The 2020 Royal Rumble is only a few weeks away now, and it's not too early to speculate who the potential winner could be.
Though WWE came under fire for its booking of 2014, 2015 and 2016 Royal Rumble winners (won by Batista, Roman Reigns and Triple H, respectively), they did it right in each of the last three years.
Few complained when Randy Orton won it all in 2017. The WWE Universe got what they wanted when Shinsuke Nakamura and Seth Rollins emerged victorious in 2018 and 2019, respectively.
If WWE wants to hit the jackpot again in 2020, they should crown one of these 10 superstars as the Royal Rumble winner.
9 Braun Strowman
WWE has been teasing a main event push for Braun Strowman since 2017, but to date, he hasn't won any of the prestigious championship belts (WWE or Universal). Not only that, but Strowman hasn't headlined any major pay-per-views.
It feels like his time is going to come eventually, and perhaps it'll arrive at the Royal Rumble. Given his size and strength, you know Strowman is going to score plenty of eliminations, but can he outlast 29 other men?
He certainly deserves the crown. After all, it's becoming a now-or-never situation for Strowman becoming a main event talent.
8 Samoa Joe
Expectations were sky-high for Samoa Joe when he joined WWE's main roster in 2017, but it feels as though the company hasn't allowed him to reach his full potential yet.
Joe has had Universal and WWE Championship opportunities against Brock Lesnar, AJ Styles, and Kofi Kingston. But he hasn't won either title yet, and WWE has to give Joe the main event look at some point.
He's currently sidelined with a hand injury, but assuming Joe ready to go for the Royal Rumble, WWE has to think about giving him the victory. He has all the tools in the world to be a capable WWE or Universal Champion.
7 Drew McIntyre
Drew McIntyre has the mic skills and in-ring work to be a worthy main event star, but for some reason, WWE has taken its sweet and precious time in building him up. He's on the verge of breaking out, but how much longer does WWE want to wait?
Of course, babyfaces almost always win the Royal Rumble. But WWE should consider going in another direction by giving somebody like McIntyre the crown here. He's displayed his abilities to go up against the other top stars, and a major push is long overdue. And that well-deserved push could start as soon as next month.
6 Rusev
In all honesty, WWE's chance to give Rusev a look in the main event picture sailed a long time ago. But in the unlikely event that WWE wants to shake things up at the Royal Rumble? Well, who better to win it all than the Bulgarian Brute?
As cheesy as his feud is with Lana and Bobby Lashley, the entire angle has seemingly made Rusev all the more popular. WWE completely botched their management of him while "Rusev Day" was sweeping over the fans, but the Royal Rumble would be their chance to make up for it.That's assuming they eventually move on from the storyline with Lana and Lashley.
5 Kofi Kingston
It's highly unlikely that WWE will push Kofi Kingston to the top of the card again in the near future, but there aren't that many superstars that deserve a Royal Rumble victory more than him.
There's no denying that Kingston's WWE Championship reign was a major success, and it was quite disappointing to see Brock Lesnar put an abrupt end to it. If WWE is bent on giving the fans what they want, they can start by putting Kingston on the path for another major championship reign. That journey could begin if he were to emerge victorious in the Royal Rumble.
Adam Cole
If WWE wants to go bold, why not have Adam Cole make a surprise entry and come away as the Royal Rumble winner? There's an argument to be made that NXT wouldn't be the same without him, but truth be told, Cole has nothing left really accomplish on the brand.
Cole is more than ready for a jump to the main WWE roster, and the fans would welcome him with open arms. A potential feud with Lesnar or Bray Wyatt at WrestleMania 36, with a championship on the line? Hard to imagine many folks complaining about that.
4 Finn Balor
Shortly after Finn Balor joined the main roster in 2016, he got a major push and even defeated Seth Rollins at SummerSlam to become the first Universal Champion. Unfortunately, a shoulder injury forced him to relinquish the title one day later - and Balor was never put back in the main event spotlight once he returned.
It's quite evident at this point that Vince McMahon doesn't see much in Balor, who recently turned heel on NXT. But what if Triple H could just get in the chairman's ear and convince him that Balor is worthy of another big push? Not only that but having a heel win the Royal Rumble would be a nice shake-up for once.
3 Kevin Owens
Now is the time for WWE to capitalize on Kevin Owens. He's being pushed as the next Steve Austin, even using the latter's signature 'Stone Cold Stunner' finisher. And now that he's feuding with Seth Rollins on Raw, Owens is in prime position to take over as the next main babyface on WWE's flagship program.
If Owens were to win the Royal Rumble, he'd likely enter a feud with Brock Lesnar and thus set up a showdown for the WWE Championship at WrestleMania. That would mark the perfect time for WWE to give Owens a long-overdue push once and for all, especially considering that his popularity is at an all-time high.
2 Roman Reigns
Not only is Roman Reigns a worthy candidate to win the Royal Rumble, but he is among the overwhelming favorites to come away victorious. It's already been suggested that he'll meet The Fiend at WrestleMania 36, after all.
Reigns has seen a big-time rise in popularity over the past year, so WWE shouldn't feel hesitant about giving him another big push. He's unlikely to be rejected so harshly this time around.
A Reigns-Fiend showdown on the Grandest Stage of Them All is a match we can all get behind. A potential victory at the 2020 Royal Rumble would go over far better than his crowning in 2015.
1 Daniel Bryan
WWE received plenty of backlashes when Daniel Bryan didn't win the 2014 nor 2015 Royal Rumble events. He was sidelined at the 2016, 2017 and 2018 events, and since Bryan was the WWE Champion at this point, he obviously wasn't going to win it in 2019.
This is WWE's chance to make up for past Royal Rumble failures by giving Bryan a victory. He probably wouldn't challenge The Fiend, but a showdown with Lesnar at WrestleMania 36 would make plenty of sense. It would mark a prime opportunity for Bryan to enjoy his first big babyface push since he came out of retirement, too.
Simply put, Bryan is the 2020 Royal Rumble that the WWE Universe deserves and the one we all need.