The biggest winners and losers of Royal Rumble 2019

The 2019 Royal Rumble is in the books, and while there were some issues (the show's obscene length being the most obvious one), it was an excellent show by WWE standards. In a rarity, the right decisions were made up and down the card for the most part (albeit with some wrinkles here and there), and the road to WrestleMania kicks into hyperdrive with the right players at the wheel.

The most important part of the Royal Rumble is to set that road up, and it did so admirably last night, unlike most of the Royal Rumbles that have come in the years since 2010.

Who got the most and least out of last night's big show? Let's take a look.

#1 Loser: Rusev

The completely bizarre booking of the United States Championship continues, as Rusev lost the title only a month after winning it. And who did he lose it to? Unfortunately, it wasn't to an up and coming star like Andrade 'Cien' Almas. Rather, he lost the title right back to Shinsuke Nakamura, after he had such a forgetful reign in the first place. The decision not only cheapens the title and likely keeps it in purgatory, but it severely dented the newfound momentum that Rusev had picked up towards the end of 2018.

The U.S. title still feels like the least important part of SmackDown's midcard division and it looks like it will remain so. Given what happened to Lana last night, this feud likely isn't over, but it's hard to care. This match felt like a filler in the first place.

We're likely headed to some kind of multi-man affair with the US title at WrestleMania, as usual. Hopefully that will kick things into a higher gear, but I doubt Rusev is the protagonist there.