Ranking Early WWE Royal Rumble 2027 Favorites After SummerSlam Results

After a disappointing two-night SummerSlam, Triple H and WWE Creative need to quickly shift their focus to how to salvage the rest of the summer leading into Survivor Series and eventually the 2027 Royal Rumble.

While some of the match outcomes at the weekend were what fans wanted, the lack of continuity, elite storytelling and stellar in-ring action made the event largely forgettable, but the company still has time to turn it around before the fall.

Here are the early favorites to win the 2027 men's and women's Royal Rumble matches.

1. Oba Femi

Despite Triple H and his team's best efforts to botch what looked like a stone-cold lock of Femi as a top Superstar, the company salvaged the storyline with Brock Lesnar.

The resulting moment almost singlehandedly nullified much of the negativity attached to the angle.

Now, instead of talking about how foolish Femi looked passing up a world championship opportunity after King of the Ring, fans will only remember him standing over The Beast Incarnate and Lesnar passing the torch to him before heading off into the sunset.

Femi is now WWE's alpha male.

With his unique mix of size, athleticism and sheer dominance, The Ruler is the most logical choice to win the men's Royal Rumble match, giving the main event a fresh face to build around and providing WWE with ample potential challengers such as Gunther, Roman Reigns, CM Punk, Cody Rhodes and more.

WWE loves using dominant Royal Rumble winners to establish new attractions, and with wrestling fans already viewing him differently after SummerSlam, Femi will head into the fall as the clear-cut favorite to win the men's Royal Rumble in 2027.

2. Stephanie Vaquer

If SummerSlam made one point clear, it's that the WWE women's division desperately needs a creative shot in the arm.

Despite being the deepest roster in company history, a lack of storytelling and continuity is plaguing the booking, making the division feel less special.

That changed with the return of Stephanie Vaquer on Raw.

Alongside the return of Becky Lynch, Vaquer instantly made the division feel important, something it has lacked for months. Injuries have derailed programs on Raw and SmackDown, but the fact that Liv Morgan successfully retained over Iyo Sky without a real story attached is a travesty for the talent in the division.

With Vaquer back in such a prominent place, WWE clearly views her as a future WrestleMania headliner. The company desperately needs a fresh face at the very top of the women's division, and a Royal Rumble victory for Vaquer would officially complete that transition.

Vaquer represents exactly the type of performer WWE typically chooses when beginning a new era, with her in-ring credibility making a win at the 2027 Royal Rumble feel earned rather than forced.

Add in the fact that it could lead to a WrestleMania match with Lynch, and it's clear Vaquer is the favorite to win the women's Battle Royal.

3. Cody Rhodes

A clean loss to CM Punk would have been too much for Cody Rhodes to handle, so Randy Orton returning to cost him the victory not only sets up his next feud but also protects him from looking weak in his own mind.

While SummerSlam didn't help his case for winning the 2027 men's Rumble, history suggests he'll still force his way into the conversation. Usually, repeated failures would allow for another Superstar to enter the world title picture, but Rhodes always finds his way back to the front of the line.

Rhodes is widely perceived to have significant backstage influence and to be one of the company's most protected stars, so even after a marquee loss at the weekend, he likely won't stay away from the main event for long.

Instead of rebuilding his character organically, Rhodes and WWE Creative are likely to insert the former world champion into another WrestleMania 2027 title chase.

If he were to become a three-time Royal Rumble winner—joining "Stone Cold" Steve Austin—that would make him one of the top favorites to win the Battle Royal again next year.

Whether the WWE Universe wants it or not, Rhodes has become the kind of Superstar who always seems to have enough clout to stay near the biggest storylines.

For more wrestling talk, listen to Ring Rust Radio for all of the hot topics or catch the latest episode in the player above (some language NSFW).