The underlying theme for this event was ‘An eye towards the future’ A phrase we have seen thrown around haphazardly by WWE since mid 2016. Have they really been thinking about the future? Up until now, has there really been any focus on building the John Cena’s of tomorrow? This event definitely showed me they are listening to their audience and are thinking about the longevity of talent.
Strong representation across all brands in both the men’s and women’s Rumble matches shows that WWE has confidence in their emerging talent. Seeing the likes of Rhea Ripley and Pete Dunne showcase the NXT UK brand in a positive light and seeing a glimpse of how current NXT stars such as Johnny Gargano would gel into the current main roster all made for dynamic and vibrant Rumble matches.
Finn Balor taking on Brock Lesnar for the Universal Title was worth watching, if only for the buildup and the David versus Goliath storyline. Finn Balor came across stronger than I thought he would and there was a couple of moments in the match where I actually thought he was going to do it. WWE must know that Lesnar can’t hold that belt for much longer as their audience constantly tells them they want full time representation of what’s supposed to be one of their top titles.
The guys from 205 Live gave an absolute masterclass in aerial technique and how if you give these guys an inch, they will take a mile.
And once again, the women stole the show!
The biggest disappointment was the representation of tag teams at the event. The preshow saw Rezar from Authors of Pain and Scott Dawson from The Revival teaming up to take on Bobby Roode and Chad Gable and somehow on the main card, Shane McMahon and The Miz took on The Bar. Is the WWE tag team division so lacking that they couldn’t book them better than this? Where were the Uso’s and The Ascension? What about Sanity? For me it showed a sever lack of depth within the tag team division
Let’s start with the preshow. I don’t always watch the preshow for these events as it’s mostly recaps, vignettes and interviews but this one gave us three matches so thought it worth going over. I quite like the panel they run in the build-up as I find it interesting to hear what the Hall of Famers make of the current landscape and hear their predictions for the show. I like they situate the panel down on the floor in amongst the crowd, who are always receptive and at times giddy to the panel going on. At some points the audience drowns out what’s being said so in future it might be worth turning mics up but all in all, a decent panel.
Beth Phoenix, Booker T and Jerry Lawler all speak with education and passion. Shawn Michaels, who came dressed head to toe in NXT gear is always a delight and David Otunga… yeah, not sure about that one. Always good to see Jonathan Coachman back on our screens too.
Bobby Roode & Chad Gable versus Rezar (AOP) and Scott Dawson (The Revival)
This was a none title match added to the card at the very last minute, basically to give these guys something to do. As I’ve said, why they booked this match in this way is beyond me. I agree the Raw tag team titles needed to be represented but I would have rather seen a number one contenders battle between a few other teams to allow a proper storyline to build in the run up to Wrestlemania. Needless to say, Roode and Gable won. Gable, Roode and Dawson are evenly matched in terms of stature and as a result there was some nice offence within the match, such as Roode’s Spinebuster and Blockbuster, Dawson’s dropkick and Gable’s Moonsault (the move which gave him the three count) It’s hard enough being on the card and performing to a half empty arena, but these guys had to do it with a match that didn’t make sense and no-one really cared about. They tried, that’s all I can say.
United States Championship match: Rusev (c) v Shinsuke Nakamura
We’ve definitely breathed a sigh of relief lately as WWE finally recognize how loved Rusev is. We’ve been yelling it from the rooftops and we finally felt like we were being listened to. ‘He’ll get a nice long title run, I’m sure’ I uttered recently. His in-ring ability, his organic growth, his work ethic and the fact he’s in incredible shape, why wouldn’t he? WRONG!! He dropped the title to Nakamura in a pretty mediocre fashion. I’m not hugely onboard with ‘Strong Style’ when it’s watered down like it is with Nakamura. I like when it’s integrated with something a little flashier. Unfortunately, all I ever see is Nakamura booting people in different ways. This match wasn’t without its moments. Nakamura locks in an Arm-Bar and then a Triangle and in a display of brute strength, Rusev lifts him up off the mat, gritting his teeth and into a Suplex. The match ends with Lana up on the apron, subsequently getting knocked off the apron, distracting Rusev long enough for Nakamura to deliver a Kinshasa to the back of the head and pick up the win. Remember that sigh of relief?
