Predicting the Winners and Losers on the Road to WWE WrestleMania 38

The Road to WrestleMania can be a rewarding one for the stars of WWE, but it can also be disappointing for those who expected a larger role or greater opportunity.

In the wake of the Royal Rumble, plans for the biggest show of the year become clearer and fans are given an indication of who will fall into which position on the card fairly early on.

For some, that is a good thing, paying off high-level storylines or positioning them for major pushes throughout the spring; for others, it is another roadblock on their path to pro wrestling greatness.

As the biggest WWE event of the year draws closer on April 2-3, these are the winners and losers to look out for on this year's Road to WrestleMania.

Winner: Bianca Belair

One year ago, Bianca Belair won the women's Royal Rumble match and went on to WrestleMania 37 to claim the SmackDown Women's Championship in the main event of the show's first night.

And this year, The EST of WWE is on track to have another huge night on The Grandest Stage of Them All.

At SummerSlam, she lost the Raw women's title to Becky Lynch within seconds, bringing her Cinderella story to a sudden end. Since then, she has put in the work necessary to get back to the promised land of the main event scene. And she will, especially after things cleared themselves up at the Royal Rumble.

Ronda Rousey won the women's Rumble match on Saturday and is reportedly expected to battle Charlotte Flair, leaving Lynch free to compete against Belair in the culmination of months of storytelling.

In that presumptive match, The EST will win the Raw women's title to cap another year with a triumphant celebration on wrestling's most prestigious night.

If that does not solidify Belair as one of the elite women in professional wrestling today, nothing does.

Loser: Seth Rollins

Whether Seth Rollins is competing against Kevin Owens, Shane McMahon or anyone else on April 2-3 in Dallas, it will be a step down from the seeds planted earlier this year and sown at the Royal Rumble.

The Visionary was the MVP of the Rumble pay-per-view, playing mind games with Roman Reigns via the use of The Shield theme song and the return of his tactical gear, but he was left in a heap following a beatdown by The Tribal Chief.

The closing minutes of their Universal Championship match seemed to indicate a follow-up or even a potential rematch at WrestleMania 38. But the emergence of Brock Lesnar in the men's Rumble match, his victory and the revelation he will challenge Reigns at The Show of Shows threw Rollins' status into disarray.

With Rollins now scheduled to enter the Elimination Chamber on February 19 and guaranteeing we won't get the Reigns rematch, it appears his superb start to 2022 will be wasted on a lesser role at 'Mania.

Some will argue the rumored match with McMahon is a big deal and will keep Rollins at the forefront of fans' minds, but given the alternative is a main event match with the top star in the industry, it feels fairly flat.

Winner: Riddle

Riddle has seen his star in WWE rise exponentially since last year's WrestleMania, thanks to his partnership with Randy Orton and the overwhelming fan support as a result.

He had an impressive run in the men's Rumble match and earned his way into the men's Elimination Chamber match in Saudi Arabia with a win over Otis on Monday's Raw.

The most logical path to WrestleMania goes through Orton, with whom The Original Bro is likely to break up. That will create a grudge match that will turn him into a bona fide main event player on Monday nights.

Expect The Viper to take exception to his tag team partner getting a shot at the WWE title in a match he was not privy to and the story to advance from there.

Riddle is a comedic performer with badass tendencies who is as over and credible as he has ever been. That will help him accomplish big things in could be a banner year for him, beginning with WrestleMania.

Loser: Liv Morgan

Liv Morgan has really earned better than she has received from the WWE hierarchy.

A hard-worker who is universally loved by her peers, the 27-year-old has made the connection with an audience that wants to see her succeed and win the Raw Women's Championship.

Unfortunately, it never quite appears WWE is ready or willing to catapult her to the next level. We saw it in the women's Rumble match, where she became a casualty of The Bella Twins, despite fans rooting for her.

With WrestleMania plans becoming more apparent with every passing week, it becomes ever more difficult to figure out where she fits on the card. Instead of the Raw Women's Championship match, she may have to settle for a tag team title opportunity at best.

That is majorly disappointing for a young woman who has a case for dethroning Big Time Becks.