The WWE stars are out in Houston, Texas where WWE will hold its first pay-per-view event of the new year, Royal Rumble, at Minute Maid Park.
The Undertaker and Michelle McCool are in town as the two stars have been posting photos on their official Instagram accounts as seen here with Taker:
https://www.instagram.com/p/B7wX3iygKdR
As of this writing, there’s no word yet on if they will be used in the WWE Royal Rumble matches.
Also, WWE Hall of Famers Pat Patterson, Ted DiBiase Sr, Mark Henry and WWE Backstage analyst Christian are also in town for the Rumble, according to PWInsider.
Fans can expect to read about more former WWE stars to be in town for the show as the Royal Rumble pay-per-view event is considered one of the big four events of the year for WWE along with WrestleMania, SummerSlam, and Survivor Series.
The Men’s Royal Rumble match only has three spots left while the company still needs to announce several spots in the Women’s Royal Rumble Match, which has 21 more spots available.
Charlotte Flair, Alexa Bliss, Nikki Cross, Sarah Logan, Natalya, Sonya Deville, Mandy Rose, Dana Brooke, and Carmella have all been announced for the Women’s Royal Rumble Match.
Kane was recently confirmed to be a part of the upcoming Royal Rumble event and a new report seems to have revealed another spoiler for the upcoming show.
PWinsider is reporting that former SmackDown Women’s Champion Naomi is currently scheduled to be at the Minute Maid Park in Houston for the PPV event this Sunday night.
Word going around is that the former champion will be returning to the ring soon and she will be sent to the SmackDown brand, similar to the Usos.
Naomi has been out of action since July last year. Her last televised match took place in the final week of the month where the female star picked up a singles victory over Sarah Logan on Main Event.
She had revealed in September that she has been out of action due to some health and family issues and it was later reported that WWE officials had left Naomi and the Usos out of the 2019 draft because they had no creative plans for them.
The Usos returned to WWE programming recently when they
appeared on SmackDown Live and saved Roman Reigns from an attack of King Corbin
and Dolph Ziggler during the January 3 episode of the show.
While not confirmed, the female Royal Rumble currently has
25 open spots and so it looks very likely that the former champion would be
returning to the ring during the show.
WWE Hall of Famer Mark Henry has made further comments regarding UFC megastar Conor McGregor. As we recently reported Henry commented on McGregor’s recent demeanour, following his win at UFC 246. “Conor McGregor is on quality control” Mark Henry stated. The ‘World’s Strongest Man’ would also make some explosive comments regarding the MMA fighter; “He said things that was completely out of line, specially as it relates to him coming into the [WWE] locker room and slapping everybody because, I’m gonna tell you what. At that time, I was actually in the locker room. I welcome any 140 pounds or less guy on the planet to come and slap my face. I will tear your skin off. AND I will hang your skin in my closet.”
McGregor In The Royal Rumble?
Fellow WWE Hall of Famer Bully Ray started the Busted Open podcast by asking Henry about McGregor. “Do you think Conor McGregor could be successful in the WWE?” Bully began. “And…do you think that there’s any chance in hell that he’s a surprise entrant in the Royal Rumble?”
“That’s just the way I’ve been taught in this business.” – Mark Henry
Mark Henry then confirmed that he believes that McGregor would be a fit for the biggest pro wrestling company on the planet. “As a businessman, I do think that he could. I would not let my personal feelings for him affect business. That’s just the way I’ve been taught in this business. Do I think that he will be an entrant in the Battle Royal? No.”
“…but he’s too stupid to realise what doing good business is.” – Mark Henry
Henry then stated that McGregor would have too much ‘ego’ to only enter the Rumble but not win. “Too much ego [he’d] want to win. I just know, I just feel, that he would want to win. That will be more important to him than coming in and making a splash and everybody in the ring, stopping, turning to him and walking slowly toward him. And then just rushing him and throwing him out. Which would be just as good as him winning, but he’s too stupid to realise what doing good business is.”
“you get a phone call from Vince tomorrow…”
Bully also brought up the phenomenal business and buzz that Floyd Mayweather and Big Show drew for their bout at WrestleMania 24. With that in mind Bully asked Henry “you get a phone call from Vince [McMahon] tomorrow and Vince says you’re the perfect guy for an angle with Conor McGregor, Mark Henry are you doing it or not?” Mark Henry then emphatically stated “Yes.”
WWE is getting closer to the Royal Rumble and fans are expecting some surprises in both Men’s and Women’s Royal Rumble matches.
Pwinsider.com reports that former WWE Champion Kane is slated to be at this Sunday’s Royal Rumble PPV. Although Kane has not been announced for the Rumble match, the site speculated that Kane set up his appearance at the show during his most recent return on WWE television.
