The 2023 Royal Rumble will take place on Saturday, January 28, 2023, and it will be the first time that the Royal Rumble will occur on a Saturday since the 1994 Royal Rumble. This will be the third Royal Rumble to take place in the Alamodome after the 1997 and 2017 editions of the event. Nevertheless, the main attraction of the Royal Rumble will be the 2023 men's Royal Rumble match.

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Every competitor will want to headline WrestleMania 39, and challenge for the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship, which is currently in the possession of Roman Reigns. The roster on Raw and SmackDown is loaded with talent, there could be some surprising entrants who could throw a spanner in the works by winning the Royal Rumble. Whilst, there are a select few candidates that could win the Rumble, some will have an unlikely chance of winning the whole thing.

UPDATE: 2023/01/21 06:30 EST BY ANDREW KELLY

The 2023 Royal Rumble is fast approaching, and although there are some distinct favorites to win the whole thing on the men's side, it still feels quite open with no downright obvious Road to WrestleMania as of yet for the main title scene. There are certainly some to hedge your bets on, even if they aren’t necessarily the most popular choices of winners. Due to the recent return of Vince McMahon to WWE, the chances of some names has gone up, although the chances of some wrestlers have plummeted even further.

14 No Chance To Win It: Edge

Edge WWE 1

Edge may very well make his return at some point soon to set up a match for WrestleMania, but when it comes to the Royal Rumble, he has very little chance of winning. Edge has previously won two Royal Rumble matches, but this doesn’t mean he is a favorite.

The window for Edge to win a World Championship in WWE once again has come and gone as he isn't getting any younger, and he looks instead to face those slightly lower down the card to help build up the stars of today. If he does make yet another Rumble comeback, don’t expect him to win.

13 Most Likely To Win It: Logan Paul

Logan Paul Entrance Crown Jewel

A Logan Paul victory at the Royal Rumble would be one of the most unpopular choices of all time. However, with just three matches to his name, including a PPV main event for the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship against Roman Reigns, and a rumored feud with John Cena, never say never when it comes to Paul.

There is a chance that Paul could win the match and use that platform to instead challenge John Cena to a dream match, opening the door for The Rock to face Roman Reigns and not have to put his body at risk in the Rumble. If McMahon is to gain creative control, an unpopular decision like this could well happen.

12 No Chance To Win It: Shinsuke Nakamura

Shinsuke Nakamura Royal Rumble 2018

Being a former Royal Rumble winner should conceivably make someone a favorite for the match, but in the case of Shinsuke Nakamura it is completely irrelevant.

Nakamura has plummeted so far down the card that he may not even get picked to compete in the Rumble match at this point, which would certainly be a shame, though it would be understandable as he has absolutely no chance of replicating his 2018 feat.

11 Most Likely To Win It: Brock Lesnar

Brock Lesnar - WWE Champion

When it comes to Brock Lesnar, he is always a favorite for any match he steps foot in. Lesnar’s win in 2022 was met with a lot of negativity, and Triple H is clever enough to not book another match between him and Roman Reigns.

However, if McMahon is able to weasel his way to creative control, then his infatuation for Reigns vs Lesnar in a WrestleMania main event could become a reality once again. It has happened three times already, so a fourth is not out of the realm of possibility.

10 No Chance To Win It: Austin Theory

Theory United States Champion Cropped

Austin Theory won the United States Championship twice in 2022, and he has continued to improve inside the squared circle and on the mic. "The Now" has already had a barn-burner of a wrestling match with Seth Rollins on the first episode of Raw in January 2023, and he retained the United States Championship.

Whilst, Theory will win the Royal Rumble match in the future, mid-card titleholders haven't won the Royal Rumble match. Theory could make a statement, but it's unlikely that he'll go all the way. Nevertheless, if Theory prevails, he'll break Lesnar's record as the youngest Royal Rumble match winner by one month.

9 Most Likely To Win It: Bobby Lashley

Bobby Lashley WWE Champion Royal Rumble 2022 Cropped

A men's Royal Rumble match victory is missing from Bobby Lashley's impressive resume. The two-time WWE Champion, captured his second WWE Title at last year's Royal Rumble when he defeated Brock Lesnar for the title. Lashley has proved that he is more than capable of being a very good WWE Champion.

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The All Mighty is in with a shout of winning the Royal Rumble match as he is yet to headline WrestleMania. Lashley has done a fantastic job as a babyface and as a heel. The fans like Lashley's aggression, and they wouldn't begrudge him winning the Rumble.

8 No Chance To Win It: Drew McIntyre

Drew McIntyre Crown Jewel 2022 Cropped

Drew McIntyre is another two-time WWE Champion, who had considerable success in 2022. The Scottish Psychopath almost made it a hat-trick of WWE Championship reigns, but he came up short against Roman Reigns in an enthralling battle at Clash of the Castle.

