3 things that should not have happened at Royal Rumble 2019

With Royal Rumble WWE officially kicked off the road to WrestleMania 35 last night. While the show had its own share of excitement and surprises, it received mixed reviews from the WWE Universe.

WWE had quite a few surprises up its sleeve last night - Nia Jax entering the men's Royal Rumble match, Jeff Jarret and Hornswoggle showing up, Erick Rowan showing up to cost AJ Styles his title, etc.

However, Seth Rollins and Becky Lynch winning their respective 30 men and women Rumble matches was clearly the highlight of the show.

On another note, apart from a few shocks and surprises, WWE also laid the bread crumbs for a few new feuds (Eric Rowan vs AJ Styles for instance), and it would be interesting to see how creative plan out the storyline in the coming weeks.

While WWE got most things right, especially in the 30 men and women Rumble matches, there were a few instances WWE missed it.

So without further ado, we take a look at 3 things which should not have happened at Royal Rumble 2019.

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#3 Nakamura winning the United States Championship

Nakamura became the new United States Champion last night

When Nakamura's stint as the United States Champion on the SmackDown brand started getting underwhelming, WWE crowned the fan favorite, Rusev, as the new US Champion. However, last night at Royal Rumble, Nakamura attacked a distracted Rusev from behind to become the new US Champion.

Given Rusev has been a fan favorite, he is crazy over among fans. The chants of 'Rusev Day, Rusev Day' have been echoing arenas each Tuesday night for quite some time now. Thus, having him lose his US title at the hands of Nakamura might not be the best of ideas.

On another note, Nakamura has lost his touch and seems to be lost in the crowd, crowning him as the new US Champ without any momentum may backfire on WWE.

#2 Balor tapping to Brock Lesnar's submission

Balor lost his Universal Championship match against Brock Lesnar

After Balor defeated the likes of Drew McIntyre, John Cena, and Baron Corbin in a fatal four-way match to earn a title shot against the Beast Incarnate, fans were hoping that the Balor Era might begin following January 27. However, it wasn't meant to be.

After showing heart and fighting Lesnar neck to neck for most of the match, Balor gave in to a brutal submission hold.

To be honest, Balor was somewhat expected to come up short, however, no one had expected him to tap out.

With a few fiery promos and a huge win in the fatal four-way, Balor was high on confidence and momentum. However, WWE having him tap out to Lesnar has not only hindered his momentum, but might have ended up undermining the superstar.

#1 Eric Rowan attacking AJ Styles

Is Eric Rowan in for a push?

It was quite a shocker for WWE fans to see the former Wyatt Family member, Erick Rowan, show up to attack AJ Styles (when the official was down), costing him the championship match.

While it might have seemed surprising and a lucrative idea at that time, it might end up doing more harm than good in the long run.

Given Rowan attacked AJ Styles, a potential feud between the duo could be totally on the cards, and thus, WWE might end up demoting AJ to mid-card on the SmackDown roster. And with the company lacking some high-profile names at the moment, it might hinder the already degrading viewership and attendance.

A superstar like AJ Styles deserves to be in the top card, and I am afraid a feud with Eric Rowan might end up underwhelming and irrelevant.