Royal Rumble: Former WWE Champion Expected
Kane appeared on Friday Night SmackDown this week on FOX in Greensboro, NC at the Greensboro Coliseum Complex where he brought up the history between Kane and The Fiend. This led to The Fiend coming out from out of the ring and Daniel Bryan took out The Fiend.
The promo was largely putting over that he maintains the record for the most eliminations in Rumble match history.
There are 9 open spots for the contest. WWE is expected to announce more stars for this contest this week. The following names have been announced thus far:
Brock Lesnar in the #1 spot, Roman Reigns, Randy Orton, Drew McIntyre, Ricochet, Rey Mysterio, AJ Styles, Erick Rowan, King Baron Corbin, Dolph Ziggler, Otis, Tucker, Elias, Aleister Black, Buddy Murphy, Rusev, Bobby Lashley, R-Truth, Braun Strowman, WWE Intercontinental Champion Shinsuke Nakamura, Cesaro.
WWE presents the Royal Rumble pay-per-view event on Sunday, January 26, 2020 Houston, Texas at the Minute Maid Park and airs on the WWE Network.
Two new matches have been announced for the upcoming WWE Royal Rumble PPV.
It was revealed on Friday Night SmackDown in Greensboro, NC at the Greensboro Coliseum Complex on FOX that SmackDown Women’s Champion Bayley will make her next title defense against Lacey Evans. This match was originally slated to take place at the TLC PPV event last month but was nixed.
Chad Gable will also battle Sheamus in a singles match. This will mark Sheamus’ first in-ring match on PPV in almost a year.
WWE presents the Royal Rumble pay-per-view event on Sunday, January 26, 2020 Houston, Texas at the Minute Maid Park and airs on the WWE Network.
WWE will be announcing more matches for this show in the coming days. Here is the updated card:
Updated WWE Royal Rumble Card
WWE Universal Champion Bray Wyatt vs. Daniel Bryan – Strap Match
Men’s Royal Rumble Match: Brock Lesnar in the #1 spot, Roman Reigns, Randy Orton, Drew McIntyre, Ricochet, Rey Mysterio, AJ Styles, Erick Rowan, King Baron Corbin, Dolph Ziggler, Otis, Tucker, Elias, Aleister Black, Buddy Murphy, Rusev, Bobby Lashley, R-Truth, Braun Strowman, WWE Intercontinental Champion Shinsuke Nakamura, Cesaro, 9 Participants TBA
Women’s Royal Rumble Match: Charlotte Flair, Alexa Bliss, Nikki Cross, Sarah Logan, 26 Participants TBA
WWE RAW Women’s Champion Becky Lynch vs. Asuka
Baron Corbin vs. Roman Reigns
WWE SmackDown Women’s Champion Bayley vs. Lacey Evans
Sheamus vs. Chad Gable
What are your thoughts on these matches being added to the card? Sound off in the comment section.
There are two stars who could make a return at the upcoming Royal Rumble PPV event.
PWInsider reports that those talents are WWE NXT Superstar The Velveteen Dream and WWE RAW Superstar Jinder Mahal. It was noted in the report that Dream and Mahal are both currently scheduled to be in the same city as the first pay-per-view event of the year for the company.
Although there’s no word yet on if there are plans for them to return in the 30-Man Royal Rumble match, it’s a possibility.
Return At WWE Royal Rumble
First up is Dream, who has been at the WWE Performance Center regularly since being pulled from the ring. He’s also been at all of the live episodes of NXT on the USA Network. He’s been out of action with a back injury in October.
Dream’s back injury was said to be “pretty serious” and there was no solid word on when he will be back in action, according to a report that surfaced this week. It was reported back in November that he was expected to be out for “a few months.” Thus, this timeline would have put him back in the ring in late 2019 or early 2020.
Regarding Mahal, he has been out of action since suffering a patellar tendon rupture since June 15, 2019 at a WWE live event in Denver. This led to him undergoing knee surgery in late June. At the time, it was reported that his expected return would be in the first few months of 2020 at the earliest.
WWE presents the Royal Rumble pay-per-view event on Sunday, January 26, 2020 Houston, Texas at the Minute Maid Park and airs on the WWE Network.
There are 12 open spots for the contest. The following names have been announced:
WWE Champion Brock Lesnar in the #1 spot, Roman Reigns, Randy Orton, Drew McIntyre, Ricochet, Rey Mysterio, AJ Styles, Erick Rowan, King Baron Corbin, Dolph Ziggler, Otis, Tucker, Elias, Aleister Black, Buddy Murphy, Rusev, Bobby Lashley, R-Truth.
The Royal Rumble is quickly approaching and most of the card has been revealed but there are also expected matches to be announced.
Dave Meltzer reported in the latest edition of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter that there are still a few matches to be revealed for the Royal Rumble.
