By Array on Jan 28, 2019 09:44 am
It's that time of year once again. The road to Wrestlemania has begun as the WWE's first pay-per-view of the year, the Royal Rumble, has arrived. This is the show that sets the stage for WWE's biggest show of them all, as contenders for world titles set decided. Who's going to Wrestlemania? It's a question GameSpot's resident wrestling nerds--Mat Elfring, Chris E. Hayner, and Kevin Wong--are here to answer. Of course, we also have many, many thoughts about this year's Royal Rumble, for better or worse. Take a look at the match results, as well as our thoughts about every single match on the show. Yes, even that weird Raw Tag Team Championships bout that made no sense. Royal Rumble 2019 match card: - Roode & Gable vs. Scott Dawson and Rezar (Raw Tag Team Championships: KICKOFF SHOW)
- Buddy Murphy (c) vs. Akira Tozawa vs. Kalisto vs. Hideo Itami (Cruiserweight Championship: KICKOFF SHOW)
- Rusev (c) vs. Shinsuke Nakamura (United States Championship: KICKOFF SHOW)
- The Bar (c) vs. The Miz & Shane McMahon (Smackdown Tag Team Championship)
- Asuka (c) vs. Becky Lynch (Smackdown Women's Championship)
- Ronda Rousey (c) vs. Sasha Banks (Raw Women's Championship)
- Women's Royal Rumble
- Men's Royal Rumble
- Daniel Bryan (c) vs. AJ Styles (WWE Championship)
- Brock Lesnar (c) vs. Finn Balor (Universal Championship)
Take a look at the full match card above, and don't miss our detailed results from the Royal Rumble, plus the most shocking eliminations in Royal Rumble history.
Roode & Gable (c) vs. Rezar & Scott Dawson (Raw Tag Team Championships)
Winners: Roode & Gable Well then, no one knew this match happening, and the teaming of Rezar and Scott Dawson is truly bizarre. From the moment the competitors came to the ring, this felt like filler, which is weird since it's the first match on the Kickoff Show. Because there's nothing behind the match, it has the excitement and storytelling of an undercard bout on Sunday Night Heat. If you wonder why Raw's tag division is failing, it's because of booking like this. This match was mediocre, predictable, and nothing more than a pee break. 3/10
-- Mat Elfring This is bad. And pointless. And why are Rezar and Dawson teaming? And why is this taking up airtime? I get wanting to have some kind of match happening as the arena fills up to keep people busy, but is this the first impression you want to make to a stadium filled with people? Is this Royal Rumble Kickoff or an episode of WWF Jakked from 1999? Literally everyone involved, and the tag partners left on the sideline, deserve better than this. Raw's tag division is in bad shape. 1.5/10
-- Chris E. Hayner That was baffling. Why are Dawson and Rezar teaming, and why should we care? What makes The Revival and The Authors of Pain work is their teamwork; one guy distracts the ref, the other thumbs the opponent's eye. They do power moves, side-by-side. This match had no coordinated spots because it was thrown together at the last minute (literally; this was unannounced prior to the Kickoff Show). This is a terrible way to "kick off" the show. 3/10
-- Kevin Wong
Rusev (c) vs. Shinsuke Nakamura (United States Championship)
Winner: Shinsuke Nakamura You know how to get me really excited about Nakamura/Rusev on the Kickoff Show? Have it follow a pointless Raw Tag Team Championship match. My only question is, "Who is the babyface here?" Is it Nakamura or Rusev? Actually, does that even matter, since their styles are so different in the ring? While the match itself is fun to watch, there are so many close call two counts. Everything is almost a three count. Very quickly, however, the match turned into a "powerhouse vs. technician" match, which worked extremely well for the storytelling here. Of course, nothing can really go to plan when you have Lana hanging on the outside of the ring, and it ends up costing Rusev his title. It was fine. This match was a little better than I expected it to be, considering the story behind these two fighting was non-existent. However, I feel much better living in United States of Nakamerica than having Rusev as champ right now. 5.5/10
-- Mat Elfring Rusev and Nakamura are two very interesting and very similar superstars. They both got over huge with audiences to the point where you might expect them to be in the world title picture--and at least one of them should be. However, they seem to be toiling in the midcard and now, one year after winning the Royal Rumble, Nakamura is on the kickoff show. Their feud has been pretty boring, with no real fire to keep it going other than Shinsuke wanting his title back. That said, even without an engaging feud driving this match, these two men delivered a pretty good match--certainly one that could have been great with a few more minutes to play out and a spot on the main show. Giving Nakamura back the title is fine, but doesn't really do him any favors. He should be in the main event, tangling with Daniel Bryan over the WWE Championship. 5/10
