While not without its flaws, Royal Rumble 2019 was a successful pay-per-view that not only delivered the right match winners in the right places, but successfully set WWE's course for the biggest show of the year, WrestleMania 35, which takes place in New Jersey's MetLife Stadium on 7 April. There's much ground to cover before we hit the 'Showcase of the Immortals.' WWE have two pay-per-views between now and then in Elimination Chamber (17 February) and Fastlane (10 March), and while a couple of top-level programmes are as good as locked down, others, like the SmackDown Women's and WWE Championship pictures, remain a mystery. Then there's the small matter of The Undertaker's potential retirement, Triple H's injury, the new Women's Tag Titles, and the list goes on. This is typically one of the most exciting times of year to be a WWE fan, and this week's Raw and SmackDown over-delivered. Optimism is understandably high. WWE's propensity to screw things up means fans would be wise to temper it with more than two months still to go, but the road to WrestleMania 35 promises no shortage of weird, wild, and wonderful happenings...<doc-sep>Get email updates with the day's biggest stories Invalid Email Something went wrong, please try again later. Sign up Thank you for subscribing We have more newsletters Show me See our privacy notice Royal Rumble 2019 takes place this Sunday with WWE world title opportunities at WrestleMania up for grabs. Thirty men and thirty women will compete in two versions of the famous over-the-top-rope elimination contest in Phoenix, Arizona. The respective winners at the Chase Field will go on to face the champion of their choosing at WrestleMania 35 on April 7. But who will be waiting for them at the MetLife Stadium in New Jersey? Finn Balor challenges Universal Champion Brock Lesnar, while Daniel Bryan defends the WWE Championship against AJ Styles. Meanwhile Becky Lynch looks to reclaim the SmackDown women's title from Asuka and Sasha Banks faces Raw Women's Champion Ronda Rousey. Here is a match-by-match breakdown of the show. (Image: © WWE) 2019 Women's Royal Rumble match 30-woman Royal Rumble match for a women's championship match at WrestleMania 35 History was made last year when Asuka won the first women’s Royal Rumble match. But the Empress of Tomorrow failed to win world title gold at WrestleMania 34, when she lost her undefeated streak to Charlotte Flair. The Queen of WWE was one of two high profile names - the other being Alexa Bliss - not to compete in the contest, because they were the reigning women's champions of their respective brands. However, this time around Charlotte will be very much part of proceedings and has to be the clear favourite, given her noteworthy feuds with both Becky Lynch and Ronda Rousey in recent months. The 29 other challengers include some noteworthy names and strong showings can probably be expected from those stars WWE clearly has a lot of faith in, such as Ember Moon, Ruby Riott, newcomer Nikki Cross and the veteran Natalya. Carmella is guaranteed to be in the closing stages, given she earned the coveted number 30 spot by winning the WWE Mixed Match Challenge with R-Truth. But the woman most likely to join Flair at the end (and set a new record for most eliminations in the women's event) will be the powerhouse Nia Jax. She too has a bone to pick with Lynch and could conceivably triumph in Phoenix. Predicted winner: Charlotte Flair (Image: © WWE) Fatal four-way match for the WWE Cruiserweight Championship Buddy Murphy (c) vs. Akira Tozawa vs. Hideo Itami vs. Kalisto The reputation of Buddy Murphy continued to soar when he defeated Cedric Alexander at WWE TLC: Tables, Ladders & Chairs last month. Afterwards, he told WWE 205 Live general manager Drake Maverick he was ready for the next challenge and a series of qualifying matches produced three new rivals. Former Cruiserweight Champions Kalisto and Akira Tozawa bested Lio Rush and Drew Gulak respectively, before Alexander lost a cracking contest against a rejuvenated Hideo Itami. The Japanese star's talent is finally beginning to shine in WWE and a win for him here would be huge, but that would undo all the hard work put into establishing Murphy as the face of the brand, which he should remain to be until WrestleMania. Predicted winner: Buddy Murphy (Image: © WWE) Singles match for the WWE United States Championship Rusev (c) vs. Shinsuke Nakamura On the Christmas Day edition of SmackDown, an upset victory saw Rusev clinch the United States Championship for the third time in his career, snatching it from Shinsuke Nakamura. Now he must fight for the honour of his wife Lana to retain it, after she was inadvertently injured in a scrap between him and Nakamura the following week. Seven days later, The Artist claimed that it was Rusev’s fault The Ravishing Russian got hurt, baiting Rusev backstage, where he fell victim to a Kinshasa. The former champion is well and truly in the head of the Bulgarian Brute and could reclaim his title here, but it would be counter productive to have the title change hands so quickly. Predicted winner: Rusev (Image: © WWE) Tag team