Here Is What You Can Expect To See On Tonight’s WWE Royal Rumble PPV From Phoenix

The Beast to battle Finn Bálor at Royal Rumble

Royal Rumble comes to Phoenix tonight and will stream live on the award-winning WWE Network beginning at 7 ET/4 PT. Royal Rumble Kickoff begins at 5 ET/2 PT.

Universal Champion Brock Lesnar vs. Finn Bálor
After Braun Strowman ripped the door off of Mr. McMahon’s limo during Raw, The Chairman stripped The Monster Among Men of his Universal Title bout against Brock Lesnar and made an impromptu Fatal 4-Way Match for later on Raw to determine The Anomaly’s new challenger. That thrilling free-for-all determined that The Beast will now face first-ever Universal Champion Finn Bálor in a highly-anticipated clash for the illustrious title.

The seismic change began in the opening moments of Monday Night Raw when Lesnar’s refusal to meet Strowman in the ring for the second week in a row sent The Monster Among Men storming into the backstage area in pursuit of his Royal Rumble opponent. When he approached what he thought was The Conqueror’s limo and ripped the door clean off the hinges, however, he found himself face-to-face with Mr. McMahon. The irate WWE Chairman wasted little time dispensing punishment, stripping Strowman of his Universal Title opportunity and fining him $100,000.

Before the WWE Universe could even catch its collective breath, Mr. McMahon announced that a Fatal 4-Way Match would be held in Raw’s main event to determine who would challenge Lesnar at the Rumble, as Bálor, 16-time World Champion John Cena, Drew McIntyre and Baron Corbin waged war in an unforgettable bout.

Prior to the matchup, however, former WWE Champion Jinder Mahal attempted to work his way into the mix, only to be bested by Bálor in a one-on-one showdown to determine which Superstar would compete in the Fatal 4-Way Match. Then, in his second matchup of the night, Bálor triumphed over Cena, McIntyre and Corbin to earn his opportunity to finally reclaim what was once his.

The newly established showdown between Lesnar and Bálor is a classic matchup pitting the unyielding strength of the titleholder against the quickness and agility of his determined challenger. Although The Beast Incarnate is the personification of sheer dominance, one only must look back to his clash against WWE Champion “The New” Daniel Bryan at Survivor Series to see the chink in the armor, as The Beard nearly overcame Lesnar with his quickness, technical prowess and resilience. Bálor possesses similar qualities; will it be enough to slay The Beast and claim the Universal Title?

WWE Champion Daniel Bryan vs. AJ Styles
In what promises to be another classic title fight at Royal Rumble, WWE Champion “The New” Daniel Bryan will once again go to war with a determined AJ Styles, who is laser-focused on reclaiming his title.

The situation seemed simple enough on SmackDown LIVE back in November when the two highly-competitive Superstars looked to settle their issues with an impromptu WWE Championship Match just five days before Survivor Series, but The Beard threw the mother of all curveballs in the title bout.

When the referee wasn’t looking, WWE’s celebrated “Yes!” Man suddenly did the unthinkable by completely foregoing good sportsmanship and ruthlessly kicking Styles below the belt to seize the gold.

In the wake of his brutal subsequent match against Universal Champion Brock Lesnar at WWE’s Fall Classic, Bryan returned to the blue brand, casting off the WWE Universe and claiming that “The Old” Daniel Bryan” and The “Yes!” Movement were dead. The new WWE Champion also vowed that “The New” Daniel Bryan would never again give up on his dreams like he did when he announced his retirement.

Although Styles fell short in their rematch at WWE TLC, The Phenomenal One indeed showed why SmackDown LIVE is “The House that AJ Styles Built” by winning an explosive Fatal 5-Way Match on the New Year’s Day edition of the blue brand to earn the right to once again challenge Bryan at Royal Rumble.

Will Styles finally get retribution on Bryan? Or will his chances at reclaiming the WWE Title prove fickle?

2019 Men’s Royal Rumble Match
Thirty male Superstars from Raw and SmackDown LIVE will fight for the opportunity at sports-entertainment immortality when the 2019 Men’s Royal Rumble Match invades the award-winning WWE Network on Sunday, Jan. 27, at 7 ET/4 PT. The winner of the massive melee will go on to challenge for a World Championship at WrestleMania 35.