WWE Royal Rumble Expected Matches
This is where he shed some light on the expected bouts such as SmackDown Women’s Champion Bayley vs. Lacey Evans and Intercontinental Champion Shinsuke Nakamura vs. Braun Strowman.
Although they have not been officially announced by WWE yet, these bouts have built up on TV. In fact, these two matches were originally slated to take place at the WWE TLC pay-per-view event in Minneapolis, Minnesota at the Target Center last month.
However, they were nixed. In particular, the Strowman vs. Nakamura was called off due to Strowman dealing with an injury at the time.
WWE has been building for an Andrade vs. Humberto Carillo match for Andrade’s United States Championship. As of this writing, it’s not yet certain if that will be on the Rumble card.
A SmackDown Tag Team Championship match between New Day and Miz & John Morrison is being built up as seen on the last few episodes of SmackDown, but there’s no word yet on if that match will be on the show.
WWE presents the Royal Rumble pay-per-view event on Sunday, January 26, 2020 Houston, Texas at the Minute Maid Park.
Updated Card
WWE Universal Champion Bray Wyatt vs. Daniel Bryan
Men’s Royal Rumble Match: Brock Lesnar in the #1 spot, Roman Reigns, Randy Orton, Drew McIntyre, Ricochet, Rey Mysterio, AJ Styles, Erick Rowan, King Baron Corbin, Dolph Ziggler, Otis, Tucker, Elias, Aleister Black, Buddy Murphy, Rusev, Bobby Lashley, R-Truth, 12 Participants TBA
Women’s Royal Rumble Match: Charlotte Flair, Alexa Bliss, Nikki Cross, Sarah Logan, 26 Participants TBA
WWE Raw Women’s Champion Becky Lynch vs. Asuka
Baron Corbin vs. Roman Reigns
Cain Velasquez Claims He’ll Compete In WWE Royal Rumble Match
Pro wrestling fans gather up, Royal Rumble 2020 is just around the corner!
If you want to see the action, sweat, and tears up close and in person, this January, we recommend you check out a ticket marketplace like Gametime to score cheap Royal Rumble tickets.
That said, Royal Rumble and WrestleMania happen only twice a year, and not everyone can make the trip to see it all go down in real life. If you’re hosting a viewing part to watch from home, we’ve got your back there, too. This year, kick it up a notch with our Royal Rumble drinking game! Just be warned, the match is usually an hour-long, so pace yourself to stay in the game. And of course,
Check out the rules below to get ready for the upcoming event.
Your Pick Rules
Before the Rumble begins, pick a number between 1-30. This number will be your wrestler’s entrance number during the Rumble.
Take a sip whenever your wrestler eliminates someone.
If your wrestler wins the rumble, continue chugging during the time your wrestler points at the Wrestlemania sign.
Take a sip every time the commentators refer to your wrestler by asking “who can stop him/her?”
Take a sip every time your wrestler points to the Wrestlemania sign.
Take a sip if your wrestler “skins the cat.”
Take a sip whenever your wrestler hits his/her finisher.
Take a sip when your wrestler is eliminated from the Rumble.
Take a sip if your wrestler is eliminated by one of his friends/allies. Extra sip if one of the commentators say something along the lines of “every man for himself!”
General Rules
Take a sip whenever Kofi Kingston evades elimination in a creative and spectacular way.
Take a sip every time the traditional Royal Rumble facts video package is shown.
Take a sip if a non-wrestler celebrity enters the Rumble.
Take 3 sips for self-elimination.
Take a sip if any wrestler makes a pin attempt during the Rumble.
Take a sip if entry #1 lasts over 30 minutes without being eliminated.
Take a sip if Titus O’neal mocks his falling incident during his entrance.
Take 3 sips if Santino Marella’s record is beaten (the fastest elimination ever).
Take a sip if a competitor is attacked before or during his/her entrance.
Take a sip if multiple competitors team up to eliminate one of the “Big Guys.”
Take another sip if Elias has a concert during his entrance. Add another one if you wanna walk with Elias!
Take a sip whenever a commentator either reminds us of the rules (again!) or talks about entrant #27.
Take 3 sips and give a “this is awesome” chant if somehow Bray Wyatt and The Fiend stand against one another inside the ring.
Take 3 sips if somehow – against all odds – CM Punk enters the rumble.
SEScoops wishes the best of luck to everyone who will be viewing the big event. And, as always, please be sure to drink responsibly!
Disclaimer: This Royal Rumble drinking game can be played without the consumption of alcohol. According to the Surgeon General of the United States (1) women should not drink alcoholic beverages during pregnancy because of the risk of birth defects and (2) consumption of alcoholic beverages impairs your ability to operate machinery and may cause health problems.