Cruiserweight Championship Match: Buddy Murphy (c) v Akira Tozowa v Hideo Itami v Kalisto
Remember what I said about Strong Style? Look no further than Akira Tozawa. Not only is he incredibly proficient in this style but being acrobatic and high-flying makes him incredibly fun to watch. This match is fast, it’s fluid, it’s exciting. These guys aren’t given a huge amount of time, but they utilize it well. At one point Tozawa delivers a Suicide Dive to Kalisto who’s on Buddy Murphy’s shoulders. Kalisto lands a beautiful Mexico City Twister. Kalisto is a master craftsman and has great in-ring intuition and plots sequences sometimes 3 or 4 moves ahead of what’s happening, and his Solida Del Sol is one of my favorite moves in circulation at the moment. But there is no stopping Buddy Murphy and rightly so. He makes not only himself look good but those around him. I didn’t come out of this match thinking he won with ease, I came out thinking those guys worked hard in the time they had. Although Buddy Murphy retained the belt, the whole division was represented perfectly, and no-one looked weak.
At the time of writing, I understand Hideo Itami has requested to be released from his WWE contract. Is this the best thing for Itami? Absolutely! For a long time, it’s felt like he’s been dialing it in. I haven’t seen the desire and determination that once existed, and he’s definitely stagnated for one reason or another. I have no doubt that when he refocuses and re-emerges, wherever he goes, he’ll shine.
That pretty much wraps up the pre-show. I’d love to hear your thoughts about the preshow. Do we like it? Do we not like it? What could they do to make it better? Share your thoughts with us across our social media sites.
Royal Rumble – Main Show
Smackdown Women’s Championship Match: Asuka (c) v Becky Lynch
There is no denying Becky Lynch is one of the hottest superstars in WWE right now and her momentum of late has been undeniable. Part of me wonders going into this match, if they’ll have her win and carry the title and defend it at Wrestlemania. On the other hand, I very much doubt they would have Asuka be a transitional champion and I would like to think she’ll have a solid run as champion.
Becky is intense and dominant in the early going. She’s a very emotional performer and wears her heart on her sleeve. At the pace she starts the match you can’t help but wonder if she’ll burn herself out. The two unleash a couple of signature moves in the early going. The Bexploder into the barricade was particularly nice. Asuka is a great submission specialist and ties Becky up in the ropes to a long five count. Becky responds with a Dis-arm-her tied up in the turnbuckle.
Asuka’s offence builds as the match progresses with a nice Missile Drop Kick off the middle ropes and an almost picture-perfect German Suplex. Asuka attempts the Asuka Lock on a couple of occasions and Becky reverses it and one point ends up on the receiving end of a DDT. The match almost ends in a count out as the suspense builds. A Bexploder off the top rope lands with purposes and Becky scores a near fall.
Then comes a series of Asuka Lock, then reversal into the Dis-arm-Her and back and forth they go. In the final moments Asuka secures the Asuka Lock and bridges her body through to increase the pressure, causing Becky to tap. Asuka retains.
These ladies had the hard and privileged task of opening the show. The opener is as important as the main event and it sets the tone for the evening. This was a good match, not a great match but a good solid match.
Smackdown Live Tag Team Championship Match: The Bar (c) v Shane McMahon and The Miz
I am not enamored with this match in the slightest. I don’t understand how the Tag Team Championships have come to this at one of WWE’s biggest pay per views of the year. And it’s clear from the outset, that the crowd aren’t feeling it either. Sheamus does a good job of keeping the pace slow. In the early going, Cesaro lands the most brutal sounding Uppercut to Shane. Shane unleashes some crazy punches and lands a mediocre looking DDT.
