With the dust just about settled after the recent events at Survivor Series, we are now moving ever closer to Wrestlemania season. The WWE's flagship annual event takes place in New Jersey next April but, before then, there is the small matter of just who will earn themselves at a shot at immortality.
As has been the tradition for many years now, the winner of January's Royal Rumble will be given the opportunity to then compete for one of the two main titles, those being either the Universal or WWE Championship.
At present, Brock Lesnar and Daniel Bryan are the respective champions as they rule the roost on both Raw and Smackdown. However, as we witnessed only recently, a lot can change in a very small amount of time.
The perfect example of this was when Bryan was crowned the new WWE Champion on the go home show before Survivor Series. The one-time fan favorite has seemingly left the fans behind as he ended the year-long reign of previous champion AJ Styles.
Styles will undoubtedly be looking for redemption and he could well find it should he win the upcoming Royal Rumble, although he will have his work cut out as it is arguably one of the most open contests in recent times.
The list of potential candidates as to who could be the last man standing is an illustrious one, something that makes picking the winner a difficult task, especially if you want to make it more interesting by placing some money on the outcome.
A look at the current market has AJ Styles as the fourth favorite to win the yearly battle royal at odds of 6/1, a price that certainly puts him in the mix in regard to serious contenders. However, the early betting has Scotland's Drew McIntyre as the current favorite at 2/1.
For anyone considering betting online for this event, McIntyre's current odds represent a 33.3% chance of him winning the Rumble. The question though is whether the tag of favorite is one that will weigh him down or not.
After being touted as Vince McMahon's 'Chosen One' over a decade ago, the 33-year-old failed to live up to the expectations that the company's top brass once had for him. So much so that he departed the WWE back in 2014.
However, a lengthy stint away from life on the road seems to have given McIntyre a new lease on life and, since his return to the fold back in 2017, one that saw him also become the NXT Champion soon after, it is fair to say his career is going through something of a resurgence.
A Royal Rumble win would only propel him further as he looks to finally fulfil the potential that he so obviously has. At the same time, one should not forget the likes of Braun Strowman who is waiting in the wings to finally break the glass ceiling and be considered a true elite superstar.
And, when we talk of those in that select few, then you must look no further than John Cena. Big Match John may be in a phase of semi-retirement these days but the possibility of going to Wrestlemania and becoming World Champion for a record 17th time would arguably be the greatest story of them all.
