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Royal Rumble 2019 is done and dusted. Without an iota of doubt, the first PPV of January was one of the best PPVs put forward by WWE in the past few years. From the opening match between Asuka and Becky Lynch to the main event, the show was filled with excitement.
Even without significant returns, WWE managed to keep the fans entertained, driving home a major fact that WWE does not need part-timers anymore.
There were various moments throughout the night that kept the fans engaged. Be it Naomi's save to comical elimination, or Jeff Jarret's face-off with Elias; there have been many things that would not escape from the hearts of a WWE fan. In this article, we will be taking a look at a few of the must-watch moments from the recently concluded Royal Rumble.
#5 The ending sequence of the SmackDown Live women's championship match
The women in WWE are showing that they are no longer pushovers or bathroom breaks. The SmackDown Live women's championship match headlined TLC 2018, and now it kicked off Royal Rumble.
The battle between Asuka and Becky Lynch was nothing short of an exceptional bout. There were brilliant counters and dangerous spots throughout the match.
However, the ending sequence of the match was the icing on the cake. The Empress of Tomorrow and The Man made counters after counters. After failing to get the fall after performing a super beckxploder, Lynch tried to do the leg drop from the top rope. This was followed by numerous counters - most notable ones were Asuka doing the dis-arm-her and Lynch doing the Asuka Lock.
After a plethora of counters, Asuka locked Lynch in a modified neck lock, forcing Lynch to tap out. Even if you are not interested in watching the full match, give the final sequence a go. It is well worth it.
#2 Coast to Coast to Cesaro Swing
Shane McMahon's coast to coast is a dangerous finishing manoeuvre. However, the 48-year-old has been performing the move on a regular basis. Mostly, it gets countered. At Survivor Series 2016, Roman Reigns countered the coast to coast with an awkward spear, causing huge damage to McMahon.
One of the more unique counters to the move was born at the 2019 edition of Royal Rumble. After stacking both Sheamus and Cesaro in a precarious position, Shane began ascending the top rope, positioning himself to do the move. However, mid-flight, Cesaro caught McMahon by his legs and performed the Cesaro Swing - all in one smooth fluid motion.
The crowd who were dead for the whole match erupted once Cesaro began swinging Shane for a good while. Even though The Miz and Shane won the match, this one was definitely the spot of the match.
#3 The 4 horsewomen tease
In case you don't know, in 2013 the group of UFC fighters - Ronda Rousey, Shayna Baszler, Jessamyn Duke, and Marina Shafir announced themselves as the Four Horsewomen.
WWE has its own version of the Four Horsewomen in Charlotte Flair, Becky Lynch, Sasha Banks, and Bayley. During the first season of Mae Young's Classic tournament in WWE, UFC's four horsewomen had a face-off with their WWE counterparts.
With all eight members now signed with WWE, it is only a matter of time before WWE pulls the trigger on the WWE Four HW vs UFC Four HW match. With Charlotte Flair, Becky Lynch, and Sasha Banks being in direct conflict with Ronda Rousey, one could assume that it will not take much longer for the long-awaited battle between the factions break out.
Rousey could get help from the NXT women's champion Shayna Baszler and her accomplices any time she wants.
#4 Nia Jax entering as number 30 in the men's Royal Rumble
By the time the number 30 buzzer went off, the men's Royal Rumble match was lacking in any kind of surprises. There were not any prominent returns or any major surprises. Since the number 30 entrant was clear as day, there was not much enthusiasm from the fans.
However, as Truth was making his entrance, Nia Jax jumped on him, injured him, and rendered him unable to compete.
Subsequently, Jax proceeded to enter the rumble, being the 4th woman to enter a men's Royal Rumble match.
The WWE Universe had been hating Jax with a passion for the past few months, but were thrilled at this. Jax eliminated Mustafa Ali and looked strong in the Rumble. It took combined efforts from Dolph Ziggler, Randy Orton, and Rey Mysterio to eliminate Jax.
#5 Becky Lynch and Seth Rollins winning their respective Royal Rumbles
If someone were to pick WWE's top male and female stars of 2018, most of the votes would have gone to Becky Lynch and Seth Rollins. Both Rollins and Lynch had a tremendous 2018, and had immaculate crowd support. Thus it was only a matter of time before these two stars got their well-deserved push.
Becky entered the Royal Rumble match instead of Lana, who was "injured" by Nia Jax. Lynch along with Charlotte Flair were the last 2 women standing. Lynch was injured mid-match by Nia, yet went on to topple Flair in order to secure the win.
Rollins entered the rumble at number 8, and was the iron man of the match. He sealed his ticket to WrestleMania after eliminating Braun Strowman.
The fact that both Becky and Rollins won their respective rumbles is a strong indication that WWE is now listening to its fans.
A WWE Hall of Famer called out AEW fans HERE
