WWE Royal Rumble 2019 results: Becky Lynch, Seth Rollins punch ticket to WrestleMania 35

Brian Fritz

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WWE Royal Rumble 2019 results: Becky Lynch, Seth Rollins punch ticket to WrestleMania 35 image

With the 2019 WWE Royal Rumble now in the books, the picture for WrestleMania is beginning to taking shape with Becky Lynch and Seth Rollins emerging as focal points.

Despite losing in the opening match to Asuka for the "SmackDown" women's championship, Lynch took advantage of an injury to Lana to get into the women's Royal Rumble match. And she made the most of it, surviving until the end, when she eliminated Charlotte Flair to win the Rumble. 

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With the victory, Lynch earns a championship match of her choosing at WrestleMania 35 in Aprll. That choice will likely be "RAW" women's champion Ronda Rousey, who narrowly defended her title against Sasha Banks. 

Meanwhile, Rollins is also headed to WrestleMania for a championship match of his choosing after he survived in the men's Royal Rumble. It came down to him and Braun Strowman, but Rollins was able to hit his Curb Stomp, sending Strowman to the floor to score the win. He is expected to square off against Brock Lesnar for the Universal championship at the big show in April with "The Beast" successfully defending the title against Finn Balor in what turned out to be a hard-fought victory.

Overall, it was a strong show even though the AJ Styles-Daniel Bryan match was hurt by a tired crowd and unexpected interference that allowed Bryan to retain the WWE championship. There were several championships that did change hands on the night, though. Check out Sporting News's complete WWE Royal Rumble 2019 coverage below.

(All times Eastern.)

 

WWE Royal Rumble 2019 live results

Seth Rollins wins men's Royal Rumble match

11:51 p.m. FINISH: Strowman has had enough and simply picks up Andrade and eliminates him. Then Ziggler is elminated and we're down to Strowman and Rollins. Strowman is on the apron, holding on for dear life, but he grabs Rollins by the throat and chokeslams him. He's still on the apron and Rollins tries to pull him over, but instead, he ends up on the apron too. They're going back and forth with Rollins pushing Strowman into the ring post followed by a Curb Stomp and Strowman falls to the floor. Seth Rollins wins the men's Royal Rumble! The Kingslayer has slayed the "Monster Among Men" and will get a championship match at WrestleMania 35. Look out Brock Lesnar. 

11:49 p.m.: Ziggler and Andrade are fighting when Strowman makes his way back into the ring and squashes Andrade in the corner and then does the same to Ziggler. He jumps out of the ring through the ropes and gives Rollins a running shoulder block on the floor, turning him inside out. Strowman tosses Rollins back into the ring. Ziggler with a superkick on Strowman, Andrade with a big strike, then a Zig Zag followed by a frog splash from Rollins. 

11:47 p.m.: Randy Orton checks in at 29. Braun Strowman runs at someone in the corner and misses, falling outside of the ring, but through the ropes so he's still in the match. Then its R-Truth at 30. He comes out and starts singing, but is attacked from behind by Nia Jax. She takes his spot in the Rumble.

She overpowers Mustafa Ali and he is eliminated. Then, Orton stands toe-to-toe with her, but she instead gets her hands on Rey Mysterio but can't eliminate him. Then, Ziggler hits her with a superkick, Mysterio with the 619 and Orton drops with her an RKO. Mysterio and Orton then toss her over the top rope but she's laying on the apron. Mysterio takes care of that and kicks her out of the ring — Nia Jax is eliminated. Right after that. Orton eliminates Rey Mysterio and then Andrade eliminates Randy Orton. They're dropping like flies.

11:43 p.m.: Who says you can't work together in the Royal Rumble?

11:41 p.m.: Jeff Hardy is eliminated and Dolph Ziggler comes out at 28. McIntrye thinks he's eliminated Braun Strowman, but that's not the case as the monster is alive on the apron. Drew wants a piece of his former partner and Strowman grabs him from behind by the head and pulls him over the ropes — Drew Mcintyre is eliminated. 

11:39 p.m.: In at 27 is Braun Strowman. He wastes no time and eliminates Baron Corbin and Shelton Benjamin. 

11:38 p.m.: Lashley gets in the ring and runs at Rollins, who ducks down and Bobby Lashley flies over the top rope and is eliminated. He's a bit ticked off and drags Rollins outside the ring and slams him through the announcer's table. However, Rollins is still in the match, but he's down and out for the time being.

11:36 p.m.: At 25 it's Rey Mysterio and he and Andrade immediately get into it. We've got eight people in the ring right now and it's about to be nine with Bobby Lashley at 26. 

11:34 p.m.: We're up to 24 and it's Jeff Hardy. Lots of bodies in the ring and Baron Corbin grabs Aleister Black out of nowhere and eliminates him. Then it's McIntyre's turn as he eliminates Pete Dunne.

