WWE’s winter classic — The Royal Rumble — takes place this Saturday from Lucas Oil Stadium (home of the Indianapolis Colts) and airs live on Peacock. While Wrestlemania may be “The Showcase of the Immortals” and “The Granddaddy of Them All” — to many wrestling fans, the Royal Rumble is the premier, signature WWE event of all-time.
WWE Royal Rumble 2025 may just be one of the most stacked Rumbles in a long time, as the Men’s Rumble will see John Cena, Roman Reigns and CM Punk all in the event while the Women’s Rumble will feature the long-awaited return of Charlotte Flair. There are only two non-Rumble matches announced as of this article going live, and they may be some of the best non-Rumble matches we have seen since pre-pandemic.
We at Pop Break are excited for this PLE, so we’ve got the hosts of our flagship podcast, Bill Bodkin (the site’s editor-in-chief) and “The Human Star Wars Encyclopedia” Amanda Rivas (making her full writing debut for the site) to predict the winners, the losers and the Dwayne Johnson of it all.
This column we’ll also be doing something a little different, we’re including the BetOnline.AG odds provided to us by Stuff Media Group. We thought since the Rumble is such a wild event, this would be a unique way for you to make your predictions at home!
You can check out the full Rumble odds as well as prop bets on the official BetOnline website.
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WWE Universal Title Ladder Match: “The American Nightmare” Cody Rhodes © vs. Kevin Owens
BetOnline.ag Odds:
Cody Rhodes (c) -1500 (1/15)
Kevin Owens +600 (6/1)
Note: Odds give Rhodes a 93.8% likelihood of winning the match.
Bill: Adrenaline in his soul, no way Cody’s gonna drop the gold. Yes, there is a scenario in my brain where KO wins, leading to a KO vs. Cena Mania match for the title. However, that’s likely just in my brain. Given the Cody/Punk segment at the end of RAW this past Monday, it seems pretty locked in that Punk and Cody are on a collision (pun intended) course for Las Vegas. By the way, this match is going to absolutely rule as both men have a history of excellent work in ladder matches.
Prediction: “And Still” Cody Rhodes
Amanda: We should be booing Kevin Owens as he is obviously supposed to be the heel here, but KO is doing some of the best work of his WWE career delivering intense promos and a more aggressive match style. Plus, he has some solid points on his views regarding Cody, so I also find myself agreeing with him and cheering him on. As much as I would love KO to win here as he has put in the work and elevated Cody to new heights, plus is trolling the roster at epic levels, Cody is retaining here because he has more stories to tell on his way to Wrestlemania as champion. This match will be messy, emotional, intense and I predict one of the best matches of both wrestlers’ careers.
Prediction: Cody Rhodes retains.
WWE Tag Team Championship 2 out of 3 Falls Match: #DIY © vs. The Motor City Machine Guns
BetOnline.ag Odds:
#DIY
Motor City Machine Guns +300 (3/1)
Note: Odds give DIY an 83.3% likelihood of winning the match.
Bill: This’ll be the sleeper match of the night. It’s got Match of the Year written all over it, because these are four excellent in-ring competitors. Had this match taken place on an NXT Takeover back pre-pandemic, it would’ve been lauded and applauded by the black and gold faithful. But this is 2025, those days are in the rearview, and I’m curious to see how a WWE Universe that’s more into the sizzle than the steak will react to this match. This will obviously go a third fall, and #DIY will get the win by hook or mostly by crook. I believe that ultimately Gargano & Ciampa will drop the title to Jacob & Tama so they do a big tag title match with The Usos at Mania. If that doesn’t happen, then expect a four-way or ladder match at Mania.
Prediction: “And Still” #DIY
Amanda: I am a long time fan of The Motor City Machine Guns and ever since joining WWE they have not disappointed. They made an impact right off the bat winning the Tag Team titles from The Bloodline during their second night in WWE all while winning the crowd over by the end of the night. They had a great title defense against The Street Profits and also had solid matches with Pretty Deadly, Los Garzas, and A-Town Down Under. We know how talented #DIY is and given the heat between these two teams and the caliber of wrestling we know both have, I predict this will be the Match of the Night. As much as I would love to see The Motor City Machine Guns win, I can see WWE running a variation of this match again at Wrestlemania that I wish could include a reunited Penta and Fenix in the hunt. But Wrestlemania would be best to crown The Motor City Machine Guns as the premier tag team in the division.
Prediction: #DIY retains via cheating.
Women’s Royal Rumble:
Confirmed Entrants (As of 1/31/25 – Pre-Smackdown):
Bayley
Nia Jax
Charlotte Flair
Raquel Rodriguez
Liv Morgan
Naomi
Bianca Belair
Lyra Valkyria
Ivy Nile
Io Skye
BetOnline.AG Odds:
2025 Women’s Royal Rumble Winner
- Charlotte Flair – 1/2 (-200)
- Bianca Belair – 7/4 (+175)
- Iyo Sky – 13/2 (+325)
- Becky Lynch – 5/1
- Alexa Bliss – 10/1
- Liv Morgan – 16/1
- Jordynne Grace – 33/1
- Jade Cargill – 40/1
- Naomi -50/1
- Nia Jax – 50/1
Bill’s Predictions:
NXT Surprise Entrants: Roxxane Perez, Giulia, Stephanie Vaquer, Lash Legend
TNA Surprise Entrants: Masha Slamovich
Legend/Hall of Fame Entrants: Trish Stratus, Mickie James, Nikki Bella
Additional Roster Entrants: Jordynne Grace, Jade Cargill, Natalya, Chelsea Green, Candice LaRae, Piper Niven, Michin, Sonya Deville, Zoey Stark, Shayna Baszler, Maxine Dupree, Becky Lynch.