-- Chris E. Hayner Considering that these two have no real, personal reason to fight beyond the title itself, this was a good match from both performers; it was well-paced with solid, "real"-looking moves. Nakamura is United States champion again, which is great. But damn, what a fall from grace to go from winning the Royal Rumble to fighting on the pre-show the following year. Also, I remember when Lana used to be an essential part of Rusev's schtick. She was a sharp-tongued, cool strategist, the only one who could control Rusev and get him to release his Accolade finisher. Now, she serves little purpose other than to wince at the high spots and fall off the apron. She used to be more clever than this. 6/10
-- Kevin Wong
Buddy Murphy (c) vs. Kalisto vs. Akira Tozawa vs. Hideo Itami (Cruiserweight Championship)
Winner: Buddy Murphy Time for the cruiserweights, and if you've been paying attention to their matches in the past, then you know the potential is there this one to be a showstealer. These four competitors are delivering some fantastic high spots, and they know how to get the crowd riled up. The spot where everyone kept kicking Hideo in the face was awesome, and it got a good chuckle out of me. From start to finish, this was the perfect lead-in to the Royal Rumble to get the crowd going. While the final outcome wasn't what I was hoping for, this was still an awesome match. 8/10
-- Mat Elfring This match was every bit as good as you would want it to be. The action was fast-paced, there were some nice high-flying moves tossed in, and all four men threw everything they had at each other. The pseudo superkick party at the end was very entertaining and a nice way to get the crowd pumped for the end of the match. Meanwhile, Kalisto's vicious hurricanranas were terrifying and cool. It's hard to argue against Buddy Murphy retaining, as he's been a good cruiserweight champion. However, this would have been a great chance to spotlight Hideo Itami, who has yet to hold WWE gold even though he's one of the most talented cruiserweights on the planet. However, commentators made a point of mentioning the conflict between Murphy and Itami, so here's hoping for a one-on-one Wrestlemania match. 8/10
-- Chris E. Hayner Unbelievable athleticism for an unappreciative audience. There was a dangerous circus spot near the beginning of the match, where Kalisto dove between Itami's legs, through the middle ropes, and took out Tozawa and Murphy at the same time. It put at least three of their lives at undue risk, and the audience barely responded. The same was true for a headfirst suicide dive by Tozawa. Thankfully, the audience woke up for the last three minutes gave the match (some) of its due. Every performer in this match shone brightly. It's a crime that this was left off the main card. 8/10
-- Kevin Wong
Asuka (c) vs. Becky Lynch (Smackdown Women's Championship)
Winner: Asuka Normally, I'd be furious that Becky is on early, but I want her to win the Royal Rumble, so this makes sense. Well, I want her to win the women's and men's Rumble matches, but I think only one of those will actually happen. When you see women's matches on the card, you want them to be this good. This match made both of them look like fierce competitors, and most importantly, it kept Asuka as champion. Even though I love Lynch, she needed to lose this one--so she can win the Rumble. Regardless of booking, these two put on an amazing match, and we'll be talking about this one the rest of the year. 9/10
-- Mat Elfring If Becky's match is on first because she's going to be in the Rumble later, she's certainly not taking it easy and conserving her energy. One of the things I love about a Becky match is she can acclimate to her opponent's style--something many in the women's division can do. She can have a very serious technical match with Charlotte Flair, and an incredibly rough brawl with a striker like Asuka. These two are spending the match beating the hell out of each other and it shows just how competitive this division can be. This match was fantastic, aside from one scary looking spot that saw Asuka dumping Becky on the outside of the ring. Thankfully, neither seemed to be phased by it and continued to deliver on what's already a contender for match of the night. Asuka won but both of these women just proved why they're better than practically anyone else on the roster. 9.5/10
-- Chris E. Hayner What really stood out to me while watching this match was how "off-script" these two women were. They were way out of their comfort zone, performing moves that we don't usually get to see. There was a Tarantula/Asuka lock in the ropes. There was a frightening suplex off the apron to the floor. The finish of the match, filled with reversals and reversals of the reversals, ended with an inverted, bridging Asuka Lock (at least, that's what I'm going to call it). They knew this was a special important moment in the larger picture of the women's division, and they absolutely delivered it. 9/10
-- Kevin Wong
The Bar (c) vs. The Miz & Shane McMahon (Smackdown Tag Team Championship)
