4 Things That Should Happen At The 2019 Royal Rumble

The WWE invades Chase Field in Phoenix, Arizona, home of the MLB's Arizona Diamondbacks on Sunday, January 27, 2019 with the 32nd instalment of the Royal Rumble highlighted by the men's Royal Rumble match and the women's Royal Rumble match.

Other matches that have been announced so far are Brock Lesnar versus Braun Strowman for the WWE Universal Championship, Daniel Bryan versus A.J. Styles for the WWE Championship and a Fatal 4 Way Match for the WWE Cruiserweight Championship featuring defending champion Buddy Murphy against Akira Tozawa, Kalisto and a Superstar to be named later.

Other possible matches include Ronda Rousey defending her RAW Women's Championship against an opponent to be named later, Asuka defending her SmackDown Women's Championship against an opponent to be named later and a possible championship match for either the RAW Tag Team Championship or the SmackDown Tag Team Championship.

And so without further delay, here are the most likely predictions for this yearly spectacle.

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#4 Daniel Bryan defeats A.J. Styles (with assistance)

Daniel Bryan vs. A.J. Styles

Ever since turning heel a couple months ago, Daniel Bryan has been on fire showing off his dark side after years of being a uber-popular babyface as well as the creator of the Yes! Movement.

As for the match itself, I look for Bryan to retain the WWE Championship against A.J. Styles but I could see a situation where we see someone costing Styles the WWE Championship.

Someone like either incoming NXT tag team Heavy Machinery, for example, who could very well serve as proteges much like Ted DiBiase, Jr. and Cody Rhodes did for Randy Orton back in 2008-2010, the New Nexus and the Straight Edge Society did for CM Punk or the Singh Brothers did for Jinder Mahal during his WWE Champion run.

#3 Becky Lynch Wins the women's Royal Rumble match

"The Man"

Ever since the Divas Division was rebranded as the Women's Division during WrestleMania 32 back in April of 2016, the ladies of the WWE have been getting longer matches, more storylines and mic time while "Divas Era" relics such as pillow fights, bikini photoshoots and eye candy were gradually being phased out as a result.

Instead, we saw first-ever matches that had previously been reserved for male Superstars such as the Royal Rumble match, the Elimination Chamber match, the Money in the Bank ladder match, the Hell in a Cell match, the Women's TLC match and other stipulation have gone on to feature women.

As for which Superstar that I think will win the match, I like Becky Lynch. The Man has been riding high since last year's SummerSlam that has never been reached before. Other Superstars who I expect will also have strong performances in the match are Mandy Rose, Charlotte Flair, Nia Jax and (coughs) Brie and Nikki Bella.

However, I don't expect the women's Royal Rumble to close out the event as I explain in a later slide.

#2 Brock Lesnar Defeats Braun Strowman, Setting Up Huge WrestleMania 35 Match

Brock Lesnar vs. Braun Strowman

Brock Lesnar will defend his WWE Universal Championship against Braun Strowman at the Royal Rumble pay-per-view. The Beast Incarnate has pretty much replaced Roman Reigns as the face of the WWE while the Big Dog is currently undergoing treatment for leukemia.

Even though The Monster Among Men is the closest thing to being the de facto top star in the company, Strowman is nowhere near the popularity that the likes of Hulk Hogan, "Stone Cold" Steve Austin, The Rock, Triple H, Randy Orton, Shawn Michaels, John Cena and Reigns have reached during their WWE careers.

As a result, I look for Lesnar to retain the title against Strowman with some possible assistance from Paul Heyman which will lead to perhaps the biggest main events in WrestleMania history as I will explain in the next slide.

#1 The Rock Wins The Men's Royal Rumble match

The People's Champion

Yes, you heard right. The Rock will make his triumphant return to the WWE during the men's Royal Rumble as perhaps the #30 entrant. R-Truth was originally the #30 entrant when he and Carmella won the Mixed Tag Team Challenger at the TLC pay-per-view last month but don't be surprised if it turned out to be a huge swerve. This match will likely close out the show.

Other Superstars who are expected to have strong performances are Seth Rollins, Dean Ambrose, Baron Corbin, Big Show, Randy Orton, John Cena, Undertaker and Kane but I don't expect any of these men to win the Rumble.

Instead, it will be The Rock, setting up the likely main event of Brock Lesnar versus The Rock for the WWE Universal Championship at WrestleMania 35. While some members of the WWE Universe may not be happy with this match, Rock-Lesnar will nevertheless be one of those matches that it caters to the casual fan come Sunday, April 7, 2019, at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey.