WWE: Fantasy Booking The 2021 Men’s Royal Rumble Match

With the Royal Rumble coming this Sunday, I wanted to try something a little different. We’ve done articles on predicting surprise entrants, and who we think should win the match. For this article, I wanted to try booking the whole Men’s Royal Rumble match from start to finish.

We’ll go through who comes at which number, who eliminates who, and who ends up winning the whole thing. Keep scrolling to see one fantasy booked Royal Rumble for 2021:

1 – Sami Zayn
2 – Ricochet

Blasphemy! Outrage! There may be nobody better at being upset with their spot as Sami Zayn, so he gets to be the #1 entrant. Ricochet isn’t going to win this thing, but he can give it his all from the #2 spot. 

3 – Rey Mysterio
4 – Bobby Lashley
5 – Mustafa Ali

The ring fills up to start, but the eliminations start once we reach five. Ali uses the advantages of having Retribution at ringside to eliminate his constant foe Ricochet. 

Ali eliminates Ricochet

Rey can try and use his speed advantage, but he’s no match for the power of Lashley. A short showing for the 2006 Rumble winner.

Lashley eliminates Mysterio

6 – Tucker
7 – Sheamus
8 – Otis

We’re getting a face-to-face of Otis & Tucker. The Heavy Machinery boys never really resolved their issues when Tucker turned on Otis, but now they get a face-to-face showdown. No eliminations happen yet, as the next entrant appears as Tucker is on the edge of tossing Otis over.

9 – Chad Gable

Gable comes in to support his training partner and save him from hitting the floor. The two team up and toss out Tucker.

Gable & Otis eliminate Tucker

10 – Carlito

Surprise! Carlito was one of my potential surprise appearances for this year’s Rumble match.He didn’t want to show up to Legends Night for just a cameo, so let’s have him in the Rumble to spit an apple in someone’s face. The target: Sami Zayn, who gets tossed out right after.

Carlito eliminates Zayn

11 – Big E

One of the favorites (at least in my opinion) enters at 11. He gets to clear house and get some big name eliminations. Some people are about to get absolutely launched out of the ring. We also get a Lashley-Big E staredown, but both men hang on.

Big E eliminates Ali & Carlito

12 – John Morrison
13 – Jey Uso

The ring continues to fill up, and Jey Uso continues his hot streak in the name of the Family. Roman Reigns will be pleased. 

Jey Uso eliminates Gable

Lashley eliminates Otis

14 – Jeff Hardy
15 – The Miz

Miz & Morrison get to rule the roost, but that will be short lived. They do manage to team up for a surprisingly quick elimination of The Charismatic Enigma.

Miz & Morrison eliminate Hardy

16 – Daniel Bryan

One of the other favorites of the Rumble match makes his entrance to start the second half of the match. He has his eyes on some old enemies. Yes Kicks and running knees-a-plenty, as Bryan picks up two quick eliminations.

Bryan eliminates Miz & Morrison

17- King Corbin
18 – Shelton Benjamin
19 – Drew Gulak

Gulak makes a big mistake – he enters the match as Big E gets on an extended roll. Big E picks up a quick one of Gulak as he enters the match. 

Big E eliminates Gulak

Unfortunately, Big E doesn’t see a pair of heels sneaking up on him. He manages to fight off King Corbin, but succumbs to Jey Uso.

Jey Uso eliminates Big E.

While Uso is celebrating, he gets swept up by The Yes Movement and is tossed out as well. Uso then swears revenge on Bryan.

Bryan eliminates Uso

20 – A.J. Styles
21 – Elias

The ring fills up a little, and Daniel Bryan is on the verge of eliminating King Corbin when both Jey and a returning Jimmy Uso appear! They try to toss Bryan to the outside but he smartly slides between the ropes. Reigns watches from the top of the ramp while the Usos work. Bryan gets beaten down by the Usos and takes repeated chair shots to the back. He’s not out, but he is down.

