WWE’s Royal Rumble 2019 aired live on January 27th from Chase Field in Phoenix, AZ. Here are 7 takeaways from the event:
Asuka Tapped Out Becky Lynch
Asuka defended her SmackDown Women’s Championship against Becky Lynch at WWE Royal Rumble 2019. Lynch knocked Asuka over with a shoulder tackle to start off the match and began taunting her.
The action spilled outside the ring and Lynch connected with an Exploder Suplex that sent Asuka flying into the barricade. Asuka applied the Asuka Lock while caught up in the ropes and broke the hold before the referee counted to five. Lynch responded with the Dis-Arm-Her within the turnbuckles and also broke the hold just in time.
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Asuka and Lynch traded shots on the ring apron. Asuka got the better of the exchange and then Suplexed Becky to the floor. Back in the ring, Asuka hit Lynch with a sliding kick to the face for a near fall. Lynch battled back with another Exploder Suplex off the top rope but Asuka kicked out at two.
Becky went for a Leg Drop but Asuka got out of the way and applied the Asuka Lock. Asuka transitioned into the Dis-Arm-Her but Becky countered into an Asuka Lock of her own. Lynch then locked in the Dis-Arm-Her in the middle of the ring but Asuka broke free. Asuka then locked in the Asuka Lock for the submission victory.
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I’m assuming Becky Lynch will be in the women’s Royal Rumble match tonight and will probably win it. It looks like Asuka is finally getting the push she has deserved for some time now. The match as excellent, but I completely disagree with Lynch tapping out to end the match. I would have preferred to see Becky refusing to give up and then passing out due to the pain.
It would have fit her character much more and would have been a great throwback to Austin at WM13. Bianca Belair refused to give up last night against Shayna Baszler, I’m not sure why WWE decided to have Lynch submit. It wouldn’t have taken anything away from the significance of Asuka’s victory and would have protected Becky in the process.
Shane McMahon & The Miz Won The SmackDown Tag Team Championships
The Bar (Sheamus & Cesaro) defended their SmackDown Tag Team Championships against Shane McMahon and The Miz. The Miz’s father was ringside for the match. Sheamus and Cesaro isolated The Miz and tried to slam him through the announce table but Shane broke it up. Shane put Cesaro on top of the announce table and Miz held him down. Sheamus snuck up behind Miz and bashed him into the ring post. Shane then took Sheamus out with a Clothesline off the top rope.
Cesaro launched Shane into the barricade and The Bar beat the hell out Miz for several minutes. Shane finally made his way up to the ring apron and Miz tagged him in. Shane connected with a DDT to Sheamus for a near fall. Shane went for the Coast to Coast Dropkick but Cesaro countered into the Swing for an absurd amount of rotations.
The Miz shoved Cesaro in front of Sheamus’ Brogue Kick attempt and then hit Sheamus with the Skull Crushing Finale. Shane McMahon then climbed to the top rope and hit a ridiculous Shooting Star Press on Cesaro for the pinfall victory. The Miz and Shane McMahon are the SmackDown Tag Team Champions.
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I’m not a fan of The Miz and Shane McMahon having the titles, nor am I fan of Shane McMahon pinning Cesaro, but I have to admit this match was entertaining. Shane’s Shooting Star Press was an awesome moment. I still just completely disagree with holding up the entire SmackDown tag team division to progress a storyline for The Miz and Shane McMahon. It seems inevitable that they will break up as a team and have a match at WrestleMania.
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Rousey Retained In A Great Match Against Sasha Banks
Ronda Rousey put her RAW Women’s Championship on the line against Sasha Banks tonight. Banks started off the match in control and hit Rousey with a Suicide Dive outside the ring. Back in the ring, Sasha followed it up with Double Knees for a near fall.
Banks targeted her attack on Rousey’s arm throughout the match and locked in an Arm Bar in the middle of the ring. Sasha transitioned into the Bank Statement but Ronda escaped and connected with the Piper’s Pit. Sasha brought Rousey up to the top rope and hit an awesome Superplex for a near fall.
Sasha went for another Suicide Dive but Ronda caught her and locked in the Arm Bar for a few seconds. Back in the ring, Sasha went back to work on Ronda’s injured arm and locked in the Bank Statement in the middle of the ring. Rousey tried to break free but Sasha caught her in an Arm Bar. Rousey showed off her power and lifted Banks up onto her shoulders. Ronda then planted Banks with the Piper’s Pit for the pinfall victory. After the match, Sasha Banks once again through up the four horsewoman sign in Ronda’s face.
