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With Survivor Series in the books, our next Big Four stopover is in Phoenix for Royal Rumble. The year is winding down and WWE must begin planning for the main matches of WrestleMania from now. This seems like one of the most exciting and intriguing WrestleManias ever, with minimal hints as to what might happen at the show. The company essentially has a clean slate to paint the perfect picture on. Hopefully, they decide to actually book a card worthy of the 35th edition of the Show Of Shows. The build to it would start at Chase Field, the first baseball stadium to ever host a Royal Rumble.
Royal Rumble is consistently one of the most exciting WWE shows all year, thanks to two things that constitute the perfect combination. It is the start of the road to WrestleMania and there is a large scope for potential surprises. The last few years have seen some iconic moments take place at the Rumble, whether it be John Cena’s record-equalling 16th world title win or the first-ever Women’s Royal Rumble Match. You can always count on WWE to produce some special Rumble moments.
This will be the biggest Royal Rumble event of all time, with it featuring two 30-person elimination match and taking place in an outdoor stadium of sorts. So we will be expecting big things in two months’ time. After a fantastic pair of Royal Rumble matches last year and a whole bunch of options to choose from, WWE will hopefully put on another banger to kickstart the long and winding road to New York. Here are five of the likeliest options to win the 2019 Men’s Royal Rumble Match.
#5 AJ Styles
AJ Styles was the WWE champion for over a year, which means that he is viewed as a massive star in the company, one of the biggest they have. WWE has to sort out his contract details before the end of the year because he is as phenomenal as his nickname suggests and some more. Styles is a trusted figure on the roster and is incapable of having a bad match. After making his WWE debut in the 2016 Royal Rumble Match, the Phenomenal One has taken part in the WWE title match at the following two shows. This will be his first chance as a main eventer to show his worth in the Rumble.
Who would AJ Styles face: Brock Lesnar
After over two years as the main man on Smackdown, AJ could decide to have a change in surroundings and move to Raw. He could be the spearhead on the flagship show as he aims to topple the Beast in the rematch that never was. The former Champ was scheduled to face the Universal champion at Survivor Series before Daniel Bryan turned heel and won the WWE Championship from him. Styles will likely end his title feud with Bryan at TLC before venturing into open waters. However, a Rumble victory is unlikely because AJ has been in the world title scene for over a year now. It is time for some fresher faces, no matter how phenomenal the old one was.
#4 Seth Rollins
The Intercontinental champion is currently in a blood feud with his former brother, Dean Ambrose in what promises to be a dynamite program. Hopefully, the end of it sees Rollins catapulted into the main event scene where he absolutely belongs. It could be argued that the Kingslayer was the man who should have ended Brock Lesnar's 504-day long title reign at SummerSlam but anyway, he remains a strong choice to stand tall at the end of the Royal Rumble match. Since the Shield initially broke up in 2014, Rollins has entered only one Rumble match and that too, he had a Raw tag title match to take care of afterwards. So maybe 2019 could be Seth Rollins' defining Royal Rumble moment.
Who would Seth Rollins face: Brock Lesnar
As mouth-watering a clash between Seth Rollins and Daniel Bryan is, the story lies on the Red brand for the Kingslayer. He has shown open discontent on TV with Brock Lesnar's farcical Universal title reign, so maybe that is the direction WWE is heading in. Rollins is, in fact, Lesnar's rumoured opponent at WrestleMania as things stand. It would be some sight to see the rematch between these two champions. Only this time, Rollins is not a coward. The match could go in a similar way to the Beast's classics with CM Punk, AJ Styles and Daniel Bryan with the only difference being that the underdog babyface actually wins. Seth Rollins winning the Universal Championship from Lesnar at WrestleMania 35 would be poetic, considering it was him who took the WWE title off the beast at 'Mania 31 four years ago.
