Betting On Sky Bet's Rumble Specials

Over the past week or more, I've placed bets on Sky Bet's Royal Rumble specials and - instead of publishing a post every time I had a gamble - I thought I'd wait until this weekend to publish a long post pointing out what I've gone for along with the reasons why I chose the selections.

The specials I'll cover below are: Final Four, Most Eliminations, Iron Person and Shortest Stay. 

Please note: this post was written across a number of days before and after last night's Smackdown so some things I've written might be dated. 

Final Four Bets

Rhea Ripley (Final Four) 2/1 and 6/4
I have Bianca Belair and Rhea Ripley as my top two picks to win the match. Most of my bets have been on Belair, so I thought I'd take a gamble on Ripley at 2/1 just to be one of the last ones left. I also bet when the odds were down to 6/4.

Nia Jax (Final Four) 7/1
This was really just a gamble on the price considering Jax is one of the main heels on the roster and would be an ideal final person to eliminate if a babyface is winning the match.

Trish Stratus (Final Four) 20/1
A friend of mine came up with an idea of Trish Stratus being a surprise winner of the Rumble. I can't picture Stratus even being in the match let alone winning, but thought I would have a small gamble on the 20/1 odds just in case. 

Braun Strowman (Final Four) 5/1
You know the skits with Daniel Bryan, Otis and Drew Gulak with Bryan learning Rumble techniques, especially the one from the New Year's Day Smackdown? Well - if there is a story being told, then what should happen is Bryan wins the Rumble by last eliminating a big guy? 

Update: I wrote the above before Strowman returned on last night's Smackdown. I think that there's a strong chance he'll be the final man eliminated, so I am happy with this wager now.

Bobby Lashley (Final Four) 17/2
The 'Bryan to throw out a big guy' rule apples to Bobby Lashley as well.

Update: I'm not as confident now that Strowman is in the mix.

Seth Rollins (Final Four) 4/1
Just like with Braun Strowman, Seth Rollins has been absent from TV, so it's another case of a potentially returning guy being booked strong on a return. 

The Miz (Final Four) 16/1
I entertained the idea of The Miz and John Morrison messing up Goldberg's attempt to win the WWE Championship and for Goldberg to come back later in the night to win the battle royal. In this scenario, I had Miz being one of the last guys Goldberg throws out.

John Morrison (Final Four) 25/1
As noted above, I thought of a scenario in which The Miz and Morrison ruin Goldberg's match against Drew McIntyre only for Goldberg to get his comeuppance by winning the Rumble. 

Apollo Crews (Final Four) 9/1
I took a gamble on Apollo Crews when it looked like he was going to aligned with Jey Uso and Roman Reigns. I imagined he could have been in the latter stages of the match if he played protector for Jey Uso, who teased he would win.

Cesaro (Final Four) 13/2
I backed Cesaro to be in the final four at 13/2 because Daniel Bryan lost to him on Smackdown a week ago. Cesaro was one of the people I had on my list of potential people that Daniel Bryan could throw out last to win the battle royal. I have soured on the idea after Braun Strowman returned to TV last night. 

Tamina (Final Four) 33/1
This is the most recent gamble on the women's Royal Rumble. I did so this morning after finding out that Natalya versus Tamina will take place tonight and the winner will enter the match in thirtieth place. I thought 33s was worth a punt just in case Tamina wins tonight's match, enters at number 30 and is still there near the end. I should also point out that I am cautiously thinking that there will be a completely different person - other than Tamina or Natalya - who'll enter the match after stealing the spot. Remember it happened to R-Truth a couple of years ago?

Most Eliminations Bets

Rhea Ripley (Most Eliminations) 7/1
If Rhea Ripley isn't going to win the battle royal, I thought I'd take a gamble on her getting the most eliminations in a similar way to how they had Bianca Belair and Shayna Baszler get most eliminations last year. Only, Ripley will not share the spoils with anyone else.

Lacey Evans (Most Eliminations) 25/1
I think Lacey Evans might be in the match early. I'll explain more below. However, as it pertains the 'Most Eliminations' bets, I thought - if I'm gambling on Lacey to be in for a long time, I had to take the 25/1.

Shayna Baszler (Most Eliminations) 9/1
I took a gamble on Shayna Baszler to have back-to-back Rumbles with the most eliminations. 

Nia Jax (Most Eliminations) 7/1
I've also punted on Nia Jax on Baszler's tag team partner getting the most eliminations.

