5 Potential 2022 Men’s & Women’s Royal Rumble Match Winners

Women’s #3 – Bayley

DING DONG, it’s the other injured woman I mentioned earlier! Now, compared to Asuka and Alexa Bliss, I believe it’s far less likely that Bayley will be ready to step in the ring come January 29.

We last saw the Role Model on SmackDown in July, when she was preparing to challenge then-SmackDown Women’s Champion Bianca Belair for the gold in an I Quit match at Money In The Bank. Bayley then suffered an ACL injury during mandatory training at the WWE Performance Center amidst WWE’s return to live audiences, sidelining her for eight months.

Math experts out there will have noticed that mid July 2021 – January 2022 is only six and a half months. To that I say, yes, I am aware, for I am also a math expert. However, Bayley recently shared a photo of her walking on crutches, which would indicate that her rehab is progessing nicely, maybe even potentially ahead of schedule.

I think Bayley is by far the least likely of the three injured women to be fit and ready to go come the Rumble, but I place her higher on the list than Alexa and Asuka because I believe that, if she is in the Rumble, she is more likely to come out on top than the other two.

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Men’s #3 – AJ Styles

If my words about Omos and my words about Rhea Ripley in this feature were to do a fusion dance, you would get my words about AJ Styles.

AJ Styles is a first ballot future WWE Hall of Famer. With that fact in place, it makes him able to spend a year doing comedy midcard tag team stuff with a rookie like Omos, but still see him always a win or two away from being back on top.

Much like with Rhea, AJ has been seemingly cooled off throughout 2021 by working in a tag team. Those days may well be over however, as his partnership with Omos was reportedly ended as both men have ‘significant plans’ in place for early 2022.

Styles appearing on NXT 2.0 and confronting the world’s most hated man Grayson Waller definitely portrayed him as a babyface. Styles also appears to be being portrayed as the babyface in the rivalry with Omos, who gossiped about the duo to The Miz. A freshly turned babyface Styles just needs that one showing to remind the world that he is and will always be Phenomenal.

Babyface AJ Styles winning the Royal Rumble and challenging heel Seth Rollins for the gold at WrestleMania? Sounds like a plan to me.

• Brock Lesnar
• Sasha Banks
• Royal Rumble
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