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AS THE ROYAL RUMBLE LOOMS CLOSER, OUR ODDSMAKER EXPERT PREDICTS THE VICTOR

With the 2018 Royal Rumble quickly approaching, the oddsmakers are again giving their predictions as to who will be the final victor of WWE's most unpredictable match of the year, setting the stage for the main event of Wrestlemania 34 in New Orleans this April at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome.

Before we can look forward to the Big Easy, however, all the focus is on the city of Brotherly Love as the Royal Rumble PPV takes place at the Wells Fargo Arena.  While there are many competitors still to be named (and obviously lots of potential mystery competitors as surprises) in the 30 Man Royal Rumble match, when one looks upon the field of competition, there are lots of variables to consider.

One is whether Smackdown General Manager Daniel Bryan will be returning to the ring.  With WWE still adamant that he not be cleared medically to return, it doesn't appear that hopes that Bryan can return to Philadelphia, where he last competed in a Rumble match, and shock the world with a major victory.  While there are oddsmakers listing Bryan and many, including Bryan himself, who wish he was going to be competing in the ring, in all likelihood, this would be a wasted
bet at this stage of the game.

However, there are many other top flight competitors who will be running down to the squared circle this Sunday.   John Cena is returning to the ring at the Rumble.  Samoa Joe is targeting Cena.  Shinsuke Nakamura is still waiting to score his biggest win to date.  Elias is picking up steam.  Randy Orton remains an alpha predator.
Roman Reigns, still the most controversial talent in WWE, looks to return to the scene of the crime, Philadelphia, where he won the Rumble several years ago, cementing that he would be the most divisive competitor in modern day WWE.  Finn Balor, the leader of the Balor Club, is also poised for a great performance.  Rusev remains a powerful dark horse competitor.  The sheer level of top-flight fighters this year is staggering.

Then, there is The Undertaker.  There's lots of speculation that the all-time great will appear and compete as a surprise in the Royal Rumble match.  As noted previously here on PWInsider.com, Undertaker, who has not competed since last year's Wrestlemania, is slated to be in Philadelphia at the Rumble.  Whether The Phenom steps into the ring is unknown, but should the gong be heard and the lights go out, everyone's predictions and bets could soon be tombstoned straight to hell.  Like all things surrounding The Undertaker, there remains mystery and uncertainty. As exciting as the idea that Undertaker could change the odds with one slow walk to the ring, we can't trust in the idea that he will indeed compete.

So we trudge forward, making our predictions based on what we do know about the competitors that are locked into battle at the Royal Rumble.  So who's going to win and what championship are they seeking to challenge for at Wrestlemania?  We reached out to a true expert at mapping out predictions for pro wrestling to help sift through the many possibilities and lock in the most likely winner.

Trevor Dueck at SportsBettingDime.com predicts this year's final four for the Royal Rumble: Shinsuke Nakamura, Samoa Joe, John Cena, Rusev. The winner will get a title shot at Wrestlemania 34, so with Roman Reigns likely headed towards a showdown with Brock Lesnar for RAW’s Universal title, the Rumble will probably be won by a SmackDown Live competitor.   If Nakamura wins, that would set up a dream match a Wrestlemania 34 against longtime rival and WWE Champion AJ Styles.

The idea of that dream match coming off the Rumble win would provide Nakamura with the type of momentum and excitement that he has yet to showcase on the WWE main roster after migrating from the WWE NXT brand.  Philadelphia is a long way from his old stomping grounds of New Japan Pro Wrestling and NXT, but it might turn out that the birthplace of our nation will turn out to be the birthplace of Nakamura's greatest stand yet in World Wrestling Entertainment.  Don't cont him out.

The Royal Rumble remains one of the most exciting nights of the year. for WWE.  Let the countdown commence!

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