Nakamura, Rousey Set as Betting Favorites on WWE Royal Rumble Odds

The thrills and excitement of the WWE Royal Rumble will be multiplied this year, as for the first time, there will be both men's and women's Royal Rumble matches.

With twice the opportunities for superstars to surprise us through meteoric rises and dominant showings, betting odds have been wide open.

Shinsuke Nakamura is the favorite to win the men's Rumble at +100 (wager $100 to win $100) at sportsbooks monitored by OddsShark. The King of Strong Style is one of the best all-around wrestlers on the WWE roster but has struggled to gain traction since being called up from NXT in April.

Though he has produced some solid matches and feuds in his nine months on Smackdown Live, Nakamura has yet to live up to his potential.

Every wrestling fan is salivating at the idea of Nakamura challenging AJ Styles for the WWE Championship at WrestleMania. Many will remember Nakamura and Styles' match at Wrestle Kingdom 10 as one of the best in recent memory, and bringing that to a larger audience would be sure to please.

You can't talk about winning a big event in the WWE without talking about Roman Reigns, who has the second-best odds to win the men's Rumble. The Big Dog dropped his Intercontinental Championship to The Miz at Raw 25, which opens him up to move into a program for the WWE universal title.

Putting Reigns over in front of what is sure to be a hostile Philadelphia crowd would be a surefire way to see the 2015 Royal Rumble winner booed out of the building.

The dark horse people will not let go of is Daniel Bryan, who has the same odds as Reigns. The likelihood Bryan is medically cleared by the WWE doctors seems slim to none, but the Smackdown Live general manager has also been open about his desire to wrestle.

The favorite to win the inaugural women's Royal Rumble match is Ronda Rousey (+137). It seems only a matter of time before Rousey makes her competitive WWE debut, and a triumphant win in the inaugural women's Rumble would be a hot way to kick off her pro wrestling career. She is undoubtedly green as grass, but between her mainstream appeal and Shayna Baszler's success in NXT, you would be a fool to rule out Rousey.

Asuka holds the best odds of any full-time female wrestler (+200). The Empress of Tomorrow is undefeated since bursting on to the scene in NXT back in 2015. There is no better way for WWE to prove Asuka is the dominant women's competitor than having her destroy her opponents in the Rumble and spending the next two months stalking champion Alexa Bliss.