match for the WWE SmackDown Tag Team Championship The Bar (Cesaro and Sheamus) (c) vs. The Miz and Shane McMahon Can the oddball pairing of The Miz and Shane McMahon live up to their lofty "best tag team in the world" moniker at Royal Rumble when they challenge SmackDown Tag Team Champions The Bar? The new tandem, who together helped McMahon win the World Cup at the now never-mentioned Crown Jewel, have spent the past month or so squabbling on Tuesday nights. If there's one thing WWE bookers love it's a pair of reluctant tag team partners, especially when they are characters as big as The A-Lister and his boss Shane O'Mac. Cesaro and Sheamus are a tremendous tag team, whose match at TLC with The New Day and The Usos was typically entertaining. But they were sacrificed last WrestleMania for a comedy plot as Braun Strowman and a 10-year-old boy called Nicholas seized their titles, so don't be surprised if WWE do the same again here for the sake of building towards a Mania match-up for Shane and The Must-See Superstar. Predicted winners: The Miz and Shane McMahon (Image: © WWE) Singles match for the WWE SmackDown Women's Championship Asuka (c) vs. Becky Lynch Becky Lynch is the hottest act in all of WWE right now thanks to a stellar second half of 2018, during which she emerged as a badass anti-hero in the mould of 'Stone Cold' Steve Austin, with a fine line in hilarious yet brutal putdowns, both on the mic and on social media. The Irish Lasskicker will now square off against Asuka for the SmackDown Women’s Championship she lost to her rival in a triple threat match with Charlotte Flair at TLC, thanks to the intervention of Ronda Rousey. The UFC icon was gunning for revenge after she was ambushed and humiliated by Becky ahead of a Survivor Series showdown which never materialised, because of a broken nose Lynch suffered at the errant hands of Nia Jax. Asuka is a worthy champion and this should be an excellent match, but for Becky to once again declare she is "The Man" she needs to be holding the gold. This is WWE's chance to catapult her into mega-stardom by placing her in a huge Mania match-up with either Flair or Rousey come April 7. Predicted winner: Becky Lynch (Image: © WWE) Singles match for the WWE Championship Daniel Bryan (c) vs. AJ Styles In what should be the match of the night, Daniel Bryan defends his WWE Championship against the former title holder AJ Styles, from whom he captured the belt following an opportunistic low blow in November. Since ending The Phenomenal One's mammoth 371-day reign as WWE Champion, the former fan favourite has recast himself as "The New" Daniel Bryan, but in reality reworked aspects of his classic American Dragon heel character to put an end to "The 'Yes!' Movement". His new ultra-aggressive style, combined with his grappling prowess, is the perfect foil for the equally technical yet even more agile Styles. The pair delivered one of the best WWE matches of 2018 at TLC last month and will now look to top that with their second pay-per-view bout. Bryan's work on the mic in recent months has also been stellar, as he trashes those he considers morally inferior. Now is not the time to cut short his momentum and with AJ reportedly set for a clash with Randy Orton at WrestleMania, you can expect Bryan to narrowly retain his title here. Predicted winner: Daniel Bryan (Image: © WWE) Singles match for the WWE Raw Women's Championship Ronda Rousey (c) vs. Sasha Banks Four-time Raw Women's Champion Sasha Banks looks to make it five when she faces current champion Ronda Rousey in a first-time encounter that fans have long wanted to see. The Boss earned this opportunity with an electric victory against Nia Jax, but before that had been selected by Ronda as the star she considered to be "the unsung hero of Monday Night Raw".<doc-sep>WWE returns to pay-per-view (PPV) — if your cable provider is carrying the event, of course — tomorrow night (Sun., Jan. 27, 2019) live from Chase Field in Phoenix, Arizona with its Royal Rumble event starting at 5:00 pm ET with the Kickoff show leading right on into the main course at 7 pm ET on the WWE Network. Set for the card: Two Royal Rumble matches, Brock Lesnar defending the Universal championship against Finn Balor, and more! Luckily for you Cagesiders, our staff of learned wrestling blowhards is here to help figure out just how the event is going to play out with predictions for each match on the card. Let’s get to it. Royal Rumble predictions Men’s Royal Rumble Geno Mrosko: They’ve done a horrendous job of building to this match as a match itself, with very few clear favorites to win it. In fact, there’s really only one guy I can see winning it, so he’s the choice I’m making here. Pick: Seth Rollins Sean Rueter: If you look back at how loud the “BURN IT DOWN” chants were at one point, and how anxious people were to talk about Dean getting swole while he was out injured, it’s remarkable that neither of the Shield guys feel like a hot choice to win this thing. Maybe WWE plows ahead with the rumored Rollins plan, but at this point, I’m thinking Vince goes with something tried & true. He doesn’t even need