Ronda Rousey has improved tremendously in the ring since she has arrived in WWE. Her promos are still wildly inconsistent, but there is no denying that she has quickly become a solid in-ring performer. Sasha Banks was awesome in this match and the two Superstars worked well together. WWE once again hinted at Banks, Bayley, Lynch & Charlotte vs. Rousey, Duke, Shafir & Baszler tonight.
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The Man Won The Women’s Royal Rumble Match
Lacey Evans was the first entrant in the women’s Royal Rumble match. Evans cut a promo claiming that she was here to clean up the entire women’s division.
Liv Morgan was entrant #4 and was eliminated in 8 seconds.
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Nikki Cross was entrant #8 and made a hell of an entrance by taking out everyone with a Crossbody. The IIconics later teamed up to eliminate Nikki.
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Charlotte Flair was entrant #13 and quickly eliminated Xia Li with a big boot on the apron. Charlotte also eliminated Tamina shortly after. Kairi Sane was entrant #14 and traded chops with Charlotte.
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Naomi eliminated Mandy Rose, but Mandy wound up getting even by knocking Naomi to the floor after she impressively tried to stay in the match by leaping from the barricade to the steel steps.
Ruby Riott was entrant #21. Sarah Logan and Liv Morgan accompanied Ruby to the ring, even though they both had already been eliminated from the match. Logan and Liv beat the hell out of Charlotte and Alicia Fox as Zelina Vega hid under the ring.
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Rhea Ripley was entrant #24 Kacy Catanzaro did a handstand and hugged the ring post to stay in the match. As soon as Catanzaro got back inside the ring, Ripley launched her to the floor.
Zelina Vega poked out from under the ring to laugh at Dana Brooke after she was eliminated. Hornswoggle popped out from under the ring in hilarious fashion and chased Vega around. Zelina got back into the ring and was promptly eliminated by Rhea Ripley. Alexa Bliss then entered at #26 and eliminated Sonya Deville.
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Bayley entered at #27 and eliminated Ruby Riott and Rhea Ripley. Nia Jax entered at #29 and booted Lana on the entrance ramp. Lana was #28 but couldn’t make it to the ring because of hurting her ankle during the Kickoff Show. After Carmella entered the match at #30, Becky Lynch came down the entrance ramp and demanded to take Lana’s spot in the match. Finlay allowed it to happen and the crowd absolutely erupted. Backy Lynch got right in Nia Jax’s face and unloaded a flurry of strikes. Charlotte tried to eliminate her but Becky held onto the ropes. Becky climbed to the top rope and hit Nia with a Dropkick.
Alexa Bliss eliminated Ember Moon but turned around into a Buckle Bomb from Bayley. Carmella and Bayley then teamed up to eliminate Alexa Bliss. Charlotte connected with a big boot to eliminate Carmella. The final four Superstars in the match were Bayley, Nia Jax, Charlotte Flair, and Becky Lynch.
Charlotte eliminated Bayley and we were down to the final three Superstars. Charlotte lifted Nia Jax onto her shoulders and sent her to the apron. Becky then tripped up Nia to eliminate her and we were down to Lynch and Flair as the final two Superstars. Nia Jax shoved Lynch off the steel steps and Becky grabbed her knee in pain. Charlotte then had a giant grin on her face as Becky hobbled towards the ring.
Lynch said that she can go and dared Flair to fight her. Becky shouted that Charlotte had taken enough from her and that she is not taking this. Charlotte went right after Becky’s knee and beat her down in the corner of the ring. Charlotte charged at Becky but Lynch ducked and sent Flair to the ring apron. Becky then hit Charlotte with a Clothesline to eliminate her and win the women’s Royal Rumble match.
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I was expecting Lynch to announce that she will challenge Ronda Rousey for the RAW Women’s Championship at WrestleMania, but that did not happen. Everyone in the crowd was behind Becky Lynch during this match, so it would be crazy for that match not to happen in the main event of WrestleMania 35. It would also fit the storyline if Charlotte somehow earned her way into that match as well.
As for the match itself, I thought a lot of it fell flat. I was expecting more from the Becky Lynch and Nia Jax confrontation. I also thought Nikki Cross should have at least picked up one elimination and Rhea Ripley should have looked more dominant.
Becky Lynch selling a knee injury for the last few minutes also halted a lot of the momentum. The crowd was ready to go bananas once it was down to Lynch and Charlotte, but they didn’t capitalize on that energy because Becky had to spend a few minutes selling the injury after Nia shoved her off the steps. These are minor criticisms, but I think it detracted a bit from the match. In the end, the majority of WWE fans got what they wanted and that was Becky Lynch earning a title shot at WrestleMania.
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Erick Rowan Helped Daniel Bryan Retain The WWE Championship
Daniel Bryan defended his WWE Championship against AJ Styles tonight. Styles controlled the match early and Bryan rolled out of the ring to try and regroup. Bryan got back into the ring and launched Styles into the ring post.
