WWE Royal Rumble 2017: Full Card Predictions After TLC

Star power will be abundant at WWE Royal Rumble 2017.

AJ Styles may be facing a future Hall of Famer after retaining the WWE World Championship at the TLC: Tables, Ladders & Chairs pay-per-view on Sunday. Kevin Owens is sure to be involved in a title match, likely against a man who has held just about every title WWE has ever come up with.

The main attraction as WWE invades the Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas, on Jan. 29 will be the Royal Rumble's titular match. The annual 30-man bout already boasts Goldberg and Brock Lesnar as participants.

The New Day, John Cena, Dean Ambrose, The Miz, Roman Reigns and The Wyatt Family are good bets to join them in a star-studded Battle Royal.

To fill out the rest of the PPV card, WWE will welcome back a massive titan, celebrate a rising female star and give the cruiserweights their share of the stage. Read on for predictions of what the Royal Rumble lineup will look like.

Cruiserweight Battle Royal

Since arriving to Raw in September, the cruiserweights have largely existed in a separate world from their heavyweight counterparts. WWE decks out the ring in purple each time they battle. And wrestlers like Rich Swann, Brian Kendrick and TJ Perkins have barely interacted with Raw's non-cruiserweights.

It makes sense then for WWE to stay true to that trend of showcasing the division on its own stage at the Rumble.

WWE can highlight a ton of the cruiserweights at once by having them compete in a warm-up Battle Royal. Either Swann's title can be on the line or the match can serve as a way to decide his opponent at WrestleMania.

Either way, Raw's habit of cramming the cruiserweights all together, as it's done in a series of tag team matches, is likely to continue.

Alexa Bliss vs. Becky Lynch (SmackDown Women's Championship)

Had WWE not gone to the Charlotte Flair vs. Sasha Banks well so often over the past few months, that could easily be a battle fans saw at Royal Rumble.

As that rivalry starts to fade away and each woman seeks out a new foil, the SmackDown women's scene is bound to get the spotlight instead. Becky Lynch vs. Alexa Bliss has become one of the blue brand's best stories. The two wrestlers clashed in a suspenseful tables match at TLC, leaving one wanting to see more.

Bliss emerged with the title in hand and looking like an absolute star. 

Lynch will get her chance to claim the SmackDown women's title. Saving it for the Rumble would make it more significant and allow WWE to build up the bout far more.

Braun Strowman vs. Big Show

Jobber after jobber, midcarder after midcarder, Braun Strowman keeps feasting on Monday nights.

WWE is clearly building up the big man for something huge. He is undefeated in one-on-one action since the July draft. He's taken down two men at one time and recently left Sami Zayn unable to defend himself.

So what's next for Strowman?

The company loves to delve into giant-against-giant encounters. And a collision with Big Show would be a big resume booster in theory. WWE recently used Big Show as a means to show off Brock Lesnar's destructive power.

Strowman is likely to get the same treatment, allowing him to gear up for a marquee match at WrestleMania.

AJ Styles vs. Undertaker (WWE World Championship)

AJ Styles outlasted Dean Ambrose in a thriller of a TLC match on Sunday.

The way Ambrose lost points to him being busy with a new enemy. The Lunatic Fringe's buddy James Ellsworth turned on him. Ellsworth pushed Ambrose off a ladder to allow Styles to win.

That is sure to send Ambrose into a rage, one that has him distracted with Ellsworth, leaving open a spot atop the SmackDown card.

That's where Undertaker will step in.

The semiretired star recently returned to SmackDown, but it's clear WWE is saving him for major events. The Rumble is just that, especially this year.

Hall of Fame announcer Jim Ross wrote on his blog, "WWE has got plenty of work to do to sell out the [Alamodome], which is why I feel that they will load the card for San Antonio with a couple of attractions beyond the actual Rumble match." 

The Deadman promises to be one of those attractions.

The Phenom vs. The Phenomenal One is a dream match waiting to happen. Styles' athleticism would help get a strong showing from Undertaker. And if WWE wants to go with Undertaker vs. John Cena at WrestleMania, a title win for The Deadman would set that up perfectly. 

Kevin Owens vs. Chris Jericho (Universal Championship)

The best friends will eventually be mortal enemies. 

Chris Jericho and Kevin Owens have bickered plenty of late. They have fought over match mishaps and Owens telling the world that he doesn't need Y2J. But each time, Jeri-KO has found a way to repair its cracks.

That can't last.

On the Nov. 28 Raw, Jericho told KO he was done with their friendship before storming out of the building. Whether Owens and Jericho repair their partnership after that or not, the implosion between them is coming.

And as Chair Shot Reality host Justin LaBar noted on Twitter, the potential Owens-Jericho match "seems on pace for [the] Rumble now."

This bout would showcase an emerging star in Owens while also relying on an established name. Their chemistry together will make for a great rivalry. It all adds up to best friends trying to bash each other's heads in come Jan. 29.