WWE Hall of Famer Bully Ray had some interesting points relating to the upcoming Royal Rumble event. It’s been made official that NXT competitors will be part of the match this year. Although NXT talents have appeared in the past this makes the brand stand head to head with both RAW and SmackDown. With this in mind Bully made a point on Busted Open Radio that WWE could easily ‘make’ a new megastar in the match, namely NXT’s Keith Lee.
“We talk about WrestleMania moments, how about a Royal Rumble moment?” Bully began. “Lets MAKE Keith Lee, by having him go face to face with Brock Lesnar. That’s how you help a guy to get over. I’m talking about a moment in time. Keith Lee and Brock Lesnar face to face. The moment those two start staring at each other dead in the eyes? That place will come unglued. But [then] I wouldn’t put it past WWE to do something different.”
Brock Lesnar will enter the 2020 Royal Rumble
Bully also then made the point that he believes there is a bigger main event for WrestleMania this year. “If I was them [WWE], I don’t think we can get a bigger main event than Brock and CM Punk. But there are other scenarios that I have that don’t include Punk. Since Brock is great at ‘making’ guys, If the WWE by chance wanted to call Keith Lee up, although I don’t think its the right time. I don’t put it past Brock to give Keith Lee the same moment that the Undertaker gave Maven years ago.”
Ray’s co-host Dave LeGreca then posed the idea of keeping Keith Lee on NXT even if he wins the Royal Rumble match itself. “I think that you could. But then I don’t know what the build would be” Bully claimed. “These are just ideas that pop into my head, if you gave me five minutes I could make a story. Theres no reason why you can’t keep Keith Lee on NXT and keep the storyline with Brock concurrent. But, does Keith Lee eliminate Brock in the middle of the match? Or does Keith Lee actually WIN the Royal Rumble? How different would that be? How shocking would that be? And how much credibility does that give NXT?”
It was also discussed on the show if an NXT performer wins the Rumble match could they challenge for the NXT title in the WrestleMania main event? Bully Ray stated that just could not happen. “You CAN’T have someone like Keith Lee win the Royal Rumble and say ‘nah, I don’t want a shot at the Universal Championship. Nah, I don’t want a shot at the WWE Championship at WrestleMania.’ I want a shot at the NXT Championship.’ That takes all of the shine and all of the focus off of the two biggest Championships in WWE. I don’t think Vince would ever let that fly.”
During the January 10 episode of WWE Friday Night SmackDown, Elias came out with a guitar as usual and sang a song for the crowd. In his song, Elias talked about the upcoming WWE Royal Rumble PPV event.
As seen in the video above, Elias called out Brock Lesnar over his announcement to take on the entire roster in the Men’s Royal Rumble match. He announced his participation in the Men’s WWE Royal Rumble Match and claimed that he will win the match and take the WWE Championship from Brock Lesnar.
Along with Elias, there were six other names announced on SmackDown. These are King Corbin, Dolph Ziggler, Otis, and Tucker for the Men’s Royal Rumble match. Alexa Bliss and Nikki Cross were announced for the Women’s Royal Rumble match.
Here’s the updated list of all the announced competitors for the Men and Women’s WWE Royal Rumble matches:
Announced competitors in the Men’s Royal Rumble match
Roman Reigns
Brock Lesnar
AJ Styles
Erick Rowan
Randy Orton
Rey Mysterio
Ricochet
Drew McIntyre
Elias
King Corbin
Dolph Ziggler
Otis
Tucker
13 entrants out of 30 have been announced as of this writing.
Announced competitors in the Women’s Royal Rumble match
Charlotte Flair
Alexa Bliss
Nikki Cross
3 entrants out of 30 have been announced as of this writing.
Here’s the rest of the WWE Royal Rumble card so far with three singles matches:
Singles match for the WWE Universal Championship “The Fiend” Bray Wyatt (c) vs. Daniel Bryan
Singles match for the WWE Raw Women’s Championship Becky Lynch (c) vs. Asuka
Roman Reigns vs. Corbin
The 2020 WWE Royal Rumble PPV event will take place on January 26 at the Minute Maid Park in Houston, Texas.
ECW Legend and co-host of Busted Open Radio Tommy Dreamer made some comments recently regarding WWE Hall of Famer Edge. There has been speculation that the ‘Rated-R Superstar’ might be returning to WWE at some point at 2020. During the most recent episode of Busted Open, Dreamer talked about his friend Edge and how he doesn’t believe that he is returning. Tommy Dreamer specifically talked about what would happen if Edge returned in the Royal Rumble match in the number 30 spot.
