BetOnline's Orton Market Republished, Sikoa +500

BetOnline has republished a betting market which allows customers to gamble on who they believe will wrestle Randy Orton at WrestleMania 41.

In yesterday's post, I noted the sportsbook had listed Nick Aldis as the odds-on favourite. His price has now moved out to +125.

Last night's episode of WWE Smackdown strongly teased Solo Sikoa as a potential Mania opponent for Orton, so his odds were the first thing I looked at when I came across the re-adjusted market this evening. 

Sikoa is now +500. That's surprisingly higher than the +400 customers would have found yesterday ahead of Smackdown.

All the current odds can be found in the image below. They're available from BetOnline's Wrestling Page.

Nick Aldis Odds-On To Face Randy Orton At Mania

Nick Aldis is an odds-on favourite to oppose Randy Orton at next weekend's WWE WrestleMania 41.

The BetOnline Sportsbook has recently installed a market which allows customers to gamble on who they believe will face The Viper at the showcase event.

Smackdown's General Manager tops the list, currently at odds of -110. 

Going by WWE storylines, Aldis as Orton's Mania dance partner makes perfect sense as a backup plan because there has been tension between the pair for months. 

The most recent episode of WWE Smackdown saw Orton RKO Aldis shortly after an injured Kevin Owens announced he couldn't compete against Orton at Mania.. The GM told Orton he too would be off the Mania card resulting in Orton executing his finisher to his storyline boss.

All of the selections, along with their current prices, as of the time of writing, can be viewed in the image immediately below.  

BetOnline took down the Kevin Owens .vs. Randy Orton WrestleMania 41 match market shortly after Owens' injury was confirmed at last week's Smackdown taping. 

The book had opened last month with Orton a -1,500 favourite to Owens' +600. However, before closing, the market listed Orton at -1,000 to Owens' +550.

I'll have a full rundown of the sportsbook's Mania 41 markets later this weekend as WrestleMania Week looms before us.

View BetOnline's WWE Markets

Punk To Return To WWE Prop Bet Published

Now that CM Punk has been released by All Elite Wrestling, the oddsmakers from BetOnline have created a proposition market which asks whether or not Punk will return to World Wrestling Entertainment in time for WrestleMania 40.

BetOnline forwarded me an email with odds of +400 for 'Yes' and -600 for 'No'. However, on the website, the only option available - as of the time of writing - is the option to gamble on 'Yes'. 

I have read the AEW press release announcing Punk's release and have also seen the two videos of Tony Khan addressing the situation.

Going by the wording and tone, it would not surprise me IF a legal issue arises between the two parties. If this turns out to be the case, it might not be a benefit to Punk if he were to gain employment immediately after his firing.

And that's even if he and/or WWE wants to do business together again.

WrestleMania 40 is set to take place on the weekend of April 6 and 7 2024.

The market is available under 'Wrestling - Futures' on the BetOnline Website.

BetOnline Creates UFC/WWE Synergy Specials

Following the news that Endeavor has acquired World Wrestling Entertainment with an aim to add its portfolio alongside the Ultimate Fighting Championship, the oddsmakers from BetOnline have created a handful of betting specials.

The specials were forward to me yesterday. They can be found in the MMA section of the website, so thought I would draw your attention to them in case you're unaware of their existence.

To be straight from the start, I don't particularly find any of these markers appealing. I'll explain my reasons as I get through the list.

Here's what they have.

1st UFC Fighter to Join WWE
In this market, customers can gamble on the '1st UFC Fighter to Join WWE' post-merger. The sportsbook has  Derrick Lewis listed at the top of the betting at +400. 

The rule in this market, as with most markets, states that this 'must occur in 2023 in an official WWE match'.

A 2023 timeframe isn't enough, in my opinion.

I could see some guys coming to TV with the intent to promote upcoming fights in the future especially if they're local to the area WWE is running. For example, I would not be surprised if Paddy Pimblett were brought in for a promo or angle when WWE is in the UK, but I cannot envision him 'in an official WWE match' by the end of 2023.

Only the names listed below qualify for this bet.

Nationality of 1st UFC Fighter to Join WWE
With Derrick Lewis favourite in the previous market, it's understandable to see 'American' at -125 in the market in which allows customers to gamble on the nationality of the '1st UFC Fighter to Join WWE'.