22 – Riddle

While Reigns watches from the top of the ramp, I really want Riddle to walk by and try and have the comparison of super-serious Roman and Riddle. 

Sheamus, who has held on for a long time, sees his luck run out. It’s Styles who eliminates him after narrowly avoiding a Brogue Kick.

Styles eliminates Sheamus

23 – Randy Orton

Orton makes it right into the ring before the lights go down. That’s right – The Fiend isn’t finished with Orton. I truly thought that Orton and The Fiend would have a match at the Royal Rumble. Without a gimmick match booked for them, we’ll get some spooky Fiend action in the match itself. Let’s say The Fiend doesn’t interfere, but does appear at ringside. That’s enough for Orton to be thrown off his game and tossed out by someone else.

Corbin eliminates Orton

24 – Shinsuke Nakamura
25 – Aleister Black

Black is back, baby! He’s got Black Mass kicks for everyone and tosses out a couple competitors who lasted a surprisingly long time.

Black eliminates Lashley & Benjamin

26 – R-Truth

Black is standing tall, and R-Truth does not want to get into the ring. He stalls, and instead Bryan gets back in bloody and bruised to stand toe-to-toe with Black. This allows Truth to slip into the match. Let’s say that in this stretch, Nakamura manages to toss out Elias as well.

Nakamura eliminates Elias

27 – Damian Priest

The only NXT surprise in this match is Damian Priest. It was rumored he was going to be called up as part of the Reigns-Owens storyline, but that was scrapped. Instead he can get a moment here in the Rumble.

28 – Keith Lee

And right away, Priest gets to see an old foe. Keith Lee gets a really lucky draw in the Rumble match and stands as the biggest powerhouse left in the match. He tosses out Truth, who had mainly been worried people were going to pin him for the 24/7 Championship.

Lee eliminates Truth

29 – Dolph Ziggler

Before #30 enters, Priest and Black square up in a match I’d love to see. While they come to blows and attempt to toss one another over, they are both dumped to the outside by The Limitless One.

Lee eliminates Priest & Black

30 – Cesaro

Time for the Swiss Superman to benefit from the 30 spot. Remember the crazy hot tag Cesaro hit against New Day and The Good Brothers? Imagine that in Rumble form. Cesaro tosses out Ziggler after a huge uppercut and Corbin after a Neutralizer.

Cesaro eliminates Ziggler & Corbin

With no more entrants, we only have two eliminations before the final four. These happen in pretty quick succession. While trying to eliminate Bryan, Cesaro gets dumped by his Artist’s Collective partner.

Nakamura eliminates Cesaro

Meanwhile, Styles uses a slight distraction from Omos to toss Riddle to the floor.

Styles eliminates Riddle

Final Four: Daniel Bryan, Shinsuke Nakamura, A.J. Styles, Keith Lee

Our first elimination in the final four is a feat of pure strength. With Nakamura down, Styles goes for broke with a Phenomenal Forearm. He’s caught in the air by Lee, and deposited to the outside where Omos can’t help him.

Lee eliminates Styles

Nakamura & Bryan use kicks to wear Lee down. When Lee dumps Nakamura onto the apron, Bryan hits him with a flying knee. Recognizing the bigger threat, Nakamura follows up with a Kinshasa and the two lift Lee up and out.

Nakamura & Bryan eliminate Lee

Down to our final two, and it is very reminiscent of the gauntlet match these two had on SmackDown. After some back and forth, it’s a flying knee from Bryan that ultimately knocks Nakamura loopy. One toss later, and Bryan is your Royal Rumble winner.

Daniel Bryan eliminates Shinsuke Nakamura to win the Royal Rumble.

That’s one way the 2021 Men’s Royal Rumble could shake out. Would you be satisfied? Is it missing more surprise entrants? Did we get the winner wrong? Let us know your fantasy booking in the comments below!