WWE Women's Royal Rumble Sleeper, Future Main Eventer Carmelo Hayes, More Quick Takes

WWE Royal Rumble rapidly approaching has spurred speculation and early predictions for who will reign supreme in the men's and women's matchups to set the stage for what should be a stacked WrestleMania 40 card.

As of now, with what's been teased on WWE TV in recent months, Bayley and Becky Lynch are the top two odds-on favorites to win the women's Rumble. However, a certain star who is due to return soon should also be considered a strong candidate to come out on top and punch their ticket to The Show of Shows.

On the AEW front, the Continental Classic continues to produce phenomenal wrestling heading into Worlds End, and it's anyone's guess who will ultimately emerge as the winners of the Gold and Blue Leagues.

Last Wednesday's Dynamite saw Jon Moxley best Swerve Strickland in an excellent outing to keep his winning ways alive, but regardless of whether either of them advance to the finals of the tournament, they should be on track to feud at the onset of 2024.

This installment of Quick Takes will discuss what a Strickland vs. Moxley program can accomplish, Carmelo Hayes' ceiling for success on WWE's main roster, AJ Styles' overdue character change, and more.

Liv Morgan Is a Strong Contender to Win 2024 Women's Royal Rumble

Liv Morgan, who has been absent from WWE TV since suffering a shoulder injury over the summer, made headlines over the weekend after being arrested for possession of marijuana. Fightful Select later reported Morgan has "absolutely no heat" with the company over the incident.

Mike Johnson of PWInsider added that Morgan was at one point penciled in for a "top program" upon her return to the ring, which could be coming sooner rather than later.

A rivalry with Rhea Ripley over the Women's World Championship should not be ruled out. In fact, given their history as friends and as foes, it should be encouraged as a potential program for WrestleMania 40.

Morgan was the last person to pin Ripley clean in a televised one-on-one match in May 2022. They've always had quality chemistry together in the ring, and it was Ripley who put Morgan on the shelf in a storyline several months back.

The former SmackDown Women's champion could easily be a setup opponent for Ripley at Elimination Chamber before facing Becky Lynch at 'Mania, but a case can absolutely be made for Morgan being the one to eventually dethrone Ripley instead of The Man.

Kenny Omega Injury Brings Chris Jericho Alliance to a Necessary End

AEW officially announced on last Wednesday's Dynamite that Kenny Omega and Chris Jericho would challenge Ricky Starks and Big Bill for the AEW World Tag Team Championship at the Worlds End pay-per-view, only for Omega to reveal days later he's dealing with diverticulitis and will be out of action indefinitely.

The news puts an abrupt yet merciful end to The Golden Jets, who were quickly becoming a detriment to AEW's tag team division.

That's through no fault of their own, of course. Omega and Jericho work well as partners, but neither of them belong in the tag team scene at the moment. Their tandem suddenly disbanding should be seen as a blessing in disguise.

Omega has shown in recent matches with Ethan Page, MJF, Kyle Fletcher and others that can continue to be a valuable asset as a singles star, while Jericho would greatly benefit from an extended break from AEW TV with how overexposed he feels at the moment.

It's imperative AEW take this opportunity focus on actual teams in the division and restore prestige to those tag titles. Even Starks and Bill are a makeshift duo who could be better utilized in singles competition.

Omega will be missed, but ideally he should be able to come back better than he was before once he's healed and healthy.

Lone Wolf AJ Styles Is the Key to Career Resurgence

AJ Styles has spent months sitting on the sidelines waiting to be brought back to television to rekindle his rivalry with The Bloodline, and although he was always expected to return en route to the Royal Rumble, his shift in attitude and attack on LA Knight provided an exciting twist.

WWE has had nothing noteworthy for The Phenomenal One to do in a great while. Although he's in his element as a babyface, he would have been a rather dull challenger for Roman Reigns had he remained in that role with the outcome never being in doubt.

Going the "lone wolf" route instead instantly injected new life into his stagnant character.

Styles vs. Reigns should still happen at some point, but a darker Styles creates other intriguing possibilities, such as a storyline with LA Knight. It makes perfect sense for those two to feud with Knight being the one to step up in Styles' absence over the fall and take his shot at the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship.

Styles previously played a similar tweener character a decade ago in TNA where he had no allies and fought for himself. It's unknown how this will affect the rest of The O.C., but this shift for him has been long overdue and only makes the main-event scene on SmackDown that much more compelling.

How a Feud with Jon Moxley Can Keep Swerve Strickland's Hot Momentum Going

Swerve Strickland has been one of AEW's hottest commodities for months and has managed to maintain momentum through the stellar showings he's had throughout the Continental Classic.

Some fans may have seen his setback at the hands of Jon Moxley on last week's Dynamite as an unnecessary bump in the road for him, when it actually could have been designed to set up a storyline between them either heading into or coming out of Worlds End.

Moxley does not need the Triple Crown Championship, nor does Strickland. If Jay White can tie them in the Gold League, he should be the one who moves on to the finals to face whoever from the Blue League while Strickland and Moxley branch off on their own.

Following big wins over White and Adam Page, Strickland should be established as a main-event player. In order to keep him at that elite level, he must be working with top talent and Moxley fits the bill.

Moxley would be another notable name for Strickland to beat before he inevitably sets his sights on the AEW World Championship.

Carmelo Hayes Has a High Ceiling for Success on WWE Main Roster

Carmelo Hayes is the latest NXT star to make his presence felt on WWE's main roster with his debut coming in the United States Championship No. 1 contender's tournament, and he did not disappoint.

Having an opponent he was familiar with in Grayson Waller helped as the two had a terrific match, and Hayes shined whenever he was on offense. He now advances to the semifinals to face Kevin Owens, and while it's unlikely he'll be able to get past The Prizefighter, it's another massive opportunity for him to showcase his skills against a seasoned veteran.

Hayes has had a decorated stint in NXT for the past two-and-a-half years with reigns as NXT North American champion and NXT champion to his credit. He currently finds himself in the middle of a heated story with his partner Trick Williams, but once that runs its course, he'll be exclusive to either SmackDown or Raw.

His mic skills are above average, he comes off as a total star thanks to his unmatched charisma, and he's put together a tremendous résumé of matches. The only thing working against him is his smaller stature, which could be seen as a disadvantage when he's wrestling bigger competitors on the main roster.

Otherwise, he's the complete package and should be booked as an upper-midcard player once he officially arrives on the grand stage.

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Graham Mirmina, aka Graham "GSM" Matthews, has specialized in sports and entertainment writing since 2010. Visit his website, WrestleRant, and subscribe to his YouTube channel for more wrestling-related content.