Just like with the previous market, the rules state that this 'Must occur in 2023 in an official WWE match' 

Will Dana White Become President of WWE?
When Endeavor announced its intent to have WWE and UFC under the same umbrella, the company revealed that Vince McMahon would be the executive chairman underneath CEO Ari Emanuel. As well as that, Dana White would retain his role as UFC President and Nick Khan was listed as WWE President.

+2,500 for Dana White to find his way into the job of WWE President would require a lot of things to fall into place (and for Nick Khan to obviously fall out of place!). Add in that this must happen within nine months and it seems, on paper, to be very unlikely.

Will There be a UFC Tag Team Matchup?
I find the wording of this market to be quite ambiguous especially if I were to be facetious and ponder whether the bookmaker is asking if UFC will offer tag team fighting. 

In my opinion, no athletic commission would ever allow this to happen in regulated combat sport. This especially within the next nine months because - once again - the term states that this must happen in 2023.

If I were to overlook that this is in the MMA section of the sportsbook and go with the idea that the sportsbook is asking if there will be a WWE tag team match with UFC fighters involved, then I would still doubt we'll see it within the parameter of 2023.

Will There be a UFC/WWE Co-Event in 2024?
Upon seeing this market for the first time, I liked that it had a bit more leeway by allowing the rest of 2023 and all of 2024 for this to play through. 

I do envision a scenario where either WWE or the UFC piggybacks on the other's big events. For example - if WWE were to host a show during UFC' s International Fight Week or vice versa.

The rules state that the co-event 'must happen at same venue or same day, or on consecutive two days with both UFC and WWE occurring'.

Going by how it's priced up, the bookmakers evidently think there is a shot of there being a UFC and WWE co-event within the next twenty months because the 'Yes' is a -140 favourite. 

I wouldn't argue with anyone thinking about siding with 'No' (+100), though. A lot of things have to be put in place while both entities navigate this new era as business relatives.

When available, these markets can be found under 'MMA Props' in the MMA section of the BetOnline Website.

Ric Flair's Last Match Specials Update For July 24

It has been a couple of days since I last wrote about BetOnline's markets for Ric Flair's Last Match. In this post, I'll bring you up to date with the changes I noticed yesterday morning. Those prices are unchanged as of this morning.

Match Winners

No change in the match winners market. Ric Flair and Andrade El Idolo remain -2,250 over the +750 for Jeff Jarrett and Jay Lethal.

First To Bleed

Ric Flair is now a -190 favourite to bleed first. When I last wrote about the market, he was +125. As a result, Jay Lethal has risen to +400 from +275 while Jeff Jarrett (+175 second-favourite) and Andrade El Idolo (+450) have stayed.

Ric Flair Move Performed First

The Knife Edge Chop is now -600 to be Ric Flair's first performed move during the match. It was -500 when I last wrote about it. 

'Will A Guitar Be Broken?' Prop Market

The prop market which asks whether or not a guitar will be broken saw 'Yes' fall into -200 sometime before 11:15AM BST yesterday morning, It was previously -130. 'No' is now up from +150 after starting out a -200 favourite earlier this week.

All prices correct as of the time of publishing. View the latest on BetOnline's Pro Wrestling Page.

Flair And Andrade Now -2,250 Faves Over Jarrett And Lethal

Ric Flair and Andrade El Idolo are now -2,250 favourites to beat Jeff Jarrett and Jay Lethal in Flair's last match next weekend.

BetOnline, the firm which has published betting markets for match, initially had Flair and his son-in-law as -2,000 when I first wrote about the market three days ago.

As a result of the favourites' price shortening, a decision for Jarrett and Lethal has been pushed out from +700 to +750.

A couple of other markets have changed since I visited BetOnline's website yesterday.

The price for Ric Flair to be the first person to bleed in the contest has now dipped from +150 into +125. I had noted - in yesterday's post - that the option had drifted up from +100 to +150.

Ric Flair's knife edge chop continues to fall in the special which allows customers to gamble on the first move Flair performs in the match.

The option is now a -500 favourite. It was -110 on Tuesday evening.

The sportsbook is still offering its customers the opportunity to gamble on a prop market which asks whether a guitar will be broken or not. 

'Yes', which as I pointed out on Tuesday surprisingly started out a +150 underdog, remains a -130 favourite over the -110 for 'No'.

In another surprised I expressed this week, BetOnline had republished a market which allowed customers to gamble on the colour of Flair's robe despite the market initially being pulled once Flair had revealed the white robe in a video. 