11:32 p.m.: At 23, it's Baron Corbin. He tries to eliminate Mustafa Ali and throw him over the top rope, but Ali stays on the apron. Then Corbin turns his attention elsewhere and eliminates Apollo Crews. 

11:30 p.m.: They're coming in fast and it's Shelton Benjamin at 22. But the bigger story is Mustafa Ali comes up from behind on Samoa Joe and eliminates him. Joe is not happy and Ali should watch his back. 

11:29 p.m.: We're up to 21 and its the former NXT champion Aleister Black who connects with a Black Mass kick and Dean Ambrose is eliminated.

11:27 p.m.: At 18, it's NXT UK champion Pete Dunne and Andrade comes it at 19 followed by Apollo Crews at 20. Drew McIntrye is tied up in the ropes and Rollins tries to dump him out, but McIntyre holds on.

11:24 p.m.: At 17, it's Xavier Woods. He goes over and saves Kingston, who is outside of the ring walking on this hands, as Kofi basically twists up on his fellow New Day member and makes his way to the ring. They both get in the ring and boom — Drew McIntyre hits them both with a double clothesline and Kofi Kingston and Xavier Woods are both eliminated. 

11:21 p.m.: Next up at 16 is Drew McIntrye. As he walks to the ring, he runs into Jose who wants to dance and McIntrye is not in the mood. 

11:19 p.m.: Party time as No Way Jose comes in at 15.

He gets in the ring and the party is over. Just like that as Samoa Joe eliminates No Way Jose.

11:17 p.m.: Dean Amrbose checks in at 14. Kingston goes over the top rope to the floor, but his feet are still on the apron. He rolls over the the steps and survives. Back in the ring, Dean Ambrose gets his hands on Johnny Gargano who is eliminated. 

11:15 p.m.: Coming in at 12 is Kofi Kingston followed by Mustafa Ali at 13. Ali goes right after Samoa Joe, but then gets into it with Nakmura and takes him out. Shinsuke Nakamura is eliminated.

11:11 p.m.: Look who is in at 11...

Rather than getting in the ring, he goes underneath it, where Hawkins still is. They both emerge and get in the ring, where Hawkins eliminates Titus O'Neil. Hawkins is celebrating, but that doesn't last as Samoa Joe dumps him over the top to the floor. Curt Hawkins is eliminated.

11:09 p.m.: Next up in the No. 9 slot is Curt Hawkins. Samoa Joe chokes him out, but Hawkins slides out to the floor and then crawls under the ring. Time for 10 and it's not Tye Dillinger. Instead, it's Seth Rollins who is one of the favorites. He gets to work and eliminates Elias. 

11:07 p.m.: Coming in at 8 is Samoa Joe and he doesn't waste any time, eliminating Big E. This entire match is moving pretty quickly. I wonder if it got sped up because the show is running so long.

11:05 p.m.: Coming in at 7 is the former WWE champion Jinder Mahal. He connects with some knee, but then Johnny Wrestling does his magic and Jinder Mahal is eliminated. That didn't take long.

11:03 p.m.: Time for the 6th entrant and it's Johnny Gargano, the new NXT North American champion, making his first-ever appearance in the Rumble. 

11:01 p.m.: It's a New Day, yes it is. Big E comes in at No. 5 and he goes right after Nakamura, hitting him with a pair of belly-to-belly suplexes before swiveling his hips and connecting with a splash. Nakamura is on the apron, but Angle comes up from behind Big E and hits an Olympic Slam. Nakamura goes after Angle, gets him on the apron, and knocks him off. Kurt Angle is eliminated. 

10:58 p.m.: Shinsuke Nakamura comes in at No. 3 as he looks to win the Rumble in back-to-back years. Then following him at No. 4 is the Hall of Famer Kurt Angle.

10:55 p.m.: They agree to sing a duet and Jeff is again rhyming his name with the crowd when Elias attacks him from behind and the match is underway. Elias picks up his guitar and cracks him in the back. Wave goodbye to Jeff Jarett as he is eliminated.

10:52 p.m.: Yes, this is really happening. 

10:50 p.m.: The person that drew the first slot is … Elias. Of course, he has a song before the match begins. He brags about the attendance and says he should take a picture and send it to the Diamondbacks because they have never seen this many people at Chase Field before. Nice one.

But before he can begin singing, the music hits for the second entrant. It’s Jeff Jarrett complete in his old WWE outfit.

10:46 p.m.: Brock Lesnar is not done and is very, very angry. He attacks Balor from behind and destroys him with several suplexes. He poses with the championship, but still isn't done yet. A big F5 from the champ and Balor is down for good. The crowd is booing Lesnar, but the reason he's so upset is because he nearly lost. I'd be game for a rematch sometime in the future. 