to be around much to sell the story of chasing his 17th WWE World title while standing up for the fans against the consumption-hating maniac who was almost his brother-in-law. Pick: John Cena Kyle Decker: Really it’s Seth Rollins or Drew McIntyre at this point. (I have Bray Wyatt as surprise dark horse, but I can’t imagine who he’d match up with for Mania.) Between Drew and Seth, it all comes down to whether or not you believe in the reverse momentum theory. At this point, I don’t. Pick: Seth Rollins Rev. Claire Elizabeth: I’d really like it to be Kofi or some equally off-the-wall choice as we discussed with Brent Brookhouse a week or two back, but alas, I’m not confident enough to bet my pick here. Anyway, the Universal Championship scene is inscrutable at the best of times, so I’m going very slightly off-road and picking the Monster Among Men himself to get a delayed showdown with the Beast Incarnate at WrestleMania. Pick: Braun Strowman Cain A. Knight: The potential winners on the Raw roster are Seth Rollins, Drew McIntyre, or maybe Braun Strowman if he joins the match. The potential winners on the SmackDown roster are...nobody? The potential winners on the part-time roster include pretty much everybody, because having Goldberg or Undertaker show up here to win it and then challenge Brock at WrestleMania 35 is a very WWE thing to do. I’ll just play it safe and stick to the rumor mill. Pick: Dolph Ziggler Seth Rollins Stella Cheeks: I cannot, nay I will not, betray my man. Pick: Drew McIntyre Women’s Royal Rumble Geno Mrosko: It’s hard to imagine anyone winning this match outside of Becky Lynch or Charlotte Flair and only one of the two is currently scheduled for it. If this were about merits, or how hot a wrestler is, or the work they’ve been doing in recent months and the potential for what they could continue to do, the pick is obvious. Pick: Charlotte Flair Sean Rueter: It’s pretty much got to go one of two ways, and since I just went with someone we’re not sure will even be in the match to win the men’s Rumble, I’ll go with a person who will definitely be in the women’s one. Pick: Charlotte Flair Kyle Decker: I can’t pick against the Man winning the Rumble. I wonder how the crowd, which will be a hardcore crowd, would respond if she’s not in it. It wouldn’t be a Daniel Bryan 2014 situation, but they’d be a bit angry. And you don’t put her in it if she’s not gonna win it, especially if she’s just coming off a title loss. Pick: Becky Lynch Rev. Claire Elizabeth: I’ve had my ups and downs with Charlotte’s work over the years, but I am currently very much digging what she brings to the table. And surely, being the Queen, the Royal Rumble is hers to lose, no? Pick: Charlotte Flair Cain A. Knight: This all comes down to Becky Lynch or Charlotte Flair, and Lynch might not even be in the match. It mostly defeats the purpose of the Rumble if Becky loses her championship match earlier in the night only to win this Rumble and earn another championship match. If someone already demonstrates they can’t win the title, why is it worth getting excited over that person winning another shot at it? The much more interesting route is if Becky first defeats Asuka for the title and then still wins this Rumble. If WWE is going all-in on The Man, that’s the way to book this one. Pick: Becky Lynch Stella Cheeks: If the McMahon’s are true to their word (L O L) and we truly are in charge, then there can be no other answer than The Man Becky Lynch. Course, Charlotte will be added to the match before Mania, but that’s a problem for a different day. Pick: Becky Lynch Brock Lesnar vs. Finn Balor Geno Mrosko: There is literally nothing in the world that makes me think there is any chance of Finn Balor winning this match. A snowball has a better chance in hell. Pick: Brock Lesnar Sean Rueter: I believe. I also believe he won’t carry it into WrestleMania. But the new era needs some shaking up, and this will shock people like Survivor Series ‘16. Pick: Finn Bálor Kyle Decker: There was a part of me that was convincing myself of a Balor win. Given the way they built him up as the guy who couldn’t get it done, the only way to end that story would be for him to get it done. But the chances of Brock going into Mania not champion are slim to none. Sorry, Finn. Maybe next time bring the Demon. Prediction: Pain Brock Lesnar Rev. Claire Elizabeth: Great matches against AJ Styles and Daniel Bryan have proved that as much as I’m sick of the guy, Brock’s still got enough of it for best-in-the-world types to drag him through an excellent match. I don’t think Finn is quite on that level, but he’s close, and this should be a hoot. As far as picked, I played the Rumble safe, so let’s contradict that here and go out on the limb... Pick: Finn Balor Cain A. Knight: This match will be far superior to Strowman vs. Lesnar, so that’s a big positive. However, the Lesnar segment on Raw really left a bad taste in my mouth. There was way too much focus on Braun Strowman, and of course Balor couldn’t even get the pin on The Monster ahead of this championship match with The Beast. It’s clear that Balor is just a stopgap