The market has once again been taken down. When I last saw it, 'White' had fallen from +600 into -150.

View BetOnline's Pro Wrestling Markets

BetOnline Republishes Ric Flair Robe Special

BetOnline has surprisingly republished a market to its coverage of Ric Flair's last match.

In a post published yesterday morning, I noted that the special - which allows customers to gamble on the robe Ric Flair will wear to the ring for what is being billed as his final match when he teams with Andrade El Idolo against Jay Lethal and Jeff Jarrett - had been taken off the board.

I surmised the reason why betting had been suspended was due to the fact that Flair had unveiled the final robe.

The predominantly white garment is a tribute to Flair's earliest robe, which was created by Olivia Walker. Before the market was closed, 'White' was +600. As you'll see below, the selection is now a -150 favourite.

The previous favourite - Gold - which was +150 is now a +200 second-favourite.

Flair to execute a 'Knife Edge Chop' as his first move in the match has continued to drop in another special.

The favourite, which started off at -110, has now fallen into -400.

In a post published yesterday evening, I pointed out that 'Yes' had fallen into -120 from +150 in a proposition market which asked whether a guitar would be broken in the contest.

'Yes' starting off as an underdog was surprising considering Jeff Jarrett uses a guitar as part of his gimmick.

The 'First To Bleed' special has refreshed with three of the four selections moving out. 

The 'Ric Flair' selection fell from +175 into +100 yesterday. However, it has now risen to +150. The second-favourite - 'Jeff Jarrett' - which had risen to +150 from +125 - is now at +175.

A punt on 'Jay Lethal' is now priced +250. That's up from +235. 

The bookmakers have kept Andrade's price at +400.

As for the regular match winners market - Flair and Andrade remain favourites. They're -2,000. A decision for Jarrett and Lethal will pay out at +700.

View BetOnline's Pro Wrestling Markets

BetOnline's Guitar Prop Bet Now At Pick 'Em Plus More

A BetOnline proposition market, for what is being billed as Ric Flair's last match, has changed today.

In a post published yesterday, I noted that the betting firm had created the market asking customers whether or not a guitar will be broken in the contest, which will see Ric Flair team up with Andrade El Idolo to take on Jay Lethal and Jeff Jarrett.

With Jarrett spending the majority of his career using a guitar as a foreign object in his matches, I was surprised to see the oddsmakers had given +150 odds to 'Yes'.

I revisited the market this morning and those prices were still on offer. However, upon this evening's visit, I've noticed that the 'Yes' has since fallen into -120.

The option which will pay out if no guitar is broken - 'No' - has moved from -200 favourite up to -120.

The prop market isn't the only special for Ric Flair's last match to change since this morning's update.

Earlier today, I noted that the odds for Flair's first performed move to be the 'Knife Edge Chop' had dipped into -120 from -110. The selection has once again descended. This time into -300.

All but one of the remaining markets have drifted out following the odds for the Knife Edge Chop moving in.

Ric Flair is now the betting favourite to bleed first.

As I wrote in yesterday's post, the market - which is offering prices on the wrestler who bleeds first - opened with Jeff Jarrett as the +125 fave. He was followed by Flair at +175. However, Flair's odds have now dipped into +100 while Double J has risen to +150.

The other match participants - Jay Lethal (+235) and Andrade El Idolo (+400) - remain stationary.

View BetOnline's Pro Wrestling Markets

Ric Flair Unveils Retirement Robe

The robe that Ric Flair will wear to the ring for his retirement match next weekend has been unveiled.

Conrad Thompson's Twitter account showed a brief clip of Flair looking, and talking, about the robe and the significance of its colour was posted in the early hours of this morning.

Flair noted that the white predominant colour is reminiscent of the first robe Olivia Walker made for him.

Walker was a seamstress who created robes for many wrestlers back in the day. 

As I mentioned, in a post published yesterday, BetOnline had created a betting market which allowed customers to gamble on the colour of Flair's robe.

White was +600.

The market has obviously been taken off the board now that the colour has been revealed.

The rest of the markets I wrote about yesterday are still available as of this morning. One of the specials differs slightly.

The odds for the first move to be performed by Flair in the match to be a 'Knife Edge Chop' have slid into -120 from -110.

A 'Body Slam' is now up from +500 to +550 while the remaining selections are unchanged.

Ric Flair and Andrade El Idolo are still -2,000 favourites over the +700 for a victory by Jay Lethal and Jeff Jarrett.