McIntyre is a former Royal Rumble match winner in his own right as he won the event in 2020. McIntyre could do with a Royal Rumble match win to catapult himself back into the main event scene, but it's very unlikely that McIntyre will join the list of two-time Royal Rumble match winners in 2023.

7 Most Likely To Win It: Seth Rollins

Seth Rollins United States Champion Raw November 14, 2022 Cropped

Arguably, Seth Rollins was the male superstar of 2022 with his outstanding trilogy against a returning Cody Rhodes. The Visionary always rises to the occasion when called upon, and whilst he has thrived as a heel, he has naturally turned babyface because of his "Visionary" theme song, where he gets serenaded weekly.

Rollins won the men's Royal Rumble match in 2019, and it has been a while since he has featured consistently in the World Title picture. Rollins deserves the chance to walk into WrestleMania 39 in an Undisputed WWE Universal Championship match, and he technically beat Roman Reigns at the 2022 Royal Rumble albeit by disqualification in a Universal Championship contest.

6 No Chance To Win It: Sheamus

Sheamus Clash at the Castle 2022

Sheamus had a fantastic 2022, and he has consistently put himself in positions to finally win the Intercontinental Championship as that is the only championship missing from his resume. The Celtic Warrior is a four-time WWE World Champion, and he won the Royal Rumble match in 2012.

The Celtic Warrior has never main-evented WrestleMania, but he managed to clinch the World Heavyweight Championship at WrestleMania 28 because of his Rumble win. Despite the rich vein of form that he is currently in right now, Sheamus won't be winning the men's Royal Rumble match in 2023.

5 Most Likely To Win It: Sami Zayn

Sami Zayn SmackDown November 18, 2022 Cropped

Sami Zayn is one of the most talented wrestlers on the roster yet to clinch a WWE World Championship. The Master Strategist became an Honorary member of The Bloodline in the spring of 2022, and he is the most popular member of the faction with fans firmly behind him.

The WWE Universe would love to see Zayn win the Royal Rumble match as everyone knows how good he is inside the squared circle. Cracks in The Bloodline have begun to show with Roman Reigns growing frustrated with Zayn. Zayn and Reigns going head-to-head at WrestleMania 39, would be fantastic but with Elimination Chamber being in his hometown of Montreal, his Undisputed WWE Universal Championship match could happen there.

4 No Chance To Win It: Ricochet

Ricochet World Cup SmackDown December 2, 2022 Cropped

Ricochet has had a renewed lease of life under the Triple H regime. He defeated Sami Zayn for the Intercontinental Championship, and he held the title for a few months until he dropped the gold to Gunther. However, Ricochet has remained relevant by winning the SmackDown World Cup.

Ricochet has had some excellent Intercontinental Title matches with Gunther, and he has shown that he has a lot in his arsenal more than just high-flying moves. Ricochet could make a statement in the men's 2023 Royal Rumble match after he beat Top Dolla to qualify for the Rumble, but it's doubtful that he will go all the way and upset the odds.

3 Most Likely To Win It: The Rock

The Rock WWE Champion Cropped

The Rock has been rumored to enter the 2023 men's Royal Rumble match for several months and to finally face off with fellow Anoa'i family member Roman Reigns in a blockbuster main event at WrestleMania 39. If Rock was to enter the Royal Rumble match, he would receive a loud pop which would arguably be the loudest of the night.

Rock has won the Royal Rumble match once and that was back in 2000 at the age of 27. Rock headlining WrestleMania once again wouldn't be a bad idea, and if he entered the match as a surprise entrant, he has a strong chance of emerging victorious.

2 No Chance To Win It: The Miz

The Miz Raw December 19, 2022 Cropped

Over the past 15 years, The Miz has been one of the most consistent performers on WWE television. Miz has had a Hall of Fame-worthy career as he was the first two-time Grand Slam Champion. Miz secured the WWE Championship for the second time in 2021, although his title reign lasted eight days.

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If Miz enters the Royal Rumble match, it wouldn't be surprising if he went far, but there are no plans for WWE to have Miz headlining WrestleMania for the second time. A Rumble victory is missing from Miz's resume, but it seems very unlikely that he'll win it.

1 Most Likely To Win It: Cody Rhodes

Cody Rhodes Raw April 4, 2022 Cropped

Cody Rhodes made a shocking return to WWE on night one of WrestleMania 38, and he collided with Seth Rollins. The duo had an outstanding trilogy including a five-star Hell in a Cell match. Unfortunately, the American Nightmare is currently on the shelf as he tore his pectoral muscle.

Rhodes has been inactive for seven months, but he is tipped as one of the favorites to win the 2023 men's Royal Rumble match. Rhodes' return has been heavily built up on WWE programming, making him a favorite. The American Nightmare has yet to taste World Championship gold in WWE, and his long-awaited coronation could be in the main event of WrestleMania 39.