‘WWE Royal Rumble 2019’ PPV Review
Welcome to this review of the 2019 Royal Rumble Pay Per View, right here on Nerdly. I’m Nathan Favel and we have an interesting event to cover, so let’s do so.
Bobby Roode and Chad Gable beat Scott Dawson and Rezar (w/Drake Maverick) – Tag Team Match
My Take: 2.5 out of 5 – This was standard stuff that gave these guys a few minutes to show off a few moves, but no chance to really take advantage of being at a huge event with a big crowd.
Shinsuke Nakamura (New Champion) beat Rusev (w/Lana) – U.S. Championship Match
My Take: 3 out of 5 – This was a pretty good match that saw Nakamura regain the title. I assumed that Rusev was made champion just because Nakamura’s contract might have been up, so if he has won it back then I would assume he is going to stay…maybe.
Buddy Murphy (Still Champion) beat Hideo Itami, Akira Tozawa and Kalisto – Fatal Four Way Match For The Cruiserweight Championship
My Take: 3.5 out of 5 – This was a visual marvel, even if the psychology wasn’t always there. These guys worked hard and were given little reward for doing so, apart from actually having their match shown on television/computer.
Asuka (Still Champion) beat Becky Lynch – SmackDown Women’s Championship Match
My Take: 4 out of 5 – This was a strong match that delivered what it needed to and a bit more as well. The action was consistent the whole time and both women looked formidable every step of the way. Lynch was the star here, even though Asuka was still seen as just as legitimate as her popular opponent.
Shane McMahon & The Miz (New Champions) beat Sheamus & Cesaro – SmackDown Tag Team Championship Match
My Take: 3 out of 5 – This was a fun one that had more life to it than I thought it would. Shane and Miz are a pretty good team and having Shane as the partner does make Miz look important. Cesaro was the star here and brought the wrestling skills that are worthy of the big cards like this one. I know I sound like a simple boy when I don’t go beyond a syllable a word, but there’s no reason to drag out the ol’ dictionary for every other word just so I sound like I know what I’m doing. Any-way, the champions look like they will be a fun team and I hope that is the case.
Ronda Rousey beat Sasha Banks – Raw Women’s Championship Match
My Take: 3 out of 5 – This was an odd match, mostly due to the rhythm of the wrestling itself. Every step forward felt like half a step back, which is a bit weird when you consider that Rousey has had a few great ones before making it to Sasha. Both women looked good, but the match looked only half as such.
30 Woman Royal Rumble Match – Winner: Becky Lynch
My Take: 3 out of 5 – This was a bit of a quiet match that had some surprise fighters competing, but Lynch was the part of the match that was made this worth the time.
Daniel Bryan (Still Champion) beat AJ Styles – WWE World Heavyweight Championship Match
My Take: 4 out of 5 – This was great match that got a terrible finish when Erick Rowan attacked AJ to give Bryan a cheap win.
Brock Lesnar (Still Champion) (w/Paul Heyman) beat Finn Bálor – WWE Universal Heavyweight Championship Match
My Take: 3 out of 5 – This was far too short for its own good, especially when you consider that we’re on PPV. Balor looked good against Brock and it’s a shame that they didn’t get to fight longer.
30 Man Royal Rumble Match – Winner: Seth Rollins
My Take: 3 out of 5 – This turned out to be pretty good, but it was still as feeble as the women’s version from a bit earlier. The action was the standard fare that you get from the Royal Rumble, but the final four delivered the best parts of the match and Seth looked good as the winner.
News Of The Night:
- Sasha Banks teased a Four Horsewomen feud by making the Horsemen gesture to Ronda after their match.
- Erick Rowan helped Daniel Bryan win his match against AJ Styles.
- Becky Lynch asked Finlay to put her in the Royal Rumble at the last second and he put her in.
- Beth Phoenix was on commentary for the Women’s Royal Rumble Match.
- Nikki Cross, Xia Li, Kairi Sane, Candice LeRae, Kacy Catanzaro, Lacey Evans, Io Shirai and Rhea Ripley all got to join the regular roster in this match.
- Hornswoggle interfered in the Women’s Royal Rumble Match.
- Nia Jax interfered in the Men’s Royal Rumble Match and wreaked havoc.
- Crowd didn’t react as much to the WWE World Title match as you’d hope for. It could be that Daniel Bryan is still not being accepted as a heel, since it seems no one wants one of the most beloved wrestlers around to be evil.
- Jeff Jarrett, Kurt Angle, Johnny Gargano, Pete Dunne and Aleister Black all fought in the Men’s Royal Rumble, along with the regular men’s roster.
Final Verdict: 3.5/5
This was a fun event that made it’s mistakes, but rewarded the right people in several cases and set up Wrestlemania to be a good card. Having Becky Lynch possibly wrestle Ronda Rousey seems to be the way to go and Seth could have a great one with Brock Lesnar, Daniel Bryan or AJ Styles, depending on what the plans are before Wrestlemania arrives. The Rumbles were fun, but they didn’t get interesting until the final fighters were left to wrestle. Over-all, this wasn’t quite as good as the NXT: Take-Over card, but it was worth the time you’ll take to watch it.
