WWE Royal Rumble 2019: Confirmed matches and full projected card
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Raw Women’s Championship Match: Ronda Rousey (c) vs Ruby Riott
With Nia Jax coming up short and the potential clashes with Becky Lynch and Charlotte Flair weeks if not months away, Ronda Rousey needs a new challenger in the meantime. While Natalya will challenge Rousey for the belt next week on Raw, it’s unlikely that the veteran picks up the win. Rousey has been nearly unstoppable as champion, and Nattie probably won’t be the one to change that.
On the contrary, there’s heavy speculation that Rousey will end up facing Lynch, Flair, or both at WrestleMania and could even main event the show. With both those potential opponents on SmackDown Live, the most obvious way to get to Rousey would be for either woman to win the women’s Royal Rumble match. A victory there would allow them the opportunity to choose a champion to take on, effectively opening a path to move to Raw and take on Rousey. All of this could be special and spectacular, but what about the Royal Rumble pay-per-view?
Last year, the nature of the first-ever women’s Royal Rumble match necessitated all hands be on deck for the match. Neither Women’s Champion defended their belt, instead leaving all the focus on the women’s Royal Rumble. This year they shouldn’t need the same safety net. Between new additions to the roster, veteran returns, and appearances by NXT stars or Mae Young Classic participants, it shouldn’t be a struggle to give Rousey a fresh challenger like the leader of The Riott Squad.
Despite picking up a loss to Natalya at TLC, Ruby Riott and The Riott Squad remain a force to be reckoned with on Raw. Morgan and Logan should turn their focus to the Royal Rumble match itself, while Ruby Riott should make it her new personal mission to go after Ronda Rousey. With the champion’s unfinished business against Flair and Lynch, it’s the perfect chance for Riott to swoop in and take advantage like any great opportunistic heel would. Can she use that opportunity to dethrone The Baddest Woman on the Planet?