Brock Lesnar makes Finn Balor tap out to retain Universal championship

10:43 p.m. FINISH: Lesnar is down in the ring and in the drop zone. Balor goes to the top and connects with the Coup de Grace. He makes the cover — 1, 2, and nope. Lesnar gets his shoulder up and immediately slaps on the kimura. Balor has nowhere to go and has to tap out. So close and a really good match considering how quick it was. 

10:41 p.m.: Lesnar is moving around slow and Balor is going nuts, hitting him in the gut and connects with a big dive. Balor may have a chance!

10:38 p.m.: Lesnar hits another suplex, but is moving slowly with his injured midsection. Balor comes back with a slingblade, but tries to follow up and runs into a huge clothesline. 

10:36 p.m.: Balor with an early flurry, but then he gets caught and taken to Suplex City. Lesnar takes him outside the ring and connects with another suplex on the floor. He picks up Balor and is poised to slam him on the announcer's table, but Balor drops down and pushes Lesnar into the corner of the table. Balor sends him gut-first into the corner again and Lesnar's midsection is really hurting as they go back in the ring. 

10:33 p.m.: The bell rings and Lesnar is paying attention, so Balor takes the fight right to the champion.

10:32 p.m.: Of course, Paul Heyman interrupts Mike Rome and takes the microphone, so he can introduce his client, who he says is heading to WrestleMania as the champion ... "Brrrrrooooccccckkkkkkk Lesnar!"

10:29 p.m.: Maybe an omen, but Balor is not dressed as “The Demon.” Either way, I don't like Balor's chances. 

Daniel Bryan beats AJ Styles to retain the WWE championship

10:20 p.m. FINISH: Uh oh, the referee is down. Styles hits the Styles Clash and is going for the cover, but Rowan climbs into the ring, picks up Styles by the face and slams him down. He gets out of the ring and Bryan makes the cover. The referee crawls over and makes the three count. Afterwards, Rowan gets back in the ring and holds Styles as Bryan connects with a running kick. A very good match despite the mostly dead crowd until the last few minutes with a perplexing ending. Rowan of all people? I guess this will be explained on "SmackDown" this coming Tuesday. Maybe. 

10:18 p.m.: Styles goes for the Phenomenal forearm and springs to the top rope, but Bryan kicks his left arm and knocks him down. They exchange moves in the ring including Styles hitting a Pele kick. Both men are down and now Erick Rowan walks to the ring. He's been away for months due to an injury, but was recently cleared.

10:15 p.m.: Styles has a the Calf Crusher on again in the middle of the ring and Bryan is screaming in pain, but won't tap out. Both men are hurting and exhausted at this point. They each go for a backslide but neither can get leverage until Styles hits a brainbuster. He makes the cover, but Bryan kicks out at two. 

10:11 p.m.: Bryan is down in the ring and Styles goes for the 450 splash off the apron, but Bryan got his knees up. He pulls on Styles's bloody nose and slaps on the Labell Lock. That doesn't last long as Styles reverses it into a Calf Crusher. Bryan finally gets away and connects with an enziguri kick on the head and the crowd is finally coming alive. Bryan kicks away at Styles's left arm, but AJ finally ducks one and sweeps Bryan's injured left leg before getting caught with a big kick to the head. This is picking up despite the quiet crowd that still hasn't recovered from the women's Rumble.

10:08 p.m.: Vintage Styles!

10:07 p.m.: Bryan hits a nasty dragon suplex and Styles falls on the back of his head. Ouch.

10:05 p.m.: Bryan is on top of Styles and punching away at his nose with some stiff shots. Styles is bleeding, but that doesn't stop him from connecting with a big drop kick. He goes for the Styles Clash, but Bryan reverses and they trade pinfalls before Styles slows Bryan down with a dragon screw leg whip and Bryan is selling his left knee.

10:02 p.m.: Bryan with a double-underarm suplex into an arm bar as he is methodically taking Styles apart. 

10:00 p.m.: Styles runs at Bryan who picks him up and drops him shoulder first over the top turnbuckle and onto the post. Styles gets back in the ring and Bryan is laser-focused on Styles' injured left arm. 

9:57 p.m.: They exchange some big chops before Styles lands a big backdrop and then kicks Bryan hard in the back. You can already see some welts forming on Bryan, so that should tell you how hard-hitting this has been already.

9:54 p.m.: Styles is pounding away on Bryan in the corner as his emotions are getting the better of him before the referee pulls him away.

9:51 p.m.: This could — and should — be the show stealer. These are two of the best wrestlers in the world and they had a fantastic match just last month.

