men’s Royal Rumble Match

A good portion of the field has been revealed, although it’s rumored this will expand to 40 participants tonight. I am not against that, as the roster is loaded and NXT hasn’t been represented in the announcements so far. Whether it’s 30 or 40, it doesn’t change that Brock Lesnar is entering #1 and will likely be eliminated by his WrestleMania opponent (I’m going with Ricochet for that one).

But this match is all about The Big Dog in the end. Roman Reigns has the perfect comeback story, and can build a great feud with The Fiend headed into Tampa. Five years after his first Rumble win, I expect him to do it again, likely to a better response.

• Betting Odds: Roman Reigns -200
• My pick: Roman Reigns wins and heads to challenge Bray Wyatt’s The Fiend for the Universal Championship at WrestleMania 36

Women’s Royal Rumble Match

While I think we can expect the Men’s Royal Rumble to expand to 40, I’d hate it if they did that here. The Women’s divisions aren’t quite as stacked, and so much has been left open for this match. I honestly think this one will surprise some people, though. I’ve had my winner pegged since Survivor Series, and I wouldn’t be shocked if she goes bell to bell for this win.

• Betting Odds: Shayna Baszler -300
• My pick: Shayna Baszler wins and challenges Becky Lynch for the Raw Women’s Championship at WrestleMania 36

So what do you think? Drop me a line on social media @ChairshotGreg (Facebook, Twitter, and/or Instagram), or email me at Greg DeMarco at The Chairshot dot com!