We’re all sat waiting for Shane to do something crazy and are fully sated when he flies across the ring, delivering a double Coast to Coast as The Bar are piled up in the corner. Impressively Shane also manages to execute a Triangle, but it does take him a moment to fully establish it.
Sheamus lands his signature White Noise and Shane kicks out at 2. He’s then set up for a Brogue Kick but the Miz pushes Cesaro in the way and he lands flat on his back. Shane goes to the top rope and executes a Shooting Star Press and in a bizarre turn of events, picks up the pin. Shane McMahon and The Miz are the new Smackdown Live Tag Team Champions and they celebrate with The Miz’s Dad.
Even thinking about this ending makes my head spin. I can only assume that this will lead to an eventual feud between The Miz and Shane, but why do it at the expense of the entire tag team division? Maybe I’m being overly dramatic about it, but I just don’t get it.
Raw Women’s Championship Match: Ronda Rousey (c) v Sasha Banks
This match didn’t need a huge build up. It’s clear Ronda Rousey is going through the roster and hand picking her opponents based on who she feels like competing against. I don’t buy this ‘I want to face the best to make myself the best’ bit. She gets to pick and chose who she goes up against because apparently everyone should feel honored to have been picked to compete against her.
Ronda is very good in the ring, she pulls off two of the three amigos and sells a collision with the ring post well. Banks gets her tied up in all sorts of locks and holds and appears to do a good job of wearing Rousey down. There are times in this match though where Banks looks wooden, almost like she’s protecting herself, but I wonder if there’s something else going on. Some of the very basic fluid sequences such as reversals, rope bounces etc all appear to be a tremendous effort.
Rousey delivers a Pipers Pit to Banks who responds with a Superplex which Rousey sells well. I really do like the deep arm drags Rousey executes. I think this aspect of her arsenal is very clever as she delivers them with such speed and precision, it adds a new twist to a very basic move.
At one point, Rousey has Banks tapping but as it’s outside the ring it doesn’t count. Another Pipers Pit from Rousey is nicely reversed in a Banks Statement in perhaps the best sequence of the match before a final Pipers Pit is delivered by Rousey and she picks up the pin.
At the end of the match, reluctantly Sasha shows Rousey some love but not before flashing the ‘Four Horsewomen’ sign at her and departing. I found myself begging Sasha to return to the ring and put an absolute beatdown on Rousey, but it never happened.
Women’s Royal Rumble Match
Order of entrants
- Lacey Evans
- Natalya
- Mandy Rose
- Liv Morgan
- Mickie James
- Ember Moon
- Billie Kay
- Nikki Cross
- Peyton Royce
- Tamina
- Xia Li
- Sarah Logan
- Charlotte Flair
- Kairi Sane
- Maria Kanellis
- Naomi
- Candice LeRae
- Alicia Fox
- Kacy Catanzaro
- Zelina Vega
- Ruby Riott
- Dana Brooke
- Io Shirai
- Rhea Ripley
- Sonya Deville
- Alexa Bliss
- Bayley
- Lana, later replaced by Becky Lunch due to injury
- Nia Jax
- Carmella
Order of Eliminations
- Liv Morgan eliminated by Natalya
- Mickie James eliminated by Tamina
- Nikki Cross eliminated by Peyton Royce/Billie Kay
- Peyton Royce eliminated by Lacey Evans
- Billie Kay eliminated by Lacey Evans
- Xia Li eliminated by Charlotte Flair
- Tamina eliminated by Charlotte Flair
- Sarah Logan eliminated by Kairi Sane and Natalya
- Mandy Rose eliminated by Naomi
- Naomi eliminated by Mandy Rose
- Lacey Evans eliminated by Charlotte Flair
- Maria Kanellis eliminated by Alicia Fox
- Alicia Fox eliminated by Ruby Riott
- Candice LeRae eliminated by Ruby Riott
- Kairi Sane eliminated by Ruby Riott
- Kacy Catanzaro eliminated by Rhea Ripley
- Dana Brooke eliminated by Rhea Ripley
- Zelina Vega eliminated by Rhea Ripley
- Sonya Deville eliminated by Alexa Bliss
- Ruby Riott eliminated by Bayley
- Rhea Ripley eliminated by Bayley
- Io Shirai eliminated by Nia Jax
- Natalya eliminated by Nia Jax
- Ember Moon eliminated by Alexa Bliss
- Alexa Bliss eliminated by Bayley and Carmella
- Carmella eliminated by Charlotte Flair
- Bayley eliminated by Nia Jax
- Nia Jax eliminated by Becky Lynch
- Charlotte eliminated by Becky Lynch
Winner of the 2019 Women’s Royal Rumble….. BECKY LYNCH!!