Becky Lynch wins the Women’s Royal Rumble match and now gets a championship match of her choosing at WrestleMania 35

9:39 p.m. FINISH: Lynch is struggling to get back in the ring, while Charlotte has a devious smile on her face. Finally, Lynch limps into the ring and says "I can go! I can go!" Charlotte goes right after her bad knee and Lynch is screaming in pain. Charlotte tries to pick her up, but Lynch hits a kick to the head. She throws Charlotte over the top rope to the apron, but Charlotte hits her leg and gets back into the ring. Charlotte charges at Lynch with a big boot, but misses and her leg is on the top rope. Lynch lifts up and dumps Charlotte over the top rope and to the floor. Becky Lynch wins the Royal Rumble and is headed to WrestleMania! That was a bit clunky, but picked up as the match went on with a good finish.

9:37 p.m.: Lynch gets sent to the outside, but through the ropes, so she's still in the match. Charlotte knocks Nia onto the apron where Lynch takes out her feet and Nia falls to the floor. Nia Jax is eliminated. A minute later, she gets her revenge and takes out Lynch, who is now holding her left knee. And we're down to Becky Lynch and Charlotte Flair.

9:34 p.m.: Charlotte eliminates Bayley ... and then there were three. 

9:33 p.m.: We're down to the final five — Charlotte, Lynch, Carmella, Bayley, and Nia Jax. Carmella hits a cross body off the top rope, but Charlotte rolls through and drops her with a back breaker before going to the top rope. Carmella is back up and tries a head scissors, but Charlotte tosses her on the apron. Carmella gets back in the ring, but ends up on the apron again where she hits Nia with a pair of super kicks. But then Charlotte delivers a kick and Carmella has been eliminated.

9:31 p.m.: Carmella hits Bliss with a superkick and them Bayley powerbombs her in the corner before her and Carmella toss Bliss out. Alexa Bliss has been eliminated. 

9:29 p.m.: Ember Moon and Alexa Bliss are fighting on the apron and Bliss has her foot on her throat, but Moon hangs out. Not for long as Bliss knocks her down and Ember Moon is eliminated after 53 minutes.

9:27 p.m: Time for No. 30 which is Carmella. Meanwhile, Lana is still being tending to by the medical staff and Becky Lynch comes out. She makes her case to take Lana's spot and gets her wish — she's in the Royal Rumble!

9:25 p.m: Io Shiri goes for a moonsault, but Nia Jax catches her and throws her out of the ring. Io Shirai is eliminated. Natalya then has Nia Jax on her shoulders, but can't handle the weight and Jax gets to her feet and tosses Natalya from the ring. Natalya is eliminated after setting the women's record, lasting 55 minutes in the Rumble.

9:23 p.m.: Up next at 28 is Lana who limps out, still selling the leg injury from earlier in the night when she was accidentally knocked off the apron by her husband Rusev during his match. She is being tended by the medical staff before she can even get in the ring. And here comes Nia Jax at 29. She attacks Lana, smashing her bad leg, before making her way to the ring.

9:19 p.m.: Alexa Bliss is 26th and this is her first time in a Royal Rumble match and she eliminates Sonya Deville. Then at 27, it's Bayley. And it's not long before she eliminates both Ruby Riott and Rhea Ripley.

9:17 p.m.: Zelina Vega emerges from under the ring to laugh at Brooke, but then there's Hornswoggle under the ring. He chases Vega around before she gets in the ring where Ripley takes her out and Dana Brooke is eliminated.

9:14 p.m.: At #25 it's Sonya Deville. She attacks Ruby Riott and then gets into it with Dana Brooke. Brooke shifts attention to Ripleu and hits her with a kick to the head before Ripley goes for the Riptide. She can't hit it, but puts Brooke on the apron and a few seconds later, Brooke gets knocked to the floor and is elimnated.

9:12 p.m.: Next up at 24, it's the "Nightmare" Rhea Ripley, the former NXT UK champion. Dana Brooke knocks Catanzaro to the floor, but she holds her feet up. She does a handstand and walks to the corner before climbing back in the ring.

Back in the ring, she runs into Ripley who quickly eliminates Kacy Catanzaro.

9:08 p.m.: Dana Brooks comes out at 22, but the Riott Squad team up and eliminate Kairi Sane. Then, 23rd, it's NXT's Io Shirai who immediately gets into the action.

9:05 p.m.: Then its Zelina Vega at 20. Candice LaRae immediately walks up to her, reigniting their old feud from NXT. After that, it's Ruby Riott at 21. She along with Sarah Logan and Liv Morgan — who have both been eliminated — attack Charlotte on the floor. Riott then eliminates Alicia Fox and a minute later she eliminates Candice LaRae. Meanwhile, Zelina Vega is hiding underneath the ring. 

9:03 p.m.: Next up at 19 is NXT's Kacy Katanzaro and she shows off her incredible athleticism.

9:00 p.m.: Time for the captain at 18, as Alicia Fox enters the ring. Maria immediately makes friends with her and they team up on Kairi Sane and then dance together. Maria then grabs Alicia's hat, poses with it, and then smashes it with her feet. Foxy is upset and starts having a temper tantrum. She goes after Maria, throws her in the corner, and then eliminates her. Maria Kanellis is out and that whole exchange was weird. 

