4 reasons why WWE Royal Rumble 2019 might underwhelm

The most unpredictable WWE pay-per-view of all time, Royal Rumble, is scheduled to take place this Sunday, and the match card for the event is as follows -

1. Men's Royal Rumble match
2. 30 Woman Royal Rumble match
3. Universal Championship - Brock Lesnar (c) vs. Finn Balor
4. WWE Championship - Daniel Bryan (c) vs. AJ Styles
5. Raw Women's Championship - Ronda Rousey (c) vs. Sasha Banks
6. SmackDown Women's Championship - Asuka (c) vs. Becky Lynch
7. SmackDown Tag Team Championship - The Bar (c) vs. The Miz & Shane McMahon
8. United States Championship - Rusev (c) vs. Shinsuke Nakamura (Kickoff show)
9. Cruiserweight Championship - Buddy Murphy (c) vs. Kalisto vs. Akira Tozawa vs. Hideo Itami (Kickoff show)

The match card looks stacked, but there are 4 big reasons why the WWE Royal Rumble might disappoint the fans.

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#1 Poor booking of the #30 slot of both Royal Rumble matches

That's how you book the most coveted spot of the Royal Rumble match

The #30 position of the Royal Rumble match is supposed to be the best position to enter the match, as a lot of superstars inside the ring are tired, and the #30 entrant is the freshest one in the ring.

WWE has used this spot to make surprise returns and debuts. Last year, we saw Dolph Ziggler make his WWE return at #30, as well as Trish Stratus making her return to the ring at #30 in the Women's Royal Rumble.

However, this time the WWE has revealed the last entrants beforehand, and much to the disappointment of fans, 2 lower-card superstars in R-Truth and Carmella will enter the match last. This revelation has killed half the excitement for the match, as fans know neither will win.

#2 No stipulations for any of the matches on the card

Royal Rumble 2016 featured a last man standing match between Dean Ambrose and Kevin Owens

Apart from the 2 Royal Rumble matches, there are 7 other matches which will take place on the Royal Rumble show, but none of the 7 matches have any stipulations involved.

At Royal Rumble 2016, the fans got a last man standing match between Dean Ambrose and Kevin Owens for the Intercontinental Championship, in 2017 Chris Jericho was suspended up in a shark cage during the Universal Championship match between Kevin Owens and Roman Reigns, and in 2018, the WWE Universe got a handicap match, as the team of Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn challenged AJ Styles for the WWE Championship.

However, this time all the matches on the main show are singles matches with no special stipulations, so it might seem like a weekly episode of WWE.

#3 The Demon King will not appear

Finn Balor himself has clarified that the Demon King will not appear at Royal Rumble

A lot of fans, including myself, believe that Finn Balor cannot defeat Brock Lesnar in a singles match, but if the Demon King enters the ring, the entire equation alters. However, Finn Balor has clarified that the Demon King will not appear at the Royal Rumble PPV.

This statement has all but confirmed that Brock Lesnar will retain the Universal Championship heading into WrestleMania 35.

The Demon King persona's involvement could have made things unpredictable, but with the leader of the Balor Club himself stating that the man will walk in to face the Beast, the chances of him winning the Universal title are negligible.

Brock Lesnar vs the Demon King was something the fans were excited to see, but now it seems like this will be nothing more than a squash match.

#4 Absence of legends

The legends may not be a part of the Royal Rumble pay-per-view

The 2019 Royal Rumble matches may not have the involvement of legends, as there have been no rumors whatsoever of any of the legends returning tonight.

While the Rock was originally supposed to win the Royal Rumble match, he will not be appearing at all on the show tonight. Also, Shawn Michaels, Triple H, the Undertaker, and Kane, all of whom have been active in WWE events outside the USA, are not expected to wrestle tonight, and this may disappoint a lot of fans.

Even in the 2018 Women's Royal Rumble match, a lot of female legends made their returns, but very few will enter the 2019 Rumble match.

With the number of legends expected to be very few, the fans may not be happy with the Royal Rumble event.