WWE Royal Rumble 2016: Power Ranking Likely Rumble Winners After Jan. 19 Raw

A chaotic ending to the final edition of WWE Raw before Royal Rumble 2016 changes things up in terms of the potential winners of the annual Battle Royal.

Vince and Stephanie McMahon's cunning plan to make WWE world heavyweight champion Roman Reigns enter the match from the very start also impacts his chances of emerging from the bout as champion.

You get the feeling WWE could have a surprise up its sleeve, which is reflected in the final power rankings before the Rumble.

As things stand following the go-home edition of Raw, here are the five most likely winners of the 2016 Royal Rumble.

5. Kevin Owens

The emergence of Bray Wyatt at the end of Raw made him a credible contender to win the Royal Rumble, so there has to be a surprise presence in the final four or five.

Enter Kevin Owens, who is almost guaranteed to pull double duty and enter the Rumble after his match with Dean Ambrose.

That bout will no doubt be a brutal affair, but Owens will still make his presence felt in the Rumble.

Whether he can actually win the belt no doubt depends on what happens elsewhere, with the likes of Brock Lesnar, Triple H and Roman Reigns.

But Owens is without doubt the surprise candidate waiting to pounce if WWE goes with a twist.

4. Triple H

He’s been absent from WWE for so long (excluding his appearance at NXT TakeOver: London) that you feel there’s a big surprise coming involving Triple H this Sunday.

There’s a fair chance that he might just interfere in the end of the Rumble match and cost Roman Reigns the title, but he could also enter the match himself.

And if he’s a confirmed entrant, he’s bound to be in the final few men and have a shot of winning. That doesn’t mean he’d have the title around his waist at WrestleMania, because he could realistically drop the championship at Fastlane.

WWE fans will be fully prepared that if Triple H’s music hits at the Rumble, he’ll be in with a shot of winning. However, there are a handful of guys who will feel like they have a better chance as things stand.

3. Roman Reigns

Given how he was beaten down on Raw and also confirmed as the No. 1 entrant for the match on Sunday, Roman Reigns’ stock and potential for winning the Rumble has taken a hit. 

He sits third on the final power rankings before the show, but all three men at the top of the list stand a fair chance of winning. 

WWE fans will be prepared in the back of their minds for Reigns to enter first and go through the entire match, winning the Rumble for the second straight year. It will likely cause plenty of anger for WWE fans, but the company has signalled their intent in the past to have Reigns go over as the company’s top guy.

What’s intriguing concerning Reigns is that there are a whole host of booking opportunities for Fastlane and WrestleMania for The Big Dog. He could go into a feud with Triple H after being screwed by The Game, he could resume his rivalry with Bray Wyatt or he could end up having Brock Lesnar and the WWE World Heavyweight Championship in his crosshairs after the Rumble.

But he’s still got a decent shot of walking out of the Rumble with the title.

2. Bray Wyatt

Credit: WWE.com

Is WWE finally letting Bray Wyatt step forward as the company’s top heel, given the events of Raw, or is this just another big tease?

It does feel a little strange that Wyatt couldn’t get over John Cena, Roman Reigns or The Undertaker, yet he’s allowed to decimate Brock Lesnar in the closing segment of the go-home Raw before the Royal Rumble.

That surely indicates there are big plans in the pipeline for Bray this Sunday, and there’s no reason why he couldn’t walk out of the Rumble as the champion. 

Bray is well overdue a run as the company’s top dog, and with so much chaos happening elsewhere concerning the likes of Triple H and Roman Reigns, there might be a window of opportunity for Bray to become champion.

It could open the door for Lesnar to turn babyface and go after The Wyatt Family, too, which could be incredible if booked correctly.

1. Brock Lesnar

Credit: WWE.com

He may have been attacked by The Wyatt Family in the closing moments of Raw, but Brock Lesnar still feels like the favorite to win the Royal Rumble match on Sunday.

Revenge and vengeance will be heavily on Lesnar’s mind when he emerges on Sunday night, likely late on in the match.

WWE has kept its cards close to its chest when it comes to Lesnar’s booking for WrestleMania and potentially beyond, but you still feel like a run with the title is on the cards again in the imminent future.

It might come down to Reigns vs. Lesnar in the final two of the Rumble, before The Authority screw Reigns and set up a Lesnar-Reigns feud for WrestleMania.

WWE has spent the past two years building Lesnar up as an indestructible force. Even as things stand following Raw, it would be incredible if it didn’t have him win the Rumble on Sunday night.