Thirty men will battle in the most anticipated match of the year. The thirty-eighth edition of the Royal Rumble emanates from the “Cross Roads of America.” Sixty-five thousand fans will descend upon Lucas Oil Stadium with the WrestleMania hopes of their favorite WWE superstars hanging in the balance. 

Two Rumble matches and two championship showdowns boast a less-is-more lineup. Cody Rhodes will likely retain the WWE Championship in his ladder match against Kevin Owens. Although the outcome seems predictable, the storytelling has made the journey worthwhile. 

This year’s Men’s Royal Rumble is the most unpredictable of all time, a far cry from years past. Vince McMahon’s booking style focused on one main star while everyone else was a rung below. Triple H has reinvigorated WWE storytelling by making every character as important as possible. 

Eighteen entrants have declared for the Rumble. The remaining spots will be wrestlers from Raw, SmackDown, NXT and a couple of surprises from perhaps TNA or the independent scene. The wrestlers already in the Rumble all have a story going into the match in one form or another.

Will John Cena win his last Royal Rumble? A winning lottery ticket on his farewell tour could earn him a shot of breaking the record for most world championships. Now that Bloodline business is settled, Roman Reigns looks to reclaim the throne following his record-setting title reign. Seth Rollins’ road to WrestleMania is intriguing regardless of which champion he faces. One of the titles is held by a man Rollins has never beaten, while the dominant Gunther holds the belt he made famous.