Match Highlights
Lacey Evans. Everything about this girl screams superstar. She has a great look, a great personality and she lasted well, eliminated 11th overall. A very impressive main roster debut.
Natalya delivering a double Sharp Shooter to Lacey Evans and Mandy Rose.
Ember Moon had a strong showing, had a dramatic start to her Rumble story by scattering the crowd and she executed a nice Hurricanrana to Lacey Evans too.
Xia Li has a beautiful Spinning Heel Kick, putting Mickie James’ botched Mick Kick to shame.
Charlotte and Kairi Sane had a nice back and forth exchanging chops. Charlotte landed a brutal Spear on Maria, which Maria took like a champ.
Naomi stays in by tightrope walking the barricade and avoiding her feet touching the floor.
Zelina Vega’s outfit is a nod to Vega from Street Fighter and she has a moment where she and Candice LeRae have a face off and the crowd love it.
Dana Brooke looks incredible.
Io Shirai jumps off the top rope, wiping out the Riott Squad with a killer Moonsault.
Kacy Catanzaro hand walks around the ring to avoid elimination.
Natalya picks up Nia Jax in a display of pure strength and Nattie was your iron woman in this match. A great performance by her this year.
The crowd go absolutely bananas when Becky Lynch replaces an injured Lana and even more so when the final three comes down to Nia Jax, Charlotte and Becky Lynch.
Becky finally comes face to face with Nia and unleashes hell, seeking retribution for her busted face at the end of last year.
The representation of the women’s division is dynamic and vast. Seeing Rhea Ripley from NXT UK made my night. Io Shirai is an incredible talent and alongside Kairi Sane and Xia Li, they absolutely lit the ring up. Last years women’s Royal Rumble was a chance to acknowledge those who had gone before and give them a chance to be part of history. This match was a sneak peak through the looking glass as we imagine what the future of this division will look like. I hope they build on this performance and can’t wait to see them go from strength to strength. The women’s Royal Rumble match was hands down, the match of the night.
WWE Championship: Daniel Bryan (c) v AJ Styles
I can’t help but think we’re going to have seen all this before and what could they possibly do differently this time?
It’s a battle of strengths and technical skill. A battle of who can engage the most intense twists and torques. A battle of who is the best mat grappler and who can see an opportunity to pounce and who will be quickest off the mark when they feel their opponent loosen their grip for a split second. These two are so evenly matched, it’s very difficult to predict who will emerge victorious.
Early into the match, Styles ends up with a bloody nose. Bryan in true heel fashion, ties Styles up in knots. Particularly impressive is his Hammerlock, which is locked in so deep, Styles grunts, selling it well. Bryan also lands a really nice Underhook Suplex into an Arm Bar.
Styles responds with a textbook Drop Kick, then a Pump Handle slam into a Back Breaker, then sets up for a Suplex, which Bryan almost counters before Styles lands a Neck Breaker. Sounds complicated but it looks amazing!
Styles is digging deep as blood begins to clot in his nose. He attempts a Styles Clash but it’s blocked and there’s a nice fluid sequence of near falls.
