Becky Lynch will challenge Asuka for the Smackdown Women’s Championship at the Royal Rumble. In peculiar fashion, WWE announced the match during an episode of Main Event. The syndicated show is filmed before RAW and rarely broadcasts much of any significance.
The announcement was made after a recap of Asuka vs Naomi from Smackdown was played on the show.
Becky Lynch vs Asuka – Royal Rumble 2019
Asuka and Becky Lynch have never faced each other in single’s competition on WWE programming. When house shows are factored in, however, the Rumble will be their second single’s match. Asuka successfully defended the NXT Championship against Lynch at a WWE house show in Japan on July 2nd, 2016.
They’ve twice been on opposing sides of each other on WWE programming, however. The first time was the 2017 Royal Rumble, which Asuka won, and the second was Sunday’s TLC triple threat match which again was won by Asuka and also involved Charlotte Flair.
Royal Rumble 2019
Lynch facing Asuka at the Rumble throws a wrench in the idea that Lynch would enter the Rumble match itself in order to win and face Ronda. Though, if WWE does want to do Becky vs Ronda in the main event of WrestleMania, there are several avenues they can take to get there.