8:58 p.m.: Back in the ring, Charlotte eliminates Lacey Evans and then NXT's Candice LeRae comes out at 17.

8:56 p.m.: Kanellis is dancing around like she's at a rodeo in the middle of the ring and Charlotte drops her with a spear. And now Naomi is coming out at 16. She immediately goes after Mandy Rose and drags her onto the apron, connects with a head kick and pushes her to the floor. Mandy Rose is eliminated. She tries to get revenge by powerbombing her on the floor, but Naomi does a handstand and then walks along the barricade to stay alive. And she finally jumps to safety.

Spoke too soon as Rose pulls her off the steps to the floor and Ember Moon is eliminated.

8:54 p.m.: Kaire Sane and Natalya team up to eliminate Sarah Logan and then Maria Kanillis comes out at 15. 

8:52 p.m.: Lacey Evans eliminates both Billie Kay and Peyton Royce of the IIconics and then Charlotte eliminates Xia Li and then takes out Tamina. And here come former NXT women's champion Kairi Sane at 14. 

8:49 p.m.: Ember Moon is upside down under the ropes and is almost eliminated, but is hanging on by her feet. The IIconics double team Nikki Cross and she is eliminated. Now, here comes one of the favorites at 12.

8:48 p.m.: At 11 it's Xia Li from NXT, the first Chinese wrestler ever in the Royal Rumble. After her, it's Sarah Logan coming in at 12. There are 10 women in the ring now with just the two eliminations.

8:45 p.m.: Tamina comes off the top ropes and hits a splash on Cross. Then Mickie James flies off onto Tamina and the rest of the women are fighting with one another in various corners before Tamina eliminates Mickie James.

8:43 p.m.: The IIconics have Ember Moon on the apron, but she survives as Tamina comes out at No. 10. Reminder — there are now nine women in the ring with Lic Morgan being the only elimination so far.

8:41 p.m.: Billie Kay should be happy — here comes her bestie ninth.

8:39 p.m.: Time for No. 9 ...

Nikki takes out Billie Kay on her way to the ring and is taking a shot at everyone in there. 

8:38 p.m.: Next up at No. 8 it's Billie Kay of the IIconics. She won't get in the ring and says she's waiting for Peyton Royce before she jumps in. Can you blame her?

8:36 p.m.: The ring is starting to fill up as Ember Moon comes out at No. 6. We now have Evans, Natalya, Rose, James, and Ember in the ring. Ember trips up James and then targets Rose. She tries to dump her out before James grabs Ember and tries to get her out of the ring to no avail.

8:34 p.m.: Time for the No. 5 entrant and it's Mickie James. 

8:32 p.m.: Natalya has both Evans and Rose in the Sharpshooter and the buzzer sounds. Liv Morgan comes out at No. 4. She gets in the ring and Natalya immediately picks her up and dumps her over the top to the floor. Liv Morgan is eliminated. 

8:29 p.m.: Natalya clotheslines Evans over the top rope, but she stays on the apron and flips over Natalya back into the ring.  A minute later, Natalya is on the top rope and Evans tries to power bomb her, but Evans turns it into a hurricanrana. Here comes No. 3 — it’s Mandy Rose.

8:27 p.m.: The #1 entrant is Lacey Evans. I don’t like her chances. She gets on the mic and says that tonight, y’all will witness history and she is the one and only lady of WWE. She is here to clean up the entire women’s division. Music hits and Natalya is No. 2.

8:24 p.m.: There will be a new entrant every 90 seconds. And in case you don’t know them, here are the rest of the rules.

8:18 p.m.: After the match, Banks shakes her hand again outside the ring and then throws up the Four Horsewomen sign. Hmmm….

Ronda Rousey beats Sasha Banks for the "RAW" women's championship

8:17 p.m. FINISH: Banks goes for the backstabber but Rousey flings her around. Rousey goes for the arm bar again, but Banks escapes and puts on the Banks Statement using part of Rousey's attire across her mouth to choke her. Banks folds her over for the pin but Rousey kicks out. Now Banks has her in another submission move, but Rousey survives and hits suplex. She picks her up and connects with Piper's Pit for the win. A little sloppy at times, but a really physical match with both working extremely hard.

8:13 p.m.: Now it's Rousey on the attack and she slings Banks around, trying to soften up her arm. She kicks Rousey outside the ring and goes for a dive but the champ catches her and put her in an arm bar. Banks taps out, but they're outside the ring so it doesn't count. Rousey thinks it's over but the match continues.

8:10 p.m.: Banks has Rousey's arm twisted up on the mat, but Rousey fights to the ropes. She comes back with Piper's Pit, but then Banks hits a superplex and goes right back after her arm. Banks is getting in a lot of offense in this one so far. 

8:07 p.m.: Rousey hits a flying elbow out of the corner, but Banks comes back, going after her arm again.