Camera Man has an absolutely perfect shot of Styles bouncing off the top of the barricade, landing a Moonsault into a Reverse DDT. Gaining momentum, back in the ring Styles sets up for the 450 Splash but Bryan gets his knees up just in time to block it. Capitalizing, Bryan locks in the Labell Lock which Styles reverses into a Calf Crusher. We reach a point in this match where it becomes about stamina, both guys are giving it everything.
Out of curiosity, what do we call the Yes Kicks now?
Bryan teeters in the top turnbuckle and ends up mounting it. Ouch! Both are stood up top of the turnbuckle, Styles gets flips over but ends up on his feet, Bryan on his back. A little more back and forth, Styles executes a Brain Buster and lands another near fall. He is making some rather strange noises at this point.
Styles misses a Phenomenal Forearm after struggling to the ropes, but lands a Pele Kick, not his best but he’s tried, so we’ll forgive him.
And then Erik Rowan appears and walks down to the ring to absolute nothingness.
The referee ends up getting booted, Styles lands the Styles Clash but Rowan Chokeslams Styles and Bryan picks up the three count. Another ending that made absolutely no sense. What do you guys think? Has Bryan versus Styles been done to death and they needed to add a new dynamic to keep it interesting or was it just another example of vintage bizzaro booking?
Universal Championship Match: Brock Lesnar (c) v Finn Balor
In an unusually dramatic turn of events, I find my heart beating as they show the video build-up to this match, I’m obviously joking, I’m really dramatic when it comes to Finn Balor. I have to take out how emotionally invested I am in this and try and review it impartially (Go Finn!!!!!)
Having thought about it, I concluded there were three possible outcomes for this match. The first being, Balor would win clean and we’d have a new champion. The second, Lesnar would unleash hell all over him, deliver a plethora of German Suplexes, thusly cementing Balors status as cannon fodder for the bigger guys. The third is that Lesnar will give Balor a decent showing, where he wins but Balor still looks strong.
Balor is quick off the mark, pouncing all over Lesnar with his sharp jabs and educated feet. He attempts a Slingblade and succumbs to Suplex number one 1 and then Suplex number two on the mat outside of the ring. Lesnar falls gut first into the corner of the announce table, an angle he sells throughout the match. Is Brock Lesnar actually making an attempt at storytelling?
There’s a fairly decent back and forth until Suplex number three and subsequently, Suplex number four leave Balor flat on the canvas. But in true Balor fashion, he bounces back and finally lands that Slingblade, only to be flattened by a Clothesline moment later.
Lesnar strugglers to grip for a Suplex and Balor executes a DDT. Simple and effective. His best display comes from three, yes three over the top rope somersaults, which leave Lesnar down outside of the ring. Balor goes up top for a Coup De Grace, lands it, 1…2…. Lesnar kicks out. My heart is about to burst through my chest at this point.
Just like that, Lesnar locks in his knarly looking arm lock and Balor taps. Lesnar gets booed into the stratosphere and just to makes sure we know how much he truly hates us all, he lets lose a number of Suplexes and an F5 before he walks off out the ring like he doesn’t give a s**t.
