WWE Royal Rumble 2019: Preview and predictions

RAW Women’s Championship Match

Ronda Rousey (c) vs. Sasha Banks

So we can’t say that Ronda Rousey is still undefeated, right? I mean, Sasha Banks and Bayley cleanly won that tag match against Ronda and Natalya on Monday night, which would mean that Rousey technically has a loss now. Am I wrong? (Yes, I’m going into Walter mode from The Big Lebowski here.) Am I wrong? But I’m sure that can be twisted into her being undefeated in singles competition. In all seriousness, outside of that weird backstage promo from RAW the other night, I have enjoyed this friendly rivalry that’s turned quite heated. This certainly was one of the matchups I was looking forward to when Rousey came to WWE at this time last year and is one of the biggest singles bouts that Sasha has had in quite some time, even if the outcome really isn’t in question whatsoever.

Prediction: While I do hope and expect a good match from these two exceptional competitors, there’s absolutely no way that Ronda Rousey loses this match. Ronda wins here and then Sasha and Bayley can head to Elimination Chamber to become the Women’s Tag Team Champions.

SmackDown Women’s Championship Match

Asuka (c) vs. Becky Lynch

The outcome of this match, however, isn’t so easy to predict. It was a little shocking last month to see Asuka take the SmackDown Women’s Championship in a fantastic Triple Threat TLC Match with Becky Lynch and Charlotte Flair. Yes, there was the Ronda interference to set all that up but it was still shocking nonetheless. With automatic rematches out the window, Becky had to earn this shot at the title and did so by winning another Triple Threat Match, this time with Charlotte and Carmella, and here we are.

Prediction:  This could go so many ways and the outcome of the Women’s Royal Rumble Match is tied right into this match as well. So if Asuka wins, my guess would be that Becky Lynch gets herself into the Rumble match, creating a scenario that sees her and Charlotte battling it out at the end to see who goes on to WrestleMania to face Ronda Rousey. Do we then get some sort of tie like we did with Bret Hart and Lex Luger in 1994 where we then get that Triple Threat we’ve heard so much about? Or does Becky actually win the title from Asuka and then get left out as Charlotte goes on to win the Rumble and gets her one-on-one rematch with Rousey? And then where does that leave Asuka? So many things here. But since I need to make a prediction, I go with some sort of distraction that costs Becky this match, which leads to a massive pop later on when she hits the Rumble.