'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
Royal Rumble has always been one of the more intriguing PPVs of the year. There are so many storylines that can usually take-off or sometimes even just take a completely unexpected turn.
Be it the Royal Rumble match or be it the other storylines that carry on with the other matches, Royal Rumble truly is the start of the road to WrestleMania and many storylines tend to take final shape before the grandest stage of them all.
On the other hand, you see some shock returns and sometimes even shock winners. Even this year's Royal Rumble is expected to have a certain level of intrigue attached to it so let's go through some of the potential shocks that we could see at this year's edition of Royal Rumble.
#1 AJ Styles wins the WWE Championship
It's common knowledge that AJ Styles has been negotiating a new contract and one of the things he's negotiating for is a lighter workload. He's looking to have a schedule similar to what Randy Orton currently has which would ideally put him out of the title picture (because of the rigours and demands that come with being a WWE champion).
That was one of the reasons Daniel Bryan was made the Champion just before Survivor Series. But, a completely new storyline is developing right now with Vince Mcmahon himself coming into the picture and confronting AJ Styles. Have there been some backdoor developments that WWE have not let out? Has AJ Styles' contract already gotten finalised and this is the start of a completely new gimmick for him?
What else explains Vince Mcmahon walking into the storyline and then subsequently AJ Styles becoming the no.1 contender for the WWE championship in the very next week. Maybe these are signs of something about to happen and maybe AJ might get another reign as a WWE champion. Either it's going to be a shocker if WWE does take the title away from Daniel Bryan.
#2 Brock Lesnar Loses the Universal Title to Braun Strowman
Wide speculation is Seth Rollins going up against Brock Lesnar at WrestleMania 35 for the Universal Championship. There are a few asterisks attached to that though. Firstly, this would mean Braun Strowman losing a fourth straight match against Brock Lesnar (First the fatal 4-way then the two singles matches) which would massively hurt his credibility as the "Monster among Men" and secondly it would mean the absence of the WWE Universal Championship belt until WrestleMania.
Raw has been hurt by the continuous fall of ratings and they've just not been able to arrest the slide. One of the biggest reasons for that? The champion doesn't show up. Could this be the switch up where WWE just pulls the plug and gives the title to Braun? He more than deserves this run and it could give WWE something more to play with as well.
#3 Mustafa Ali Wins the Royal Rumble
WWE does believe in extended storylines and usually, everything happens for a reason in WWE. This is why one has to ask why Mustafa Ali was all of a sudden moved to SmackDown and put in a matchup against Daniel Bryan.
And then you have to question the series of events that have happened after that, Ali has pinned the WWE champion, has been attacked by Bryan backstage and there is legitimate heat between the two of them. If Bryan does win his bout against AJ Styles then it would certainly increase the odds of Bryan going up against Ali to continue his feud with the 205 Star. It would certainly one of the fastest rises to the top for any of the new talents that were drafted to the main roster.
#4 Alexa Bliss wins the Women Royal Rumble
One of the biggest Ifs, in this case, is Alexa's recovery from the concussions she has suffered. There has been news of her having recovered already and could feature in the ring by 2019 but there's still nothing confirmed yet.
With the three leading women in WWE, Rhonda Rousey, Becky Lynch and Charlotte Flair expected to face each other in a triple threat at Wrestlemania then it leaves the Smackdown women's championship without a worthy contender to actually go up against Asuka and make the match work.
WWE can bank on new talent for this but experimenting on the grandest stage of them all is something you don't really expect from WWE. In this situation, Alexa Bliss' return couldn't come at a more opportune moment. The audience loves her, she has the needed charisma and will be able to build up the match as good as anyone. We could see her leaving the Royal Rumble as the victor and then challenging Asuka for the championship.
#5 Kevin Owens returns and wins the Royal Rumble
Kevin Owens'return has been teased for a while now and he's expected to return soon from his injury. Kevin just before his injury was booked horribly and literally turned into fodder for Braun Strowman's powerslams ( don't think so? Just check out the highlight reel of Braun's 2018, KO would easily comprise 50% of it).
Him returning would be a big pop for the night and if he ends up winning and ultimately challenges the WWE championship at SmackDown (it would be a more logical choice) for his match at WrestleMania then it could be both a boost for the ratings(the fans adore him) and will bring someone new into the championship picture as WWE could do with a bit of a change for now.
