Royal Rumble 2019: Ranking all of the matches

The WWE's first PPV of 2019, Royal Rumble, is now in the history books, and on the whole, it was a bit of a mixed night.

The event, which is always one of the most anticipated on the WWE calendar, featured both the men's and women's Royal Rumble matches, alongside 8 separate title defences.

The Rumble match, which featured one of the most bizarre Rumble finishes of all time, has split audiences, while the overall pacing of the show has also caused some division among the fanbase.

With all of that in mind, let's take a look back at the 10 matches that took place at Royal Rumble 2019 and rank them from worst to best.

#10 Chad Gable and Bobby Roode Vs Rezar and Scott Dawson

Let's face it, the Raw tag-team scene is in a bit of a mess right now.

This match felt as though it could have taken place on an episode of Main Event, and the fact that the challengers were just two randomly thrown together performers really didn't help matters that much either.

The match had next to no momentum at all, and the WWE needs to seriously take a look at what they are doing with Raw's tag-team scene very soon.

Roode and Gable are fine as champions, but they need some serious competition if they are going to help keep that division afloat.

#9 Rusev Vs Shinsuke Nakamura

Shinsuke Nakamura won his second US Championship at the Royal Rumble

The decision to have Shinsuke Nakamura win back the US Title Belt after doing absolutely nothing of note with it throughout 2018 certainly proved a baffling one, but given the fact that AEW is likely to be sniffing around the former NJPW star, it does make some sense on the WWE's part.

The match itself was fine, but the fact that these Rusev and Nakamura have been relegated to the pre-show speaks volumes about the way the WWE has booked the SmackDown mid-card scene in recent months.

Lana's involvement certainly took the wind out of the match's sails, but obviously, it was all just a part of a much bigger picture.

#8 Daniel Bryan Vs AJ Styles

Styles and Bryan couldn't keep the crowd engaged

Well, this happened.

You have to feel sorry for AJ Styles and Daniel Bryan here. The two men put on a technically efficient match but it was one that suffered severely because of its placing on the card.

With Becky Lynch having just won the Rumble, fans were exhausted after that match, and this match was not the right choice to put on after it.

The decision to have Erick Rowan come down and interfere only added to the confusion, with most fans finding the whole thing rather underwhelming.

It's time for AJ Styles to move on to something new, while Daniel Bryan and Erick Rowan can look to build what could prove to be a very interesting little faction.

#7 Shane McMahon and The Miz Vs The Bar

McMahon and The Miz won the Smackdown Tag Titles

No-one was expecting a masterpiece here, given the fact that Shane McMahon was involved in the encounter, but the four men managed to put on an entertaining match that kept the overall show's momentum going on in the first half.

Shane McMahon hitting the shooting star press was easily one of the night's best moments, and Cesaro catching him from the coast to coast also played out really well.

McMahon and The Miz are clearly heading towards a WrestleMania showdown, and the relationship between the two men continues to be one of the most strangely entertaining things in the WWE.

#6 Women's Royal Rumble Match

The inaugural Women's Royal Rumble match in 2018 was one of the most pleasant surprises of the year.

Unfortunately, the sequel was not as good as the original, as the WWE's lack of depth on the female roster became incredibly apparent.

The match featured very few surprise entrants, and while the action was good, things never really got interesting until it reached its finale.

Becky Lynch's arrival in the match was undoubtedly the highlight, and having her and Charlotte Flair close out the match was definitely the right decision.

The set-up also means that Flair has an obvious in for the WrestleMania match, given that Becky Lynch was never supposed to be an official contender.

#5 Men's Royal Rumble Match

The 2019 edition of the Men's Royal Rumble match can't hold a candle to its predecessor but it was still, for the most part, an enjoyable Rumble match.

While the surprise entrants were a little bit underwhelming, and the decision to have Nia Jax enter the Rumble at number 30 will no doubt prove divisive, this still ticked off enough of the Rumble tropes to be fairly enjoyable.

It was nice to see Aleister Black, Pete Dunne, and Johnny Gargano given a chance to shine, and while the end result felt incredibly predictable, the closing stretch between Braun Strowman and Seth Rollins was still entertaining enough.

#4 Brock Lesnar Vs Finn Balor

Brock Lesnar always has great matches against smaller opponents. Fact.

Finn Balor's long-awaited Universal Championship match didn't fail to live up to its hype, with the former NXT Champion coming straight out of the traps and taking the fight to his bigger and more dangerous opponent.

Lesnar picking up the submission finish made for a nice change as well, and the prospect of a rematch featuring the Demon a little later down the line also gives plans plenty to be excited about.

Fans have been desperate to see Finn Balor enter the Universal Championship scene for some time now, and he certainly didn't disappoint here.

#3 Buddy Murphy Vs Hideo Itami Vs Akira Tozawa Vs Kalisto

It's such a shame that the Cruiserweights were relegated to the pre-show once again last night, with these four competitors putting on what was easily one of the night's most exciting and innovative encounters.

Buddy Murphy continues to show why he is one of the most underrated wrestlers in the world again last night with what was one of his most varied and innovative performances to date, while the other three competitors all did an excellent job of showcasing their own unique in-ring styles.

It would have been nice to see Murphy given a brief run in the Rumble, and it would have been even nicer for this to have been on the main card, but regardless, these four men still took the ball and ran with it last night.

#2 Ronda Rousey Vs Sasha Banks

Ronda Rousey kept hold of her title belt

While the women's Royal Rumble match didn't have a patch on last year's, the rest of the night's action from the female roster was excellent.

The result of this match may have been one of the most predictable of the night, but that didn't stop these two women from putting on one of the night's hottest encounters.

Ronda Rousey made her debut in the WWE 12 months ago this month, and it's really quite astonishing just how quickly she has taken to the art of sports entertainment.

Sasha Banks and she worked a solid match-up, one which drew the crowd in despite its predictability and also reminded the WWE Universe of what an excellent performer Banks is as well.

While the finish was a little weak, their post-match shenanigans did an excellent job of teasing a four horsewomen showdown somewhere along the line.

#1 Becky Lynch Vs Asuka

While Becky Lynch's big moment would come later on during the Royal Rumble show, her match against Asuka to open the show was easily the highlight of the night from a wrestling point of view.

The two women put on an exhilarating opening encounter that blended their two distinctive styles well.

It set a pace that the rest of the night failed to live up to, and the finish, despite having Lynch tap, was still very nicely executed by the two women.

Asuka is finally being made to look like the Superstar she should have been 12 months ago, and here's hoping her run extends long into the year.

A WWE Hall of Famer called out AEW fans HERE