Bryan followed AJ out of the ring and smashed him into the post again as Styles began bleeding from his nose. Daniel brought AJ back into the ring and dominated for the next several minutes.
The action once again spilled to the outside and Styles hit a beautiful Moonsault into a Reverse DDT. Back in the ring, Bryan regained controlled and applied the Lebell Lock but AJ broke free. Styles then locked in the Calf Crusher in the middle of the ring. Bryan eventually escaped but Styles planted him with a Brainbuster for a two count.
Erik Rowan made his way down the entrance ramp and stood ringside. Bryan went for an Enziguri but AJ ducked and Daniel hit the referee. AJ hit the Styles Clash but the referee was knocked out. Rowan got into the ring and Chokeslammed Styles as the referee was still out. The referee came to his senses as Bryan covered Styles for the victory. After the match, Rowan held AJ up and Bryan hit him with the Running Knee. Rowan and Bryan then posed in the ring over Styles.
Well, that was the last thing I thought was going to happen. It is good to see Rowan back, but this just felt random. I know Bryan had a brief stint in the Wyatt Family in the past, but Rowan wasn’t sporting his sheep mask tonight. Another issue with this match was that the crowd was absolutely dead. Bryan and Styles couldn’t get them engaged the entire match and it resulted in 20 minutes of silence and boredom.
The pacing of this match was far too slow, especially coming off the women’s Royal Rumble match. It might have fared better if it were placed earlier on the card, but here it was pretty much dead on arrival. Styles and Bryan need to put on an instant classic to wake up the crowd and that certainly did not happen. I was expecting this match to steal the show and I couldn’t have been more wrong. At the very least, we have an explanation to look forward to on SmackDown from Bryan and Rowan.
Brock Lesnar Is Still Universal Champion
Brock Lesnar put his Universal Championship on the line against Finn Balor tonight at the Royal Rumble PPV. The match started at 10:30 PM EST. Finn started off the match with a ton of momentum and went right after Brock with a Dropkick in the corner. Lesnar put a stop to that with a massive Belly to Belly Suplex that sent Balor out of the ring.
Lesnar followed him out there and cleared off the announce table. Finn shoved Brock into the corner of the announce table and Lesnar collapsed in pain. Back in the ring, Lesnar took back control and launched Finn into the turnbuckle. Brock followed that up with a few Belly to Belly Throws and then sold the injury from behind thrown into the announce table.
Brock went for the F5 but Balor countered into a DDT for a near fall. Balor flipped onto Lesnar three times in a row outside the ring and then waited for him to get back inside. Finn hit him with a Dropkick and followed it up with the Coup de Grace for a two count. Lesnar locked Kimura Lock for the submission victory. After the match, Lesnar took Balor to Suplex City as the crowd booed. Brock then delivered an F5 to Balor and raised the Universal Championship.
This was pretty much a standard Brock Lesnar match. His opponent got in some offense and Michael Cole shouted that maybe The Beast is about to be conquered. In the end, Lesnar prevailed like always. The crowd bought into it tonight and showed they still had some energy left to get behind Balor.The one positive I’ll say for this match was Lesnar getting the win via submission. It was a break from 10 German Suplexes, an F5 and goodnight. I’ve seen some people saying that they want a rematch with Balor dressed as The Demon. I don’t have any interest in that because I can’t see a scenario in which Balor would be the one to take the title from Lesnar.
Seth Rollins Won The Men’s Royal Rumble Match
Elias was the first entrant in the men’s Royal Rumble match and performed a song in the middle of the ring. WWE Hall of Famer Jeff Jarrett interrupted and was the second entrant in the match. Elias proposed a duet with Jarrett but ultimately hit him with his guitar and then eliminated Jeff.
Kurt Angle entered the match at #4 and got a great reaction from the crowd. Angle didn’t last long as Shinsuke Nakamura eliminated him with a kick on the ring apron. NXT North American Champion Johnny Gargano entered the match at #6. Johnny eliminated Jinder Mahal immediately with a Superkick.
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Samoa Joe entered at #8 and beat the hell out of everyone. Joe launched Big E over the top rope to eliminate him. Seth Rollins entered the match at #10 to a great reaction from the Phoenix crowd. Rollins quickly eliminated Elias and then went after Gargano in the corner of the ring.
Titus O’Neil entered at #11 and ran down to the ring and stopped to celebrate that he didn’t fall like he did at Greatest Royal Rumble. Titus chased Curt Hawkins from under the ring and then Hawkins eliminated him. Joe then quickly launched Hawkins over the top rope.
