WWE Royal Rumble 2019 Preview
Wrestlemania maybe the biggest show in the WWE calendar, but the Royal Rumble PPV, with its classic 30-man (and now also 30-women) battle royal match, is probably my favourite. Although last year’s edition was low on surprise entrants I thought it was pretty good, with a good layout and even pace, not to mention a hilarious sequence by Heath Slater.
I’m not sure what is the order of the match card, so I’ll give my predictions in the order that I think it will be.
(All images via WWE website)
Raw Women’s Championship: Ronda Rousey (c) vs Sasha Banks: Kicking off the show with Ronda’s entrance music would be a great way to kick-start the show. Anyway, Sasha is in challenger-of-the-month mode unfortunately, so the winner should be obvious. Furthermore there are rumors saying Ronda is ending her run at WrestleMania —if that is the case she will most likely drop her title then, in a big match with probably either Charlotte Flair or Becky Lynch.
Winner: Ronda Rousey
SmackDown Tag Team Championship: The Bar (c) vs The Miz & Shane McMahon: I must admit I have no idea what is the payoff for Miz and Shane, but I guess winning the titles would be the next chapter in their storyline. The Bar are already tag-team royalty, so losing here (either by getting screwed or being overconfident) will not affect them too much.
Winner: The Miz & Shane McMahon
SmackDown Women’s Championship: Asuka (c) vs. Becky Lynch: While everyone will love a Becky victory, having her losing this match and proceeding to win the rumble would be even better, as well as allowing her to switch over to Raw to finally challenge Ronda. Also Asuka needs the title more, to rehab her image after a relatively poor 2018.
Winner: Asuka
Universal Championship: Brock Lesnar (c) vs. Finn Balor: I have to give credit to WWE for how they have built up this match —Brock will probably win to drop the title at WrestleMania, but Finn’s promos and Cena’s endorsement somehow gave me this small hope that he may just overcome the odds. But Finn has said he will not be in demon mode, so my rational side prevails.
Winner: Brock Lesnar
Men’s Royal Rumble: My choice here is based mainly on assuming Brock retains his Universal Championship. It would have to be a face, and someone who can carry the company until Roman Reigns returns. With these criteria there’s not a lot of options.
Winner: Seth Rollins (with Drew McIntyre and Dean Ambrose making up the final three)
WWE Championship: Daniel Bryan (c) vs. AJ Styles: We all have heard news of AJ wanting to have a reduced schedule —he has been a great champion for the majority of the last two years so leaving the championship scene would be the best fit for him, freeing him up for other storylines. On the other hand Daniel Bryan’s new snobby vegan character is picking up momentum, so he should retain to continue to draw heat with his Greenpeace / veganism preaching. This can also allow a fresh face to step up, someone like Mustafa Ali.
Winner: THE PLANET’S CHAMPION Daniel Bryan
Women’s Royal Rumble: I think the women’s rumble will close the show, similar to last year, for a great feel good ending moment when Becky Lynch wins the match and announcing her challenge for Ronda’s title. Anything ending other than that will be a dumb move by WWE.
Winner: Becky Lynch (with Charlotte Flair and Carmela making up the final three)
That’s all for now, thanks for reading!