Becky Lynch Wins Women’s Royal Rumble
When you think of WrestleMania, you think of larger-than-life. You think of the biggest names in sports entertainment. You think of a big money-making match.
This year, you think of Becky Lynch.
‘The Man’ won the second annual Women’s Royal Rumble match in fantastically dramatic fashion. Kudos to WWE in how they developed this storyline. Lana suffered an injury at ringside early in the evening, putting her slot in the Royal Rumble in question. When she came out at No. 27 in the Rumble, it became evident that she wouldn’t be able to compete.
Here comes ‘The Man.’
Lynch earned herself a championship match at WrestleMania, but that shouldn’t be the headline. No, it should be: ‘Becky Lynch to become first woman to main event WrestleMania.’
There’s too much momentum behind Lynch to not put her in the main event slot. Too much hype behind her, too much crowd reaction behind her — and too much history in front of her.
Whether it’s Lynch and Ronda Rousey, Lynch and Charlotte Flair, or a triple-threat mach between all three women, there isn’t just a chance that WWE will make history, but rather a near certainty.
Women’s Royal Rumble Rating: 4/5 Stars
Asuka (C) defeats Becky Lynch to retain Smackdown Women’s Championship
Lynch started her night in a one-on-one match with Asuka for the Smackdown Women’s Championship. It was a brilliantly physical matchup, with both superstars beating the absolute tar out of each other. Both wrestlers also demonstrated that they are unquestionably at the top of the women’s division. There were some fantastic submission reversals, and superb technical wrestling.
Meanwhile, Lynch’s work as a babyface with attitude gets better and better. It will be debated whether or not it was a good idea to have her tap out, but that’s a legitimate finish, particularly when it comes from Asuka, who has proved devastating in her submissions.
Connor McGregor tapped out and there doesn’t seem to be a line of people questioning his place atop his sport.
There aren’t any question marks surrounding Lynch, but there are around Asuka. She’s the winner, but all signs point to a mixture of Lynch, Flair, and Rousey in a match at WrestleMania. So, where does that leave Asuka? Will she take on another competitor? Or will she factor into whatever Lynch, Flair, and Rousey do?
Match Rating: 4/5 Stars
Ronda Rousey (C) defeats Sasha Banks to retain the Raw Women’s Championship
Rousey debuted in WWE one year ago at Royal Rumble 2018. She wrestled her first match at WrestleMania in April. The fact that she’s competing in a one-on-one championship match on the second biggest show of the year is nothing short of extraordinary. Rousey has adapted to wrestling in a way that very few have before her (think: Kurt Angle).
Meanwhile, did you forget about Sasha Banks? The Boss is back. She reminded everyone just how great she is in this match. Banks and Bayley will most likely be the first pair to capture the Women’s Tag Team Championships (set to debut at Elimination Chamber in February), but Sasha could also just as easily slide back into main event singles action, especially if she puts on more performances like the one she put on with Rousey.
Match Rating: 3.5/5 Stars
Seth Rollins wins Men’s Royal Rumble
This match kicked off around 11:00 p.m. ET, so the 90-second interval between entrants may have been sped up more than a couple times, but that doesn’t mean the match suffered in any way.
NXT was well represented in the match, featuring Johnny Gargano, Pete Dunn, and Aleister Black, while the crowd at Chase Field was also treated to a great piece of nostalgia, with Jeff Jarrett coming out in the number two slot.
Nia Jax became the fourth woman to ever enter herself into the Royal Rumble. It will be remembered for a long time, if only for the way she exited the Rumble.
Seth Rollins entered the Rumble at No. 10 and went on to capture his first Royal Rumble victory. It came down to Rollins and Braun Strowman, both of whom would have been great choices. In the end, Rollins’ MVP-type year in 2018, and the potential behind a quest to see him slay ‘The Beast’ Brock Lesnar helped push him into the victors spot.
Men’s Royal Rumble Rating: 3.5/5 Stars
Daniel Bryan (C) defeats AJ Styles to retain WWE Championship
This match had the unfortunate pleasure of following the women’s Rumble match. The crowd was so high on Lynch at the conclusion of that match that it was essentially dead for the first three quarters of this match, and that’s through no fault of both Daniel Bryan and A.J. Styles.
Both wrestlers worked extremely well together, putting on an exceptional display of mat-wrestling and striking. The crowd stayed quiet right until the end when, very unexpectedly, Erick Rowan walked down the aisle way.
Rowan had been out since August after suffering a biceps injury, and hasn’t really been thought of in any meaningful capacity since. After Rowan sauntered his way to ringside, the referee was knocked down, Rowan choke-slammed Styles, and Bryan picked up the win.
Daniel Bryan and Erick Rowan. New best friends.
Match Rating: 3/5 Stars
Brock Lesnar (C) defeats Finn Balor to retain Universal Championship
Say what you will about Brock Lesnar’s absenteeism, but when he steps into the ring, he puts on a pretty good show, and tonight at the Rumble was no exception.
Lesnar has, recently, demonstrated that he’s capable of having a great match with an undersized opponent. November 2017, it was Styles. This past November, it was Bryan, and on Sunday at the Rumble, it was Finn Balor.
In his matches against smaller wrestlers, Lesnar has shown a fantastic ability to sell an injury in order to make his counterpart look strong. On Sunday, Lesnar sold a midsection injury, which Balor looked to be taking full advantage of. It was that very brief thought that Balor may actually be able to pull out a win out that made you know the match was special.
But, it wasn’t to be. In the end, Brock held on and will head into WrestleMania as the Universal Champion with, most likely, Rollins as his opponent.
Match Rating: 3.75/5 Stars
The Other Matches
Shane McMahon and The Miz defeat The Bar (C) to win the Smackdown Tag Team Championships: 2/5 Stars
Shinsuke Nakamura defeats Rusev (C) to win the United States Championship: 1.5/5 Stars
Buddy Murphy (C) defeats Kalisto, Akira Tozawa, and Hideo Itami to retain the Cruiserweight Championship: 2.5/5 Stars
Bobby Roode and Chad Gable defeat Rezar and Scott Dawson: Dud
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