WWE Royal Rumble: Brock Lesnar and Bray Wyatt among contenders
Will Chris Jericho win the Royal Rumble for the first time?
Last Updated: 21/01/16 5:22pm
Who will win the Royal Rumble?
That's the question on the lips of wrestling fans this weekend as, for only the second time in history, the WWE World Heavyweight Championship will be up for grabs in the 30-man match.
WWE ROYAL RUMBLE 2016
Live on Sky Sports Box Office
1am, Sun (Monday morning)
Click here to order
Reigning champion - and 2015 Rumble winner - Roman Reigns will have one heck of a job on to successfully defend his title, especially now his beef with the McMahon family has seen him named as the No 1 entrant.
But which Superstars pose the biggest threat to the Big Dog? They include a Beast, a bearded sermon-spewer and the Ayatollah of Rock 'n' Rolla…
BROCK LESNAR
Lesnar won the only Royal Rumble Match he has competed in, the 2003 edition, and is widely accepted as the most likely candidate to dethrone Reigns, even by the current champion. The Beast Incarnate has been pinned or submitted just once in the best part of two years - tapping out to The Undertaker at SummerSlam last August following a low blow - and as a former UFC Heavyweight Champion and WWE World Heavyweight Champion will have no issues adapting his style for such a frenzied match if needs be. Lesnar probably won't change his style, though - he'll hit and he'll hit hard. The Anomaly's Rumble rivals won't be anticipating his arrival with glee.
BRAY WYATT
The Eater of Worlds enjoyed a breakout in-ring display in the 2015 Rumble, lasting in excess of 47 minutes, hurling out six of his fellow competitors - a tally only matched by Reigns and Rusev - and only being dumped to the ground himself when running into Kane and Big Show. Wyatt was a lone wolf 12 months ago but this time around has plenty of back-up. Erick Rowan and Luke Harper have been reunited with their leader, while new recruit Braun Strowman has added even more bulk to The Wyatt Family. All three will join Wyatt in the Rumble and, presumably, try the darnedest to help The Man of 1,000 Truths prevail, even if it means sacrificing themselves in the process.
CHRIS JERICHO
For all his accolades - six-time world champion, nine-time Intercontinental Champion, lead singer of heavy-metal band Fozzy - Jericho has never won the Rumble, with his best result in the match coming in 2012 when he finished runner-up to Sheamus. The Ayatollah of Rock 'n' Rolla has recently returned to WWE and wasted little time in winding up some of his fellow Rumble competitors, including The New Day, Lesnar and, to a lesser extent, Reigns. Y2J could pay for that on Sunday night, while he's far from the biggest dog in the fight but with his experience - few on the current roster can match it - Jericho cannot be ruled out. "Never, ever" ruled out.
AJ STYLES
You must have heard the rumours. AJ Styles, a man with years of wrestling under his belt in America and Japan, has been linked with a move to WWE, alongside Doc Gallows and Karl Anderson, whom he banded with in New Japan Pro Wrestling in the Bullet Club faction. Styles' in-ring acumen is well-documented, with his Styles Clash slam and Pele Kick things of beauty, and where better place to make his WWE bow than the Rumble? Think about this, too: as murmurings of Bullet Club arriving gathered pace, NXT Champion Finn Balor - the stable's initiator - Tweeted a picture of himself wearing a Bullet Club T-Shirt with the caption 'They should have been here by now'. Sunday could be interesting…
DANIEL BRYAN
Orlando's Amway Center would erupt if Bryan, absent from the ring since April due to a concussion-related injury, made a triumphant return, the noise would match the shock the WWE Universe felt in the 2015 event when Bray Wyatt eliminated the fan favourite from the Rumble. If not Bryan, though, then who else might prevail? Dean Ambrose would be a popular victor and Kevin Owens would be a credible one, while could The New Day's Kofi Kingston, who finds a mind-boggling way of avoiding elimination at each Rumble it seems, finally land a big win? Former Rumble champions Sheamus and Alberto Del Rio must not be written off, while Triple H will do anything to take the title off Reigns…
You can watch the 2016 Royal Rumble pay-per-view live on Sky Sports Box Office from 1am on Sunday, January 24 (Monday morning). We will also be running a live blog of the event on skysports.com/wwe.
Royal Rumble booking details
WWE Royal Rumble will be shown on Sky Sports Box Office (channel 491) and Sky Sports HD Box Office (channel 492) at 1am, on Sunday, January 24 (Mon morning).
WWE Royal Rumble will be repeated on Sky Sports Box Office (channel 491) but NOT Sky Sports HD Box Office (channel 492) between 9am, Monday, January 25 and 9pm, Thursday, January 28.
Repeat showings will last for three hours, with the final showing STARTING at 9pm on Thursday, January 28.
The event is priced at £19.95 for UK customers, €24.95 for viewers in the Republic of Ireland.
Viewers can call 03442 410 888 to book WWE Royal Rumble. (There may be an additional charge for telephone bookings).
You can also book WWE Royal Rumble online by visiting this link: https://my.sky.com/orderboxoffice/?DCMP=bac-SS.com_RoyalRumble
Only bookings via Sky TV remote are recordable using Sky Plus.
Sky TV residential customers only. Commercial customers contact Sky for price and to order. Sky Box Office terms apply.
Cable customers should contact their local cable operator.