Winner: Charlotte Flair
Thoughts: While you never rule out Becky Lynch, it seems inevitable that Charlotte Flair is returning and returning on top. My thought is that she ends up winning and challenges Tiffany Stratton for her title. That’ll be a fun match, but ultimately she’ll win at Mania.
I do believe that they give Jordynne Grace the Diesel/Kane spot where she eliminates a ton of entrants. Jade Cargill I could see not being an official entrant but costing Bianca and/or Naomi by pulling them over the top or something dastardly. Masha as the TNA surprise will be the Jordynne Grace spot from 2024, as she’ll get a solid pop and then show out (and she’s super good). Chelsea Green, once again will be the MVP, as she will own all the comedy spots.
Amanda’s Predictions:
NXT Surprise Entrants: Roxanne Perez, Giulia, Stephanie Vaquer, Cora Jade
TNA Surprise Entrants: Masha Slamovich, Tessa Blanchard, Gail Kim
Legend/Hall of Fame Entrants: Nikki Bella, Lita, Trish, Victoria, Maryse, Mickie James
Additional Roster Entrants: Jordynne Grace, Asuka, Jade, Chelsea Green, Zelina Vega, Natalya, Kairi Sane
Winner: Charlotte Flair – even though the WWE Women’s Roster is stacked right now, Charlotte has always received the mega push and will continue to do so. Plus the temptation of having her go against Tiffany Stratton, who has continuously mentioned the impact Charlotte had in her career progression, in an iconic Wrestlemania match is too strong to resist.
Men’s Royal Rumble:
Confirmed Entrants (As of 1/31/25 Pre-Smackdown!):
Roman Reigns
CM Punk
John Cena
LA Knight
“Main Event” Jey Uso
Seth “Freakin” Rollins
Drew McIntyre
Rey Mysterio
Sami Zayn
Shinsuke Nakamura
Logan Paul
Penta
Chad Gable
Carmelo Hayes
BetOnline. AG Odds for 2025 Men’s Royal Rumble Winner
- John Cena – 1/1
- Seth “Freakin” Rollins – 5/4 (+125)
- CM Punk – 3/2 (+150)
- The Rock – 8/1
- Roman Reigns – 12/1
- Randy Orton – 28/1
- Sami Zayn – 33/1
- Drew McIntyre – 50/1
- Jacob Fatu -50/1
- Logan Paul -50/1
Bill’s Predictions:
NXT Surprise Entrants: Oba Femi, Trick Williams
TNA Surprise Entrants: Joe Hendry, Matt Hardy, Jeff Hardy
Legend/Hall of Fame Entrants: Booker T
Additional Roster Entrants: Jacob Fatu, Omos, Damien Priest, Ludwig Kaiser, Dominik Mysterio, Jimmy Uso, Karrion Kross, Randy Orton, Rey Mysterio, Sheamus.
Winner: CM Punk
Thoughts: Punk wins for a multitude of reasons. First, that RAW closing segment was too talked about NOT to do. And yes, Phil finally gets his Wrestlemania main event (of a buy one, get one … oh you know the joke). Second, they’re going to do Cena vs. Gunther at Mania with Cena winning the Elimination Chamber. Third, Roman gets eliminated via The Rock … and if that prediction does not come through, it’ll be via Drew McIntyre.
Amanda’s Predictions:
NXT Surprise Entrants: Trick Williams, Oba Femi, Ethan Page
TNA Surprise Entrants: Matt & Jeff Hardy; Joe Hendry, Matt Cardona, Nic Nemeth
Legend/Hall of Fame Entrants: Santino Morello, Goldberg, JBL
Additional Roster Entrants: AJ Styles, Brock Lesnar, Randy Orton, Aleister Black, Fenix, Jacob Fatu
Winner: As much as I would love the winner to be someone like Jey Uso, Seth Rollins, or my Tribal Chief (yes, I am biased because he is my second favorite wrestler, with my favorite being the flamazing Branden Vice), I think WWE will go the predictable route and choose CM Punk given the narrative that was established this past Monday with the Cody-Punk promo. John Cena will have his opportunity to break Rick Flair’s record but that will come via a win at Elimination Chamber to challenge Gunther.
Bonus Jonas Question: Will The Rock appear – yes or no?
Bill: Yes. WWE is in a total Brokeback Mountain situation when it comes to The Bloodline … they just can’t quit them. It’s been the biggest piece of box office, the single most dominant storyline the WWE has had since Austin vs. McMahon in the Attitude Era. There is still some (not much) juice left to the squeeze on the Bloodline, so why not have the “High Chief” Dwayne Johnson along with his men (Jacob, Solo, Tama, etc.) take on “The Tribal Chief” Roman Reigns with his men (The Usos, Sami) at Mania in Vegas? Sounds like money to me.
Amanda: Yes because he will cause Roman’s elimination at the Royal Rumble and set-up the path to their Wrestlemania match. Roman winning this year’s Rumble would sour the hard earned goodwill he finally has and being eliminated due to the scheming Final Boss would set up a long desired dream Wrestlemania match to determine who the real Tribal Chief actually is.
