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No one would have believed that an event intended to be a one-shot event on the USA Network would turn into an annual tradition. Fewer still would have held out any hope that the over the top rope battle royal would end up setting the stage for WrestleMania and beyond, but that is exactly what has happened with the WWE's Royal Rumble event.
The Royal Rumble match has certainly delivered its fair share of shocking moments and surprises, but there is a lot going on beyond the battle royal and who managed to win it.
Not only is the Royal Rumble setting up the main events for both Raw and Smackdown for Wrestlemania, what happens on the undercard is also indicative of what direction the WWE intends to take. This applies especially to which talent are going to be pushed, which will be held back, and who truly managed to stand out at the annual battle royal.
Here are ten things we can take away from the Royal Rumble 2019.
#1 RAW's tag team division is still an afterthought
First and foremost, we can tell from the Royal Rumble that the RAW brand's tag team division is still something of an afterthought.
During the kickoff show, the Glorious Alphas, Bobby Roode and Chad Gable, took on the mismatched team of Rezar and Scott Dawson. The match had a stipulation that if the Alphas were defeated then both the Authors of Pain and the Revival would get future title shots.
While the match wasn't bad, it seemed rather rushed and poorly planned out. There was some storytelling with Dawson and Rezar unable to get on the same page, but overall it felt like the filler that it was. It seems that the tag team division continues to be an afterthought on the Raw brand.
#2 Johnny "Wrestling" Gargano is being groomed for the main roster
When you put together a list of wrestlers unlikely to become top WWE stars, you'd have to think Johnny Gargano would be at the top of the list.
Given that the top stars in WWE have often been men built in the mould of John Cena and Hulk Hogan, Gargano's obvious smaller size would seem to be an immediate strike against him. Add in the fact that Gargano's character is a 'plain wrestling guy' instead of some sort of superhero or undead avenger, and it seems like the deck is really stacked against him.
And the fact that his nickname is Wrestling, which is a term WWE tries to avoid using as they don't have it trademarked? That's the nail in the coffin.
However, Johnny Gargano is on his way to being a main roster superstar, and that fact was cemented when he arrived at the Royal Rumble match. WWE expects big things from Johnny Wrestling, and that means fans can look forward to seeing more of Mr. Gargano on the main roster in the future.
#3 Kacy Catanzaro finds victory in defeat
When Kacy Catanzaro first wowed spectators on American Ninja Warrior, no one would have believed that she would one day equally amaze WWE fans, but that's exactly what happened.
Given her athletic acumen and gymnastics background, Kacy has adapted well to the world of sports entertainment. Already possessed of remarkable poise for a relative rookie, she has impressed fans and critics alike with her appearances at the Mae Young Classic and NXT.
However, it was her dazzling innovation and impressive agility that truly made a mark at the Royal Rumble. When she was faced with elimination, Kacy used the caveat that both FEET must touch the floor in order to lose the match.
After walking on her hands a-la Kofi Kingston, she one-upped the New Day member by straddling the ring post and clambering up like a monkey. Kacy made the most of her appearance and now is trending on social media, which will possibly lead to bigger and better things for her in NXT and beyond.
#4 Kofi Kingston is doomed to never win a Rumble, despite always being impressive
Kofi Kingston is without a shadow of a doubt one of the most athletic men to wrestle in the WWE, as in ever. His long limbs, incredible leaping ability, and remarkable balance have led to a historic WWE career in which he has been a tag team champion longer than anyone else in the company's long history.
He's also had a great number of spectacular saves over the years. Kofi has sprung from the ring to the protective black retaining wall surrounding the ring, only to leap back into the match. He's gone over the top rope but landed on his hands to avoid elimination. Once, he even landed on a stack of pancakes cleverly put in place by his New Day teammates.
Kingston managed to avoid elimination twice during the rumble by walking on his hands, but once again failed to win the match. It seems like it will be Kofi's fate to forever be on the Royal Rumble highlight reels but never actually win the match. Better luck next year, Kofi!
#5 Heel Daniel Bryan will be the top villain in WWE this year
Daniel Bryan was one of the most unexpectedly over babyfaces of all time in the WWE. In fact, he was so popular that WWE had to scrap their plans for WrestleMania and include Bryan in the main event picture, much to the chagrin of men like Batista, who referred to Bryan as a 'garden gnome.'
But the Cinderella story that was the Yes Movement came to a screeching halt when Daniel Bryan's injuries forced him into a year-long hiatus from wrestling. When he made his return, it was to the great joy of many, but Daniel Bryan noticed that the Yes chants weren't quite as enthusiastic as they once had been.
This prompted Bryan to request a heel turn, and not only was his request granted, he's been given creative control over his own booking, a very rare honor in the WWE.
