WWE Royal Rumble 2017 Match: Biggest Dark Horses to Watch in Battle Royal

The WWE Royal Rumble 2017 pay-per-view card is stacked, to say the least. 

Five championship bouts and the namesake Rumble match to determine one-half of WrestleMania 33's main event make for must-see TV for any wrestling fan. Unlike previous editions of the Rumble, this year is also filled with drama.

There are multiple directions WWE can go with many of these bouts, and with 30 Superstars vying for a chance to headline The Showcase of the Immortals, there are multiple possible winners. And now, there's a new twist: According to OddsShark (as of Jan. 28), Randy Orton is the favorite to win the Rumble match at -138 (bet $138 to win $100).

But the favorite isn't always the winner, and there are plenty of other candidates who can win the Rumble. Let's take a look at the biggest dark horses to watch for in the Rumble match on Sunday. 

Bray Wyatt

Credit: WWE.com

One of the reasons for Orton's tremendous jump to the top of the list is the report, per Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter (h/t Raj Giri of Wrestling Inc), that he and Bray Wyatt will battle for the WWE Championship at WrestleMania 33. 

Meltzer noted that Orton would win the Rumble match, only to have Wyatt claim the WWE Championship inside the Elimination Chamber at next month's SmackDown pay-per-view.

Marc Normandin of Cageside Seats noted that, while Orton is a trendy pick to win this year's Rumble since the odds first came out, this isn't breaking news: "Wyatt as champ, and potentially successfully defending against Orton at 'Mania? Now that's fascinating."

"

SPOILER: It's being reported that Randy Orton is expected to win the #RoyalRumble. Facing (WWE Champion) Bray Wyatt @ #Wrestlemania.

— pwstream (@pwstream) January 27, 2017"

This speculation suggests that Wyatt will play a key role in Sunday's main event. Could WWE flip the script, however, and have The Eater of Worlds walk out of the Rumble victorious? It would be a tremendous win for Wyatt, who could use the push that WWE has yet to provide. 

Finn Balor

Credit: WWE.com

The Demon King hasn't set foot inside the ropes of a WWE ring since SummerSlam 2016 due to shoulder surgery, but persistent rumors that he is being cleared this week continue to pop up, per Mike Johnson of PWInsider.com. 

Should Balor be ready for the Rumble, he would immediately shoot up the rankings to be among the favorites to win the match and headline WrestleMania 33.

Following SmackDown, there are eight open slots in the Rumble lineup, a point made by Dailt DDT's Rob Wolkenbrod (h/t FoxSports.com): "There's plenty of room for Balor, if he is cleared to return in time. If so, he would add to the star power of this match that already includes The Undertaker, Goldberg, Brock Lesnar, Chris Jericho, Braun Strowman, and others." 

Balor is already the pick by some pundits, including the New York Post's Joseph Staszewski, who wrote that the company's first universal champion would be a Rumble winner "that satisfies everyone."

"Balor is Plan A because he fits with the universal title story, would get a huge pop from the fans and set up a big match with champion Kevin Owens," Staszewski said.

Seth Rollins

Credit: WWE.com

Following his loss to Sami Zayn this past Monday on Raw, Seth Rollins is out of the Rumble match. What does that mean? 

Rollins told Josh Barnett of USA Today's For The Win that he would be heard from on Sunday: "If there's a way to get myself involved, I'll try to figure it out one way or the other. Sitting on the sidelines doesn't seem right to me."

Could Rollins still make his way into the Royal Rumble match? It wouldn't be the first time a Superstar forced his way into the bout. Erick Rowan did it in 2015, tossing Curtis Axel aside and entering the match himself with no repercussions. 

The twist with Rollins is that he lost his spot in the Rumble to Zayn. He'd likely have to get back into good graces with Raw's commissioner, Stephanie McMahon, and general manager, Mick Foley, maybe through an early-evening qualifying match. 

It's also possible that Rollins has no spot in the Rumble match itself and will instead inject himself into the pay-per-view another way, potentially during the WWE Universal Championship match. Helping Roman Reigns defeat Kevin Owens, who was hand-selected by WWE COO Triple H to become universal champ after Finn Balor's injury, would be one way to get The Game's attention. 

Such a move would set up the much-anticipated match between The Architect and The King of Kings at WrestleMania 33.