WWE Royal Rumble 2020: 5 Championship matches that could take place

With the final pay-per-view for 2019 done and dusted, we are ready to move into the new year, and decade, with fresh optimism as the Royal Rumble season approaches.

At TLC, a grand total of zero singles titles were defended while, bizarrely, every Tag Team Championship was on the line. This was a surprising turn of events for a company that has neglected tag team wrestling for a while now. However, it seems like the top championships will not stay intact for another month.

It is likely that every major world championship, male and female, will be defended at the upcoming Royal Rumble pay-per-view. So, with the events of TLC fresh in the mind, here are five title matches that could possibly happen at WWE Royal Rumble 2020.

#5 Bayley vs Lacey Evans (SmackDown Women's Championship)

This match seemed likely to take place at TLC, but WWE decided that there was not enough build-up to warrant a Bayley vs Lacey Evans match on the show. Strange, really. But it looks like the feud will drag on for another month and a half. Evans has had a couple of run-ins with Sasha Banks in particular, who she may likely defeat to earn a title match.

The Sassy Southern Belle is the lead babyface in the SmackDown women's division by default, as the likes of Dana Brooke and Carmella do not share the same demeanor and aura that she possesses. This is a testament to the success of the former NXT Superstar, who debuted on the main roster at the start of the year.

Bayley and Evans will probably have a decent match on the undercard of the pay-per-view, one that will serve as a gateway towards the eventual feud that WWE might be building for WrestleMania - between Bayley and Banks.

#4 The New Day vs The Revival vs Robert Roode and Dolph Ziggler vs Shorty G and Mustafa Ali (SmackDown Tag Team Championship)

This brawl involving SmackDown Superstars ended TLC

TLC (officially) began with an excellent ladder match for the SmackDown Tag Team Championship between the New Day and the Revival, with the babyfaces coming out on top. Later in the night, Scott Dawson and Dash Wilder came out to help King Corbin pick up the victory over Roman Reigns.

The two, along with Dolph Ziggler, stood tall after the match and there were no signs of any babyface coming to the Big Dog's aid.

However, a mass brawl ensued between the heels and various babyfaces on SmackDown later in the show. The New Day and Shorty G were among the faces in the sea of conflicting humanity.

Robert Roode is currently suspended, while Mustafa Ali is in Chicago right now. Otherwise, we would have likely seen those two added to the mix as well.

This brawl even ended TLC, so it is a possibility that the Superstars involved, Reigns and Corbin excluded, could all compete in a Four Corners Tag Title match at Royal Rumble, possibly on the Kickoff Show.

It could be a fun precursor to the carnage of the Royal Rumble matches, with some of the participants entering the Rumble as well, particularly Kofi Kingston.

#3 Brock Lesnar vs Kevin Owens vs Seth Rollins (WWE Championship)

These two might get involved in the WWE Championship picture

There seems like a lack of genuine babyface contenders who could step up and challenge Brock Lesnar for the WWE Championship. While Randy Orton is an interesting option, it has already been done before. Aside from him, the biggest good guy star on RAW is Kevin Owens.

However, he is currently in a feud with Seth Rollins, who turned heel just a week ago. This problem can be solved by booking both of them in a triple threat match with Lesnar.

WWE generally doesn't book non-title grudge matches at Royal Rumble so this is a real possibility. Owens is the best candidate to face the Beast for the WWE Title and while it should happen at WrestleMania, the company is likely booking Lesnar against Tyson Fury at the Show of Shows.

Rollins also has unfinished business (of sorts) with the world title scene, having not received his rematch since losing the Universal Championship to 'The Fiend' at Crown Jewel.

Lesnar would work extremely well alongside Rollins and Owens, both of whom are fantastic wrestlers. This is certainly a marquee WWE Championship match which could feasibly be saved for 'Mania, but let us just give The Beast the best possible match he could have at the Royal Rumble.

#2 Becky Lynch vs Asuka (RAW Women's Championship)

The TLC main event for the WWE Women's Tag Team Championships did not deliver as expected, possibly due to some communication errors following a nasty concussion to Kairi Sane mid-way through the match. However, it did end on a positive note. Asuka climbed up the ladder and unhooked the titles for the Kabuki Warriors, claiming a victory over Becky Lynch and Charlotte Flair.

This would state that the Empress of Tomorrow is next in line for a RAW Women's Championship match. The RAW Women's title has not been defended for a couple of months now, with The Man being wrapped up in other things and the Red brand's women's division not having enough depth.

But now, the build-up has begun for a Royal Rumble rematch from last year wherein Lynch opened the pay-per-view against Asuka, then SmackDown Women's Champion, in a losing effort.

Hopefully, the two are allowed to go to such lengths again and match their effort from this year. It appears extremely likely with a clear hero and a clear villain this time around.

This is one top-tier women's match that the WWE could not go wrong with, especially after the struggles of the past two all-female pay-per-view main events.

#1 'The Fiend' Bray Wyatt vs Daniel Bryan (Universal Championship)

The most interesting thing to come out of TLC was the aftermath of the Miz vs Bray Wyatt match. After an uneventful victory for the host of the Firefly Funhouse, Daniel Bryan made his return and attacked him, after being taken down by 'The Fiend' and having his hair ripped out some time ago. He returned with his 'American Dragon' look from the beginning of the decade.

For a man who has spent most of the decade, bar his retirement haircut, growing his hair and beard out, Bryan sure does have a lot of commitment to his character and storylines. The change in look was a shock to the system, but a pleasant one at that.

WWE has done a great job of telling this story so far. So, the weeks leading up to Royal Rumble should be very interesting for the story between Bryan and Wyatt, with both men in the top-tier of storytelling. This match could very well be a classic, or at least Wyatt's best match as 'The Fiend'.

While the match may be predictable, the world-class abilities of the leader of the 'Yes! Movement' would make the WWE Universe believe that he could pull it off.

With a stellar list of potential matches like this, Royal Rumble could kick 2020 off with a real bang.

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Edited by Anurag Sharma