Winners: The Miz & Shane McMahon I sure do love the Miz, but I am not a Shane McMahon fan. It's a nostalgia act featuring "I'm about to die" spots, and that just doesn't rev my engines. It's one of the few times where I wanted a match to be over. I'm not a fan of the outcome either. I don't like the two as champions. It further hurts the division. Anyway, as for the match itself, it was mediocre up until the shooting star press, which was a cool move to see again in the ring. Regardless of that, there was nothing here that really stood out in the match. 3.5/10
-- Mat Elfring I don't hate the idea of this match, I just don't understand it. After Shane McMahon won the WWE World Cup, it seemed like he was primed to go on a heel run. Instead, he's wound up in this makeshift tag team with The Miz, who deserves so much more than he's given by WWE. Yes, it keeps Miz with a storyline that includes a top talent--they definitely consider Shane a top talent--but it's wasting him. This guy should be in the world title picture, not teaming with Shane O'Mac for some reason. As for the match, Miz bumped all over the place and Shane got in his typical offense, which isn't any more intimidating now than it was in 1998. Meanwhile, The Bar's run as champions is at a serious low point because there's simply nobody else to have them face on Smackdown. Bonus points to Shane McMahon for looking even sillier during the Cesaro swing as he spent the entire time trying to keep hit shows from flying up. However, a billion points taken away for whoever thought Shane and Miz winning the tag titles was a good idea. 2/10
-- Chris E. Hayner I don't buy this entire Shane/Miz premise. It feels like the entire storyline was reverse engineered to Give Something For Shane To Do as we head into Wrestlemania season. It doesn't say much for the competitiveness of Smackdown's tag division that this match is happening, nor does it look good that Shane is getting the hot tag, laying out both Sheamus and Cesaro with his cartoony Attitude Era punches. It was a decent match, with thrilling high spots, in a self-contained bubble. It's an awful burial of the tag division in a bigger context. Poor Cesaro and Sheamus. These two lost to the formidable team of Braun Strowman and Nicholas at WrestleMania 34. What further indignities await them at WrestleMania 35? 5/10
-- Kevin Wong
Ronda Rousey (c) vs. Sasha Banks (Raw Women's Championship)
Winner: Ronda Rousey There are two ways to play this match off. You can have Rousey dominate or put her in the hope spot by having Banks put up a really good fight. Creative chose the latter and it worked. Ignoring the green moments from Rousey, she continues to put on entertaining matches, although Banks pulled a good amount of weight during the match. While the outcome was extremely predictable, it raised Banks' stock. She looks like she should be in the championship picture. Once again, Rousey has a great match with a great competitor to cement her legacy, up until she loses the title at Wrestlemania to Becky Lynch. 8/10
-- Mat Elfring Well, at least this wasn't a Rousey squash. We, the fans, know Sasha Banks is one of the absolute best in-ring performers. Now Ronda's character knows it too. It's rare these days that Sasha gets to show just how good a professional wrestler she is, since she's been largely removed from the Women's Championship picture over the last year. However, this match may very well have been Rousey's best yet and Banks is the biggest piece of that puzzle. Ronda won but both looked like stars in the end. 8/10
-- Chris E. Hayner One of the underrated parts of Rousey's prodigal rise in WWE is her selling ability. Rousey is an Olympian; she's in the 99.999 percentile of athletes in the world, and yet, she and Banks put on a competitive, believable match—not because Banks outmuscled Rousey, but because Banks worked smart, and because Rousey sold consistently. It all started when Rousey missed a punch on the outside and slammed her fist directly into the ring post. For the rest of the match, Sasha worked that hand, and made what seemed like a foregone conclusion into a potential upset. Kudos to both women. 8.5/10
-- Kevin Wong
Women's Royal Rumble
Winner: Becky Lynch Excitement for this bout aside, this started off exceptionally slow with plenty of blunders. Now, no Royal Rumble match is supposed to move at breakneck speed but what happens in the ring should be smooth and there should always be action in the ring. This was not the case for roughly the first third of the event. There were sloppy spots and times where nothing was happening. As the event moved on, things got smoother and overall, the event was a lot more fun. Let's say that started after the dumb "hat spot" between Maria and Alicia. As things progressed, the final five were exactly who we wanted to see, and even more so for the final two. Charlotte/Becky was the perfect way to close out their story together. The battle between the two was perfect. Best Moments: - Becky getting injured and making it back into the ring
- Nikki Cross adding some flavor to what had been a dull match to that point.
