Royal Rumble 2019: 5 things we learned from the event

Another Royal Rumble comes to an end after countless predictions and speculations. Even though we had secretly already decided who we’d want to see as the winner of each match, each one of us was ready for a surprise or two.

Even though not many surprises were thrown our way during the event, there were still some moments which did leave us shocked for a moment or two.

Bobby Roode & Chad Gable defeated Rezar & Scott Dawson via pinfall in a non-title match which was a puzzling booking and did not help build up any of the superstars involved.

Daniel Bryan retained the WWE Championship through the interference of an unlikely superstar which was even more puzzling that than the tag team match mentioned above.

Overall, Royal Rumble was quite a good event which gave fans more or less what they wanted to see and sent at least half the WWE Universe home happy.

Check out five things we learned from this year’s event, and share your favorite moments in the comments section below!

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#5 Shinsuke Nakamura’s unclean wins will continue

The kickoff show saw the United States Championship defended by Rusev against none other than the former champion Shinsuke Nakamura.

It could have been one of the best matches of the night as it again involved two of the best competitors in the company today. However, that was not the case.

WWE has played the wife/girlfriend/manager interference card for a long time, and this match had a similar angle where Rusev once again lost thanks to a distraction by his wife.

It’s extremely unfortunate to watch Rusev lose matches in such a manner, and also watch such an incredible performer like Nakamura win in such a manner which has greatly impacted the image of both superstars.

Whether it’s the threat of losing superstars like Nakamura and Rusev to AEW, or something else, but WWE needs to ensure that Nakamura starts winning convincingly like some other heels like Randy Orton and Drew McIntyre to become a real threat and a real champion.

#4 The SmackDown Tag Team titles could head Raw’s way

Raw has somehow managed to get its Tag Team division in the worst tangle possible after WrestleMania 34. They have not found a way around it and have been tossing the belts around to part-time teams to make them relevant rather than crown convincing champions.

During the pre-show, we watched an awkward match between the current Raw Tag Team champions and the unlikely team of Scott Dawson and Rezar. Why WWE decided to book such a match is actually beyond us.

Similarly, the SmackDown Tag Team champions could be in jeopardy now that they are with a new makeshift team. The Bar defended the titles against Shane McMahon and The Miz and at the Rumble and lost them, which is surely a questionable move.

It seems as though the titles have been put on Mr. Awesome and Mr. Best-in-the-World just to further their story line, rather than add flavor to the tag team division.

Where WWE plans to head with this is yet to be seen, but we sure hope it isn’t in the same direction as the Raw Tag Team Championships.

#3 Asuka could finally get the buildup she deserves

Asuka beating Becky Lynch convincingly was the right direction to go. After losing to Charlotte Flair at WrestleMania 34, Asuka had fallen down the ranks on SmackDown, and got in needless feuds just to stay relevant.

After winning the SmackDown Women’s Championship at TLC 2018, Asuka seems to have finally reignited the fire within her.

This was obvious during her battle with Lynch, as she was as good as any other wrestler in WWE during the match and was dominating the crowd favorite for most of the match.

A clean and decisive victory will help her image and value as she goes forward towards new feuds which will surely involve Charlotte again.

If the WWE is actually focusing on building the women’s division, then mixing it up at the Rumble was the perfect thing to do and they did just that.

#2 Davids bring the best out of the Goliath

We have seen Brock Lesnar battle monsters and men in the past. While he has managed to slay monsters like Braun Strowman, Big Show and Kane with ease, he has had some trouble slaying the men.

In fact, some men such as Kurt Angle and Eddie Guerrero have even beaten him and stood tall at the end of extremely physical matches.

Last night was no different, as the Goliath, Brock Lesnar, came face to face with Finn Balor. A match that lasted around eight minutes saw the ordinary man dominate the Goliath for extended periods of time, something which we have seen in the past.

Just like AJ Styles and Daniel Bryan have given Brock some competitive matches in the past few years, Balor too gave Lesnar one of the best matches of his current tenure with the company.

Even though Balor winning the match would have sent the WWE Universe happy knowing that the Universal Championship is in good hands now, the match itself was something better than what we have usually seen from The Beast.

#1 WWE gave the fans what they wanted.

What would have been the point if Charlotte would have won the Women’s Royal Rumble match? She has gotten countless title matches and can get another one whenever she wants to.

What would have been the point if Braun Strowman would have won the Men’s Royal Rumble? He has gotten his chances and has failed to perform when the time has arrived a few times already.

The fans had already decided who they wanted to see as the winners of both the Royal Rumbles and WWE did not pull off any surprises there as it gave fans exactly what they wanted.

Becky Lynch and Seth Rollins winning their respective Royal Rumble matches means that the WrestleMania 35 matches will already be great and will give us a couple of dream matches at least.

Regardless of who the two superstars challenge at the Mania, we can rest assured that the matches will be spectacular!