8:04 p.m.: Banks with a hard slap and Rousey fires back with a kick to the midsection that sends her through the ropes to the floor. They're outside the ring and Rousey throws a right hand, but misses and hits the post. She's selling her right arm and Banks is being very aggressive, hitting back-to-back double knees in the corner.

8:01 p.m.: These two are jaw-jacking and going face-to-face while being announced for the match. The bell rings and Rousey goes for a hip toss, but Banks turns it into an arm drag. Then Rousey turns Banks around into a throw and taunts her.

7:57 p.m.: They're getting the women's championship matches out of the way early. 

7:55 p.m.: WWE announces more than 48,000 fans at Chase Field for tonight's show.

Shane McMahon and The Miz  defeat The Bar (Sheamus and Cesaro) for the "SmackDown" tag team championship

7:50 p.m. FINISH: Shane is something else in this match. He somehow kicks out of a big double team move and then The Miz takes out Sheamus with a Skull Crushing Finale. They both roll out of the ring and Shane connects with a shooting star press off the top rope onto Cesaro and gets the win and we have new tag team champions. That was something. Shane is all over the place, but you have to give him his due for trying and hitting that shooting star press.

And here is a proud poppa.

7:47 p.m.: Shane stacks Sheamus and Cesaro in the corner and goes for the coast-to-coast but Cesaro catches him and they're going swinging.

7:45 p.m.: The Bar is wearing down The Miz inside the ring including Sheamus pounding on him with the Ten Beats of the Bodhran. They're tagging in and out, taking turns beating on him. The Miz almost makes the tag, but Cesaro runs across the ring and takes a swipe at Shane. He misses and The Miz backdrops Cesaro and finally makes the tag. Sheamus is back in and while he's Irish, he may not like this potato.

7:40 p.m.: The tag champions are putting on a clinic of double team moves and getting the advantage behind the referee's back. The action spills to the outside with The Miz holding Cesaro across the announcer's table as Shane goes to the top rope. Before he can dive off, Sheamus makes the save but then gets taken out. 

7:36 p.m.: Shane O'Mac isn't wasting time as the bell rings and he immediately spears Sheamus who is irate. 

7:33 p.m.: Purple camouflage? 

Asuka defeats Becky Lynch to retain the "SmackDown" women's championship

7:30 p.m. FINISH: Great exchange as Asuka gets the Asuka Lock and then the Disarmer, but Lynch comes back with the Asuka Lock and the Disarmer before Asuka gets out of it. Nice takedown Asuka who then gets the Asuka Lock in the center of the ring. She bridges over and Lynch taps out. A hard-fought match and a clean win by Asuka to retain the "SmackDown" championship. Great opener between these women who didn't hold back. 

7:26 p.m.: Now it's Lynch with a massive Bexploder suplex but she can't get the pin.

7:24 p.m.: Lynch barely slides back in the ring before being counted out, but gets met with a kick to the head. Asuka makes the cover, but Lynch kicks out. Now they're exchanging slaps with Asuka eventually dropping Lynch with a spinning back kick. Another cover and Lynch gets her shoulder up just before the three count.

7:20 p.m.: Asuka in control as she connects with a hip attack and a spinning back first followed by a German suplex and another hip attack. She goes to the top rope put Lynch avoids the missile drop kick. She hits a suplex and a minute later, Asuka goes for the Asuka Lock again but Lynch gets out. They're on the apron and Asuka is trying to suplex Lynch onto the floor, but she holds on to the top rope. Then Lynch goes for an exploder suplex, but it's Asuka who drops Lynch who takes a nasty fall.

7:18 p.m.: Lynch is focusing in on Asuka's shoulder. Asuka connects with a spinning kick to the midsection and then puts on the Asuka Lock while on the apron.

7:15 p.m.: Asuka connects with a hip attack, knocking Lynch off the apron to the floor. Asuka goes to apron and tried a kick, but misses and Lynch jumps on the apron and hits a kick of her own. Asuka comes back, throwing Lynch shoulder first into the ring, but then Lynch hits an exploder suplex into the barricade.

7:10 p.m.: Asuka is fired up early, hitting a drop kick and screaming at Becky Lynch in Japanese. She goes for another drop kick, but Lynch moves out of the way and then screams "fight me!" at Asuka.

7:05 p.m.: They're not messing around starting the show with this match. Maybe it's because Lynch will also be a part of the women's Rumble match later in the night. Lots of different scenarios could happen on this show.

7:00 p.m.: And here we go with the main card for the 2019 WWE Royal Rumble. Seven matches include both the men's and women's Royal Rumble matches with the winners gets a championship match at WrestleMania 35. 