- Billie Kay waiting for Peyton Royce to come into the ring.Zelina Vega's entrance outfit.
- No legends. As fun as they're great to see, WWE focussed on the future of the company with NXT additions this year.
Worst Moments: - The Alicia/Maria hat bit
- Numerous times where people were laying around and there was NO in-ring action.
- No Chelsea "Hot Mess" Green.
- The opening chunk of the match was not good and full of botches.
-- Mat Elfring 7.5/10 The first-ever women's Royal Rumble match was a cool and historic moment. It was filled with legends and plenty of feel-good moments. This one, though, blew it out of the water. In fact, I dare say it's one of the best Royal Rumble matches, men or women, we've ever seen. There was plenty of drama, some really nice NXT introductions--the world deserves something as pure and good as Kacy Catanzaro, the wrestler--and plenty of drama that had my eyes blud to the screen the entire time. And in the end, Becky did it. Becky Lynch is going to Wrestlemania and nothing else matters. Best moments: - Candice LeRae introducing Zelina Vega to her patented Violence Party, which she learned from Super Dragon.
- Literally everything the Iiconics did.
- Kacy Catanzaro and Naomi's creative ways of staying in the match.
- Nikki Cross coming to play.
- Becky Lynch getting the spotlight she deserves.
Worst moments: - Maria Kanellis being in the match in general. She's not particularly known for her wrestling ability and stuck out like a sore thumb
- Maria and Alicia's hat fight, which was an utterly pointless waste of time.
- Some early parts of the match were a little sloppy.
-- Chris E. Hayner 8.5/10 Sloppy at times, with too many mistimed spots. But here's what counts; there was never a prolonged period where this match was not engaging or fun, in some way. And the finish, with Bayley finding her grit, Nia getting her comeuppance, Charlotte losing her cool, and Becky Balboa overcoming the odds, was WWE storytelling at its best. Best moments: - Lacey Evans gave a great opening promo to kick things off. She's a Southerner. She's a snob. I'm here for it.
- Ember Moon selling like Ric Flair. She was completely selfless tonight, and spent most of her time in the Rumble flopping around, making everyone else look like a million dollars.
- Nikki Cross charging in like a bull and giving the Rumble a much-needed shot of adrenaline
- Sonya Deville continues to look like a champion in the making.
- Alexa Bliss returning to in-ring competition.
- Mighty Kacy with the handstand hero save.
- Becky with the 11th-hour entry into the Rumble, taking an injured Lana's place.
- The final two. Charlotte vs. Becky has been the best feud of the past 12 months. No contest.
Worst moments: - That extremely bizarre Alicia Fox comedy bit with the hat.
- The botches that comprised the middle third of the match. One of the best things about this year's Rumble is that instead of featuring veterans, they chose to highlight new talent. The drawback was that there were several performers who didn't look ready for primetime.
