2020 Royal Rumble Predictions

In this edition of The Wrestling Estate roundtable, we give our 2020 Royal Rumble predictions.

How do you feel about Goldberg challenging Drew McIntyre at the 2020 Royal Rumble?

Juan Bautista: I don’t need grandpa who can barely go two minutes in this match. I’ve already seen this. WWE is telling me that no one on the roster can do this, not Samoa Joe or even AJ Styles? I’ll just finish with this before any of you WWE apologists bring up Sting – compare how they are being used, their in-ring capabilities at this point and why they are there.

Chad Gelfand: I’m not a fan. There is room on the show for older legends like Goldberg but challenging for the WWE Title with very little storyline reasoning isn’t it. Goldberg is 54 years old and he shouldn’t be put in position to have a competitive match with someone like Drew McIntyre, who’s physically imposing and in the prime of his career.

John Corrigan: I have zero interest in seeing Goldberg wrestle again. He should have stopped after his classic with Brock Lesnar at WrestleMania 33.

James Klonowski: I like it. In an ideal world, WWE would allow a big-name full-time roster member to challenge for the gold, but the reality is that there’s no one of that caliber there. Sheamus? Keith Lee? Braun Strowman? Nope. Maybe a multi-man match may have worked, but the Goldberg choice is the best one. We all know it’s not going to be a classic, but that doesn’t matter. It will be a few minutes of hard-hitting action, with Drew McIntyre coming out on top a bigger star for it.

David Gibb: I feel bummed out. Hard to think of a better representation of the way WWE has just fallen apart creatively over the last few years: a deserving, hardworking champion whose existence barely anybody is aware of and a dead horse who has a little bit of name value coined in the previous century.

Jack Goodwillie: I’m happy they’re getting it out of the way before WrestleMania, but make no mistake, the segment on Raw that followed the McIntyre-Keith Lee match was a complete and utter failure by people with more than 30 years of television experience. As far as the match itself goes, it’s very meh. I don’t have a ton of interest in seeing Goldberg come back for more matches. He’s got nothing left to prove, and it’s a pretty obvious cash grab from his end, and from WWE’s end is just another display of its laziness/inability to build a credible opponent for the champion in a timely manner.

Give one surprise entrant in the Women’s 2020 Royal Rumble.

Bautista: Victoria. She’s the missing piece of the nostalgia puzzle.

Gelfand: Victoria.

Corrigan: Madusa.

Klonowski: Ronda Rousey. The rumors are running rampant that the Baddest Woman On The Planet will return to WWE this Sunday at the Royal Rumble, and if she does, she is most likely to win the whole thing and boost the women’s division once again. She is the biggest female draw in UFC history and a ratings draw in WWE at a time when it desperately needs one.

Gibb: Rousey.

Goodwillie: Tessa Blanchard.

Give one surprise entrant in the Men’s 2020 Royal Rumble.

Bautista: Rhea Ripley. There is nothing else to accomplish in NXT. She has the personality and look to compete with the men. Rhea will be a rock star.

Gelfand: Carlito. I’ve been making this prediction for about 10 years now and one of these days it will come true.

Corrigan: Kane, just so he can tie Edge and Jim Duggan’s record of being in a Rumble in four decades.

Klonowski: Brock Lesnar. Similar to Ronda Rousey, Lesnar is a needle mover. Making a big return at the Royal Rumble will help boost everything and will allow WWE to start building towards WrestleMania, having someone get the rub from clashing with The Beast.

Gibb: John Cena.

Goodwillie: Carlito. They couldn’t book him for Legends Night, so maybe they can get something done for the Rumble. WWE isn’t exactly hurting these days financially, after all.

Obviously a surprise entrant isn’t going to win the Rumble this year. I had Edge penciled in this spot, but WWE gave any element of surprise away on Raw in what could end up being one of the worst booking decisions of the year if Edge DOES win the match. Why waste an Edge promo and why waste what could have been a nice little surprise on an opportunity for him to “declare” he’d be in the match? Total garbage.

Who’s your pick to win the Women’s 2020 Royal Rumble?

Bautista: Becky Lynch. If she’s ready to come back, let her chase the title she was never beaten for.

Gelfand: Bianca Belair. She has an undeniable “IT factor” and after last year’s impressive performance, the only way she can top it is winning the whole thing. Also, Sasha Banks vs. Bianca Belair at WrestleMania 37 for the title has money written all over it.

Corrigan: James sold me on Alexa Bliss earlier this week.

Klonowski: If Ronda Rousey returns, she is the obvious choice. If not, then it’s between Bianca Belair, Alexa Bliss and Rhea Ripley. If I was pushed to punt for one, I’d opt for Ripley as she needs it more than the others. Belair can still get to Sasha Banks at WrestleMania without the Rumble, and Bliss will have a major impact at Mania regardless of what happens between now and April.

Gibb: Rousey.

Goodwillie: Tessa Blanchard. There is not one or even two or three names that immediately come to mind as far as women who can really benefit from going over here. The timing is perfect for Blanchard to come in on top. It’s going to probably upset a lot of people in the company, but WWE has made a habit of that recently. If we don’t see Blanchard in this year’s match (let alone her winning it), I don’t think she’ll be ending up there anytime soon.

Who’s your pick to win the Men’s 2020 Royal Rumble?

Bautista: It will probably be Daniel Bryan, but I wouldn’t mind seeing Edge win.

Gelfand: Big E. The man is ready and primed for a main event push and he has all the tools to be a top babyface and foil to SmackDown’s top heel: Roman Reigns.

Corrigan: Brock Lesnar.

Klonowski: Seth Rollins. I hear all this talk about Daniel Bryan, but it just doesn’t add up. It’s about six years too late. No one is clamoring for it. Cesaro, a similar thing. Sheamus has been heavily backed on many betting sites to win it again, but that would be a surprise, and not a particularly good one. Edge returning to win it could be another way to go, but the best choice is a returning Seth Rollins as a babyface to challenge and dethrone Roman Reigns of the Universal Championship at WrestleMania 37.

Gibb: John Cena.

Goodwillie: Edge. It makes some storytelling sense for him to get the win this time. Roman Reigns beckons!