3:02 pm | January 27, 2019 | Go to Source | Author:
The 2019 Royal Rumble is the starting point for WrestleMania season. By the end of Sunday night we’ll know at least two title challengers for the biggest WWE show of the year, and probably a great deal more than that.
Going into the main card, one title has already changed hands. Five more will be on the line over the course of the night, including the top four titles on Raw and SmackDown, but the most attention will be paid to the men’s and women’s Royal Rumble matches.
Tim Fiorvanti is live at Chase Field in Phoenix, with coverage supplemented by stats and insights from Sean Coyle and Matt Willis.
This story will be updated in real time.
SmackDown tag team championships: The Miz & Shane McMahon def The Bar (c)
Shane McMahon hit a shooting star press on Cesaro to win the SmackDown Live tag team championships. Full recap to come.
SmackDown Live women’s championship: Asuka (c) def. Becky Lynch
When you’re building a major show the size and scale of Royal Rumble, you need something to kick the card off with a bang.
By starting the show with the SmackDown women’s championship match, WWE accomplished a few things at once. They got an electric reaction for Becky Lynch, they got a tremendous match and, most importantly, a shocking result that did wonders for both women involved.
Just over a month after losing the United States championship to Rusev on SmackDown, Shinsuke Nakamura regained that title on the Royal Rumble Kickoff. The end of the match saw Nakamura remove the top turnbuckle cover, which brought Lana up to the apron to complain. The distraction led to a sequence in which Nakamura tricked Rusev, slipped out of the way and caused Rusev to crash into Lana – the second time he’s done so in recent weeks. In the confusion, Nakamura hit a Kinshasa knee and earned a pinfall victory.
Some might question Asuka defeating Lynch — likely the most popular star of the moment — cleanly in the middle of the ring. To those in opposition, there may yet be a sound explanation by the end of the night. In the meantime, there’s no doubting the reclamation project for Asuka is complete heading into the busiest time of year.
From the opening bell, this title clash was a stiff, technical affair. Lynch shook off some brutal kicks from the beginning, and that set the tone for everything to follow. Asuka certainly got her shots in, but Lynch easily gave as good as she got. A Bex-ploder suplex into the ring barrier was an indicator of just how far and how hard these women were willing to go in this match.
Asuka and Lynch flew all over the ring, used every part of the ring to batter each other back and forth, and each struggled to get a definitive edge until the match started to peak. Everything hit another level when, after a major struggle on the apron ended with a brutal-looking fisherman’s neckbreaker by Asuka that sent both women crashing to the ground.
As they slowly climbed to their feet, they traded open-handed slaps and stared death into each other’s eyes. Lynch blocked a backfist, but couldn’t quite turn it into a Dis-arm-her. A top rope Bex-ploder only got a two count, and a follow-up top rope leg drop missed.
Asuka was able to sink into the Asuka lock, but then turned it into a dis-arm-her. Lynch responded by stealing Asuka’s submission, but it all spun into a pinfall attempt. Finally, as Lynch and Asuka each fought to lock in their signature submissions, Asuka finally got the upper hand. When the Asuka lock wasn’t quite enough, she flipped over on her head and put Lynch in what I can only describe as a variation of Daniel Bryan’s old pre-WWE finisher, but that was enough to get the win.
Let the speculation of Lynch being in the women’s Royal Rumble begin, but for now, Asuka picked up a signature win, to say the least.
Kickoff show:
Cruiserweight championship: Buddy Murphy (c) def. Akira Tozawa, Hideo Itami and Kalisto
In a match that featured the creativity and acrobatics you would hope for in a four-way Cruiserweight Championship match, Buddy Murphy pinned Hideo Itami to retain his title in a match that also involved Akira Tozawa and Kalisto. The finish came via a Murphy’s Law, after a crazy sequences of knee strikes and stiff blows between all four competitors. The match might not have been on the main card, but if that was the reason they got 15-20 minutes to shine, then it was well worth the pre-show placement. (Photo from @WWE205Live)
United States championship: Shinsuke Nakamura def. Rusev (c)
Just over a month after losing the United States championship to Rusev on SmackDown, Shinsuke Nakamura regained that title on the Royal Rumble Kickoff. The end of the match saw Nakamura remove the top turnbuckle cover, which brought Lana up to the apron to complain. The distraction led to a sequence in which Nakamura tricked Rusev, slipped out of the way and caused Rusev to crash into Lana – the second time he’s done so in recent weeks. In the confusion, Nakamura hit a Kinshasa knee and earned a pinfall victory.
Still to come:
Men’s Royal Rumble
Women’s Royal Rumble
Universal championship: Brock Lesnar (c) vs. Finn Balor
WWE Championship: Daniel Bryan (c) vs. AJ Styles
Raw women’s championship: Ronda Rousey (c) vs. Sasha Banks
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