Buddy Murphy defeats Kalisto, Akira Tozawa, and Hideo Itami in a Fatal four-way match to retain the Cruiserweight championship

6:53 p.m. FINISH: Tozawa with a reverse hurricanrana on Murphy and Kalisto connects with Solida Del Sol on Itami who somehow kicks out. All four are down briefly before another crazy exchange involving all them including Murphy catching Kalisto as he flies off the top rope with a knee to the face. Murphy is alone in the ring with Itami and hits a knee to the face followed by Murphy's Law for the win. Wild match with a ton of action — great stuff. Too bad they weren't showcased on the main show, but a fantastic match and effort by all of them nonetheless.

6:49 p.m.: Tozawa is going nuts connecting with kicks and missile drop kicks. He then hits a huge diving headbutt from the ring to the floor on Itami. Buddy Murphy follows up with a massive somersault dive onto all three opponents. Kalisto gets back in the ring first and connects on a short hurricanrana on Murphy that spikes him head first into the mat. 

6:46 p.m.: What the ...

6:44 p.m.: Innovative!

6:41 p.m.: Don't mess with the champ.

6:37 p.m.: WWE just announced that they are bringing back the old Halftime Heat concept and air a WWE NXT bout during the Super Bowl's halftime show. The match will be NXT Champion Tomasso Ciampa, North American Champion Johnny Gargano and Adam Cole against The Velveteen Dream, Aleister Black and Ricochet, playing off the interaction they had following NXT TakeOver: Phoenix on Saturday night after the show went off the air. 

Shinsuke Nakamura beats Rusev to win the United States championship

6:24 p.m. FINISH: Nakamura hits a landslide slam, but he can't get the three count. He then starts taking the top turnbuckle off and Lana jumps up on the apron. Rusev tries to kick Nakamura, but instead knocks Lana hard off the apron to the floor. He's down on his knees in the ring checking on his wife when Nakamura takes advantage and connects with the Kinshasa in the back of the head for the win. Didn't see that one happening since Rusev hadn't been champion for very long.

6:20 p.m.: Rusev was going to put the Accolade on, but Nakamura catches him with a spinning kick to the head and then kicks him in the head while he's down. He sets up for his finisher, but instead, it's Rusev hitting a Machka kick. He doesn't go for the cover though and slams Nakamura who then gets in an armbar. Nakamura holds on and turns it into a triangle but Rusev powers him up to his feet. Nakamura won't let go, but Rusev finally breaks it with a suplex. He makes the cover again but Nakamura kicks out.

6:17 p.m.: Back in the ring, Nakamura has been in control, but Rusev connects with a kick and then a fallaway slam. He follows up with a spinning kick and makes the cover, but only gets a two count.

6:13 p.m.: Rusev is on fire early on hitting a pair of suplexes and then clotheslines Nakamura over the top rope to the floor. He goes outside and tries to throw Nakamura into the steps, but instead the Japanese star jumps on the steps and catches him with a kick to the face.

6:09 p.m.: The first of seven championship matches is about to get underway. By the way, how cool is it that wrestlers come of the dugout at Chase Field — home of the Arizona Diamondbacks — for their entrances?

6:05 p.m.: New panel for the second hour of the pre-show as Shawn Michaels and David Otunga have replaced Booker T and Jerry Lawler. Always good to get a two-time Rumble winner in there for his perspective.

6:01 p.m.: Lio Rush and his man Bobby Lashley just approached JBL and Charly. As you can imagine, Rush talked and Lashley posed.

Bobby Roode and Chad Gable defeat Rezar and Scott Dawson

5:56 p.m. FINISH: Dawson and Rezar have taken turns beating on Gable, but he finally makes the tag and Roode is running wild. Rezar is holding Roode and Dawson comes off the top rope but misses and hits his partner. Then Roode holds Dawson as Gable hits a moonsault off the top rope for the win. Simple match that was fine, but there to basically kill time. Roode and Gable deserve better competition.

5:53 p.m.: The story of the match has been that the tag team champions have shown off their great team work while Rezar and Dawson don't have that kind of chemistry. But Rezar does have brute strength. 

5:50 p.m.: Here we go with our first match of the night. What a weird match. It looks like a cameraman took the first bump of the evening.

5:46 p.m.: Daniel Bryan is not happy about the Chase Field Rumble burger. 

AVERT YOUR EYES BURGER LOVERS!

5:38 p.m.: JBL called AJ Styles a "modern day Shawn Michaels" and expects the Styles/Bryan match for the WWE Championship to steal the show. He compared their rivalry to Ric Flair-Ricky Steamboat. I totally agree with everything he just said.

5:35 p.m.: They're airing an excellent hype package for the Brock Lesnar-Finn Balor match for the WWE Universal Championship, painting it as "David vs. Goliath." Does Balor have a real chance? Not a good one, but you never know with WWE creative decisions. Lesnar winning feels very obvious and even if he does win, it doesn't mean Balor can't come out it looking good. Still, it would be quite the moment is Balor pulled the upset.

