Drew McIntyre. He stunned the world on the January 9th episode of SmackDown by shockingly dethroning long-reigning Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes in front of a raucous, sold-out crowd in Berlin, Germany. Ahead of the gripping three-stages-of-hell match for the biggest prize in the game, many expected yet another successful title defense for the American Nightmare. Instead, WWE Creative decided to spring an uncharacteristic swerve, blowing Royal Rumble season - and the subsequent Road to WrestleMania - wide open.
It seemed pretty evident to most folks that the original plan for the main event of WrestleMania 42 in Las Vegas was Cody Rhodes vs Roman Reigns III. The former would be entering as champion and the latter as challenger for the first time in their would-be trilogy. Now that McIntyre is installed as the newly minted champion, is that still the case? We’re not going to lie: it seems hard to imagine at this point.
So, with the dust from the recent SmackDown stunner still settling, what has happened to the Royal Rumble winner odds ahead of the upcoming Saudi Arabian showdown? Let's take a look at the expected movers and shakers.
Roman Reigns Remains the Favorite
A potential Roman Reigns Royal Rumble victory wasn't truly at the forefront of most oddsmakers' minds for much of the year, with attention instead focused elsewhere. However, ever since Survivor Series and the OTC's post-match drama with now-former champion Rhodes, online betting sites have been increasingly expecting a trilogy between the two storied rivals, with the seeds for the third coming of their story being sewn with a Reigns Rumble match victory.
The bookies now make the former Head of the Table an odds-on 4/9 favorite to claim his second career Rumble match victory, with a popular betting tool showing just how far clear he is of the chasing pack. The popular betting odds calculator at Thunderpick shows that a $100 bet on Reigns to win would yield just $44.44 in winnings, as opposed to $250 on the second-favorite. So… can and will he live up to the billing?
Well, McIntyre's recent championship victory has certainly thrown a spanner in the works. Reigns winning the Rumble before going on to headline WrestleMania opposite the Scottish Warrior is one possibility. So is a triple threat between those two and the recently dethroned Rhodes. Another option? The Tribal Chief to win the Rumble and face off against World Heavyweight Champion CM Punk, with those two superstars regularly crossing paths on WWE TV across the last 18 months or so.
And of course, there’s always the possibility that Rhodes will reclaim his title at the Royal Rumble in a rematch with McIntyre. If that happens, expect Reigns to win the Rumble later in the night and the trilogy to be made official. Who wouldn’t love that?
Could Bron Breakker Upset the Odds?
Remember the second-favorite we mentioned earlier? Well, that is a tag currently owned by upstart Bron Breakker. The "Badass" was on a tear throughout 2025, firstly aligning with Seth Rollins ' villainous Vision faction, before bludgeoning the Visionary and claiming the group for himself. Now with Paul Heyman, Logan Paul, and Bronson Reed by his side, he certainly has the momentum. However, a recent championship defeat to Punk on the January 5th episode of Monday Night Raw has derailed his progress somewhat.
Will that loss take the wind out of his sails and push Breakker back down the card? The next month of WWE TV will answer that question. If the young powerhouse continues to get huge reactions, then a Rumble match victory and world title shot, likely against Punk, is still possible. Last year, the Royal Rumble was used to elevate a midcard star and thrust them into the world heavyweight championship picture as opposed to the Mania main event. That could well happen again in Saudi Arabia.
Outside Shots
Could life without the Undisputed WWE Championship for Cody Rhodes begin with a Royal Rumble match victory, his third in four years? Sure, it seems unlikely, but stranger things have happened! The bookies are clearly of that thinking as well, slashing odds on the American Nightmare down to 9/1. However, with fans turning on the former champ in recent months and with back-to-back triumphs in 2023 and 2024 already under his belt, a third triumph would surely be unpopular with the WWE universe.
Another man who had been considered a contender - only for the fans to turn their back on him - was Sami Zayn. The Syrian-Canadian had been considered a favorite to win the match for the majority of last year, primarily due to him being a practicing muslim and the Rumble being held in Saudi Arabia, a famously Islamic country. The story seemed to write itself, Zayn winning in front of "his people" to a raucous reaction. However, American crowds have since seen enough of the former intercontinental champion, and he now finds himself as a 15/2 outsider.
Surprise Returns
The Royal Rumble is the one night on the WWE calendar where gobsmacking returns are all but guaranteed. Over the years, retired veterans have shown up for one last hurrah, while current stars have returned from injury to claim victory. John Cena in 2008, we're looking at you.
This year, the rumor mill is in overdrive, with one name being touted more than any other: the legendary Chris Jericho. Y2J is one of the most iconic WWE superstars of all time, but he has been away from the company for the last nine years. Throughout that time, the Canadian has wrestled around the world before returning to North America with AEW, becoming the company’s first-ever World Champion back in 2019. Jericho's AEW contract expired on January 1st, and he is widely expected to return to WWE for one last retirement run, perhaps beginning at the Rumble.
Another return that could shock the WWE Universe is that of Seth Rollins. The former World Heavyweight Champion was written off WWE TV with a very legitimate shoulder injury after beating Cody Rhodes at Crown Jewel back in October. The Visionary has been known to recover from injuries well ahead of schedule throughout his career, and the Rumble would provide the perfect stage for such a blockbuster return.
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