“I think the people would explode” Tommy Dreamer began, when discussing the reaction a returning Edge might get. Tommy’s co-host Dave LeGreca posed the idea of Edge not only returning but being the one to eliminate Brock Lesnar (who is entering Number 1) and win the bout. “Then you’d have all your naysayers saying Edge JUST did that, now he’s going to the main event [of WrestleMania].” Dreamer replied. “You know Edge…listen, I’m friends with the guy I don’t think Edge is returning. He is feeling good, he’s doing a lot of outside projects. If Edge did come back it would be an amazing amazing thing. It’s just I don’t know if he’d want to risk his health and overall well being. “
“now he’s in the main event right away” – Tommy Dreamer
Dreamer finished by saying “again the naysayers would claim ‘he came in at thirty. [he] Eliminated Brock, now he’s in the main event right away. It’s the ‘Yay’ and I’m saying five seconds later everyone [would be] hating it. This is supposed to be your babyface going for the title.”
Edge denies the reports
Edge himself recently refuted the reports that he was close to a WWE return. The former WWE Champion has appeared to be making moves that could point to an in-ring return at some point. Edge was spotted in Pittsburgh back in October, where the head of WWE’s medical department Dr. Joseph Maroon is headquartered. Although back in December Edge did take to Twitter to write “Still not and still not. Period.” The tweet alone did not make a lot of sense at the time. Pairing it with the renewed talk of his in-ring return and speculation over a possible Royal Rumble appearance makes it fairly clear that he is denying the reports about his status.
A new match has been announced for the upcoming WWE Royal Rumble PPV and that’s Asuka vs. Becky Lynch.
This bout will see Lynch put her RAW Women’s Title on the line against Asuka, who is currently one-half of the WWE Women’s Tag Team Champions along with Kairi Sane.
Asuka vs. Becky Lynch
This match was expected as it was reported earlier this month that the contest was on the books to take place at the first pay-per-view event of the new year for the company.
Lynch cut a recent promo about how she wanted to face Asuka, which also saw her bring up how there are some people who think Asuka has her number since she’s never beat her before.
They also had been feuding as of late on WWE television including Lynch teaming up with Charlotte Flair that saw them suffer a defeat to Sane and Asuka at the WWE TLC pay-per-view event in Minneapolis, Minnesota at the Target Center earlier this month. This was the first-ever Women’s TLC Tag Team Title Match.
WWE presents the Royal Rumble pay-per-view event on Sunday, January 26, 2020 Houston, Texas at the Minute Maid Park and airs on the WWE Network.
WWE will be announcing more matches for this show in the coming weeks including competitors for both the men’s and women’s Royal Rumble matches. Here is the updated card:
Updated WWE Royal Rumble Card
WWE Universal Champion Bray Wyatt vs. Daniel Bryan
Men’s Royal Rumble Match:
Women’s Royal Rumble Match: Charlotte Flair
WWE Raw Women’s Champion Becky Lynch vs. Asuka
What are your thoughts on this match being added to the card? Sound off in the comment section.
WWE has crowned a new #1 contender and Bray Wyatt has received his opponent at the upcoming Royal Rumble pay-per-view event.
The next challenger to Universal Championship will be Daniel Bryan. During this week’s episode of Friday Night SmackDown Detroit, Michigan at Little Caesars Arena on FX, WWE held a match that would determine who is next line for a title shot.
Bray Wyatt Receives Opponent
A Triple Threat Match between Daniel Bryan, Baron Corbin, and The Miz took place with the winner becoming the next challenger to Wyatt’s title. Bryan was victorious, earning the right to challenge Wyatt for the strap at the Royal Rumble.
WWE set up this contest after last week’s show that featured an opening segment of Bryan making his return after a brief hiatus with a new look. This led to The Miz, who lost to Wyatt at the TLC pay-per-view event, and Baron Corbin walking out.
A traditional talking segment with all three stars making their case for why they should get a title match against Wyatt.
Eventually, Dolph Ziggler came out where the heels beat down the babyfaces. Ultimately, it set up the main event for the show with a tag team match between the four stars.
The headliner saw Miz and Bryan team up to beat Corbin and Ziggler. This is when it was confirmed that The Miz, Bryan, and Corbin will compete in a triple threat that would take place.
News has surfaced regarding one title match at the upcoming Royal Rumble pay-per-view event.
Dave Meltzer reported in the latest edition of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter that a match between Asuka and WWE RAW Women’s Champion Becky Lynch is in the works for the Royal Rumble pay-per-view event.
This comes after Lynch cut a recent promo about how she wanted to face Asuka, which also saw her bring up how there are some people who think Asuka has her number since she’s never beat her before.
Per the report, the idea was that Asuka defeating Lynch earlier this year was supposed to lead to Asuka challenging her following WrestleMania.
That changed once the program was dropped. It turns out that Paul Heyman, who serves as the RAW Executive Director, came up with the idea to restart it and to have it happen at the Rumble.