#3 The Miz
Even two years ago, would anyone have believed that The Miz could become a viable main event prospect and a possible contender for the WWE Championship? No. The Miz's rise has been incredible and deserves to be rewarded in some form. After his failure of a WWE title reign in 2011, it seemed like The Miz would hardly sniff the main event ever again. Now, he is more than ready to carry the belt into the main event of WrestleMania like he did that year. A Royal Rumble victory could propel him to those heights once again, with a familiar foe in sight.
Who would The Miz face: Daniel Bryan
Daniel Bryan vs The Miz was the ultimate battle between good and evil, wrestling and entertainment and it went deeper than that. The world wanted to see Bryan shut The Miz up and kick his ass. While he did not exactly do that, the tables have turned. Bryan is now the WWE Champion, having turned heel on AJ Styles. There are rumours going around that The Awesome One might be turning face to help balance the roster. With the way fans love him, this might actually be a genius move. As bizarre as this idea really is, heel Daniel Bryan vs face Miz for the WWE Championship at WrestleMania might actually work. It would be some sight to see. What a time to be alive.
#2 John Cena
John Cena, since his feud with the Authority at the end of 2014, has primarily stayed away from the main event and world title scene. Aside from his rivalry with AJ Styles for the WWE Championship and subsequent run with the title, a really short one, Cena has hardly sniffed any world title in the WWE. He still is one behind the undisputed record of seventeen world championships, so maybe he does have a part to play at the top. The Leader of the Cenation is due to return to WWE TV at the start of 2019 and will likely sink his teeth into some storyline of sorts on the road to the Rumble. It has been a while since Cena has been in a meaningful program, so maybe winning the Royal Rumble will change that.
Who would John Cena face: Daniel Bryan
Again, Daniel Bryan has become the WWE Champion and is now a villain. After AJ Styles, there are not many viable main event face challengers face the Flying Goat if we don't see any turn from The Miz or anyone else. So maybe, the WWE champion could be gearing towards a collision course with John Cena at the Grandest Stage Of Them All. It would be the ultimate battle between the hardcore fans and the casual fans, as well as a viable main event match for a huge show like this. Cena's chase to his 17th world championship has the potential to be really compelling TV, something which is always good for the build to any WWE match, let alone a match of this magnitude.
#1 Drew McIntyre
The Royal Rumble is all about making new stars, as it has done in the past. It is the perfect way to build up an up-and-coming superstar and catapult him to a main event spot on the roster. WWE has failed to do that for a long time but seemed to turn a corner last year when Shinsuke Nakamura won the 30-man Rumble. Unfortunately, though, his push was severely botched and he is languishing in the mid-card on Smackdown. The same goes for Asuka, another Rumble winner who has been disserviced by her booking. However, WWE looks to be firmly behind Drew McIntyre, as evidenced by a huge couple of months on Raw.
The Scottish Terminator has terminated Kurt Angle, embarrassing him during their match, and has looked like a killer on Monday nights. He even pinned Samoa Joe in a matter of seconds during the men's 5-on-5 Survivor Series elimination match. McIntyre is yet to be pinned since joining the main roster, which is a huge sign in his favour. He looks, talks and acts like money, so it is easy to see why WWE would want to push a man like him. As bad as WWE is in creating new stars, they deserve some credit for the steady rise of Drew McIntyre.
Who would Drew McIntyre face: Brock Lesnar/Braun Strowman
While matches against AJ Styles and Seth Rollins are exciting prospects, the most mouth-watering clash Brock Lesnar could currently have is against the Scottish Psychopath. He is huge in size, possibly bigger than the Beast. This makes him pretty much the perfect candidate to end Lesnar's reign of terror. Unless WWE finally decides to pull the trigger on Braun Strowman and they give him the big red belt at Royal Rumble after he eventually beats Lesnar. We could then see Strowman face McIntyre at WrestleMania, a real Clash of the Titans. WWE has heavily teased a feud between these two monsters before going in a somewhat different direction.
WWE has options with Drew McIntyre. That makes him such a potential great Royal Rumble winner. They could pair him up with the Beast or the Monster, or possibly an Earth-shattering triple threat. Whatever the scenario is, Drew McIntyre will come out on top and become the next major star in the WWE.
