The wrestler - who will face Seth Rollins for the championship at Survivor Series in three weeks time - had opened as a 6/5 shot when the special opened earlier this year. He is now priced at 8/11 now that the Survivor Series match has become official.
 |
| Click image to expand |
Before Monday, I was confident that Reigns would win the title at WrestleMania 32 and had placed bets on him in this market. I'm still convinced that he'll be in the title match, only this time he'll be in there to defend the strap.
Reigns - as I have noted in numerous posts in the past - is the heir apparent and is the person that the WWE higher ups are keen to have as the company's standard bearer. The next step in this transition is to become the WWE champion.
In my opinion. the Survivor Series match will go one of two ways. Either Reigns loses following a heel turn by Dean Ambrose or he actually wins the title months ahead of schedule.
If we're to go with the former, it would allow for Reigns to be in a program that should lead into early 2016. However, it would also mean Reigns being screwed out of the title once again (he failed to win at WrestleMania following Seth Rollins' insertion into the main event) and also came up short after vowing to secure the Money in the Bank briefcase in the summer.
Dave Meltzer, in this week's issue of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, brought up a good point by noting that there is more to gain from a Reigns title win than a Rollins retention as there are fresh match-ups that could be made with the new champ.
Meltzer also noted that the often vociferous WrestleMania crowd potentially not wanting a Reigns title win may have been a reason why the company may be bringing forward the coronation.
If Reigns is champion by WrestleMania, the Observer editor points to two possible opponents: Brock Lesnar or John Cena.
To get to WrestleMania, Lesnar or Cena would have to win the Royal Rumble. The best odds for either wrestler are:
Brock Lesnar 3/1 Betfair.com
John Cena 10/1 Paddy Power
There's one other wrinkle that could play out on WrestleMania Sunday. This one has been on my mind for quite some time and I've placed a wager on him myself.
What if Sheamus cashes in the Money in the Bank title shot?
I can see the WWE writers coming up with an idea where Reigns successfully retains the title following a bruising match only for Sheamus to run down to take on the exhausted champ. If Reigns does beat Lesnar, a Sheamus cash in could distract from the potential negative reaction that the aforementioned WrestleMania crowd could bring. If they have to choose Sheamus or Reigns in an impromptu match, I'm confident they'd pick the latter.
Yes, it's pure fantasy booking and is betting on a technicality but, at odds of 17/2, I think Sheamus is worth a punt here.
If you like betting on the 'Money in the Bank' cash in prop bets and don't expect Sheamus to cash in until WrestleMania or beyond, you're getting better odds in this market than you would betting on the cash in prop when WrestleMania weekend arrives.
We still have months to go before WrestleMania, but I have a feeling the 'To Compete' market will make for some interesting reading once Survivor Series has concluded.
The market can be found alongside other WWE-related odds on Paddy Power's WWE Betting Page.
Based on the backstage vignette between Reigns and Ambrose this week, I can tell Ambrose is up to no good. I don't need the Observer to help figure that out.
ReplyDeleteI think what they're trying to do is add more depth to the Reigns character. He's been made to look a bit more vulnerable in his promos and matches. The "superman" persona he had heading into WM31 was never going to get him over. He'll get screwed out of the title at SS (by Ambrose or Sheamus) to build up sympathy. The storyline going into WM32 will be that he was screwed at WM31, MITB, SS... but "finally", as Michael Cole would say, he's going to get one last shot at redemption.
How they book Reigns into getting a title shot at WM32 is anyone's guess. He's not repeating his RR fiasco, so I guess my theory is out the window :)
BTW 5Dimes also have RR odds up if you look in the "futures" category. It's tempting to buy Lesnar @ 6 already now. By the time we get to January the odds for the favorite will have drifted to around 2 (this year Reigns closed the market as 1.72 favorite, and the year before that Batista @ 1.8). If a new favorite emerge then you can back him before his odds drop below 2.0 and cover your outlay.
Thor,
ReplyDeleteI am aware that 5Dimes is offering Royal Rumble odds. The posts are:
Where to bet on the 2016 Royal Rumble
And:
5Dimes' Rumble Odds For September
What you must bear in mind is I have to write content that is specific to certain jurisdictions. Most of the Paddy Power / Betfair customers who read this (UK) can no longer bet with 5Dimes. Therefore, I cannot recommend the Lesnar play. That's why I chose the best domestic prices from the sportsbooks that continuously have Royal Rumble odds up on this side of the world.
On the reverse of that, this post is useless to US visitors on this occasion as they are unable to wager on the Paddy Power market.
Dave Meltzer did not state that Ambrose was turning. I drew that conclusion from Raw myself. I put it out there because it is worth mentioning. What you must bear in mind, some people who come across this blog might not follow the product as intently as you or I so - if it looks like I am stating the obvious to you - it might be enlightening to the next guy.