5 men’s Royal Rumble match face-offs which can fuel rivalries

Royal Rumble matches are some of the most fun matches to watch in WWE. Unlike battle royals, which begin with all the superstars in the ring together, Royal Rumbles are longer, cleaner, and less chaotic, highlighting at least 5-10 different superstars.

Similarly, this year again, we won’t just be seeing one winner of the Royal Rumble, as many rivalries spillover from the match which can result in some great rivalries between old and new superstars.

While some men walk into the match with a few targets in mind from their previous or current feuds, many other superstars seem to find their next feud during the match and continue it for weeks to come.

Therefore, we expect at least five feuds to either get fueled further or begin thanks to the Royal Rumble encounters we may see in the ring. Take a look at the 5 Royal Rumble match face-offs which could result in some great matches in the future.

#5 Bray Wyatt & Baron Corbin

Bray Wyatt will be looking for a feud upon his return

Baron Corbin’s inclusion into the Royal Rumble was announced on Raw on the January 7, 2019 episode of the show.

Bray Wyatt, on the other hand, has been away from televised in-ring competition for quite some time now but has worked a few Live matches against Baron Corbin in the past couple of months.

Bray Wyatt should return to televised shows sooner than later, and we could see him make his return at the Royal Rumble in the 30-man elimination match.

The two have already shown solid chemistry in Live events, and Wyatt has come out on top each time. It seems as though Wyatt is working Live events as a babyface, and could mark his return as a face too.

If that is a case, it would be great to see the two men ignite a rivalry at the Royal Rumble match where they can come face to face and develop a storyline going further after one man eliminates the other from the match.

#4 The New Day & Heavy Machinery

Heavy Machinery need an opponent to start off with

The New Day were the first three men to be announced for the Royal Rumble from the blue brand after R-Truth won his place through the Mixed Match Challenge. They did so on the pre-taped January 1st, 2019 episode of SmackDown.

The team of Xavier Woods, Big E, and Kofi Kingston are extremely talented, and all three men have taken part in many Royal Rumbles in the past but none have been successful as yet.

Heavy Machinery is moving to the main roster and will be making their main roster debut very soon. The two men from NXT can lay waste to anyone who crosses their path. They have not yet been announced to be a part of the Royal Rumble, but could very well find their place in the match.

While we are still not sure which brand Heavy Machinery will be a part of when they make their debut, coming face to face with one of the most decorated teams of WWE in the Royal Rumble match will be extremely interesting.

If the two men end up on Smackdown, this could result in a very good rivalry going forward after their initial Royal Rumble brawl.

#3 Rey Mysterio & Samoa Joe

The two men have been working towards a rivalry and the same could take place anytime between two of the biggest superstars in wrestling. Samoa Joe’s inclusion into the Royal Rumble match was announced by WWE through their Twitter handle on January 6, 2019, while Rey Mysterio’s participation was announced two days later on SmackDown Live.

The two also came face to face on the same night Mysterio’s inclusion into the match was announced, as Mysterio teamed up with Mustafa Ali to take on Joe and Almas. Both men are currently battling on the mid-card.

A confrontation between the two at the Royal Rumble match could ignite a long-term feud between the two men, as one could eliminate the other and take their story forward.

A Rey Mysterio vs Samoa Joe rivalry has the potential to sell just like the Jeff Hardy and Randy Orton feud.

#2 Seth Rollins & Bobby Lashley

This one is expected, isn’t it? WWE is trying hard to sell us a feud between these two men since the past few weeks, and Royal Rumble seems to be the best place to take it further.

Seth Rollins’ participation into the match was announced at a Live event January 4, 2019, while Bobby Lashley’s followed just two days later.

Even though WWE is trying to push Bobby Lashley forward in every way possible, they are struggling to do so. They have provided him with a mouthpiece in the form of Lio Rush and turned him heel, but that hasn’t done him too much good. Lashley has also feuded with Finn Balor and Elias but much hasn’t been achieved.

Therefore, they have now pushed Lashley into a rivalry with the face of the men’s roster on Raw, Seth Rollins.

If WWE plans to continue building Lashley as a villain, and do not plan to have Rollins win the Royal Rumble match, then Lashley should be the man to eliminate Rollins from the match.

If Rollins is going to win the match, then Lashley should be eliminated by Rollins who should then attack Rollins by pulling him outside the ring and give him some time out of the match come return in the end.

#1 EC3 & John Cena

John Cena is the only free agent who has been announced for the match till now. He will walk into the Royal Rumble as one of the favourites just like he always has.

EC3, on the other hand, is yet to make his main roster debut and could do so very soon.

When Cena returned to wrestling last year, he returned with a new hairstyle which made his balding more obvious. After fans noticed that, EC3 replied to one of Cena’s tweets that he wanted to shave Cena’s head.

I want to shave your head.
— ecIII (@therealec3) October 21, 2018

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This suggested that a rivalry between the two men could ignite in the future, and Royal Rumble seems like the perfect place to begin it with WrestleMania 35 in the horizon.

A rivalry with Cena could be the perfect start for EC3’s main roster career and can bring him to prominence almost immediately.

We could see the heel-ish EC3 eliminate John Cena in the match and then return to Raw to mock the veteran superstar to take the storyline further.