5 WWE superstars who entered the Royal Rumble after losing world title matches
Becky Lynch is set to face Asuka for the SmackDown Women's Championship at the Royal Rumble pay-per-view. This would traditionally mean that she will not be in the Royal Rumble match, a hugely unpopular move if done.
Over the past six months, Becky Lynch has been one of the best things on WWE programming, consistently captivating crowds with her stellar promos and is probably the biggest full-time star in the company today. It would be criminal to not put her in the annual 30-person staple.
Despite already having a match at the event, Becky is one of the favourites to win the Rumble match as she is inching closer to an eventual collision course with Raw Women's Champion, Ronda Rousey.
She needs to be in the Rumble and there is a possibility of it happening. There have been superstars in the past who took another bite of the cherry by competing in the Royal Rumble match. It has been a semi-constant theme to see some of the losers of world title matches earlier in the night make another appearance in the Royal Rumble.
The Man will most likely follow suit, drifting over from the Blue brand to the Red brand in one night. There is potential for her, despite the fact that none of the losers who entered their respective Royal Rumbles has won the match.
A few have come close but ultimately fell short. This is perhaps because their respective inclusions are necessitated to build on planned WrestleMania matches. However, with the women, it could be different in this case. Becky Lynch will have a chance to win the 2019 women's Royal Rumble match. That is what history says.
Here are five previous Royal Rumble entrants who joined the match despite losing earlier in the night.
#5 Kurt Angle (2005)
At Royal Rumble 2005, JBL retained his WWE Championship in a triple threat match against Kurt Angle and the Big Show. Later in the night, Angle stole Smackdown superstar Nunzio's entrant and spot in the Royal Rumble match.
Despite getting pinned earlier on, the Olympic Gold Medalist made his way at number 20 in the main event. He went crazy with suplexes before getting superkicked out of the ring by Shawn Michaels, in what was a shockingly quick elimination.
Angle then came back to take HBK, who was pulling double duty as well, out of the match and viciously attacked him with the steel steps. This would set up a classic inter-promotional match for WrestleMania 21.
The pair would tear it up and steal the show at the grandest stage, but it all began in the Rumble. Kurt Angle may have only lasted a minute in the Rumble match, but his appearance served a huge purpose.