Men’s Royal Rumble Match
Order of Entrants:
- Elias
- Jeff Jarrett
- Shinsuke Nakamura
- Kurt Angle
- Big E
- Johnny Gargano (main roster in-ring debut)
- Jinder Mahal
- Samoa Joe
- Curt Hawkins
- Seth Rollins
- Titus O’Neil
- Kofi Kingston
- Mustafa Ali
- Dean Ambrose
- No Way Jose
- Drew McIntyre
- Xavier Woods
- Pete Dunne
- Andrade
- Apollo Crews
- Aleister Black
- Shelton Benjamin
- Baron Corbin
- Jeff Hardy
- Rey Mysterio
- Bobby Lashley
- Braun Strowman
- Dolph Ziggler
- Randy Orton
- R-Truth, replaced by Nia Jax
Order of Eliminations:
- Jarrett eliminated by Elias
- Angle eliminated by Shinsuke Nakamura
- Mahal eliminated by Johnny Gargano
- Big E eliminated by Samoa Joe
- Elias eliminated by Seth Rollins
- Titus O’Neil eliminated by Curt Hawkins
- Curt Hawkins eliminated by Samoa Joe
- Shinsuke Nakamura eliminated by Mustafa Ali
- Johnny Gargano eliminated by Dean Ambrose
- No Way Jose eliminated by Samoa Joe
- Xavier Woods eliminated by Drew McIntyre
- Kofi Kingston eliminated by Drew McIntyre
- Dean Ambrose eliminated by Aleister Black
- Samoa Joe eliminated by Mustafa Ali
- Apollo Crews eliminated by Baron Corbin
- Aleister Black eliminated by Baron Corbin
- Pete Dunne eliminated by Drew McIntyre
- Bobby Lashley eliminated by Seth Rollins
- Baron Corbin eliminated by Braun Strowman
- Shelton Benjamin eliminated by Braun Strowman
- Jeff Hardy eliminated by Braun Strowman
- McIntyre eliminated by Dolph Ziggler
- Mustafa Ali eliminated by Nia Jax
- Nia Jax eliminated by Rey Mysterio
- Rey Mysterio eliminated by Randy Orton
- Randy Orton eliminated by Andrade Cien Almas
- Andrade Cien Almas eliminated by Braun Strowman
- Dolph Ziggler eliminated by Braun Strowman
- Braun Strowman eliminated by Seth Rollins
Your 2019 men’s Royal Rumble winner…. SETH ROLLINS!!
Match highlights
Jeff Jarrett being smacked across his shoulders with a guitar by Elias.
The New Day’s outfits are a comic book representation of how Kofi has stayed in the Rumble in the past.
Johnny Gargano receiving perhaps the biggest pop of the night. Also, the NXT and NXT roster being given tremendous representation and showcasing the incredible talent within their roster.
Seth Rollins eliminated Elias as Elias hung to the outside of the ring post, Rollins simply bopped his hands and Elias let go. It was pretty funny. Gargano and Rollins had a nice exchange, where Rollins executed a nice Falcon Arrow.
Mustafa Ali giving the performance of his life and pulling off some awesome eliminations.
Drew McIntyre’s Claymore to anyone who stood in his way.
Shelton Benjamin’s Pay Dirt to Pete Dunne and the n Jeff Hardy’s Whisper in the Wind scattering the pack as the ring filled up. I have to say at this point, I was disappointed with Hardy’s Rumble performance this year. I was expecting a better showing but other than this move, he didn’t really deliver anything worth talking about.
There was a great moment where Strowman, Almas, Ali and Mysterio were all piled upright in the corner and they landed this insane looking Suplex/Crossbody with all four of them
Nia Jax in the men’s match. What are your thoughts? I was sceptical but like a boss, she took those shots like a pro. The Superkick from Ziggler, 619 from Mysterio and the RKO from Orton, only to then be eliminated by Rey Mysterio.
And then of course, there’s Seth Rollins. Rollins was your iron man, he’s our iron man, he’s WWE’s iron man in every sense of the word. When he eliminated Lashley, Lashley got upset and threw him through a table but Rollins gets back up, he always gets back up. There is not a man on the roster who can match him for his stamina, ability, work ethic and all-round personality. He won the Royal Rumble and you know, he deserves it!
All in all, this was a pretty decent event. I could watch the ending to both the women’s and the men’s Rumble matches over and over again. It’s been a long time since I’ve watched a Pay Per View and thought, for once, I actually think they are listening to their audience. Seth Rollins and Becky Lynch were hands down the right people to win and they have both earned their spots at Wrestlemania. The battle will come and at some point, I imagine a face to face confrontation, over which match headlines at the grandest stage of them all. My money is on the women, what do you guys think?