-- Kevin Wong 8/10
Daniel Bryan (c) vs. AJ Styles (WWE Championship)
Winner: Daniel Bryan I made sure to consume no animal products while watching this match, in honor of Daniel Bryan. Match placement is important, and a bout this important shouldn't really follow a Rumble match. This would be a much better spot for a short and sweet Tag Team Championship match. Regardless, here we are, and although the crowd is dead, still riding the high from the Women's Royal Rumble, this really is a great match. Wrestling fatigue aside--we have two matches left?!--Bryan is working his new gimmick as a heel perfectly. He's slower moving and brutal when it comes to working Styles' limbs. The ending was completely out of the ordinary, but I liked it and it's only going to add to Bryan's story. This is a match you'll want to watch again, on its own, when it's not following a Rumble match. -- Mat Elfring
8/10 This match was great, but the crowd was absolutely dead. After all, can you blame them with this following the women's Royal Rumble? Still, we all know Bryan and Styles can have great matches and this was yet another one. Bryan is slow and maniacal about everything he does and his methodical dismantling of Styles was exciting to watch. Styles, for his part, gave just as good as he got and had the champion close to defeat multiple times. The real wild card was the addition of Erick Rowan as an ally of Bryans who also helped him secure the win. This new wrinkle to Bryan's gimmick is intriguing but has me wondering if this means the Bludgeon Brothers are dead and buried. -- Chris E. Hayner
8/10 I don't envy the wrestlers who have to immediately follow The Man's Rumble win. Inexplicably, this dream WWE Championship match between Daniel Bryan and AJ Styles served as the cooldown match to the women's Rumble. The biggest pop was for the Yes Kicks, which, if we go by WWE logic, shouldn't be cheered for in the first place. None of this, however, is the performers' faults. At least Rowan came in at the end and spiced things up a bit. For years, that man's mask has been more over than him. Maybe this can be the start of something better. -- Kevin Wong
7/10
Brock Lesnar (c) vs. Finn Balor (Universal Championship)
Winner: Brock Lesnar There were a couple of moments where I almost thought, "Oh man. Balor is going to win this." Almost. We all knew what was going to happen here. But just why is WWE waiting until Wrestlemania for Lesnar to lose the belt? Who the hell knows? This was boring, and there were no surprises. Somehow, Lesnar retains the title he defends like four times a year. I hate this. -- Mat Elfring 3/10 (All three points are awarded to Balor. None to Lesnar) It's been 17 years since the 2019 Royal Rumble began. We've all been through a lot together, for better or worse. By worse, I mean, of course, Brock Lesnar is still Universal Champion. See you again in April, Brock! Kudos to the champ for at least making Finn look good in grisly defeat. Balor for in a lot more offense than I expected. I'll also say thanks to WWE for not having Balor go full-demon for this match, as watching Brock crush that piece of Finn's personality would have been pointless and sad. -- Chris E. Hayner 4/10 Brock never really had a chance of losing this, ever. If Vince wants him in the title picture of Wrestlemania, then that's where he's going to be. It's also become clear that Brock's best matches are against people significantly smaller than him. His recent matches against Samoa Joe and Braun Strowman were dull plodding affairs with little chemistry. But these David vs. Goliath fights against AJ Styles, Daniel Bryan, and now, Finn Balor, have been late-career highlights for The Beast. He also pulled out some early '00s moves like that shoulder ram in the corner. Brock would be a lot less boring if he just mixed things up a little more. The "Suplex City" meme was the worst thing to happen to him. -- Kevin Wong 7/10
Men's Royal Rumble
Winner: Seth Rollins Eternity anywhere is hell, and as much as I love wrestling, I feel like I'm trapped in hell. This match happens to be my favorite one of the year, but this was a very long show, and I am very tired. Trying to stay awake and enjoy the show for what it was, the Royal Rumble match did have a lot of great moments, and overall, it was a lot of fun. Compared to the women's match, this one felt a bit smoother and the one comedy spot the men had wasn't weird and awkward. There weren't as many botches spots either and there was a little more in-ring storytelling. Both Rumble matches were a ton of fun, but this one was just a tiny bit better. It was nice to see Rollins get the win as Strowman's time has come and gone, and I'd personally rather see him against Lesnar at the big show. Best Moments: - Curt Hawkins got an elimination.
- Mustafa Ali eliminating Samoa Joe.
- The surprise entrants were more NXT stars over Hall of Famers or Legends.
- Nia Jax replacing R-Truth and causing trouble in the Men's Royal Rumble match was a fun moment. I'm just happy to see a woman in the men's Rumble match again.
Worst Moments: - Jeff Jarrett. I hate Jeff Jarrett and that segment went on forever.
- I missed Johnny Gargano getting eliminated because I was updating the live results.
