Way-too-Early Potential 2027 Royal Rumble Winners

After a drab first half of 2026, WWE has finally gotten some momentum behind it in recent weeks. On SmackDown, Sami Zayn’s relentless pursuit of the WWE Championship has caught the eye, with his story culminating in a shocking title victory over CM Punk in Mexico City on September 11. Now, he must find a way to cling to the gold with no shortage of challengers gunning for the champion, with the aforementioned Punk, plus Kevin Owens and Randy Orton all on the hunt, and former champion Cody Rhodes and Gunther not too far behind. 

Raw has been particularly lifeless since WrestleMania back in April, but the emergence of Royce Keys and his violent ‘946’ faction has provided a much-needed jolt of electricity to the red brand. Alongside former NXT stars Bronco Nima and Lucien Price, Keys has run roughshod over the Monday Night show in recent weeks, regularly bludgeoning World Heavyweight Champion Roman Reigns’ Bloodline. Jey Uso, Jimmy Uso, Solo Sikoa, and Jacob Fatu have all felt the wrath on recent episodes, with the latter of that quartet shockingly being mowed down by another former NXT star, Jaida Parker, on September 28th, with the former NXT Women’s Champion then aligning herself with Keys and Co. 

WWE’s newfound energy should only gather momentum from here. November’s Survivor Series premium live event will soon kick off the road to February’s Royal Rumble, which in turn gets us on the road to WrestleMania. So, who, given their current hype and trajectory, could be in position to secure a Royal Rumble win in Arizona in a few months’ time, punching their ticket to the main event of WrestleMania in the process? Let’s take a look at the two men who are seemingly in the prime position to do exactly that. 

Oba Femi 

Oba Femi is the obvious pick, and don’t just take our word for it; take that of the bookmakers. Websites such as the popular 5Gringos online sportsbook currently list the Ruler as the overwhelming 6/4 favourite to pick up the biggest win of his young career in the Royal Rumble match in February, and considering his path of destruction throughout 2026, it’s clear to see why he would be the first choice. 

Oba made his main roster debut at last year’s Royal Rumble in Saudi Arabia and immediately made a name for himself. From there, he embarked upon the feud of the year opposite the legendary Brock Lesnar, beating the former UFC and WWE Champion at WrestleMania and at SummerSlam, with the Nigerian becoming Lesnar’s last-ever opponent before sailing off into the retirement sunset. Since then, he has become embroiled in a feud with Bron Breakker, with both men aiming to prove that they are the future of the WWE. 

Ever since April, it has been clear that Oba vs. Roman Reigns was the plan for the main event of WrestleMania 43. Reigns acknowledged the threat of Oba immediately after winning the world heavyweight title off of CM Punk in Las Vegas, before also mentioning him the night after he secured the gold on the Raw After Mania. Since then, the two men have been kept apart on WWE TV, but should Oba win the Rumble as expected, he will surely take aim at the Tribal Chief before challenging him for the gold on the Grandest Stage of Them All. 

Bron Breakker 

The most obvious candidate to usurp Oba to a Rumble win is current nemesis Bron Breakker, and the story would be a simple one to tell. In recent weeks, the “Badass” has taken aim at the Ruler, slandering the Nigerian for taking Breakker’s spot as the obvious future of WWE. And the story does have some truth to it. 

Breakker was being pushed to the moon by WWE throughout 2025. Then, a badly timed injury saw Breakker suffer a shock early exit from the 2026 Royal Rumble back in February, with Oba the one who sent the Vision Leader crashing to the canvas. Since then, Breakker has struggled to climb his way back to the top of the card, while Oba has looked like a genuine superstar. The two did battle one on one for the first time back at Sunday Night’s Main Event on September 6, with Femi winning via disqualification following the shocking return of Breakker’s long-time right-hand man Bronson Reed. 

Breakker remains very much a second-favourite to win the Rumble, but him somehow outsmarting Oba and finding a way to the Rumble would certainly make sense. The Badass has Reed, Paul Heyman, Logan Paul, and Austin Theory all in his corner, and all of them will be doing everything in their power to ensure that Breakker leaves Arizona with a Rumble win and a spot in the main event of WrestleMania secured. Should that happen, don’t be surprised to see both Breakker and Oba facing off against Reigns for the World Heavyweight title on the Grandest Stage of Them All next April.