B/R Wrestling Staff Predictions for WWE Royal Rumble 2024 Match Card

The 2024 Royal Rumble is finally upon us, which means WrestleMania season is about to begin.

The annual pay-per-view not only helps get the years started, but one man and one woman will each leave with a guaranteed title shot at WrestleMania 40.

Here is a look at the card for Saturday's show:

• Men's Royal Rumble
• Women's Royal Rumble
• Logan Pual vs. Kevin Owens (U.S. title)
• Roman Reigns vs. LA Knight vs. Randy Orton vs. AJ Styles (Universal Championship)

As always, we have our panel of contributors here to answer questions and offer predictions.

• Chris Mueller (CM) (@BR_Doctor)
• Erik Beaston (EB) (@ErikBeaston)
• Graham Matthews (GM) (@WrestleRant)
• Donald Wood (DW) (@RingRustRadio) 
• Jeff J (JJ) (@JeffJSays)
• Kevin Berge (KB) (@KevinBerge)

Let's take a look at who we think will leave this year's Royal Rumble event with a win.

Logan Paul vs. Kevin Owens

Logan Paul vs. Kevin Owens

How would you book/agent the finish to this match if Paul was going to win?

KB: The Maverick should wrestle a cocky, overconfident bout against KO while The Prizefighter stays in the fight. KO can kick out of the first knockout punch from Paul, but a second with brass knuckles would put him away. That first kickout would solidify KO as a resilient performer, and the use of brass knuckles would further protect him for a potential WrestleMania heat-up.

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Logan Paul vs. Kevin Owens

How would you book/agent the finish to this match if Owens was going to win?

DW: For the record, Paul successfully retaining his U.S. title is the biggest lock of the January PLE, but if the company has a change of heart and wants to put the belt on Owens, it should be in dominant fashion. Paul is overrated in the ring—the definition of spot monkey—and Owens is a workhorse for the brand.

The challenger should catch Paul before the match with an attack and finish him off quickly with a single pop-up powerbomb once the bell rings, sending the champion back to YouTube with his tail tucked between his legs.

Roman Reigns vs. Randy Orton vs. LA Knight vs. AJ Styles

Reigns vs. Styles vs. Knight vs. Orton

If Reigns is going to win, which competitor should he pin? Why them?

EB: Styles. He has the least to lose of the bunch. Orton is just back from a long hiatus while Knight is still red-hot despite his loss to The Tribal Chief at Crown Jewel. Styles is perpetually over and can sustain a loss, especially with expected interference from Solo Sikoa and Jimmy Uso.

Reigns vs. Styles vs. Knight vs. Orton

If Reigns is going to lose, which competitor should get the win? Why them?

GM: Orton is the most obvious choice because he's been the focal point of the SmackDown since his benefit, but Knight would be the best of the bunch as he'd benefit from ending Reigns' run more than anyone.

Having already lost to Reigns at Crown Jewel, he'd be bouncing back in a major way by becoming the world champ at the Rumble. The odds of it actually happening are slim to none, but it would make for an amazing moment and create a new main-event star in the process.

Men's Rumble

The two big picks seem to be CM Punk and Cody Rhodes. If neither of them was booked to win, who do you want to see win the Runble and why?

JJ: Gunther. He would be a fantastic option that would make sense given his place as the top champ on RAW while Seth Rollins recovers. He could make good on his guarantee to win and face Rollins for the WHC. Although I do think a Gunther World Title shot in Berlin seems too perfect not to do, a Rumble win could increase intrigue. It won't be him, but he would be my main pick other than Rollins or Punk. Either he or Damian Priest so that Priest could have 2 chances to win 1 title as the MITB briefcase holder. Now that would be something truly unprecedented.

EB: Drew McIntyre. He is as interesting as he has ever been and the idea of a driven and determined, pissed off Scot rolling into WrestleMania and winning the World Heavyweight Championship to the dismay of those same fans he is so determined to win it in front of, would be glorious. Besides, nothing bad could come out of putting the title on a guy who is free to sign anywhere else the very next day, right? Chaos.

GM: Gunther was considered the favorite to win the men's Rumble before Punk returned and shouldn't be counted out entirely after his face-off with Rollins on Monday's Raw. No one has ever won the Rumble while Intercontinental champion, so that alone would be quite the feat. He belongs in the main-event mix sooner rather than later, and there'd be nothing wrong with him taking that next step to superstardom at the Rumble.

CM: Even though Rhodes and Punk are the favorites, something in the pit of my stomach tells me this might be when The Rock shows up. I don't think the odds are good, but they aren't zero. Rocky showing up to finally kickstart te feud with Reigns so many have been wanting for the past few years would definitely create a lot of buzz heading into WrestleMania.

Women's Rumble

The women's Rumble is much less predictable than the men's Rumble. If you could book any woman on the roster to win this year, who would it be and why?

JJ: I would book Bayley. There's been growing tension among Damage CTRL. They've left Bayley on her own to handle her business. She's said she wants to challenge Rhea for the World title to bring both belts to DC, but I could see the rest of the crew turning on the former Hugger before she can choose her opponent. Once they do turn on her, we get the Bayley vs. Iyo Sky build for Mania.

DW: If I had the book, Jade Cargill would walk out of Tropicana Field as the Women's Royal Rumble winner. Cargill may be green to the business, but she is a bona fide star in the making and can be protected through proper booking. When she signed, WWE and Triple H claimed that Cargill would be a game changer, and booking her to win this Battle Royal and possibly dethrone a world champion at WrestleMania would be the instant impact needed to convince the WWE Universe she's a top star.

KB: Bayley has to be the answer. The Role Model is one of WWE's most important stars but has not had her true WrestleMania moment. This is the year, especially since the story is so poignant. She has declared that she will challenge Rhea Ripley at WrestleMania, but this is likely a smokescreen until Damage CTRL does something that pushes Bayley to challenge Iyo Sky instead. The Role Model brought The Genius of the Sky to the top but should refuse to be forgotten for the sake of the future she created.

CM: I'm tired of predictable Rumble winners. I want this match to truly elevate someone who has not yet been at the main event level in the women's division, and one woman who would be perfect for this push it Shotzi. It would be unexpected but not undeserved. It would create instant intrigue and push her up another level in the pecking order.

Predictions

B/R Wrestling writers' predictions are represented by their initials:

• Paul (EB, KB, GM, CM, JJ, DW) vs. Owens
• Reigns (EB, KB, GM, CM, JJ) vs. Knight vs. Styles vs. Orton (DW)
• Men's Rumble: CM Punk (EB, KB, GM, CM, JJ), Punk and Rhodes together (DW) 
• Women's Rumble: Bayley (EB, KB, GM, CM, JJ), Jade Cargill (DW)