8 things WWE subtly told us at Royal Rumble 2020: Last-minute change in Men's match winner, Lesnar's WrestleMania opponent confirmed? (26th January 2020)

The Royal Rumble 2020 PPV is in the books and what a show it was. The main event was the Men's Royal Rumble match - which was by far the best match of the night. They even had a unique take to the Royal Rumble this year, not following the standard format for 2/3rds of the elimination match.

Either way, there were a lot of interesting takes from the show and the road to WrestleMania begins from here. We're 70 days away from the grandest stage of them all and we have a feeling that it could turn out to be a special addition this year. With big returns, appearances and more, here is what WWE subtly told us at the PPV.

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#8. Roman Reigns not winning the Rumble match was revealed early on

Roman Reigns

Roman Reigns was originally supposed to lose to King Corbin at Royal Rumble in the opening Falls Count Anywhere match. The logic seemed to follow Becky Lynch's case last year - where she lost to Asuka in the opener and went on to win the Royal Rumble.

Had Reigns lost to Corbin in the opener, he would have been practically confirmed to win the Royal Rumble. However, they ended his feud against Baron Corbin (hopefully) with a win and he ended up losing at the Royal Rumble, being the runner-up for the fourth time in his career.

There were plenty of rumors about Roman Reigns possibly winning the Royal Rumble and challenging The Fiend for the Universal Championship at WrestleMania 36. Since he's the runner-up, we still anticipate that match happening.

It's interesting how Reigns has been used as the villain for superstars to last eliminate to get that big pop when they win the Royal Rumble. It didn't work for Batista in 2014, but it worked for Randy Orton, Shinsuke Nakamura and now, Drew McIntyre.

#7. The Beast vs The Scottish Psychopath

His moment has come

Since this is the most noteworthy moment of the show (apart from the big return), let's address it first. The big question was as to who the person to eliminate Brock Lesnar would be. The WWE Champion entered at #1 and ended up tying the record of 13 eliminations (WWE counts the Greatest Royal Rumble in this. The actual record is 12 by Roman Reigns). However, at no point in Royal Rumble history has one person eliminated 13 consecutive superstars.

The crucial moment was when Ricochet hit Brock Lesnar with a low-blow, allowing Drew McIntyre to eliminate Brock Lesnar via a Claymore Kick - getting the biggest or second-biggest reaction of the night. That's a highlight reel moment for the ages and the staredown between Drew McIntyre and Brock Lesnar indicated that we'll be seeing The Beast Incarnate vs The Scottish Psychopath at WrestleMania 36.

WWE mentioned that McIntyre has never received a WWE or Universal Championship opportunity and what a way to change that.

#6. End of the rivalry

Bayley throwing Lacey Evans against the barricade

Bayley and Lacey Evans were given the "cool-down" match spot, where they were placed right after the Women's Royal Rumble 2020 match. When looking at the card, there wasn't ever going to be any match other than this one in that spot.

As expected, it was underwhelming and the two women tried hard but couldn't get over with the crowd, who was slightly deflated from the energy spent on the Royal Rumble match. As predicted, Bayley walked out victorious, but what was surprising was the absence of Sasha Banks.

Banks didn't appear in the Women's Royal Rumble match, which made us think that she would accompany Bayley against Evans. Instead, she was absent and didn't appear this year at all.

Evans turned babyface when SmackDown needed a babyface title challenger - just as she was a heel when they needed someone to feud with Becky Lynch after WrestleMania 35. However, that's the end of the feud and Bayley will be moving on.

We don't anticipate a feud with Sasha Banks right away. Perhaps she'll have a filler feud with someone like Dana Brooke or Carmella.

#5. Charlotte Flair vs Becky Lynch?

The Queen is headed to WrestleMania

It only seemed like a matter of when and not if Charlotte Flair would win the Women's Royal Rumble match. She now goes down as the third woman in history to win the Royal Rumble. 2020 turned out to be a great start to the year as she last eliminated Shayna Baszler to win.

