5 WWE Superstars who could deliver iron man performances in Royal Rumble 2019

Ever since the Royal Rumble expanded to 30 men, WWE began adding interwoven storylines to the match. These included certain performances from a few superstars whose entire job becomes lasting a very long time.

These "Ironman" performances bring legitimacy to the Rumble as various superstars come and go but they remain strong. Their eventual elimination also gives a big rub to the superstar who eliminated them.

Last year, Finn Balor played the iron man and lasted for 57 long minutes and eliminated 4 men. Similarly, Sasha Banks lasted 54 minutes in the Women's Royal Rumble match and eliminated three women in the process.

Several other superstars also pull off short iron man performances within the Rumble like Becky Lynch and Rusev last year.

These Superstars usually set the pace for the Royal Rumble and help the other superstars to call their spots in perfect time. They are very important for the choreography of the match and are usually very good performers.

Here, I will be looking at the most likely iron men and women in this year's Royal Rumble matches.

#5 Seth Rollins

We are starting off with The Architect himself, Seth Rollins. Rollins is perhaps the best worker in WWE today.

His in-ring work is only rivaled by the likes of AJ Styles and Daniel Bryan today. He is currently the favorite to win the Royal Rumble and if he does so, a long enduring performance will be the right way to go. Rollins can replicate Rey Mysterio and Shawn Michaels' previous victories and go coast to coast in the Rumble.

Rollins' in-ring work and experience in the ring makes him a perfect fit to be an iron man as well. He can call the spots for other wrestlers and help choreograph the entire match to perfection. We have seen Rollins work extremely long matches before.

Last year he worked over one hour in a Gauntlet match on Raw where he pinned Roman Reigns and John Cena before being pinned by Elias.

That performance was praised by critics and fans all over the world. If Rollins does a repeat of that performance by entering the Rumble very early and going all the way to win it, the fans will be delighted.

The only thing that will stop Rollins from being the traditional iron man is if he wins the match coming in late. But given Rollins' in-ring credibility, WWE would like to have him in the match for as long as possible.

#4 AJ Styles

AJ Styles is not confirmed for the Royal Rumble, but I strongly believe he will make it to the match.

There is absolutely no way WWE will take the WWE Championship off of Daniel Bryan at this moment and if AJ loses his match, he should make his way to the Rumble match.

Also, due to Brock Lesnar vs Finn Balor being on the card, Daniel Bryan vs AJ Styles will probably open the show or happen in the first half of the event. This will give AJ enough time to recharge and prepare for the Rumble match.

AJ is made for a performance like this. His amazing in-ring work, his durability and ability to get a decent match out of almost anyone makes him perfect for the iron man role.

Moreover, given the Vince McMahon-AJ Styles storyline, WWE has started, an iron man performance can help take it forward.

Styles can enter early and go all the way, falling just short. This causes him to completely snap and bring out the vicious side of him. Maybe even bring out a heel turn sometime down the line.

An AJ Styles iron man performance is something every single fan will enjoy in the Rumble and it might also start a new feud for The Phenomenal One heading into Wrestlemania.

#3 Mustafa Ali

Mustafa Ali is one of the newest members of the main roster

Mustafa Ali was promoted from 205 Live to SmackDown last year. He instantly got into a mini-feud against Daniel Bryan and is currently in a feud with Samoa Joe.

He took to his new role like a fish to water and is a very popular member of the SmackDown roster. The fans like him and management seem to be behind him as well.

An iron man performance will be the perfect tool to make him more popular among the fans. Given Ali's independent background and amazing in-ring ability, he will be more than fit enough to fulfill the role.

His inexperience might be an issue, but it is nothing that cannot be resolved. If WWE wants to cement Ali's role as a babyface, a long hard fought stint in the Rumble match followed by elimination by a hated heel will be perfect to put him over with the entire crowd.

Ali's high flying antics can also keep the Rumble match exciting throughout. He can even start the match and go all the way.

#2 Charlotte Flair

While the men's Royal Rumble has many possible candidates for the iron man role, the women's match doesn't. There are only two women who can pull off the role.

One of them is Bayley, but given how she has been booked the last year, it is highly unlikely she will do anything of that sort.

She was barely used in last year's Rumble match and probably will be used scarcely this year as well. Thus, the only possible iron man for the Women's Rumble match is Charlotte Flair.

Charlotte has built a legacy for herself which no other woman on the roster can match. She is the women's division's biggest star. Also, she is one of the favorites to win the Rumble match.

But given that Becky Lynch is the odds on favorite, it is unlikely Charlotte wins as the internet odds are rarely wrong. So it should be a given certainty that Charlotte enters early in the match and lasts all the way to the end.

She more or less has to pull off an iron man performance as there is no other woman fit enough to do it.

Charlotte might win the match but it is more likely that she plays the iron man before being eliminated by Becky Lynch.

#1 Drew McIntyre

Drew McIntyre is set to have a rocket strapped to his back and be pushed to the moon. He is the top heel on Raw because Lesnar is never around, and is likely to have a high profile match at Wrestlemania.

The best way to set up the monster push he is about to receive will be an amazing performance in the Royal Rumble match. If you ask me, his Mania match should be against Kurt Angle, and if WWE does it right their match can be set up in the Rumble match.

McIntyre has loads of experience and is a great worker in the ring as well. He can pull off an iron man performance with ease and it will be very believable as well.

The only problem will be the fact that he is a heel, although in today's WWE that won't hinder the match in any way.

McIntyre can have a dominating run before being eliminated by a fresh babyface and the two can start a personal rivalry culminating at Wrestlemania. WWE has gold on their hands with McIntyre and a strong Rumble showing is just what he needs.

McIntyre is the second favorite to win the Rumble match after Rollins. But this can only be possible if and only if Balor wins the title as a heel vs heel match at Wrestlemania is impossible.