WWE Royal Rumble 2020: 4 possible last-minute swerves
The Royal Rumble is one of the most anticipated pay-per-views on the WWE calendar. It kicks off the WrestleMania season, a period during which the WWE programming reaches its peak. WWE produces some of the best matches and storylines each year on this show.
The event is highlighted by two Royal Rumble matches, which is one of the most uncertain matches in the WWE as 30 Superstars compete for an opportunity to headline the "Grandest Stage Of Them All", WrestleMania.
Royal Rumble generates a lot of intrigue with the WWE fans and critics alike, producing some of the most talked-about moments and matches and has the potential to make or break the careers of WWE Superstars.
WWE has the propensity to astonish fans by pulling off some bold moves and swerves during this pay-per-view, which marks the beginning of the road to WrestleMania.
With WWE Royal Rumble 2020 just hours away, the intrigue surrounding it is at its peak and the frequency of rumours has increased manifolds. The list of favourites is out and so is the list of possible surprise entrants to the Royal Rumble.
At this year's show, the WWE universe is all hyped about the possible returns of Ronda Rousey, CM Punk, and even Edge. While surprise entries, including debuts and returns, the Royal Rumble match is an ideal way to elate and shock the fans. Sometimes it is best to do the predicabtle, but other times something different occurs, thus prompting WWE to do the unexpected.
Here are 4 possible swerves that WWE might pull off to surprise the fans at Royal Rumble 2020.
#4 NXT Superstars clean sweep Royal Rumble Matches
At present, no NXT superstar has been announced to be entering either of the Rumble matches. The rumour mill is still running wild with a possibility of Shayna Baszler entering and winning the women's Royal Rumble; after losing her NXT Championship, she seems to be one of the most logical victors.
If she enters the Royal Rumble match, it's possible that other NXT Superstars will do the same. This opens the door for both the Rumbles being won by members of the NXT roster, thus pulling off a shocker just as they did at Survivor Series 2019.
Imagine the likes of Matt Riddle, Tomaso Ciampa, Johny Gargano, Keith Lee, or Adam Cole winning the men's Rumble match and going on to challenge Brock Lesnar at WrestleMania.
While it may sound farfetched, this cannot be ruled out completely given the competition NXT has on Wednesday nights, AEW. WWE might decide to have NXT Superstars dominate the Royal Rumble matches in order to increase the yellow and black brand's appeal among the casual WWE fans, similar to what they attempted at Survivor Series.
Something unexpected like this will surely add a lot of toppings to the already savoury WrestleMania dish!
#3 Brock Lesnar gets eliminated first
Brock Lesnar, given the dominant force and elite performer he is, is always a serious contender to win any match in which he participates, be it a singles encounter or a 30-man over-the-top battle royal.
WWE has likely planned something very unpredictable with its current WWE Champion tonight. Lesnar will enter at the #1 spot.
It may not seem obvious, since he has to outlast all of the other men in the match in order to win, but this instantly makes him a favourite to win. He has been booked so strongly by the WWE that, no matter the odds, everyone expects him to dominate, especially since so much spotlight is placed on the first Superstar to enter the ring.
But what if he gets eliminated early, maybe even the first man eliminated, by someone likes of Drew McIntyre, Kevin Owens, or Rusev, thus starting a rivalry which would be likely to culminate at WrestleMania. This would certainly prove to be a marquee storyline for the WrestleMania season.
Very few WWE fans want Brock to win the match, and as stands true for most years, just about everyone wants a fresh face to win and move on to WrestleMania.
Brock Lesnar getting eliminated first would be a huge shocker to all the viewers and followers of WWE and surely send shockwaves across the WWE Universe.
#2 Asuka beats Becky Lynch
'The Man' has never defeated Asuka, which is the storyline that is leading into their RAW Women's Championship match tonight. It is one of the biggest stories the will cuminate at the show and is an ideal follow-up to the Becky Lynch vs. Asuka match one year ago that saw Asuka retain her SmackDown Women's Championship to open the show.
Later that night, Becky went on to win the women's Royal Rumble match and faced-off against Ronda Rousey and Charlotte in a triple threat match for both women's titles in the main event of WrestleMania. Becky's redemption was one of the highlights of last year's Rumble pay-per-view, a great story that WWE told throughout the single event.
This year it's being taken for granted that Asuka will lose and Becky will retain her title, but what if Asuka succeeds in beating Becky Lynch for the second consecutive year at Royal Rumble, this time taking Becky's belt?. This would further the redemption arc for Becky, adding one more obstacle for her to overcome. Becky could have a repeat performance and win the Royal Rumble match later in the night, this time challenging Asuka for the RAW Women's Championship at WrestleMania.
#1 Finn Balor wins the Men's Royal Rumble match
The list of favourites to win the men's Royal Rumble match features Roman Reigns, Drew McIntyre, and even CM Punk, but what if WWE pulls of a swerve and we end up seeing Finn Balor win the over-the-top battle royal?
Since Balor is currently signed to NXT and locked in a feud with Johny Gargano, this might not sound very logical, but there is a very interesting storyline which WWE can pursue after his Royal Rumble victory; a rematch between The Fiend and Finn Balor at WrestleMania 36.
Finn was the first victim of Bray Wyatt upon the debut of his Fiend persona last year at SummerSlam. He was dominated and beaten by The Fiend in that match. Following his defeat, Balor went missing, only to reappear on NXT, quickly turning heel. This change of brand meant that there was no follow up to their SummerSlam match.
Ever since then, fans have been clamouring for Finn to return as The Demon to battle the monster that destroyed him back in August. Bray Wyatt is the current WWE Universal Champion, and Finn Balor could go on to challenge him for the title at WrestleMania, possibly even taking back the title he never lost 3 and a half years ago.
With the theatrics of the Demon and Fiend characters as well as the revenge and redemption involved in this story, it would make for an amazing, WrestleMania-worthy in every way.