There were rumors that Baszler would make a big impact and win the Rumble, but as it turned out, she'll have to wait her turn. She came close, however, and had double the eliminations Flair had.

Charlotte's win seemingly sets her up against Becky Lynch at WrestleMania 36. While she has the option of going for Bayley and the SmackDown Women's Championship if she wants to, the plan appears to be for Bayley to take on Sasha Banks at WrestleMania (why else would they be aligned for so long?).

We love that all Four Horsewomen could be in a title match this WrestleMania. The last we remember seeing rumors of Flair vs Becky Lynch was around April or May of 2019. Nothing has emerged since, but this was a pleasant surprise.

#4. A year-long reign fo The Man

It all comes full circle

It was only a year ago when Becky Lynch and Asuka opened the Royal Rumble PPV, with The Empress successfully defending the SmackDown Women's Championship against Becky Lynch.

The story was of Asuka being the one woman who Becky Lynch was never able to overcome. It was a great story for Becky Lynch and perhaps her best one since becoming RAW Women's Champion.

It looks like The Man will be able to complete a year as RAW Women's Champion. If she faces Charlotte and The Queen wins, there certainly won't be a positive reception. Hopefully, she's able to have a reign that surpasses WrestleMania, further cementing her legacy.

This was a good match but many would prefer their match last year. Perhaps it had to do with the placement on the card, but there was a good bit of storytelling done, with Asuka looking great in defeat and Becky Lynch continuing to prove that she's the best and most consistent babyface in WWE - male or female.

#3. No World Championship plans for Daniel Bryan

Daniel Bryan was helped o

Daniel Bryan had yet another solid match with The Fiend. He's one of those generational talents that can have a great match with anyone and he looked great even in defeat. Just like last time, the storytelling of the match was fantastic and they went even longer this time around than at Survivor Series 2019.

Strap matches don't have a history of being great and we're glad that there was no stipulation that they had to touch all four corners like before. Bryan came close on many occasions during the match but it wasn't enough and he wound up losing once again.

After the match, he was helped out and got huge "Yes!" chants as he brought the "Yes!" movement back in a big way. Unfortunately for Daniel Bryan, there are no World Championship plans for him this WrestleMania 36. He was a great heel last year, walking in as the WWE Championship and being one of the big reasons for KofiMania's success.

It'll be interesting to see what lies ahead for him.

#2. Bianca Belair and Shayna Baszler are the next two major stars

Bianca Belair with a great showing

Two women who had an incredible showing in the Women's Royal Rumble match were from NXT - Bianca Belair and Shayna Baszler. Both women garnered a whopping 8 eliminations each - meaning that half of the Royal Rumble field was eliminated by just these two.

Sure, it was Charlotte Flair who ended up winning the entire match, but Baszler looked incredible even in defeat. Belair and Baszler set a new record for the number of eliminations in a single Women's Rumble match and it may be a while before we see anyone come close.

WWE knows how to establish talent when they want to and at the Rumble, they did a phenomenal job. It shouldn't come as a surprise, however, as both women have been pegged as future top stars in WWE.

While we can't be sure how long Belair will stay in NXT, Baszler is certainly set for a debut soon and when The EST of NXT does arrive, she'll be a big deal.

#1. Edge has quite a few options lying ahead of him

Edge is back!

Edge made his in-ring return after nine years away. PWInsider reported it earlier on and as it turned out - they were right. Edge was quick to deny the rumor, but there was no other response that you could expect from him.

Perhaps this is one of the reasons why surprises are best left when they're not spoiled beforehand. Either way, that didn't stop the nostalgia that overcame the crowd and The Rated-R Superstar looks to be in his best physical shape in years.

He eliminated AJ Styles, Luke Gallows, and Randy Orton, mainly teasing matches with Styles and Orton. He did, however, share the ring with the likes of Seth Rollins and Roman Reigns and WWE wasted no time in teasing dream matches for him.

Perhaps they did it to see the reaction and decide which direction to go with. He had a great overall showing and was eliminated by Roman Reigns, who was then eliminated by Drew McIntyre.