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The Royal Rumble 2019 is just a few weeks away, and excitement levels are already soaring for the WWE Universe, as the anticipation of who will win the Royal Rumble match, which superstar will walk away as champions, and who will be returning to the company are all questions the WWE Universe want answers to.
And where there are questions in wrestling, there are rumours to fill in the blanks, and there are a lot of rumours floating around the internet with regards to all of the questions above.
While the legitimacy of rumours should be taken with a grain of salt, it is always fun to read about what could go down at a special pay-per-view, so without futher delay here are the biggest rumours surrounding the Royal Rumble.
#1 Fight Owens Fight
Kevin Owens' return to the WWE needs to be a special one, as the treatment of KO last year was an absolute disgrace, as this former Wolrd Champion was forced down the card, became a stepping stone for stars like Daniel Bryan, and finally lost all his credibility when he was completely manhandled by Braun Strowman.
Now that rumours are rampant that KO could return in time for the Royal Rumble, we could see the man compete in the Royal Rumble and possibly make an impact.
#2 Big NXT debuts
Over the years the Royal Rumble match has not only proved to be a great place for legends and ex-WWE superstars to make a cameo but also future top stars have made their impact in the match. The rise of NXT has really saved WWE in many ways, as many of their current top stars were developed from indy darlings to main event level stars.
And more of these stars are getting chances to make their name known in the Royal Rumble, as we have seen future main roster stars such as Adam Cole, Bianca Belair and Kairi Sane make an impact at last year's Royal Rumble. And this year it is no different, as hot prospects like Shayna Baszler, Velveteen Dream, Dakota Kai, Ricochet and even Pete Dunn are all rumoured to appear at the show.
#3 Lesnar to retain
At the 2019 Royal Rumble, we thought we were going to see Braun Strowman receive another chance to take the Universal Championship away from Brock Lesnar, and while many were betting on Bruan Strowman to finally beat Lesnar for the title, WWE changed the plans, and Lesnar will now face Finn Balor at the Royal Rumble for the Universal Championship. But it seems like Lesnar could still be walking away as the Universal Champion when it is all said and done.
According to rumours that have been circling recently, Lesnar is going to hold on to the Universal Championship until Wrestlemania, and while that is not what fans want to hear, and that could have been why WWE pulled Braun from this match, as it would have destroyed his credibility.
Strowman needs to be rebuilt right now, and that is why WWE put Balor in his place, but that doesn't change the notion that Lesnar will be going to Wrestlemania as the Universal Champion.
#4 Charlotte or Becky to win the Royal Rumble
Charlotte Flair and Becky Lynch set the wrestling world alight last year with their feud, as the years of built-up tension between these two former friends really made for some quality television, and more importantly, it made Becky a huge anti-hero in the process. And it seems like their rivalry won't be cooling off anytime soon as WWE is set on having either of them challenge Ronda Rousey at Wrestlemania.
According to certain speculation, Wrestlemania 35 main event is going to be a historic one, as Ronda Rousey could close out the show, but the news of who her opponent is going to be is still under a bit of scrutiny, as WWE is not sure whether to have a one on one match with Ronda vs Becky or Charlotte, while this could end up being a triple threat match, that the fact remains the Royal Rumble winner could be any one of these two stars.
#5 Seth Rollins to win the Royal Rumble
The rumour of who is going to be the top guy on Raw after Wrestlemania is over is not that ambiguous, as only two men are strong enough to lead the flagship show going forward, and while Finn Balor looks sort of credible enough to challenge for the Universal Title at the Royal Rumble, it doesn't seem like WWE will change their plans with regards to the top guy on Raw.
And all rumours lead to Seth Rollins being the man to win the Royal Rumble this year and go on to win the Universal Champion at Wrestlemania. While there are a whole host of stars out there that would be more eligible to win the Royal Rumble, it seems like Rollins is being pushed as the top babyface on Raw, so this rumour could have some validity to it.
#6 The Rock in the Rumble
The Rock is the most recognisable WWE star of all time, and thanks to the wrestling boom back in the late 90s and the early 2000s, the world got to witness Rocky in the prime of his life, as aside from his heel run in 2003, there was no better version of the Rock in the wrestling ring.
So after all these years, why is the Rock rumoured to be in the Royal Rumble match? It is due to his undeniable star power, and it is that star power WWE so dearly need.
Moreover, people believe that The Rock would be laying the smackdown on somebody's candy ass at the Royal Rumble, as he is one of the odds on favourite to win the entire match. Brock Lesnar vs The Rock at Wrestlemania would break some records, and after enduring a pitiful year, WWE needs this sort of attraction to gain the attention of the world.
Two of the biggest stars in combat sports and in entertainment going head to head is surely enough to sell out Wrestlemania, so if WWE wants to get this year off to a hot start, and if The Rock is ready for one more match, then we could actually see The Rock in the Royal Rumble.
#7 Kenny Omega signs for WWE
This is a rumour that won't go away until the Royal Rumble is over, as many fans believe that Kenny Omega won't sign with WWE, as he will join Cody Rhodes at AEW. While some fans believe that Omega will be Vince McMahon's new top guy, it's truly a mystery as to what will go down, but the thought of seeing Omega in the Royal Rumble is an intriguing one.
Will it happen? Well, who knows, as WWE has been making changes their product as of late by giving more wrestlers a chance, letting them work more risky matches, and it seems like the PG Era could be ending. So could another one of their changes mean bringing in the biggest free agent since AJ Styles?