View BetOnline's Markets

BetOnline Publishes Markets For 'Ric Flair's Last Match'

With the participants in Ric Flair's last match finally being confirmed, the oddsmakers from BetOnline have published a handful of markets for the July 31st bout.

The contest will be a tag match. It'll see Flair team up with his son-in-law, Andrade El Idolo to take on Jay Lethal and Jeff Jarrett.

As of the time of writing, BetOnline lists Flair and Andrade as -2,000 favourites. A decision in favour of their opponents will pay out at odds of +700.

In an angle posted online yesterday, Flair was attacked by Lethal and Jarrett. It saw Flair bleed. With blood now part of the build (otherwise I would frown at this sort of market being created), the oddsmakers have installed odds on which wrestler will be the 'First to Bleed'.

Jarrett is +125 to be the first to get colour. Then it's Flair at +175 followed by Jay Lethal (+235) and Andrade (+400).

A prop market I like the look of, but am unable to bet on due to geographic restrictions, is one which asks whether a guitar will be broken. With the guitar shot being one of Jeff Jarrett go to moves, and as he'll be working as a heel in the contest, I like the +150 being offered for Yes'.

For those who believe no guitars will be broken during the match, 'No' is being offered as a -200 favourite.

There are a couple of other specials on the board.

In one, customers are asked which Ric Flair move will be performed first. There are six options available with 'Knife Edge Chop' being the -110 fave.

The remaining offers are: Elbow Drop +300, Leg Drop +400, Figure 4 +500, Body Slam +500 and Suplex +900.

Clients will also find a special which asks which colour Flair's robe will be.

Gold tops the list at +150. It's followed by Red +180, Blue +300, White +600, Purple +1,000, Black +1,200, Pink +2,000 and Green +2,500.

The match will air as part of a card promoted by Jim Crockett Promotions from the Nashville Municipal Auditorium a week from Sunday.

View BetOnline's Pro Wrestling Markets

BetOnline's New Roman Reigns Prop Market

The first post-WrestleMania betting market was released by BetOnline last week.

It's a proposition which asks whether Roman Reigns will still be WWE or Universal Champion at the end of this year.

Reigns, who unified the Universal Title with the WWE Championship - by beating Brock Lesnar - a little over a week ago, is -150 to still be holding both, or either, of the titles on December 31st.

Those who believe he'll be without a strap on that date can presently find 'No' at +110.

Going by Friday's episode of WWE Smackdown, it looks like Shinsuke Nakamura could be Reigns' first challenger for the unified title.

View BetOnline's Market

Cody Rhodes Mania 38 Prop Bets

Yesterday was a day filled with some surprising news. First, after a tease on WWE Raw, people in wrestling were talking about the possibility of 'Stone Cold' Steve Austin returning to the ring to take on Kevin Owens at WrestleMania. By the afternoon, everybody had moved on from that - for now - when it became clear that Cody and Brandi Rhodes have left All Elite Wrestling.

The news of the couple's departure led to speculation that Cody could return to World Wrestling Entertainment in time for WrestleMania, which will be held in Texas - his father's home State.

With the Rhodes news being the thing everyone in pro wrestling is currently discussing, the oddsmakers from MyBookie have released a couple of prop bets related to Cody and WrestleMania.

The first asks 'Will Cody Rhodes Wrestle at WrestleMania?' and - as of this morning - the favourite is 'Yes' at a price of -260.

Those who don't think he'll grapple at the event, set for the weekend of April 2nd and 3rd, can find 'No' at +180.

The second proposition relates to one of the gimmicks Rhodes used during his previous tenure in WWE. 

It reads 'Cody Rhodes Bring Back Stardust at WrestleMania?' and has 'No' a -400 favourite over the +250 for 'Yes'.

I strongly believe that there is zero chance that, if Cody Rhodes is on the Mania 38 card in any form, that he'll use the Stardust gimmick.

On the WCW Slam Jam album, the entrance music track for Cody's step-brother - Dustin - titled 'The Natural' appears. One of the verses states that Dustin has 'blazed his own trail'. Ironically, after leaving WWE years ago, Cody himself has set a path of his own that has absolutely transcended the Stardust character.

'No' should be far shorter than the -400.

View MyBookie's Pro Wrestling Markets

McAfee's Big Gamble II

Last Super Bowl Sunday, I published THIS POST about WWE Smackdown commentator - Pat McAfee - and a a prop bet he had placed on the big game.

