WWE Royal Rumble 2019: Report Card

Universal Championship: Brock Lesnar (c.) (with Paul Heyman) vs Finn Balor

This was Finn Balor's first title shot since August.

Result: Brock Lesnar defeated Finn Balor via submission with the Kimura Lock.

Grade: B

Analysis: It was nice to see Brock Lesnar sell for Finn Balor. The Beast was extremely hurt due to the effectiveness of Finn Balor's offence.

He made it look like he was about to break his ribs. It is particularly frustrating that Brock Lesnar is willing to make superstars like Finn Balor, Daniel Bryan, and AJ Styles look good but is not willing to do the same for other superstars like Braun Strowman.

The Extraordinary Man who does Extraordinary Things took Brock Lesnar to the limit with several kicks and stomps to the ribs.

This makes him look crafty as he took advantage of a weakness. It would have been nice to see Brock Lesnar sell the Coup De Grace more as he basically locked in the Kimura Lock as soon as Finn hit the move.

The finish was also realistic due to the shoulder injury Finn Balor suffered a few years ago and there is no way that the former Universal Champion has the strength to drag Lesnar all the way to the bottom rope.

The Beast's attack after the match shows that Brock Lesnar felt like he was truly in danger of losing this match. This leaves room for a rematch in which Finn Balor brings out the Demon to fight the Beast.