Royal Rumble preview: Which fork in the road will WWE take with Sami Zayn?

"When you come to a fork in the road, take it." — Yogi Berra

Which fork should WWE go down when it comes to the 2023 Royal Rumble?

When the final bell sounds inside the Alamodome on Saturday to conclude the men’s Royal Rumble match, fans will have a clearer picture as to which direction they’ll be heading. And if Canadian fans have their way, you won’t be allowed to turn right on a red light at this fork.

As WWE gears up for WrestleMania 39 in Los Angeles, the road will travel through Montreal on Feb. 18 when Elimination Chamber takes over the Bell Centre. If you’re unfamiliar with the driving laws of Quebec’s largest city, it is illegal to turn right on a red on the island of Montreal, something WWE superstar and Montreal native Sami Zayn is acutely aware of, no doubt.

Zayn should win the 2023 edition of the Royal Rumble and it’s not just because of his knowledge of the rules of the road. Zayn has been part of the best WWE storyline in at least six years, if not longer, dating back to Daniel Bryan’s chase for the title going into WrestleMania 30. The crescendo of that storyline approaches, and now it’s time for Triple H, head of creative in WWE, to decide which direction they want to go with Zayn.

Zayn’s ties to Undisputed WWE Universal champion Roman Reigns and his Bloodline stable began early in the summer of 2022. Since then, WWE has done a masterful job in telling the story of Zayn slowly earning the trust of each member of the stable.

Reigns has dictated that Zayn will have a “final test” at the Rumble, which will likely come within the Royal Rumble match itself. Enter: the fork in the road.

Fork One: Zayn wins the Royal Rumble, earning him a shot at Reigns at WrestleMania. This likely means that, at some point in the Rumble match, his Bloodline brethren turn their backs on him.

Fork Two: Zayn is asked to sacrifice himself in the Rumble for the benefit of the Bloodline, something he acquiesces to. That would then put him on a road towards a spot in the Elimination Chamber where he could win a No. 1 contender spot for a chance to face Reigns at 'Mania.

Fork Three: Zayn is eliminated in the Rumble by a member of The Bloodline, even after helping Reigns retain his title against Kevin Owens earlier in the event. That would likely set up a program for the tag team championships alongside Owens against The Usos.

Fork Four: Cody Rhodes wins the Rumble and goes on to dethrone Roman Reigns at WrestleMania. This is the obvious storyline available for WWE and it is indeed a good one. Rhodes returned to WWE after a six-year absence at WrestleMania last April and immediately cemented himself as one of the biggest stars in the company with much fanfare behind him. Rhodes will be returning to WWE at the Rumble, after a multi-month absence due to injury, and the betting odds have him as the favourite to win at -149. Should Rhodes win the Rumble and go on to face Reigns at ‘Mania, I fear that the WWE crowd will turn on the storyline just based on its predictability. Fans see it coming, and often when wrestling fans clearly see a storyline coming they turn on it (see: Batista in 2014, Reigns in 2015).

Zayn should win the Rumble and go on to WrestleMania to defeat Reigns. Perhaps it’s just the Canadian maple leaf distorting my view, but I believe he is the biggest babyface WWE has seen dating back to Bryan in 2014, if not longer. It’s time to strike while the iron is hot regarding Zayn’s popularity. He needs to either win the Rumble or, at the very least, be sent down a fork in the road that leads to him winning the Elimination Chamber in his hometown of Montreal.

Prediction: Zayn wins men’s Royal Rumble match

Undisputed WWE Universal championship match: Roman Reigns (C) vs. Kevin Owens

The result of the men’s Rumble match will tie heavily to this title match earlier in the evening. The result of this match isn’t really in question. Reigns will retain his championship. Now is not the time to end the 1,000-plus day reign of Reigns, right before the biggest show of the year in WrestleMania, as noted by Blake Murphy in Sportsnet’s Royal Rumble preview show.