The former Indianapolis Colts punter had gambled $30,000 on the opening coin toss of Tampa Bay Buccaneers versus Kansas City Chiefs Super Bowl being 'Tails'. I decided to look at the history of the coin flip results both overall, and in the State of Florida (where the Super Bowl was being hosted), and concluded that - with my findings - I would have opted to go with 'Heads'.

Luck was not on McAfee's side that day. The coin did indeed land on Heads.

This week, I had a look to see if McAfee was going to have another punt on the prop. I came across a video clip from his show in which he mentions that he had placed a stake of $40,000 once again on 'Tails'.

So, just like I did last year, I opened up the Super Bowl coin toss stats to see if history, and most importantly - luck, could be on McAfee's side this time around.

Here's what I found.

Out of the fifty-five Super Bowls, 'Tails' has landed twenty-nine times. That's 53% in favour of McAfee's pick.

Just like in 2021, I took note of the results in the State the game is being played in. This year, the venue is Inglewood, California. There have been eleven Super Bowls from the State. Of those games, 'Tails' has been the winner seven times giving it a 64% strike-rate.

That's another one siding with McAfee. 

However, if I were to narrow it down to Super Bowls hosted in Los Angeles County, then the result favours  'Heads' because four out of the seven games played in that area have won with 'Tails' only landing on 43% of those occasions.

Last year, the Tampa coin toss being 75% in favour of 'Heads' made me concerned that McAfee was onto a loser. 

I'm siding more with this year's gamble due to the overall and California results. Plus, recency - with the last ten Super Bowls seeing 'Tails' land six times - adds one more in favour of the gambler punter.

New Mania 38 Specials And Props

New WrestleMania 38 specials and proposition betting markets were recently published by the oddsmakers from Kambi. In this post, I'll dive in and see what the new offerings are. As well as that, I have a note about a market I wrote about a week ago.

Here's what they have.

WrestleMania 38 Main Event/s Prop Bets

There are two prop bet markets which asks customers what the last nights of the WrestleMania 38 will consist of. One is specific to a match that has been rumoured while the other is asking if either Saturday or Sunday will conclude with a contest featuring women.

Sunday Last Match: Lesnar .vs. Reigns
In this market, customers are asked whether a Brock Lesnar versus Roman Reigns match will be the final contest of the Sunday half of the WrestleMania 38 card.

If you think it will be the last match of the event, Kambi is offering 11/20 for 'Yes'. Those who think the match won't be in that position on the card (if on the card at all), can get 5/4 for 'No'.

Women Main Event (Saturday or Sunday)
This year's WrestleMania saw Bianca Belair win the WWE Smackdown Women's Championship from Sasha Banks in the main event of Saturday's section of the event. In this market, Kambi is asking if there will be a women's main event on either the last match of Saturday or Sunday in 2022.

'No' is an 11/20 favourite to the 5/4 for 'Yes'.

Royal Rumble Winner Mania 38 Props

There are four Rumble winner specials available as of the time of writing. They ask customers how the respective Rumble winners will perform in their title challenges during the weekend of WrestleMania 38.

Both Rumble Winners To Win Titles
This one explains itself. It asks whether both of the Rumble winners will be successful in their title challenges.

'No' is an 11/25 favourite. If both contenders win the respective titles, 'Yes' will pay out at odds of 8/5.

Neither Rumble Winner To Win Titles
The 'Double Defeat' prop is a slight reverse of the previous market. For 'Yes' to win - currently at 7/2 - both the male and female Royal Rumble winners have to fail in their challenges for the straps. 'No' is favoured at 2/13.

Male Rumble Victor To Win Applicable Title Challenge
In this prop, customers are asked if the victor of the 2022 Men's Royal Rumble will win his 'applicable title challenge'. 'No' is 13/20 while 'Yes' is 11/10.

Female Rumble Victor To Win Applicable Title Challenge
The female version of the above market has 'Yes' a 1/3 favourite. If the winner of the 2022 Royal Rumble fails in her quest, 'No' will win at 2/1.

Day Of Title Match

There are four 'timeframe' markets available. Each one represents a premier title in WWE. Clients have the opportunity to gamble on which day - out of 'Saturday' or 'Sunday' - the respective championship will first* be defended at WrestleMania 38.

