WWE Men’s Royal Rumble 2021 Opening Odds – Daniel Bryan, Keith Lee Early Favorites

• WWE’s 2021 Royal Rumble pay-per-view event will take place Sunday, January 31st
• Daniel Bryan and Keith Lee are among the early favorites to win the men’s Rumble match
• Who else do opening betting odds favor emerging victorious? Find out below

As WWE rings in the new year, all eyes are on the upcoming Royal Rumble pay-per-view on January 31st and specifically the two Rumble matches for the men and women. The winners of both bouts will have the opportunity to choose which championship they’ll contend for at WrestleMania 37 this spring.

Opening betting odds have already been released for the men’s Rumble and Daniel Bryan, Goldberg and Keith Lee are among those favored to reign supreme and punch their ticket to the main event of WrestleMania. The rest of the wrestlers in the running to win the Rumble may surprise some fans, however.

Odds to Win 2021 WWE Men’s Royal Rumble

Odds as of Jan 6th

Daniel Bryan leading the list of expected Rumble winners is logical given recent events on SmackDown. He’s been trading wins with Jey Uso for months, so it only stands to reason that he’ll have his sights set on Roman Reigns and his Universal Championship eventually.

In fact, Bryan himself said as much on Talking Smack two weeks ago, indicating that he wants Reigns one-on-one regardless of whether the gold is up for grabs. There’s such a natural story worth telling there that WWE would be foolish to not go with Bryan as the Rumble winner this year, especially after he failed to win it when he should have in 2014 and 2015, respectively.

.@WWEDanielBryan has declared himself the FIRST entrant in the 2021 #RoyalRumble Match! But will @SamiZayn, sorry, karma get to him first? 🤔 #SmackDown pic.twitter.com/B4DsylnbFD

— WWE (@WWE) December 26, 2020

Goldberg is next up at +450, but because he’s already been announced as facing Drew McIntyre for the WWE Championship at the Rumble event, it’s safe to assume he won’t be a part of the Rumble itself. Keith Lee, however, is a much smarter choice considering the roll he’s been on lately, and if Goldberg does leave the Rumble with the WWE title, Lee would be the perfect opponent for him on The Grandest Stage of Them All.

Big E and Edge are next up at +600. Big E’s chances of coming out on top as Intercontinental champion are slim and Edge is more likely to resume his rivalry with Randy Orton upon his return to the ring rather than entering the world title picture.

.@TheRock at #WrestleMania… Jey @WWEUsos at #WWEClash, my responsibility is putting our family’s name on top of the card and at the center of @WWE Universe. https://t.co/4uIOz0zHbb

— Roman Reigns (@WWERomanReigns) September 23, 2020

Of Brock Lesnar, AJ Styles, The Rock, and Kevin Owens, only Lesnar and Rock have a realistic chance of winning it. Styles and Owens already received title shots at TLC and failed, but Lesnar and Rock are possible opponents for McIntyre and Reigns at WrestleMania if WWE decides to go in that direction.

As the current reigning Universal champion, there is no value in betting on Reigns. He’d first have to lose the title, and that isn’t bound to happen any time soon. The same can be said for McIntyre at +2000.

New year. New opportunities. Same dream.

🗓 #RoyalRumble | 1/31/21 pic.twitter.com/4Xd5h2w8Xe

— WWE (@WWE) December 21, 2020

There also isn’t a ton of value in betting on Braun Strowman, Bray Wyatt, or Jey Uso. Any one of those three could believably vie for a top title at The Show of Shows, but there are far more interesting options. Additionally, there has been no indication that CM Punk is coming back any time soon and Adam Cole, Finn Balor, and Karrion Kross are expected to remain in NXT for the foreseeable future.

Everyone else listed including Matt Riddle, Seth Rollins, Aleister Black, Andrade, John Cena, and Lars Sullivan are certainly long shots based on where they are (or aren’t) on the card currently. The only one who isn’t is Bobby Lashley, who has been on the roll of a lifetime as a member of The Hurt Business. He has the best chance of pulling out the upset and going on to challenge for the WWE Championship again at ‘Mania, whether it be against McIntyre or Goldberg or someone else.

Anything can change in the coming weeks, but the best bets as of now for the men’s Rumble remain Daniel Bryan and Keith Lee.

Picks: Daniel Bryan (+280) and Keith Lee (+450)