Tags
AJ Styles, Akira Tozawa, Auska, Becky Lynch, Brock Lesnar, Buddy Murphy, Cesaro, Daniel Bryan, Drew McIntyre, Finn Bálor, Hideo Itami, Kalisto, Kenny Omega, Mandy Rose, NXT TakeOver: Phoenix, Raw, Road To Wrestlemania, Ronda Rousey, Royal Rumble 2019, Rusev, Sasha Banks, Seth Rollins, Shane McMahon, Sheamus, Shinsuke Nakamura, Smackdown, Sonya Deville, The Bar, The Miz, Vince McMahon, WrestleMania 35, WWE, WWE Championship, WWE Cruiserweight Championship, WWE Network, WWE Raw, WWE Raw Women's Championship, WWE Royal Rumble, WWE Royal Rumble 2019, WWE Smackdown, WWE Smackdown Live Women's Championship, WWE United States Championship, WWE Universal Championship
As I stated in my article yesterday, “This weekend is one of the coolest weekends in professional wrestling besides WrestleMania weekend because not only is it Royal Rumble weekend, it also marks the start of the Road to WrestleMania.” NXT TakeOver: Phoenix was last night and it did not disappoint, but tonight is where it all begins. The Royal Rumble is the platform that a wrestler can elevate his/herself to have the greatest opportunity afforded to them if they can out last 29 other men/women in the Royal Rumble match. This is one of two PPV’s that the WWE does that you hope that they don’t screw up and that they deliver on a product that is worthy of being presented to us as the main product. When the Royal Rumble invades Chase Field in Phoenix, Arizona, it will be the 32ND edition of the Rumble and I am excited because this is the start of the playoffs that will lead to the SuperBowl of the WWE in WrestleMania 35. Who will walk out WWE Champion? Who walks out Universal Champion and who wins the rumble match? Who will have the right to step on the stage that us wrestling fans like to call the “Showcase of the Immortals.” Hopefully, all of those answers will be answered and you as the wrestling fan get what you have hoped for.
I am going to talk about the Rumble matches first because it’ll paint a picture of who will win the championship matches tonight. Out of all the participants in the men’s Royal Rumble match, there are only two men that come to mind as a legitimate threat to win it all if Kenny Omega does not show up. Those two men are the architect Seth Rollins and the Scottish psychopath Drew McIntyre. Those two men have the best chances of winning the match, but only one can survive and I think that man is Seth Rollins. Seth has been quite the push as has Finn Balor and it just seems like destiny that he wins and claims his place at the top of the food chain. My iron man for the match which means the person who lasts a long time in the rumble is going to be Baron Corbin. I just feel like that snake will somehow find a way to stay in the match for a long time as he has done it before. The women’s Royal Rumble match is pretty cut and dry for me as I believe Becky Lynch will lose her match to Auska, but she’ll enter the rumble and she’ll win as she decides to challenge Ronda Rousey for her title as she’ll defeat Sasha Banks tonight. My Iron Woman for the rumble is going to be Sonya Deville who I believe in my heart deserves the push more than Mandy Rose and you can believe that.
Now, you probably guessed from the paragraph above that I believe that Brock Lesnar is walking out of the Rumble with the title. It’s not easy for me to say that because I would love to see Finn slay the beast or Goliath as Vince McMahon has referred to Brock as, but I just don’t see it happening. I just feel that the WWE is teasing you by giving you what you want, but I think Finn gets his real shot at the belt after Mania. The other championship match that is intriguing to me is the match for the WWE Championship between champion Daniel Bryan and challenger AJ Styles. I would love to see AJ walk out of the Rumble as champion, but I am starting to really get into Daniel’s heel run so I feel it’s too soon for him to lose it now. I don’t know what it is about the tag team match, but it’s one that I do not care about because I don’t believe in Shane and The Miz as a legitimate team to beat The Bar. I feel the same exact way about the United States Championship match between Rusev (Champion) and Shinsuke Nakamura. That has been a non-existent storyline on my radar so I have no vested interest. The only other match that seems interesting is on the pre-show and it’s the Fatal Four Way for the Cruiserweight title as Buddy Murphy defends his belt against Hideo Itami, Kalisto, and Akira Tozawa. I believe Buddy Murphy will retain, but it has the potential to be one heck of a match. Check out my predictions below and enjoy one of the coolest nights in Wrestling.
Buddy Murphy Retains
Rusev Retains
The Bar retains
Daniel Bryan over AJ
Brock Lesnar over Finn Balor
Auska over Becky Lynch
Ronda Rousey over Sasha Banks
Becky Lynch wins the Women’s Royal Rumble
Seth Rollins wins The Men’s Royal Rumble