The only question left to answer for this match is how they’ll arrive at the result of Reigns retaining the championship. Will Zayn assist Reigns? How will Zayn’s friendship with Owens play into the match? At some point, Owens will need help and all eyes will turn towards the entrance ramp where fans will expect to see Zayn.

Prediction: Reigns wins

Raw women’s championship: Bianca Belair (C) vs Alexa Bliss

Let’s not forget about the fork chatter mentioned earlier in this article. The forks return for this match. Which fork will WWE choose when it comes to Belair’s opponent at WrestleMania?

Belair is a heavy favourite heading this match at an astronomical -714, meaning she will almost certainly retain her championship. When it comes to an actual wrestling match, there is no question Belair will absolutely dust Bliss, which somewhat contributes to the betting line. But also, previous instances of Bliss as champion haven’t really provided uniquely compelling storylines due to the fact that Bliss isn’t as interesting as a character when a babyface is chasing her for the title. Once the bell rings, she’s the immediate underdog.

There is still a slight chance, though, that Bliss could win and that likely ties directly to the mysterious “Uncle Howdy” character associated with Bray Wyatt. Bliss has teased her association with the anonymous Howdy over the last number of weeks and that association could help propel her to a championship win. But I wound’t bet on it.

Prediction: Belair wins

Women’s Royal Rumble match

Just a few days before the Rumble, this match has just seven confirmed entrants. Three of those participants, though, are three of the betting favourites.

Rhea Ripley leads the pack, going off at nearly even money, Raquel Gonzalez is +900, and Shayna Baszler is +1600. A compelling case could be made for each wrestler to win the Rumble and head to ‘Mania to face either Belair or SmackDown champ Charlotte Flair, but I’m leaning towards Baszler.

When Flair returned late last year to unseat Ronda Rousey as SmackDown women’s champion, Baszler was right there in the corner to watch it happen. Baszler has shown in the past she has the in-ring ability and overall demeanour to carry herself as a legitimate champion, and that’s not even mentioning her decorated real-life MMA background.

Baszler winning the Rumble would set up a compelling chase towards Flair’s title. It could be argued that she’ll be avenging her friend Rousey, and could also set up a future program with Rousey after WrestleMania. When it comes to believability as champion, Baszler is nearly unmatched, which would line up well against Flair, the most decorated women’s pro wrestler of all-time. Baszler and Flair would match up well on SmackDown. However, Ripley is also deserving of a Rumble victory and that victory would propel her to a program with Belair for the Raw women’s championship.

Prediction: Baszler wins

“Mountain Dew” Pitch Black match: Bray Wyatt vs LA Knight

Just what is a Pitch Black match you ask? No one is really sure.

The rules of this match haven’t been laid out explicitly, but fans have been given the idea that it is an “anything goes” type of match that can only end in pinfall or submission. The Mountain Dew sponsorship comes from the fact that they have a product that’s called Pitch Black.

Pitch Black will mark Wyatt’s first televised match since WrestleMania 37 in 2021 and it comes against relative newcomer Knight. Wyatt is going off as the favourite at -227, likely due to the fact WWE has spent an extraordinary amount of time building up this newest iteration of Wyatt and a loss in his first match back would crumble much of that momentum. However, Wyatt has shown in the past that he can suffer a noteworthy loss and still come back looking strong.

Meanwhile, it shouldn’t go without saying Knight has a shot to win. Knight came over from Impact Wrestling nearly two years ago and has been on the WWE main roster for approximately one year. He has shown to be one of the more polished wrestlers over the last several years to receive a call up from NXT, thanks to his near two decades working in the business prior. Knight has shown an ability to connect with the audience in promos, works well enough in the ring and has received a favour from head booker Triple H, who was part of moving Knight away from his previous Maxim Male Models gimmick and back to his LA Knight persona.

Prediction: Knight wins

Join Kevin Michie for Sportsnet’s live blog coverage of the 2023 edition of the Royal Rumble on Saturday, Jan. 28 at 8 p.m. ET / 5 p.m. PT.