4 reasons why Royal Rumble 2019 is the change WWE promised
Royal Rumble 2019 was one big roller coaster for the fans. The PPV was loaded with strong matches from the kickoff to the very end. Expectations for the PPV was at an all-time high.
While fans didn't really get the much-anticipated surprise entrants as they would have wanted, WWE managed to pull off a great PPV without any jaw-dropping returns or debuts. Royal Rumble 2019 was one of a kind, and will go down as one of the most iconic PPVs in WWE's timeline.
The McMahons promised us a change, and the Royal Rumble was the beginning of it. Sure there were downs in the PPV like Daniel Bryan vs AJ Styles not living up to the mark, or Finn Balor tapping out to the kimura lock.
Despite that, Royal Rumble was a solid PPV, and one of the best PPVs of the main roster in recent memory. Here are 4 things that will make everyone believe that a change is here.
#4 Strong performances from NXT Superstars
This year's Royal Rumble provided a fantastic opportunity for several NXT Superstars, and they didn't let WWE regret its decision. Apart from NXT call-ups, Lacey Evans and Nikki Cross, several other stars made shocking appearances at the event. A total of 9 unannounced NXT Superstars appeared in both the women and men's Royal Rumble match.
These stars did not disappoint, as few of them had some big moments in the match. From Kacy Catanzaro's jaw-dropping effort to avoid her elimination, to Aleister Black and Johnny Gargano eliminating former world champions, the stars from NXT made their mark on the main roster.
#3 A step towards inter-gender wrestling
Less than two days before the Royal Rumble PPV, Triple H was asked at the Royal Rumble Axxess about the possibility of seeing inter-gender matches in WWE. While Triple H didn't deny the possibility of seeing them in the future, he didn't make any conclusive statement either.
The last time we saw an inter-gender wrestling match in WWE was when Becky Lynch faced James Ellsworth on SmackDown Live. However, WWE has always shied away from these type of match in the past few years.
Despite all these, we did see Nia Jax enter the men's Royal Rumble and challenge the male superstars. Despite eliminating Mustafa Ali, things didn't go well for Nia Jax, as she was eliminated by Rey Mysterio. Nia Jax was on the receiving end of three finishing moves, courtesy of Dolph Ziggler, Rey Mysterio, and Randy Orton.