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It's almost time for the Royal Rumble
Not only does the "big four" pay per view serve as the starting point to the Road to WrestleMania, it is also one of the few times of the year that WWE shakes everything up and finally reveals their hand heading into the biggest show of the year. If nothing else, it is a magical time of year and its a huge chance for WWE to make up for their lackluster booking over the past few months.
With that being said and the marquee event only a short time away, what does WWE need to do in order to ensure that the pay per view is a success? Furthermore, what does the company need to do in order to make sure they put themselves in the absolute best position possible heading into WrestleMania 35?
Whether WWE actually manages to do that remains to be seen and will be highly dependent on the booking decisions they make over the course of the next few weeks, but here are six things they must do at The Royal Rumble. As always, let us know your thoughts in the comments below and also tell us what you think WWE needs to do at The Rumble.
#6 Put Bray Wyatt in The Royal Rumble
Where is The Eater of Worlds?
The original expectation was that he would be returning after TLC, but that still hasn't happened yet. Interestingly enough, there are rumors that Bray Wyatt is undergoing some kind of significant character change behind the scenes and will will be someone completely different when he does resurface.
While debuting him on Raw and Smackdown Live would be fine, especially the night following the Royal Rumble, it seems to make sense for him to just be a participant in the Royal Rumble match. At least that way, WWE can make it sort of a surprise and maybe even succeed in giving him a dancing partner going forward.
Maybe WWE can even have Luke Harper, Erik Rowan and Bray Wyatt appear as a group and have them run roughshod over the rest of the participants. Of course some might think that would just be a drum up of Wyatt's previous persona, but if they shape the group as more of a Shield like babyface group, it could end up working.
#5 Have Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn work together in the Royal Rumble
Two heads are better than one!
Some rumors are claiming that Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn will be surprise entrants in the 2019, Royal Rumble and while it would be nice to see WWE renew their rivalry, it would be much more fun to watch them work together. Beyond that, it would be a compelling story to watch unfold throughout the match and could result in something bigger later on.
Of course Owens and Zayn probably won't win the Royal Rumble, but watching them come close to achieving the monumental goal would be a great way to reinsert them onto the main roster. It also goes off of their previous storylines of the two working together, which is something else WWE can play with as time goes on.
In the end, Zayn and Owens are big names on Raw and WWE needs to do as much as possible to make sure they shine. With that being said and the Royal Rumble match needing a few compelling stories in order to keep the match flowing, why not have these two work together for awhile to get ahead?
#4 Have Ronda Rousey lose The Raw Women's Championship
Its time!
Ronda Rousey's historic run with the Raw Women's title can't last forever, and with rumors of her moving to Smackdown Live after WrestleMania, it seems the time has come for Rousey to surrender the title. Not only does this free Rousey up to be moved to Smackdown Live, it also sets up the future of the Raw Women's division as well.
Who WWE ultimately decides to put the title on and how they ultimately decide to do it is up to them, but one would have to think it would involve Becky Lynch somehow. In fact, with how Rousey screwed Charlotte Flair and Becky Lynch out of the Smackdown Live Women's Championship, one would have to think that the two would be out for revenge.
In the end, it would be the absolute perfect way to set something up between the three at WrestleMania 35 and it would also help to make things extremely personal in the process. If nothing else, that's exactly the kind of feel WWE needs for this feud if its going to be main event worthy and this is probably the best way to do that.
#3 Put The Universal title on Braun Strowman
While putting the Universal title on Braun Strowman might sound like a horrible idea, especially with his nagging injuries, it is a move that would put WWE in the perfect position heading into WrestleMania 35. In fact, it would be a move that benefits everyone and finally gives fans a new Universal Champion.
Furthermore, WWE could just insert Lesnar into the title picture after he loses at Royal Rumble, which could set up a triple threat match at WrestleMania 35 between Lesnar, Strowman, and maybe Rollins.
Not only would that allow Seth Rollins to win the match without Lesnar taking the pinfall, it would also create a chaotic situation that fans would probably enjoy. Beyond all that, it would be a a cool way to make Seth Rollins the underdog in the match and make his eventual title victory all the more sweeter.
#2 Have The Undertaker cost AJ Styles the WWE Championship
You don't put your hands on Vince McMahon and get away with it.
Unfortunately for AJ Styles, that is a lesson he now must learn after nailing McMahon in the face with a forearm during a taped segment on Smackdown Live. Not only was the backstage segment a huge surprise, especially given the fact that Styles was still in the title picture, it made some wonder what would be next for The Phenomenal One.
With that being said, and Vince McMahon unleashing The Undertaker on his own son at WrestleMania 33, its very likely that WWE wants to do the same with AJ Styles. Interestingly enough, there are already rumors of a Styles versus Undertaker match at WrestleMania 35, which only makes this idea that much more intriguing.
In all honesty, the best way to set up this match would be for The Undertaker to cost AJ Styles his chance at winning back the title and then laying him out with a Tombstone for good measure. McMahon can later admit that he was behind the attack and that The Undertaker will be Styles' opponent at WrestleMania 35.
#1 Have Seth Rollins with the Royal Rumble
Seth Rollins has to get into the Universal title picture somehow between now and WrestleMania 35, and what better way to do that than to have him win the 2019 Royal Rumble? Beyond all that, it also allows WWE to continue to play with this Triple H versus Seth Rollins storyline, which has been grabbing a lot of eyeballs lately.
Maybe WWE can even have Triple H mandate that Rollins is the first entrant into the match, which would really help shape him as the ultimate underdog. WWE could also have Triple H try to screw Rollins out of the huge victory multiple times and maybe even enter the match himself to take on The Kingslayer.
In the end, Rollins needs to win Royal Rumble and he needs to go on to WrestleMania 35 and win the Universal title. There is no one on Monday Night Raw that even comes close to Rollins performance wise right now and the company would be foolish not to capitalize on that.