and the bigger priority is to protect Strowman. That means regular Finn Balor is going to be victimized and conquered, but hopefully not before he puts on a great match with Brock. Pick: Brock Lesnar Stella Cheeks: I am shocked that I am writing these words, but I am really looking forward to this match. Do I think that Balor will win? No, but I think that he will put in so much effort that Brock will have no choice but to show up and work. If they want to force feed me a David and Goliath fairy tale, well then god damn, I’m eating it. Pick: Brock Lesnar Daniel Bryan vs. AJ Styles Geno Mrosko: I’m just hopeful they get time to put together something really good, because we know they can put together something even better. Someone is going to have to sacrifice time for this show, though, and my fear is they’ll sacrifice it here. We’ll see.<doc-sep>
The road to WrestleMania 35 is in sight, and by the end of Sunday's Royal Rumble, we'll have our first real sense of the direction in which WWE is headed over the next few months. That goes for all four top title matches as well as both Royal Rumbles, but it wouldn't be surprising if one of the other three matches shook things up enough to send shockwaves all the way through to April, and beyond. Men's Royal Rumble Seth Rollins, Finn Balor, Drew McIntyre and Braun Strowman have been the workhorses of Monday Night Raw, showing up every week and chugging along to carry the show in Brock Lesnar's absence. Each could argue why they would make for a compelling winner of the 2019 men's Royal Rumble match. Balor's chances seem slim after he won the right to face Lesnar for the Universal championship, but for the other three members of that quartet, the men's Royal Rumble match seems as close to within reach as they could possibly hope for. First and foremost, Rollins has a lot of factors weighing in his favor. He has unfinished business with Lesnar dating back to WrestleMania 31, when Rollins interrupted the main event between Lesnar and Roman Reigns by cashing in his Money in the Bank briefcase and leaving the building with the WWE championship in hand. Since Rollins had to vacate that title in November 2015, however, he's spent a grand total of a few minutes as a world champion and has largely existed on the fringes of the world title picture. McIntyre is simply waiting for his big moment to step up to the plate and prove he can be the top guy. He had tremendous matches with a variety of Raw's top stars in 2018, most notably his series with Rollins. If the desire is to put someone into the ring who can physically go toe-to-toe with Lesnar, McIntyre meets the requirement. He hadn't had quite enough time on the microphone to prove himself until very recently, but it would not take a major leap for him to push past "nearly there" and reach top-tier status -- and that could happen over the next two-plus months. Finally, Strowman was unceremoniously bounced from the Royal Rumble Universal title match due to "bad behavior," and everyone's first instinct was to point toward his recent injuries to explain the switch. Monday night's match against Balor seemed to change those perceptions, as he appeared to be moving perfectly well opposite Balor. If he indeed is in the men's Royal Rumble match, Strowman could easily push toward the eliminations record and would be in line to finally get his big win over Lesnar at WrestleMania. Many wonder whether this moment might be a little too late to cash in on Strowman's popularity and momentum, but only time can tell. Finally, a dark horse could also come into play. Despite his WWE-announced injury concerns, John Cena's record-smashing 17th world title reign could be in order for WrestleMania, and either AJ Styles or Daniel Bryan would be an intriguing opponent along the way. Most anyone else on the SmackDown side would have to be considered a major shock, although it would be a tremendous vehicle for elevating a new star in a hurry. In my mind, it all seems likely to boil down to Rollins and Strowman. I lean toward the former, if only because the timing seems right for Rollins to step into the roles of Lesnar's worthy challenger and, eventually, a champion of the people. Prediction: Seth Rollins Will a returning Alexa Bliss have an impact on the 2019 women's Royal Rumble? Courtesy WWE Women's Royal Rumble On the surface, the women's Royal Rumble match seems to have a shallow pool of potential winners. Depending on how the night's pair of title matches play out, the winner would likely challenge Ronda Rousey at WrestleMania -- making Charlotte Flair or Becky Lynch the likeliest candidates, given the context and story already built into those matchups. There's also an outside chance we see something screwy, like a dual-winner scenario to set up a triple threat between Flair, Lynch and Rousey, a la Bret Hart and Lex Luger in 1994 or Batista and Cena in 2005. By most any measure, these are the likeliest outcomes for Sunday. On the other hand, WWE often hates to lean toward any scenario that's too predictable. All of the aforementioned outcomes depend on Rousey and Asuka both holding onto their titles.