For those who may have forgotten, Asuka submitted Lynch to retain the title at the 2019 Royal Rumble pay-per-view event at Chase Field in Phoenix which took place in front of a capacity crowd of 48,193.
WWE has already confirmed the Minute Maid Park in Houston, Texas will host the Royal Rumble on Sunday, January 26, 2020.
The event will mark WWE’s debut at Minute Maid Park. Minute Maid Park has a maximum capacity of over 40,000 people. WWE has yet to announce any matches for this upcoming show.
The belief is that the company will start to do so once the new year is ringed in as typically December is a slow month for WWE.
Backstage News On NXT’s Involvement Into Royal Rumble 2020
WWE is going away from its normal schedule for “the big four” events as it appears that there will not be a special from the NXT brand during Royal Rumble weekend.
WWE released travel package information on Monday for Royal Rumble weekend. This is where it was revealed that NXT TakeOver wasn’t listed but instead, WWE Worlds Collide was listed for that Saturday at the Toyota Center.
It should be noted that RAW and SmackDown TV events weren’t listed as well.
Pro Wrestling Sheet has confirmed WWE Worlds Collide will be replacing NXT TakeOver on this weekend.
According to the report, this was not a mistake and that the schedule of NXT TakeOver events in 2020 with more details will be announced in the near future.
For those who aren’t aware, Worlds Collide is a WWE event that features talent from RAW, SmackDown, NXT, 205 Live and NXT UK that seems them compete against each other.
The inaugural show took place back in January at Royal Rumble Axxess and aired on WWE Network. The second show took place in April over WrestleMania 35 weekend.
Minute Maid Park in Houston, Texas will host the Royal Rumble on Sunday, January 26, 2020.
The date and location for next year’s WWE Royal Rumble pay-per-view event have been confirmed. Late Friday night, the company announced via a press release that Minute Maid Park in Houston, Texas will host the Royal Rumble on Sunday, January 26, 2020.
Fans attending the Elimination Chamber event at the Toyota Center in Houston will receive an exclusive pre-sale offer to buy tickets to the Royal Rumble before the general public. Details on ticket availability will be made in the near future.
WWE also confirmed that the event will feature a 30-Man Royal Rumble match, and a 30-Woman Royal Rumble match with the winners of both matches receiving Championship opportunities at WrestleMania 36.
“We are thrilled to bring one of WWE’s biggest events of 2020 to Minute Maid Park,” said Janis Burke, CEO of the Harris County – Houston Sports Authority. “We look forward to WWE fans from around the world descending on Houston for the Royal Rumble.”
The event will mark WWE’s debut at Minute Maid Park. Minute Maid Park has a maximum capacity of over 40,000 people.
2020 will mark the second time the Royal Rumble has been held at a baseball stadium following this year’s event at Chase Field in Phoenix which took place in front of a capacity crowd of 48,193.
Jeff Jarrett made a surprise return to WWE at their recent Royal Rumble event. Double J broke a longstanding WWE record in doing so. Bar Nia Jax, Jeff was the only surprise entrant in the 2019 Rumble match. He would enter at number 2.
In an interview with Nick Hausman the WINCLY podcast, Jarrett recalled how his return came about, stating that he, “[…] got the call and I said, ‘What’s the game plan? Where are we headed?’ They said ‘Double J.’”
Jeff Jarrett has played a few iterations of his character, so the first thing he needed to clarify was which version WWE was interested in using. As we saw at Royal Rumble, it was the old school Double J from the 90s.
After locating his tights for that night, he figured out that it had been 24 years since he had last worn and portrayed that character.
“Those are the tights that I wore at WrestleMania 11 — me vs. Razor Ramon — those were the tights, so 24 years later, I dug them up and put those same tights on.”
“There Was Some Magic Made”
According to Jeff, he only found out he would be featured in the Rumble matchup days before the event itself. He claims he “didn’t have much time to prepare,” though WWE was able to provide a few missing items, including his hat.
“[…] I kid you not, that is the original blinking hat. So 24 years later, they put a new set of Duracells in there…that is the original hat with the original tights, just my body is 20 years older.”
Reflecting on the night itself, and sharing a ring with Elias, Jarrett admitted that “there was some magic made those last two nights. I’ll definitely say that.”
Former WWE Monday Night RAW and SmackDown Live Women’s Champion Charlotte Flair doesn’t seem to be too big a fan of intergender wrestling. The fad returned to WWE this past weekend at the Royal Rumble pay-per-view (PPV). Nia Jax attacked R-Truth, who entered at the number 30 spot, taking his place in the bout. Jax proceeded to eliminate SmackDown Live star Mustafa Ali from the Rumble.
