Analyzing WWE's Best Options to Win The Royal Rumble

WWE's Royal Rumble event is coming up Sunday, January 25. The night will feature the Rumble match itself, in which 30 men will enter the ring and compete for the opportunity to main event for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship at WrestleMania 31.

While many fans likely have their favorites to win the Rumble, the fact is that not all 30 men are odds-on favorites to go over.

Some of the Superstars involved will be filler, some will be midcard talent and the rest will be the upper-card workers who are close to that next level.

The truth is that, among those workers, there are four who represent WWE's best options to win and main event at Mania.

Dolph Ziggler

Credit: WWE.com

Of all the Superstars who could end the night with their arms raised in victory, Dolph Ziggler may be the last on the list. That has not always been the case of course, as Ziggler has always been considered one of WWE's top hands.

He is a guy who gets it done in the ring. The way he moves, the way he sells, the athleticism he displays, everything about Ziggler is top-notch.

In the minds of many fans, The Showoff is the man who should be higher on the food chain, the man who deserves much more than he's getting.

The problem right now, though, is that Ziggler's employment with WWE has ended. Punished for his role in Team Cena's victory at Survivor Series, Ziggler was fired by The Authority on Raw. The man who has worked so hard to be at the top is now further from it than he perhaps ever has been.

Of course, Ziggler's firing was all just a storyline move, a way for Triple H to get revenge on John Cena.

While there is no clear indication of where the angle is going, the fact is that Ziggler is now off TV and the likelihood of him winning anything anytime soon seems nearly impossible.

But assuming that WWE ends the storyline with Ziggler and gets him back on TV, then he would definitely be a contender to win The Royal Rumble. Ziggler has everything it takes to be a top-tier main event Superstar—all he needs is the right avenue to get him there.

The Rumble could be the best way for Ziggler to finally ascend the ladder and become a real player in the company. The sight of Ziggler celebrating as the pay-per-view goes off the air is one that many fans are likely salivating over.

Ziggler is unquestionably one of the hardest-working men in WWE, and the time for him to be rewarded for his efforts could be on January 25.

Dean Ambrose

Credit: WWE.com

From the moment that Roman Reigns went out with injury back in 2014, Dean Ambrose has been the Superstar to watch in WWE. Reigns' absence opened the door for Ambrose to slide in and make his presence known, and he did just that.

The Lunatic Fringe became a hit with fans who had been anxious to see him compete at a high level and wanted to see him succeed in a big way.

Ambrose became the talk of fans and everything he did seemed to make the headlines. From his crazed promos to his unpredictability in the ring, Ambrose was the must-see Superstar for much of the WWE faithful.

And with the Royal Rumble fast approaching, many fans are surely asking if the time is now for Ambrose to climb that championship ladder. The guy is so talented and dedicated to his craft that it seems only right that he advance in the company.

Perhaps The Royal Rumble will be the night when he can take that all-important next step.

From a storyline perspective, Ambrose should be the scariest man in the Rumble. The reason for that is his fearlessness and willingness to do anything it takes to come out on top.

Ambrose cares more about taking his opponent out than his own physical well-being, and that makes him a threat to the other 29 men in the match.

Ambrose possesses the kind of crazy that will have the rest of the Rumble participants looking over their shoulders. He can come out of nowhere at any time, and when he does, there is no way to know just what he will do or how much damage he can inflict.

The fans have decided that Ambrose is worth their time, that he deserves a chance at the top. The only question is, will WWE agree with them and give him the win at The Royal Rumble?

Daniel Bryan

Credit: WWE.com

When Daniel Bryan appeared on Raw and announced his intentions to compete in The Royal Rumble match, he turned WWE upside down. Fans all over the world had been waiting to hear from him, to know if he would even be able to wrestle again.

Bryan's injury had stalled his WWE career in 2014, and it could not have come at a worse time for him, as he had recently been crowned WWE world champion and had never been hotter.

His win at WrestleMania 30 had been the biggest night of his pro wrestling career and the title was the best reward for all his hard work.

When Bryan had to leave, all the momentum that he had built went with him. Suddenly, the guy many fans felt was a great alternative to Cena and a true main event player was out of the picture. It was a bad situation for Bryan and the WWE fans as well.

So when he told the world that he would be back, fans were finally able to breathe a sigh of relief. The real question now is, will WWE get Bryan back on track once again and elevate him to the main event scene in the company?

The truth is that Bryan did everything right before.  He did everything asked of him and succeeded despite any critics who may have doubted he would ever make it.

Now that he's healthy once again, there is every reason to believe that WWE could pick up right where it left off with him.

All of that could begin at The Royal Rumble. If Bryan wins, he'll be on his way back to the main event at WrestleMania. The "Yes!" man who virtually owned 2013 and saw his 2014 begin with bang could see it all happen once again this year.

The rise of Bryan could very well be on the horizon in WWE.

Roman Reigns

Credit: WWE.com

Reigns is believed by many fans to be the next top guy in WWE, the heir apparent to Cena. The man who was once known as the strong man of The Shield made a lot of forward progress in 2014 and established himself as the Superstar to watch.

But when he went out with an injury, he suffered the same fate as Bryan. All of his momentum came to a screeching halt.

Reigns was on the shelf, and without having a presence on WWE programming, his future as a potential top guy was in serious doubt.

Now that he's back, however, he could be headed in the right direction once again. If he wins The Royal Rumble, then he'll enter WrestleMania and the main event match. It's a spot that his fans want him to have and one that many feel he will have.

The only question is, will it happen?

Reigns has the look, intensity and marketability to make a serious impact in WWE. The fact is that he may not have even scratched the surface of what he is capable of and there is no way to know how serious WWE is in terms of getting him to the next level.

If he wins the Rumble, that will be a huge indication of what the company thinks of him. To trust a guy with the main event at Mania is a very big deal, and assuming WWE has that much faith in him, then Reigns could see the biggest night of his career thus far happen on January 25.

The Royal Rumble is the night when future stars can be made.

When Reigns competed in the 2014 Rumble, he set the record at 12 eliminations. If he gets off to that kind of a start this time, there may be no stopping him from becoming WWE's next top star.