UPDATE: John Cena has been ruled out of Men’s Royal Rumble Match due to injury

A tradition dating back to 1988, the high-stakes free-for-all starts with two participants, and Superstars enter the ring at equal intervals. This continues until all 30 Superstars have entered the bout. Elimination occurs when a Superstar is thrown over the top rope, and both of his feet hit the floor. The last Superstar in the ring will be declared the victor.

• Randy Orton
• Dean Ambrose
• Seth Rollins
• Samoa Joe
• Drew McIntyre
• Kofi Kingston
• Big E
• Xavier Woods
• Apollo Crews
• Baron Corbin
• Elias
• Jinder Mahal
• Jeff Hardy
• Bobby Lashley
• Titus O’Neil
• Andrade
• Rey Mysterio
• Mustafa Ali
• R-Truth (earned the coveted No. 30 spot by winning WWE Mixed Match Challenge with Carmella.)

2019 Women’s Royal Rumble Match
Thirty female Superstars from Raw and SmackDown LIVE will fight for the opportunity at sports-entertainment immortality when the 2019 Women’s Royal Rumble Match invades the award-winning WWE Network on Sunday, Jan. 27, at 7 ET/4 PT. The winner of the massive melee will go on to challenge for a World Championship at WrestleMania 35.

History was made history last year when Asuka won the first-ever Women’s Royal Rumble Match. The high-stakes free-for-all will start with two competitors, and Superstars enter the ring at equal intervals. This continues until all 30 Superstars have entered the bout. Elimination occurs when a Superstar is thrown over the top rope, and both feet hit the floor. The last Superstar in the ring will be declared the victor.

• Natalya
• Bayley
• Ember Moon
• Lacey Evans
• Alexa Bliss
• Ruby Riott
• Sarah Logan
• Liv Morgan
• Mickie James
• Alicia Fox
• Mandy Rose
• Sonya Deville
• Zelina Vega
• Charlotte Flair
• Naomi
• Tamina
• Peyton Royce
• Billie Kay
• Dana Brooke
• Lana
• Nia Jax
• Nikki Cross
• Carmella (earned the coveted No. 30 spot by winning WWE Mixed Match Challenge with R-Truth.)

Raw Women’s Champion Ronda Rousey vs. Sasha Banks
At Royal Rumble, Raw Women’s Champion Ronda Rousey will square off against “The Boss” Sasha Banks, who earned her title opportunity with an electric victory against Nia Jax.

Focused on looking forward on the first Raw of 2019, Rousey came to the premiere episode of Alexa Bliss’ new talk show “Moment of Bliss” poised to handpick the Superstar she considered to be “the unsung hero of Monday Night Raw” as her next challenger. That competitor was Sasha Banks.

Nia Jax quickly took exception to being overshadowed, however, and crashed Rousey’s appearance to demand a championship rematch against The Baddest Woman on the Planet, claiming that they will had unfinished business from their title fight at WWE TLC.

This prompted the arrival of Banks, who made it clear that she would be happy to defeat The Rowdy One. And when Jax stepped in her way, Sasha said she was ready to topple The Irresistible Force right there and then for the right to do so.

The McMahon family responded by sending a referee to the ring for an impromptu one-on-one matchup pitting Banks against Jax, which would determine who would challenge Rousey at Royal Rumble 2019. The Boss reigned supreme against The Irresistible Force, setting up a first-time-ever title clash between Rousey and Banks.

Boasting unmistakable swagger and a knack for making history, Sasha Banks earned her title bout in thrilling fashion, but can she contend with Ronda Rousey, who has dominated the competition since arriving on Raw?

SmackDown Women’s Champion Asuka vs. Becky Lynch
Becky Lynch is coming back for the crown.

The Irish Lass Kicker will square off against Asuka for the SmackDown Women’s Championship at the Royal Rumble event, giving Lynch what could be a final opportunity at the title that helped her ascend to the status of “The Man.” She earned the championship bout in oddly serendipitous fashion, winning a Triple Threat Match against Charlotte Flair and Carmella — the same trio that competed in the SummerSlam title match that catalyzed Lynch’s transformation into a boundary-breaking megastar.

If there was ever a chance for Becky to tap back into that magic, this is it. But she faces a deadly opponent, as Asuka stands fortified by a long, arduous road to the blue jewel, with the opportunity to begin a new legendary reign standing in front of her. The Man tends to come around at the most opportune moments, but is she ready for this enormous challenge?