However, Randy Orton, Rey Mysterio, and Dolph Ziggler all attacked Jax before eliminating her. Speaking to Shan & RJ from 105.3 The Fan, Flair said Jax “looked like a star” in the men’s Rumble. However, it’s not something she thinks should happen every week, as it’s “easy entertainment”:
“When I’ve been asked the question, ‘Do you want to wrestle the guys?’ I say ‘no’ because it’s easy to wrestle a guy. It’s easy entertainment,” said Charlotte. “It’s harder to tell a good story with all female talent. But I thought Nia looked like a star and she killed it.
“She added a lot to the Men’s Rumble. I don’t think they could have thrown anyone in there. A lot of it had to do with Nia’s presence and size. She could handle it. Maybe it will open the doors but I don’t think it should be happening every week. It has to be once a year or it takes away from the uniqueness of it.”
Intergender wrestling has become very prominent in the indy wrestling scene as of late. During WWE’s Mixed Match Challenge, fans became annoyed that the female and male talents couldn’t interact with each other physically. Thus, prompting WWE’s decision to have Jax in the Men’s Rumble. It will be interesting to see how much more WWE does this.
What do you make of Flair’s comments on intergender wrestling?
The Royal Rumble this past Sunday featured a few surprise appearances. One of these was sure-fire Hall of Famer Kurt Angle coming out at Number 4 in the match.
According to Wrestling Observer Radio this spot was originally planned for Zack Ryder. Angle was eliminated by the second entrant in the match Shinsuke Nakamura. Again this was meant to be Ryder initially eliminated this early. According to WON this decision was made as Kurt Angle would get a bigger pop from the live crowd.
Zack Ryder has seen a very stop-start ride in his WWE career. The Long Island Iced-Z found great success with his YouTube channel earlier this decade. ‘Z True Long Island Story’ was innovative and took Ryder all the way to the company’s United States Championship. Sadly for Ryder his own attempts at ‘getting over’ appeared to have backfired. WWE began to push Ryder down the card after a disastrous programme with John Cena. This was at a time where the company hoped that Ryder’s popularity would rub off on Cena, but it had the complete opposite effect.
Whilst being bumped for Kurt Angle was clearly the right decision, it’s yet another near-miss for Ryder in his WWE career.
During Sunday’s Royal Rumble matchup, New Day members, Xavier Woods and Big E, paid homage to their stablemate, Kofi Kingston. Each member wore gear that showcased Kofi Kingston’s amazing Rumble moments from over the years, captured in comic book form.
Kingston has made a name for himself within the Rumble match, saving himself from elimination in different, unique ways to the point that the WWE Universe anticipate witnessing his next close escape each year.
Turns out, however, that another man inspired Kingston to begin his accidental tradition. Speaking with ‘The Sun,’ Kofi shared that he never intended for these near eliminations to become what he’s known for in the Rumble. He also directly credited former WWE Superstar, John Morrison, as his initial inspiration.
“Let Me Try To Fill This Void”
“I didn’t expect to become the guy who people look to do something cool in the Rumble in terms of avoiding elimination,” he admitted. “Actually, it was all started by John Morrison for me when he got knocked off the apron and jumped all the way to the barrier and parkoured his way back into the ring. Then the next year when it came to the Rumble he was not around so I was like, ‘Hey, let me try to fill this void’.”
“It became something cool and I tried to figure out something to do it again the next year and then all of a sudden everyone is like, ‘What’s Kofi gonna do now?’ Fast-forward a few years later and here we are,” he said.
“It’s cool and I couldn’t say exactly which one was my favorite, I just put them all out there and let the people rank and pick their best. It’s just cool to be in that spot,” he confessed. “The Royal Rumble is really about being the guy who survives 30-plus people and goes on to WrestleMania, then people are also looking at me. So it’s really great to be in that position.”
A fan sitting ringside at Sunday’s Royal Rumble pay-per-view from Phoenix, Arizona was forced to remove his All Elite Wrestling (AEW) t-shirt. Another fan captured the incident on camera and posted it online. You can view that footage below.
Nick and Matt Jackson of the Young Bucks saw the video and assured fans that this is not how AEW will conduct business. Nick Jackson said, “Let it be known that if you wanna wear a WWE shirt at Double Or Nothing or any AEW related event we won’t do this to you.”
Matt added, “Bummer to see this. Hopefully he still has a good time tonight.”
AEW Rally In Jacksonville 1/8, Smackdown From Jacksonville 1/8
Similar concerns were raised regarding the January 8th episode of Smackdown. AEW announced the signings of PAC and Chris Jericho at a rally held in the same city just hours prior. Fans at the event are reported to have been made to leave if they were wearing AEW merchandise.
“I’ve heard from several fans with issues at Smackdown tonight regarding the AEW merchandise they had on. One of them told me he was removed from the building and not given option to buy a WWE shirt,” stated journalist, John Pollock regarding the 1/8 show from Jacksonville.