*It's important to note the rule states that bets will be settled 'as per 1st happening/airing of the applicable match(es) and regardless of whether the same match(es) are eventually repeated during the event.'

In layman's terms, I believe this means that - if the same title is defended on both nights (which could very well happen one of these years) - any wagers will be graded with 'Saturday' as the winner.

WWE Universal Championship
With Roman Reigns the top star in WWE, and currently in control of the WWE Universal Championship, it's unsurprising to see 'Sunday' as a 1/4 favourite to be when the Universal Championship match takes place on Mania weekend. Those looking to gamble on 'Saturday' will find it at 5/2.

WWE Championship
With 'Sunday' favoured to be when the Universal Championship match is contested, Kambi has given 1/3 favouritism to 'Saturday' for the WWE Championship bout. If the contest only takes place on the final night of the event, 'Sunday' will win at 2/1.

On the topic of the WWE Championship - a week ago, I published a post in which I ran down the odds for Kambi's WrestleMania 38 Champions markets. In those markets, customers have the opportunity to gamble on the person who'll leave Mania weekend with the respective strap. The 'WWE Championship' market was recently changed.

Big E remains a favourite. His odds have been snipped from 8/5 into 6/4. Other selections with shorter odds than last week are Seth Rollins and AJ Styles. Both fell from 6/1 with Styles falling into 5/1 and Rollins into 4s.

Previous WWE Champ - Bobby Lashley - has drifted out from 4/1 to 5/1 while Keith Lee, who was released from the company last week, has been taken off the board.

Back to the new markets..

WWE Raw Women's Championship
The market for the WWE Raw Women's Championship match - currently held by Becky Lynch - has 'Saturday' as a 4/6 favourite over the 27/25 for 'Sunday'.

WWE Smackdown Women's Championship
'Sunday' is favourite to be the night of the WWE Smackdown Women's Championship match. It's 4/6 to the 27/25 for 'Saturday'. As of this moment, Charlotte Flair is the titleholder.

WrestleMania 38 is scheduled to take place from Dallas on April 2nd and 3rd 2022.

View Kambi's WWE Markets

McAfee's Big Gamble

I'm even more interested in the result of the Super Bowl coin toss than I have been in previous years.

That's because I saw that Pat McAfee appears to have gambled $30,000 on the coin landing on 'Tails'.

The former NFL punter, and occasional NXT pro wrestler, looks to make $29.126.21 from his wager which was placed at a price of -103.

The coin toss Super Bowl prop bet is one of, if not the, most popular attractions for punters to gamble on ahead of the big game.

For no reason, other than to have some content for this blog post-Royal Rumble, I thought I'd take a look at how Super Bowl coins have flipped in the past just to see if things are looking good, or bad, for McAfee.

Of the fifty-four Super Bowls that have been played, 'Tails' is the result that has happened the most with it popping up twenty-nine times (54%). It is currently on a two-game run landing on that side in 2019 and 2020. However, it is currently 6-1 over the last seven Super Bowls. 

McAfee has certainly gone with the trendy pick considering how it has performed overall and especially with its current lucky form.

Seeing as this year's game is being played in Tampa, Florida, I thought I'd look closely at the results from games played in the Sunshine State.

As of the time of writing, there have been sixteen Super Bowls played in Florida. Of those games, 'Tails' has landed seven times with 'Heads' being the result in the other nine (56%).

To narrow it down even more, I looked at the result of the coin toss in all of the games that have been played in the city of Tampa. It too edges towards 'Heads' as that result has occurred three out of four games (75%) that have so far been played in the city.

It depend which way you look at it. 

If you want to go by the overall results, 'Tails' has a slight edge. Especially considering its most recent successes. However, on the other side of the - if you pardon the pun - coin, the Florida/Tampa historical stats point to 'Heads' going over tonight.

I wish Pat the best of luck. 

Because that's what the game of tossing a coin is all about.

My 2021 Rumble Prop And Specials Bets

Kambi released a plethora of Royal Rumble specials yesterday. I thought I'd write about the ones I've decided to gamble on.

Before I begin, I should start off by stating that - as of right now - I believe that Daniel Bryan will be the winner of the men's Royal Rumble match.

Bryan is the betting favourite across all of the websites I've been following. And rightfully so - WWE, and Bryan himself, have been pointing out that he has never won the battle royal.

This leads me to the first of Kambi's markets that I had a gamble on yesterday.

It is a proposition special, found alongside the regular Rumble match winner market, which asks whether the battle royal will be won by a '1st time winner'. 

