On Nov. 22, WWE will host its final Big Four pay-per-view of 2020, Survivor Series. Afterward, the company will move on to the Road to WrestleMania heading into January. The first stop on that journey is arguably its most popular show, the Royal Rumble.

For many fans, the titular stipulation matches are the most exciting of the year. That's in part because the Royal Rumble acts as a culmination of storylines from the year prior and a starting point for new ones. It gives the event a level of finality, as well as uncertainty. After all, Rumbles are so entertaining because it feels like anyone can win.

Nevertheless, it's fun to speculate and try to predict who could outlast 29 other men or women to earn a match against the champion of their choice on the Grandest Stage of Them All. So let's take a look at some early picks to win both the men's and women's Royal Rumble matches.

First, we will select a dark horse and a wild card for each match. Then we will predict the favorites to win both matches based on ongoing stories and their trajectories. Feel free to leave a comment and let us know your early picks.

Dark Horse: Jey Uso

Just a couple months ago, no one would have predicted that Jey Uso would become a competent main eventer.

He and his twin brother, Jimmy, are one of the best tag teams in the company. However, the current Bloodline story with Roman Reigns has given Jey the chance to stand out as a singles competitor.

In what is has been a breakout year, Uso proved he could hang with Reigns in two surprisingly compelling matches. He has also picked up massive wins over AJ Styles, Daniel Bryan, and Kevin Owens on SmackDown. In the most recent episode, he native went toe-to-toe with another former world champion, Drew McIntyre, in the main event.

Uso fell victim to a sudden Claymore Kick, but he held his own for most of the match. Furthermore, Reigns technically still hasn't beat him. In their first encounter at Clash of Champions, Jimmy threw in the towel on Jey's behalf. At Hell in a Cell, The Tribal Chief targeted his brother to force him to say "I quit" and fall in line. Up until that point, Uso withstood everything his cousin dealt out.

Clearly, this rivalry isn't over just yet, and it has been so engaging that it wouldn't be a terrible idea to have Uso challenge Reigns again. That makes him an intriguing sleeper pick heading into the 2021 men's Royal Rumble match.

Dark Horse: Rhea Ripley

Since NXT superstars started making appearances at Royal Rumble, many fans have wondered whether a debuting wrestler from the black and gold brand could win the match. It seems inevitable as WWE continues to sign high-profile names with established fanbases.

Rhea Ripley could conceivably be the first wrestler from NXT to win the Rumble. The Nightmare is considered a homegrown star, and she has made an impact at three WWE pay-per-view events. So while this wouldn't exactly be a debut, that's why she has such a good chance of winning in 2021.

WWE has already introduced its core audience to Ripley. She appeared in the 2019 women's Royal Rumble match as entrant No. 24 and she led Team NXT to a win in the first five-on-five-on-five women's Survivor Series elimination match. Then, the Australian became the first NXT women's champion to defend her title at WrestleMania earlier this year.

Charlotte Flair stunned Ripley and the WWE Universe at The Showcase of the Immortals to become a 12-time women's champion. The Nightmare has been trying to regain the title ever since, but there isn't much left for her to do on Wednesday nights. After all, she is the only woman in WWE history who has held both the NXT and NXT UK Women's Championships.

It's time for Ripley to move to Raw or SmackDown and compete for new gold. A win in next year's women's Royal Rumble match could be a great redemption story for her heading into WrestleMania 37.

Wild Card: Mustafa Ali

This is a long shot, but Mustafa Ali would make an interesting Royal Rumble winner.

The Chicago native has been on the cusp of a big storyline since his early days on SmackDown. As the story goes, Kofi Kingston replaced Ali in the 2019 Elimination Chamber match after he suffered an injury during a bout with Randy Orton. Kingston's run ahead of his first world title opportunity and his loss at the event led to KofiMania.

Kingston made the best of the situation, but Ali never made it back to the heights he could have hit last year. The 34-year-old participated in the 2019 men's Money in the Bank ladder match, and he was fingertips away from earning the coveted briefcase. However, Brock Lesnar returned and stole the victory.

Despite these missed opportunities, Ali is still loaded with potential. He cuts believable and impassioned promos, and his high-flying style makes him a standout in-ring performer. As the leader of an underdeveloped faction in Retribution, he needs a statement win to legitimize their presence on Raw.

If his crew of anarchists helped him to win the 2021 men's Royal Rumble, they would gain some direction and become a threat to the WWE champion. This could also serve as a way for Ali to gain revenge for the title shots he lost.

Wild Card: Naomi

It feels like a lifetime has passed since Naomi returned at Royal Rumble this year and became an internet sensation. The former WWE SmackDown women's champion was among the biggest talking points the next day.

Unfortunately, WWE never capitalized on the momentum from her return. Instead, she stumbled from one match to another before she earned a chance to challenge Bayley at Super ShowDown in February. At that event, Naomi lost after an inventive but anticlimactic finish, and she never received a rematch.

In the months that followed, WWE relegated her to forgettable matches and pedestrian segments. As a result, fans created the hashtag, #NaomiDeservesBetter. On the go-home episode of SmackDown for SummerSlam, she pinned Bayley in a Beat The Clock Challenge.

This should've ensured that she was next in line for a title shot after The Role Model successfully defended her title at the Biggest Party of the Summer. However, that didn't materialize because Naomi had to undergo surgery in September.

It's unclear whether she will be back by January, but a triumphant return to win the women's Royal Rumble match would bring her story full circle.

Favorite: Big E

Big E has to be the favorite to win the 2021 men's Royal Rumble match. WWE has made it clear that he is set for a run as a singles competitor, as this year's draft effectively split up The New Day.

With that in mind, he needs a big win to propel him into the world title picture. After all, it would be fairly disheartening if the company separated him from Kofi Kingston and Xavier Woods just to make him a midcarder.

This is as good of a time as any to give Big E his first WWE or Universal Championship match. Winning the 2021 men's Royal Rumble would be a fitting way for him to stand out and pave the way to a WrestleMania moment of his own.

Moreover, the former intercontinental champion would be a perfect foil Roman Reigns. He has acted as a de facto on screen locker-room leader on SmackDown, and his positive but no-nonsense mentality is the direct opposite of Reigns' new persona. This could also set the table for a Bloodline vs. The New Day rivalry sometime next year.

Favorite: Alexa Bliss

The favorite to win the 2021 women's Royal Rumble is a little tougher to predict. Before Sasha Banks dethroned Bayley at Hell in a Cell, she seemed like the obvious choice. Their rivalry has been the biggest WWE story of the year, and the two proved they can garner a ratings boost.

Now that Banks is SmackDown women's champion, the field is wide-open for someone to step up and punch their ticket to WrestleMania 37. Bianca Belair is a safe bet after her record-setting performance in this year's Rumble. It also seems like the company has a plan for the EST of WWE.

However, Alexa Bliss makes even more, as her heel turn and alliance with Bray Wyatt has made her one of the most fascinating characters on the roster. Bliss also seems poised for a marquee feud sooner rather than later.

Some fans would argue that she is similar to The Fiend in the sense that she doesn't need a title to be relevant and that gold shouldn't be her motivation. That's a fair point, but WWE will undoubtedly foist her into a title program because there aren't many other credible options on Raw.

To that end, Asuka vs. Alexa Bliss for the Raw Women's Championship is a WrestleMania-caliber match. There's plenty of mileage for segments between the two competitors as well.