“According to this fan, he offered to buy a WWE shirt to replace the AEW one, but his offer was declined. He left the building and changed in his car and was able to get back into the arena for Smackdown.”
Was just turned away from attending Smackdown for wearing @AEWrestling merchandise. Was told I would NOT be allowed in or to purchase a ticket per @WWE. @MattJackson13@NickJacksonYB@CodyRhodes you guys wouldn’t turn me away from an AEW show would you?
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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 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.
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.
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.
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.
Several WWE Superstars have taken to the power of social media in order to hype the first pay-per-view event of the new year for the company, Royal Rumble, in Phoenix, Arizona at Chase Field.
These stars include Randy Orton, The Miz, Becky Lynch, Naomi, Carmella, Sasha Banks, and many more. Also, with John Cena being pulled from the Men’s Royal Rumble Match due to a storyline ankle injury, WWE has revealed that Braun Strowman, who was originally slated to challenge Brock Lesnar for the Universal Title only to be pulled and replaced by Finn Balor, has been added to the Royal Rumble Match as Cena’s replacement.
Strowman wrote, “Y’all that you were safe??? I’m baaaaack. #MonsterInTheRumble #RoyalRumble.”
I am not afraid, I was born to do this. #RoyalRumble
UNDERRATED: This word has been associated with me most of my career. I don’t see it as a bad thing, it drives and reassures me that I can never let up, never become complacent, & most of all never stop GLOWING. Ready to rumble tomorrow sis’s #royalRUMBLEpic.twitter.com/dioNSyMDjx
As a reminder, we will be providing live play-by-play coverage of this special on Sunday night starting at 5 PM EST. In case you missed it, our staff has released their predictions for this show which you can check out here.
New photos of the stage set up for this year’s Royal Rumble pay-per-view event has been released as this event is close to starting. The construction on the stage and set is done. Footage of the set up as has surfaced online, which you can see here:
The company has yet to officially announce the main event of this event that takes place in Phoenix, Arizona at Chase Field that will air on the WWE Network. Several big matches will be featured on this card including the Men’s Royal Rumble Match, the Women’s Royal Rumble Match, WWE Universal Champion Brock Lesnar vs. Finn Balor, and WWE Champion Daniel Bryan vs. AJ Styles.
Rey Mysterio, who is set to compete in the Men’s Royal Rumble Match, shared this photo on his official Instagram account:
As a reminder, we will be providing live play-by-play coverage of this special on Sunday night starting at 5 PM EST. In case you missed it, our staff has released their predictions for this show which you can check out here.
The card for tonight’s (Sunday, January 27, 2019) WWE Royal Rumble pay-per-view event has been finalized.
The company has yet to officially announce the main event of this event that takes place in Phoenix, Arizona at Chase Field that will air on the WWE Network, but it will most likely be the Men’s Royal Rumble Match.
As a reminder, we will be providing live play-by-play coverage of this special on Sunday night starting at 5 PM EST. In case you missed it, our staff has released their predictions for this show which you can check out here. Here is the final card for the show:
Final WWE Royal Rumble Card
WWE Universal Champion Brock Lesnar vs. Finn Balor
WWE Champion Daniel Bryan vs. AJ Styles
30-Man Royal Rumble Match: R-Truth, Randy Orton, Titus O’Neil, Rey Mysterio, Mustafa Ali, John Cena, Andrade, Apollo Crews, Elias, Baron Corbin, Jinder Mahal, WWE Intercontinental Champion Bobby Lashley, Dean Ambrose, Seth Rollins, Samoa Joe, Drew McIntyre, Kofi Kingston, Big E, Xavier Woods, Jeff Hardy
30-Woman Royal Rumble Match: Carmella, Alexa Bliss, Lacey Evans, Bayley, Tamina Snuka, Lana, Sonya Deville, Mandy Rose, Dana Brooke, Sarah Logan, Ruby Riott, Liv Morgan, Ember Moon, Peyton Royce, Billie Kay, Alicia Fox, Natalya, Mickie James, Nia Jax, Nikki Cross, Naomi, Zelina Vega, Charlotte Flair, TBA
WWE RAW Women’s Champion Ronda Rousey vs. Sasha Banks
WWE SmackDown Women’s Champion Asuka vs. Becky Lynch
WWE SmackDown Tag Team Champions The Bar vs. Shane McMahon & The Miz
WWE Cruiserweight Champion Buddy Murphy vs. Kalisto vs. Akira Tozawa vs. Hideo Itami – Fatal 4-Way Pre-Show Match
WWE United States Champion Rusev vs. Shinsuke Nakamura – Pre Show Match
What are your thoughts on this card? Do you plan on watching it? If so, which match are you looking forward to the most? Sound off in the comment section.
