WWE Royal Rumble 2017: Updated Card Odds, Predictions for Event's Biggest Stars

WWE's first big pay-per-view of 2017, Royal Rumble, is on Sunday, and it promises to be one of the most explosive in years.

And while most of the attention is based around the marquee 30-man match that will likely close the show, there is plenty elsewhere on the card for fans to get excited about.

But who is the favorite for the Rumble match? And what can WWE fans expect from the company's biggest stars? Here's a look ahead to the action.

Royal Rumble Match Odds

(All odds courtesy of OddsShark)

• Goldberg 5-2
• Randy Orton 7-2
• Braun Strowman 7-2
• The Undertaker 4-1
• Finn Balor 11-2
• Samoa Joe 11-2
• Chris Jericho 9-1
• Brock Lesnar 14-1
• The Miz 20-1
• Baron Corbin 20-1
• John Cena 20-1
• Sami Zayn 20-1

AJ Styles

Perhaps the biggest match of the night, aside from the traditional Rumble bout, is AJ Styles' defense of the WWE Championship against John Cena.

Victory for Styles will see him cap off a stellar first year with WWE and likely move on to a marquee match at WrestleMania 33.

Defeat, however, will see Cena tie Ric Flair's all-time record of 16 world titles, leaving Styles in limbo in the process.

While a loss here wouldn't be catastrophic for Styles' chances of being involved in a main event match at WrestleMania, it would hurt his momentum.

Although he beat Cena cleanly last year, Cena turning back up and winning the company's biggest title would make Styles look weak at exactly the wrong time.

So for that reason, it's vital that Styles wins the match on this occasion. Cena's crowning glory can come at WrestleMania, but Styles deserves the right to defend the belt there later this year.

The Undertaker

For weeks on end, it looked like The Undertaker vs. John Cena was going to be in the cards for WrestleMania.

However, despite appearing on SmackDown and seemingly pledging his allegiance to the blue brand, The Deadman is now showing up regularly on Raw, closing the show this past week with Brock Lesnar and Goldberg.

Does that mean his WrestleMania opponent is going to be from Raw? It's wise to assume that will be the case. But who could it be, and how will a feud be set up this Sunday?

Lesnar and Goldberg are almost certainly going to face each other at The Show of Shows, so The Phenom will have to look elsewhere.

And if Finn Balor returns at the Royal Rumble, Undertaker vs. Balor looks like a great match that many fans never would have expected to see.

So while Undertaker will come desperately close to victory, it will be The Demon King who costs him a shot at the main event of WrestleMania.

Kevin Owens

KO has not had a great time of things lately, and his run with the Universal Championship has never truly gotten going.

So the smart money is on Owens finally dropping the belt after a disappointing run to Roman Reigns this Sunday. However, it's what happens afterward that will be most intriguing.

If Chris Jericho's presence in the shark cage hanging above the ring proves to be distracting enough for Owens to drop the belt, he may well look for revenge in the Rumble match.

Owens vs. Jericho looks like a smart choice for WrestleMania, with either Owens winning and Jericho somehow winning the Rumble match or with this particular scenario unfolding.

However it goes, Owens vs. Jericho is happening. The smart bet is on Owens dropping the title and screwing Jericho out of the Rumble match.