Naomi (Most Eliminations) 33/1
You'll find out further on down that Naomi is one of the ladies I've bet on to be an 'Iron Person' so thought I'd back her at 33s to get the most eliminations as well.

Cesaro (Most Eliminations) 25/1
I had a gamble on Cesaro to go on an elimination spree to build him up as a threat for Daniel Bryan only for Bryan to throw Cesaro out. 

AJ Styles (Most Eliminations) 20/1
I've bet on Styles to get the most eliminations because after Styles' latest gimmick as the spoiler could be played up in the Rumble itself by ruining other wrestlers' hopes of making it to one of the main matches at WrestleMania.

Iron Person Bets

Natalya (Iron Woman) 12/1
I always bet on Natalya to be an iron woman in Royal Rumble matches because she's a good worker who can keep things running smoothly due to her ring experience. The downside to my plan is the fact Natalya was last year's iron woman, so I'll need lightning to strike twice.

Update: I wrote the above part before I knew that Natalya versus Tamina would air on FS1 tonight to determine who will be the thirtieth participant in the match.

Naomi (Iron Woman) 16/1
I liked the 16/1 for Naomi to be the iron woman. If she is in the match, I could see the commentators point out how she has experience in battle royals. 

Lacey Evans (Iron Woman) 12/1
With Ric Flair now being linked with Lacey Evans in storyline, I thought one thing they could do is have Evans come out in the number that Flair drew the 1992 Royal Rumble - three - and be there near the end.

Daniel Bryan (Iron Man) 8/1
I believe Bryan is, at best, winning the Royal Rumble and - at worst - coming close. I can see him doing so from an early position. However, after placing my wager, I have soured on this idea. It makes more sense for somebody else to shine as the 'iron man' if Bryan is winning.

Keith Lee (Iron Man) 10/1
I don't even know if Keith Lee is even going to be in the Rumble because he hasn't been on TV for a few weeks. However, when I placed my wager, I thought 10/1 was a fair price. I overlooked the 7/1 for Lee to get the most eliminations. I might end up regretting that if he's in it.

Seth Rollins (Iron Man) 16/1
If Seth Rollins returns to WWE this weekend, and he isn't going to win the Rumble, then one way to have him shine on a comeback is to have him as the iron man.

Dominik Mysterio (Iron Man) 50/1
Rey Mysterio holds the record for the longest time spent in a regular Royal Rumble match, so I thought 50/1 on the prospect of WWE allowing Dominik to be another Rumble iron man was appealing.

Jinder Mahal (Iron Man) 100/1
100/1 for a guy who has just returned and might be featured prominently in the match for the viewers in India? I'm taking that gamble!

Cesaro (Iron Man) 16/1
As noted above, I had an idea of Cesaro having a good run in the Rumble until he is ousted by Daniel Bryan. At the time I placed the wager, I had a feeling he could be in for a lengthy period of time so also looked for him to be the iron man. 

Mustafa Ali (Iron Man) 25/1
When I was going through the markets, I stopped when I came across Mustafa Ali's name and thought, 'I could see them having him in the match for a long time', but....

Shortest Stay Bets

Mustafa Ali (Shortest Stay) 16/1
... I then thought 'I could also see Ali not lasting long', so took the 'Shortest Stay' bet as well as 'Iron Man'.

Lana (Shortest Stay) 10/1
There was an idea I read or heard, I think it possibly came from Bryan Alvarez, in which Lana comes out in thirtieth place and wins the Rumble by default because everyone else has been eliminated beforehand. It would play on her Survivor Series win last year. I couldn't see it happening, but thought I'd have a small punt on Lana anyway. As we now know, Lana is not going to be thirtieth, so I should have passed on the bet when I had the chance.

Bayley (Shortest Stay) 66/1
I had a wager on Bayley to have the shortest stay because I pictured Bianca Belair throwing out her current nemesis as soon as she entered the match to make up for the loss and what happened at the end of the obstacle challenge last week. Well, it should go without saying that this looks even less likely now after Bianca avenged it all with a win over Bayley on last night's Smackdown.

Otis (Shortest Stay) 25/1
When Otis won the Money in the Bank briefcase last year, I told my friend  who no longer watches pro wrestling - that 'it would have been like a Bushwhacker winning had they done this match in the 80s'. The friend then brought up Bushwhacker Luke's elimination from the 1991 Royal Rumble and I made a mental note to have a bet on Otis to have a short stay in the 2021 Royal Rumble.

Honourable mention: Even though I haven't bet on him, Sami Zayn is the name who stands out the most.