When I placed my bet on 'Yes', the price was 2/1 over the 'No' which was 1/3. However, before writing today's post, I noticed that the price has now flipped with the 'Yes' the 1/3 fave over the 2/1.

It's possible that it may have been priced up the wrong way although - when I first came across the market - I immediately thought that the bookmakers were betting against Bryan by laying him at a generous price. 

All I saw was Brock Lesnar as Kambi's second-favourite and concluded that maybe they believe The Beast has a chance of winning. After thinking it through, it dawned on me that Lesnar is Kambi's second-favourite because the bookmakers have adjusted their market accordingly. For example - Big E, who had been a betting favourite with all the firms, is now beginning to drift now that he is the Intercontinental Champion and appears to not be moving into a program for either of the major titles for at least the foreseeable future.

With Smackdown's Bryan my favourite to win the men's Rumble, I have opted to take a gamble on Smackdown to go 2-0 in Rumble matches in another special. 

The reason why I've taken the 9/4 for the blue brand to go 2-0 is because I like Bianca Belair's chances of winning the women's Royal Rumble.

Belair - who is now also a favourite to win the match with all firms - has been a name I've been gambling on since the markets were first installed last spring. I count seventeen open bets (some were free wagers), spread out across the months, on Belair ranging from 16/1 to 4/1.

Even though I've backed Belair, I have wagers on some of the other possible entrants. The one selection I strongly believe that could come in and ruin all of my Belair punts is Rhea Ripley who - after losing to Raquel Gonzalez on this past Wednesday's episode of WWE NXT - is reportedly on her way to the main roster.

With Ripley's arrival imminent, I have also placed a small wager on the 5/2 for 'Any Other Brand/Free Agent Wins At Least 1 (Royal Rumble) Match' just to hedge in case my prediction that Smackdown goes 2-0 turns out to be a bad call.

I have also gambled on Kambi's Rumble entry specials.

If Daniel Bryan is winning the match, I would have him start out early. Therefore, I have backed whoever will be declared the winner of the men's Royal Rumble to enter the match in 'Under 18.5' position in the entry order over/under market from Kambi.

As for the women's market - I decided to avoid gambling over or under the line of 23.5 because I could see it going either way (Bianca 'Under 23.5', Ripley 'Over 23.5') so took a stab in the dark and backed the eventual winner to draw an even number. 

By doing that, I cover Rhea Ripley potentially being a 'surprise' thirtieth entrant and, if I am right about Belair, just have to hope she is entered with an even number.

Note About A MyBookie Mania 36 Gronk Prop

I have had a couple of people get in touch with me to show me a betting market that is available from the MyBookie website that seems extremely hard to see as anything but a palpable error.

It is a proposition market for this weekend's WrestleMania and asks customers whether or not Rob Gronkowski will win either of the two major company titles on the show.

As you can see, they ask 'Will Rob Gronkowski Win The WWE Or Universal Champ?' and the 'Yes' is a short -2,000 while the 'No' is +1,000.

It's glaringly an error on MyBookie's part.

However, there is another market further on down the page which one again is Gronk-themed.

It asks 'R Gronkowski Official Match At WrestleMania?' and has the 'Yes' as a -700 favourite and the 'No' is +400.

As soon as I heard that Gronk was being suggested for Mania, it made sense to me for him to act as the host during that show and then have him wrestle his first ever match at SummerSlam, which is scheduled for Boston on August 23rd.

Seeing as Gronk played his entire pro career as a New England Patriot, I thought his first advertised wrestling match should be in Beantown.

View MyBookie's Pro Wrestling Markets

Specials And Props For Tonight's WWE Raw

With there being a lack of things to currently bet on, the oddsmakers from BetOnline have published a handful of specials for tonight's episode of WWE Monday Night Raw.

Advertised for tonight is an appearance from 'Stone Cold' Steve Austin and a contract signing between AJ Styles and The Undertaker.

Both are covered in the specials.

For Austin's appearance - to celebrate it being 3/16 - they have a special asking 'How Many Stunners Will Stone Cold Deliver?' and 'Who Will Stone Cold Stunner First?'

In the first market, they are offering one stunner at +100, two stunners at +250, three at +200, four is +600, '5 or more' is +600 and the option to wager on zero is +1,000.

I was asked by somebody on Twitter whether I thought that the '5 or More' selection was valuable and I couldn't agree with that.