Given the unexpected arrival of Erik Rowan during the WWE Smackdown Live title match at the Rumble, and his previous history with Bryan, we can say that Daniel Bryan will continue to be the WWE's most effective villain for at least the rest of the year, and perhaps beyond.
#6. Brock Lesnar will be sticking around WWE for at least a while longer
It seems like every year or so, the same thing happens; Brock Lesnar's contract comes toward its conclusion, and instantly fans, journalists, and critics all start talking about how the Beast Incarnate is on his way out of WWE.
And yet, every single time it seems like Brock Lesnar winds up hanging on to the Universal title and sticking around for longer than anyone hoped or dreamed of. We can tell a lot of things from Lesnar's successful title defense, and the way in which he was booked.
For one thing, WWE is continuing to push Lesnar as a dominant, nigh unstoppable force. They added in the caveat of his frequent bouts of diverticulitis, which led some to believe Finn Balor had a hope of dethroning the champ. Two curious things happened during and after the match.
One, Lesnar won with an MMA style kimura arm lock, reinforcing his combat sports champion status, and after the match, WWE chose to show a clip wherein Lesnar chucked his WWE Universal title at Vince McMahon after WrestleMania 34.
WWE never does anything without a good reason, and it seems like they have plans for Lesnar's character at least until WrestleMania 35.
#7 Naomi's breathtaking save will be talked about for years
A few years back, Naomi was one half of the Funkadactyls, the cheerleader-inspired dancing duo whose main function was to accompany the Funkasaurus Brodus Clay to the ring.
The role frustrated Naomi, who was being forced to act as a valet even though she had trained rigorously for in-ring competition. After a time the Funkadactyls started to wrestle, but they were still a tag team in a promotion that offered no tag team championships for women.
Thanks in part to her involvement with the Total Divas reality show, Naomi managed to garner a groundswell of support, and now is a former Smackdown women's champion. Ever impressive, she one-upped Kofi Kingston at the Rumble by making a death-defying leap from the guardrail to the ring steps.
Though Naomi was quickly sent back to the floor by Mandy Rose, her leap has gained her more attention and is trending on social media, which is good news for her career.
#8 Nia Jax courts controversy by entering the men's rumble
There have been two other times when a woman entered the men's Royal Rumble. The first person to hold that honor is the dearly departed Joanie Laurer, AKA Chyna, who was also coincidentally the first woman to hold the Intercontinental championship in the WWE.
The second woman to enter a Rumble match was Beth Phoenix, who managed to eliminate the gigantic Great Khali. However, both of those women's performances were eclipsed by Nia Jax as she took out R-Truth and stole his Royal Rumble spot.
What sets Nia apart from her cohorts is the fact that she not only entered the Rumble, but appeared to be dominating it. It actually took the combined efforts of three male superstars and their finishing moves to eliminate her, and considering Randy Orton, Rey Mysterio, and Dolph Ziggler are all Grand Slam WWE champions, it was more impressive still.
There has been some controversy about her appearance at the Rumble, a lot of which revolves around men being physically violent with a woman, but anyone who watches pro wrestling will tell you, Nia Jax is not like most girls.
#9 Seth Rollins is stepping up to fill Roman Reigns's shoes
Going into the Royal Rumble, the 'smart' money was on one of two men emerging victorious - Braun Strowman or Drew McIntyre.
Strowman has been in the main event picture for some time in the WWE, and DrewMcIntyree is the chosen one, the man whom Vince McMahon stood in the ring with and proclaimed a future world champion.
However, neither of those two stalwarts managed to out last the Cross Fit Jesus himself, Seth Rollins. While Seth spent most of 2018 languishing in the tag team division or the midcard, it seems as if 2019 will be the year he climbs back to the top of the heap.
He was used once before when WWE believed Roman Reigns wasn't quite ready to be the top guy in the company, and now it seems he will once again fill in for the Big Dog.
#10 Becky Lynch is more than the women's rumble winner -- she's the man
When it comes to success stories, it's hard to find a more meteoric rise than Becky Lynch has enjoyed in recent months.
The Lasskicker was incredibly impressive on NXT, and was integral in the WWE women's evolution. She was a trailblazer who proved that women could actually be compelling performers without resorting to bra and panties matches or other lewd chicanery.
Then she made it to the main roster and kind of languished for a long time, despite enjoying a lot of support from the crowd. 2018, however, proved to be the year that Becky Lynch broke out of the doldrums and made it to the main event picture.
After losing her chance at the WWE Smackdown women's title earlier in the night, Lynch replaced an injured Lana in the Royal Rumble match and would go on to win the event. This proves that even if she came up short against Asuka Lynch is not done being in the spotlight of the WWE's women's division
A WWE Hall of Famer called out AEW fans HERE
