WWE Royal Rumble 2024 Odds: CM Punk favourite to win iconic 30-man wrestling event

Whether it's through nostalgia or from a contemporary passion for the sport, the WWE Royal Rumble has a special place in a lot of people's hearts. 2024 marks the 38th edition of the famous wrestling match, taking place at 1am BST on Sunday 28th January at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, Florida.

Who will win this year's Royal Rumble? This event sets the stage for one of the most important timelines in WWE history, helping establish WrestleMania 40, a marquee event for the company, particularly as it's the first show of shows under TKO management.

Below we've detailed everything you need to know about this year's event, from important details regarding the 2024 WWE Royal Rumble to which wrestlers are considered favourites to win the illustrious 30-man match.

WWE Royal Rumble 2024 Winner Odds

Part of the joy of experiencing a Royal Rumble is not knowing which current or past superstars will show up. Everybody is wondering who will be the WWE Royal Rumble 2024 Winner which is why we're here to run you through the top contenders in the outright market and present you with our verdict for the main event.

CM Punk (10/11)

The former world champion and American Nightmare cut an intense promo with Cody Rhodes on the previous Monday's WWE Raw, with Punk saying he was more 'American Dream' than Cody, and Rhodes replying that he was more 'CM Punk' than Punk himself.

There's no surprise that the two find themselves right up there in the top of the betting for this year's matchup, with CM Punk installed as the odds-on frontrunner to be the last man standing on Sunday night. Punk made a shock return at November's Survivor Series despite hinting he wouldn't return to the WWE following his 2014 exit from the organisation to join rival All Elite Wrestling (AEW).

Creative storylines and a lack of medical care were used as reasonings behind him leaving the company, however, his appearance at the 2024 Royal Rumble is sure to indicate big things on the horizon for one of the sport's most beloved athletes.

Gunther (7/4)

Reigning WWE Intercontinental Champion Gunther is considered the next likely wrestler to be victorious in this weekend's gruelling main event at odds of 7/4. Monday night's Raw opened with World Heavyweight Champion Seth Rollins addressing his future before being interrupted by the Austrian, whose face-to-face with The Future appears to have made him a credible Royal Rumble winner.

Gunther is expected to challenge Seth Rollins at this year's WrestleMania should the current injury his counterpart is rehabbing be healed in time for that April date. This narrative fits with the potential roadmap Gunther is setting out for himself and crowning him the king of the Royal Rumble would certainly go towards emotionally investing the audience into a future rivalry between the pair.

Cody Rhodes (9/2)

He and CM Punk are on a collision course in the WWE, and you can bet something major will go down involving the two in Florida during the Royal Rumble event. Bookmakers have made Cody Rhodes the third name in the running to win the 2024 30-man event, but it's whether in the absence of Seth Rollins and in the wake of their WWE Raw promo that Punk and Rhodes could square off at WrestleMania in April instead.

Not since 2008 have these two come to blows in a singles match, with CM Punk winning their first meeting in September 2008 before Rhodes was victorious by count-out three months later. The highly proficient son of the late WWE Hall of Famer Dusty Rhodes has proven that he's more than just a pretty face, capturing two Intercontinental Championships and six Tag Team Championships over a nine-year period with the WWE from 2007-2016.

Having also returned after exploring other options outside of the business, being handpicked by WWE Chairman Vince McMahon as Seth Rollins' surprise opponent at WrestleMania 38 shows you how well regarded Rhodes is within the organisation.

The Rock (11/1)

Can you smell what The Rock is cooking? Maybe the scent is that of a 2024 Royal Rumble winner. Hollywood powerhouse Dwayne Johnson, aka The Rock, has made numerous sporadic appearances in the WWE since leaving full-time in 2004.

The charismatic trash talker is reportedly in the organisation's plans for WrestleMania 40, with a potential grudge match against Roman Reigns on the cards after dropping Reigns' nickname during a Raw appearance earlier this month. That could factor him into the 2024 Royal Rumble equation as the bookies go as high as 11/1 for the global megastar to win it all on Sunday which makes a lot of sense if trying to establish that future bout.

Randy Orton (25/1)

Although WWE legend Randy Orton will feature in the Fatal 4-Way with champion Roman Reigns and two fellow challengers AJ Styles and LA Knight on the same evening, that doesn't rule him out from making an appearance in the Royal Rumble.

The two-time winner, as recently as 2017, could equal Steve Austin's record of three WWE Royal Rumble titles if he's victorious this weekend, however, tying him up with another match means we can either expect fireworks in that four-man brawl and virtually no appearance from Orton in the Rumble, or a low-key showing in that ancillary match before an unforgettable emergence in the headliner.

Others

Elsewhere, surprise hit and champion Logan Paul is 50/1 in the betting, also being preoccupied on the same evening in a United States Championship matchup with Kevin Owens.

Brock Lesnar (66/1) could make a surprise appearance at the event and would be an incredibly large price if present.

Similarly, Rey Mysterio (150/1) has been out of action since November 2023 but is poised to make a return in Florida.

John Cena (100/1) is a multi winner himself in 2008 and 2013 and it would be no shock to see him in the ring, however, it may be no more than a cameo appearance if so.

Recent WWE Royal Rumble Winners

• 2018: Shinsuke Nakamura
• 2019: Seth Rollins
• 2020: Drew McIntyre
• 2021: Edge
• 2022: Brock Lesnar
• 2023: Cody Rhodes

When is the 2024 Royal Rumble?

The WWE Royal Rumble 2024 takes place on Sunday 28th January at 1am BST.

How To Watch the 2024 Royal Rumble?

The Royal Rumble streams exclusively on Peacock in the US, with UK viewers able to watch the stacked card of matches through a one-off PPV fee of £19.99 through TNT Sports Box Office.