Mustafa Ali entered at #13 and eliminated Shinsuke Nakamura. Dean Ambrose entered at #14 and went right after Seth Rollins and beat him down in the corner. Ambrose then hit Gargano with Dirty Deeds and eliminated him. Drew McIntyre entered at #16 and traded shots with Samoa Joe. McIntyre got the better of the exchange and leveled Joe with a Claymore Kick. McIntyre then eliminated both Xavier Woods and Kofi Kingston.
United Kingdom Champion Pete Dunne was the 18th entrant in the Royal Rumble match and Andrade was #19. Aleister Black entered the match at #21 to an awesome reaction from the crowd. Aleister hit Ambrose with the Black Mass and Dean went flying over the top rope.
Shelton Benjamin kneed Samoa Joe in the face and Mustafa Ali snuck up behind him and threw Joe over the top rope. Baron Corbin entered the match and quickly eliminated Aleister Black to a chorus of boos. McIntyre hit Dunne with a Claymore Kick and then launched him over the top rope.
Rey Mysterio entered the match at #25 and was greeted with a Backbreaker from Corbin. Lashley entered at #26 and was quickly eliminated by Seth Rollins. Lashley got pissed off and dragged Seth out of the ring. Lashley slammed Rollins through the announce table as Braun Strowman entered at #27. Strowman quickly eliminated Corbin, Jeff Hardy, and Shelton Benjamin. Dolph Ziggler made his return and entered the match at #28. Ziggler hit McIntyre with a Superkick and then got his revenge by eliminating Drew.
Randy Orton was #29 and went right after Strowman. Orton went for an RKO but Braun countered with a Powerslam. Strowman then hit a ridiculous on Superplex on Ali and Andrade as Mysterio leaped onto everyone with a Crossbody at the same time. R-Truth then entered the match at #30.
Nia Jax attacked R-Truth during his entrance and marched down to the ring. Jax hit Ziggler with a Splash and then booted Mysterio’s head off. Nia dropped an elbow to Rey and then turned her attention towards Mustafa Ali. Nia hit Ali with a headbutt and then eliminated Mustafa. Orton slithered behind Nia and then had a staredown with her. Orton went for an RKO but Nia blocked it and leveled Randy with a shoulder tackle.
Nia lifted Rey up onto her shoulders but Ziggler hit Jax with a Superkick. Mysterio hit Nia with a 619 and then Orton planted her with an RKO. Mysterio then eliminated Nia Jax and then turned around into an RKO from Orton. Randy eliminated Mysterio but Andrade snuck up from behind and threw Orton over the top rope.
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We were now down to Andrade, Ziggler, Strowman, and Rollins. Seth was still outside the ring after being slammed through the announce table by Bobby Lashley. Braun beat down Ziggler and Andrade before bringing Rollins back inside the ring. Rollins, Andrade, and Ziggler teamed up and beat the hell out of Strowman.
Braun battled back and launched Andrade over the top rope. Strowman eliminated Ziggler and then Seth sent Braun to the apron. Rollins went for a Superkick but Strowman grabbed him by the throat and connected with a Chokeslam. Strowman threw Seth to the apron but Rollins was able to drag Braun over the top rope and onto the apron as well. Rollins knocked Strowman to his knees and hit The Stomp and Strowman fell to the floor. Seth Rollins is the winner of the 2019 men’s Royal Rumble match.
I found this to be one of the most boring Royal Rumble matches I have ever seen. Nia Jax being involved was funny, but I would have preferred her to eliminate someone that doesn’t really matter, like No Way Jose. Mustafa Ali pinned Daniel Bryan on SmackDown recently, so it is bizarre to me that he was eliminated by Nia.
Seth Rollins versus Brock Lesnar at WrestleMania has been rumored for some time now. Rollins has randomly taken shots at Lesnar in several promos on RAW in the past couple of months. I just hope Rollins gets the win and we can finally have the Universal Champion on RAW every week.
Overall, Royal Rumble 2019 was all over the place and ultimately was just a decent show. I thought the event started off well with the SmackDown and RAW Women’s Championship matches. The Miz & Shane versus The Bar was better than I expected. The WWE Championship match was a major letdown and the men’s Royal Rumble match was boring in my opinion. This event also clocked in at 5 hours, 6 hours if you tuned in for the Kickoff Show matches, in which Rusev lost the United States Championship to Shinsuke Nakamura.
I think it is impossible to expect a crowd to maintain their energy for that long and a number of the matches didn’t generate any reaction because of that. There wasn’t a giant celebration from the crowd when Rollins won the Royal Rumble, because the match itself was boring and everyone had been sitting there all damn night. If you watched TakeOver: Phoenix this weekend, it lasted 2.5 hours and was entertaining throughout. Royal Rumble was double the length and half the entertainment.