Going by his most recent appearances, Austin has delivered between zero to two stunners to people he has interacted with. Five or more seems excessive considering the recent trends.

I can see he and Kevin Owens sharing stunners on people, if the latter has made it to Orlando. This leads me to the next special.

The selections on offer in the 'Who Will Stone Cold Stunner First?' special are:

Murphy +200
Seth Rollins +200
Randy Orton +300
Erick Rowan +500
Bobby Lashley +600
AJ Styles +800

If the scenario I have envisioned plays off, then Murphy seems correctly positioned as the favourite here. Had this been a week ago, I would have considered the AOP members but Rezar has now been sidelined with an arm injury and I don't know the status of Akam. Plus, he isn't even in the running on this market.

Rowan kind of stands out to me as well considering he was kind of given up on last week with Drew McIntyre not only beating him, but also killing the spider that Rowan had been carrying in a cage for months.

Still, the Austin/Owens team-up is what I would like to see.

As for The Undertaker and AJ Styles contract signing - BetOnline has the following:

- AJ Styles Delivers A Signature Move To Undertaker?
Yes +150
No -200

If I were betting, and if I believed Mania is happening in a few weeks, then I would have backed the +150 option because Taker has had the best of Styles so far in their feud. Styles has to get something back before they meet one-on-one. The Phenomenal Foreman makes sense to me here.

- Finisher The Undertaker Delivers To AJ Styles?
Chokeslam +150
Tombstone +175
Tombstone and Chokeslam +200
None +250

I would pick 'None' going by my 'Styles needs to get some heat back' theory.

- Finisher Undertaker Delivers To Karl Anderson
Tombstone -150
Chokeslam +150
Tombstone and Chokeslam +300
None +450

-Finisher The Undertaker Delivers To Luke Gallows
Tombstone -150
Chokeslam +150
Tomebstone and Chokeslam +350
None +300

On paper, the chokeslan makes the most sense as Tombstones are banned/only used for special occasions. The Performance Center with no audience in attendance is not what I would consider a 'special occasion'.

Finally, there's a prop about the music that will play following the contract signing segment. They're offering:

The Undertaker -180
AJ Styles +140

Going by my scenario, I should go with Styles +140 (if I were betting), but they could do my idea and have Taker arise and scare off the trio.

The market is available on The BetOnline Website.

New Observer 2020 Kambi Prop Market After The Settlement Of Another

Kambi has republished most of its 2020 Wrestling Observer Newsletter star ratings prop bets that were first created at the end of last year.

Included with some of the previous markets is a new prop that has been priced up after one of the earlier markets have already been settled.

The one that has already been graded asked customers whether or not a match in 2020 would be rated over the five-and-three-quarter stars that Dave Meltzer awarded to a trio of matches in 2019 (Okada/Ospreay, Ospreay/Takagi and Omega/Tanahashi). As noted in a post published last week, the Kenny Omega and Hangman Page versus Young Bucks match - from AEW Revolution - was awarded six stars in Meltzer's review of the event. Therefore, anyone who might have bet on the 'Yes' will have their bets settled in their favour.

I stated 'might have bet on the 'Yes' because a look at the wagering from December 28th's open to January 12th points to the possibility that there is a customer, maybe more, that backed the eventual loser as the 'No' was snipped from 9/10 into 4/5.

The new prop asks customers whether or not the current 2020 record of six stars will be broken at any point between now and December 31st.

Those who believe a future bout for 2020 will earn more than six stars can find 'Yes' at 5/4. Those who expect six stars will be unbeatable can get 11/20 for 'No'.

View Kambi's Markets

Sky Bet Publishes Prop Markets For Women's Royal Rumble

I noticed that the Sky Bet oddsmakers have created prop markets for the women's Royal Rumble match when I was looking through the company's WWE markets earlier today.

Just like in previous years, customers can place wagers on who they believe will have the 'Most Eliminations', who will be the 'Iron Woman' and which star will have the 'Shortest Stay'.

Charlotte Flair and NXT Women's Champion, Rhea Ripley, are 4/1 joint-favourites to eliminate the most participants in the match.

Flair is also a joint-favourite in the 'Iron Woman' category as she's 3/1 along with Sasha Banks to spend the most amount of time in the match.

As for the 'Shortest Stay'? Well, the favourite is Lana. She's 2/1.

Prices were correct as of 4:00PM GMT this afternoon.