-- Mat Elfring 7.75/10 I am so tired. This Rumble has been on my TV for 39 days and there hasn't been a single break. Honestly, these marathon shows are too much. Wrestlemania runs 7 hours long, including the kickoff show. Royal Rumble doesn't need that length. Especially with throwaway matches like whatever that Raw Tag Team Championships nonsense was. When the show runs this long, matches lat in the evening lose importance. This match was fine, though weak compared to the women's Rumble. The Double J cameo would have been fun if the show weren't so long. Best Moments: - The NXT appearances were great.
- Andrade's impressive performance shows that WWE truly thinks he's something special. And he is.
- Dolph Ziggler got to play a meaningful role in something!
- Seth deserved the win.
Worst Moments: - The Nia Jax appearance just added more time to a very long show.
- Same goes with the Elias/Jeff Jarrett bit.
-- Chris E. Hayner 7/10 It's nearly midnight in New York. This was a very long show, and perhaps, the final men's Rumble suffered for it. There were no real surprises this year, and like with the women's Rumble, WWE focused on the NXT up-and-comers instead of the Legends. That's probably a smart move in the long run. The WWE men's division feels like it's in a rebuilding phase; their top guy is out sick with leukemia. Some of their biggest stars, like AJ Styles and Daniel Bryan, aren't getting any younger and need to pass the torch. Rollins and Braun are good representatives of the future, and appropriately, they were the final two. Best Moments: - Double J cameo at the beginning of the Rumble. Ain't he great?
- Pete Dunne comes in, twists people's fingers backwards, and cleans house
- Aleister Black eliminates Dean Ambrose. Good sign of things to come
- It's great seeing Shelton Benjamin. One of the most singularly talented guys to come out of the OVW developmental class.
- Mustafa Ali continues rising up the card, eliminates Samoa Joe.
- Andrade lasts until late in the Rumble
- The right person won. Rollins has had a phenomenal year, and this is a well-deserved addition to that.
Worst Moments: - Telegraphed ending. The minute Rollins took the table bump from Bobby Lashley on the outside, we knew who would be winning this.
- Mustafa Ali gets eliminated by Nia Jax in a drawn-out gimmick spot.
-- Kevin Wong 6.5/10
By Mat Elfring on Jan 28, 2019 09:26 am
This year's Royal Rumble has come and gone, and if you're looking for the results or a review of the show, we have both of those for you. However, what people will be talking about are all the surprises that took place over the very long January 27 evening. Were there returning legends who popped up? What NXT superstars made their mainstage debut? Luckily, we have those answers for you. During the course of the PPV on the WWE Network, there were two Royal Rumble matches: one for the men and one for the women. Each bout had a few slots open for surprise spots, and this year was a bit different. WWE focused more on the future rather than the past, meaning it was heavy with NXT superstars. Much like Becky Lynch replacing Lana last minute in the women's Rumble, you'll find all the rest of the surprise entrants from both the men's and women's Royal Rumble matches below, including a few WWE Superstars you don't see anywhere on TV nowadays.
Xia Li
NXT Superstar Xia Li came to the ring in the #11 spot.
Kairi Sane
NXT's Pirate Princess entered her second Royal Rumble match at #14.
Maria Kanellis
The 205 Live manager of Mike Kanellis came to the ring at #15.
Candice LeRae
One half of "the World's Cutest Tag Team" and current NXT Superstar, Candice LeRae, came to the ring in the #17 spot.
Kacy Catanzaro
American Ninja Warrior Kacy Catanzaro entered as #19.
Io Shirai
NXT Superstar Io Shirai came in at #23.
Rhea Ripley
Part of NXT UK, Rhea Ripley entered at #24.
Jeff Jarrett
On the men's side of the Rumble, Jeff Jarrett entered at #2. He was the only Hall of Famer to compete this year.
Johnny Gargano
Johnny Wrestling debuted at the #6 spot and lasted quite a while in the Rumble.
Pete Dunne
From NXT UK, Pete Dunne entered at #18.
Aleister Black
It's only a matter of time before Aleister Black is on Raw or Smackdown weekly, and in 2019's Rumble, he entered at #21.
Nia Jax
In a weird turn of events, Nia Jax attacked R-Truth (#30) and took his spot. She got in the ring, had an elimination, and dominated the competitors for a few minutes.
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