SmackDown Tag Team Champions The Bar vs. The Miz & Shane McMahon
The Miz & Shane McMahon look to live up to their lofty “best tag team in the world” nickname at Royal Rumble when they challenge SmackDown Tag Team Champions The Bar.

The newly aligned tandem will face off against the reigning champions after good boasting from The Miz during the Jan. 8 edition of SmackDown LIVE. Talking a good game, The A-Lister cited his team’s ability to rise to the occasion – as well as a prior victory – as reason for being viable contenders for the SmackDown Tag Team Titles. Now that the match has been made, The Miz & Shane-O-Mac face their biggest test.

Where Cesaro & Sheamus have years together and championship-proven chemistry, the “co-besties” still have work to do. Earlier this month, the pair got into a squabble over matching ring gear that eventually spilled onto Instagram and further spotlighted their clash of personalities (and style) for all to see. If they want to become “The Best Tag Team in the World” and add the SmackDown Tag Team Championship to their mantle, The A-Lister and Best in the World trophy co-parent will need to be on the same page at Royal Rumble.

Can The Miz & Shane McMahon stop The Bar’s championship reign and prove to the WWE Universe that they truly are the best duo in the world? Or will The Bar surprise them with a reality check?

Cruiserweight Championship Fatal 4-Way Match (Kickoff Match)
Buddy Murphy vs. Akira Tozawa vs. Kalisto vs. Hideo Itami
Buddy Murphy will defend the WWE Cruiserweight Championship during the WWE Royal Rumble Kickoff in a Fatal 4-Way Match against Kalisto, Akira Tozawa and Hideo Itami.

Following his victory against Cedric Alexander at WWE TLC: Tables, Ladders & Chairs, Murphy told WWE 205 Live General Manager he was ready for the next challenge. In the interest of providing the highest level of competition for the WWE Cruiserweight Champion, Maverick decided to kick off 2019 with a bang, announcing three Qualifying Matches to determine who would challenge Murphy in a Fatal 4-Way Match at WWE Royal Rumble on Sunday, Jan. 27.

The first two contests came on the first WWE 205 Live of 2019, as former Cruiserweight Champion Kalisto bested Lio Rush and former Cruiserweight Champion Akira Tozawa emerged victorious against his longtime rival Drew Gulak.

Former WWE Cruiserweight Champion Cedric Alexander – who lost the title to Murphy at WWE Super Show-Down last October – faced off against a laser-focused Hideo Itami. Following a hard-hitting and relentless battle, Itami pinned the former champion to earn the final spot in the Fatal 4-Way Match.

With Hideo Itami entering a field of former champions in Tozawa and Kalisto, can he prove he is worthy of the respect he demands, or will Buddy Murphy emerge victorious in his most daunting task to date?

United States Champion Rusev vs. Shinsuke Nakamura (Kickoff Match)
United States Champion Rusev will fight for the honor of his wife Lana during the Royal Rumble Kickoff when he puts his title on the line against nefarious former champion Shinsuke Nakamura.

One week after capturing the title from Nakamura, Rusev had his United States Championship celebration cut short by The Artist’s sudden sneak attack. When Lana came to her husband’s aid by jumping on Nakamura’s back, Rusev got back to his feet and clobbered his adversary with a Machka Kick. Unfortunately, when The King of Strong Style fell backward, he landed on top of Lana. The melee temporarily stopped as Rusev checked on his wife, but the relentless Nakamura pounced on the United States Champion and floored him with a Kinshasa.

The following week, Nakamura emerged on the TitanTron to claim that it was Rusev’s fault that The Ravishing Russian got hurt. An incensed Super Athlete went looking for Nakamura backstage, but he was ambushed by the former champion, who repeatedly rammed a production crate into his rival before once again leveling him with the Kinshasa.

Now, with the United States Title rematch set, will Rusev finally get retribution against Nakamura? Or will The Artist create another championship reign for himself?

Nine new names announced for Women’s Royal Rumble Match during reveal event on Twitter
On Sunday, live on WWE’s official Twitter page, a new Superstar was revealed every 30 minutes as an official entrant in the 2019 Women’s Royal Rumble Match.

Which competitors claimed their spots in the match that will guarantee one female Superstar a title opportunity at WrestleMania 35? Check out the names below!

• Charlotte Flair
• Naomi
• Tamina
• Peyton Royce
• Billie Kay
• Dana Brooke
• Lana
• Nia Jax
• Nikki Cross