5:28 p.m.: Samoa Joe is so careful, methodical, and down right scary in the way he speaks. How has this guy not been WWE champion yet?

5:26 p.m.: Carmella and R-Truth have crashed the panel. Since they won the Mixed Match Challenge, they will each be #30 in their respective Rumble matches. No one would be surprised if Truth came out for the women's match since he's confused all the time and it would get a quick laugh. 

5:18 p.m.: They've added a match to the kickoff show and it's rather strange. Since Akam of AOP is out injured (and that's legit), Rezar will team up with Scott Dawson of The Revival against the "RAW" tag team champions Bobby Roode and Chad Gable. If Rezar and Dawson win, each of their teams will earn a future shot for the tag titles. I think. It's all confusing.

5:13 p.m.: Lars Sullivan has surfaced. Kind of.

5:10 p.m.: I think this kickoff show could use more people. Oh good.

5:05 p.m.: Here we go with the kickoff show that includes a panel of Jonathan Coachman, Beth Phoenix, Booker T, and Jerry "The King" Lawler. I wonder if anyone will show off their jorts or call any of the talent on the show a "dwarf" like last night leading up to NXT TakeOver: Phoenix. Go back and check out the live coverage to see what I'm talking about.

4:53 p.m.: Welcome to live coverage of the 2019 edition of the WWE Royal Rumble. We already have some big news as John Cena is officially out of the Rumble due to his "ankle injury"

It's believed that Cena's ankle injury is not real and a simple storyline done to get him out of the match. The talk a few weeks ago was that Cena would be taken out either before the match or in the men's Royal Rumble match by Lars Sullivan, leading to a match between them at WrestleMania 35. However, Sullivan has not been around due to a reported anxiety attack and now, Cena isn't needed for the match. 

WWE has already announced his replacement in the Rumble — Braun Strowman.

The "Monster Among Men" has to be considered one of the favorite to win the match along with Seth Rollins. 

WWE Royal Rumble 2019 lineup

— Men's Royal Rumble match with the winner earning a world championship match at WrestleMania 35; confirmed entrants include Drew McIntyre, R-Truth, Big E, Kofi Kingston, Xavier Woods, Seth Rollins, Jeff Hardy, Dean Ambrose, Bobby Lashley, Samoa Joe, Elias, Baron Corbin, Jinder Mahal, Apollo Crews, Andrade, Mustafa Ali, Rey Mysterio, Kalisto, Randy Orton

— Women's Royal Rumble match with the winner earning a world championship match at WrestleMania 35; confirmed entrants include Bayley, Carmella, Ember Moon, Natalya, Ruby Riott, Liv Morgan, Sarah Logan, Mandy Rose, Sonya Deville, Alicia Fox, Zelina Vega, Naomi, Mickie James, Charlotte Flair, Naomi, Tamina, Peyton Royce, Billie Kay, Dana Brooke, Lana, Nia Jax, Nikki Cross, Lacey Evans, Alexa Bliss

— Brock Lesnar vs. Finn Balor for the WWE Universal championship

— Daniel Bryan vs. AJ Styles for the WWE championship

— Ronda Rousey vs. Sasha Banks for the "RAW" women's championship

— Asuka vs. Becky Lynch for the "SmackDown" women's championship

— The Bar (Sheamus and Cesaro) vs. Shane McMahon and The Miz for the "SmackDown" tag team championship

— Rusev vs. Shinsuke Nakamura for the United States championship (pre-show)

— Buddy Murphy vs. Kalisto, Akira Tozawa, and Hideo Itami in a Fatal four-way match for the Cruiserweight championship (pre-show)

 

WWE Royal Rumble 2019 predictions

— Seth Rollins outlasts 29 others to win the men's Royal Rumble and earn a shot at Brock Lesnar for the Universal Championship at WrestleMania 35

— Charlotte Flair will be the last women standing in the women's Royal Rumble, setting her up to face Ronda Rousey at WrestleMania 35

— Brock Lesnar overpowers a gutsy Finn Balor to remain Universal champion

— Daniel Bryan scores another win against AJ Styles to keep the WWE championship

— Ronda Rousey successfully defends the "RAW" women's championship against Sasha Banks

— Asuka defeats Becky Lynch by disqualification after interference from Ronda Rousey to remain "SmackDown" women's champion

— The Bar beat The Miz and Shane McMahon to keep the "SmackDown" tag team champions

— Rusev remains the United States champion with a win over Shinsuke Nakamura

— Buddy Murphy successfully defends the WWE cruiserweight championship in a high-flying fatal-four-way match

Brian Fritz

Brian Fritz Photo

Brian Fritz is a contributor with The Sporting News covering the NBA and NFL who previously worked at BasketballNews. He is a 20-year veteran of sports talk radio in Orlando, Florida, after graduating from the University of Central Florida. He now resides in Durham, North Carolina.