WWE Royal Rumble 2019: Confirmed matches and full projected card

Photo Credit: WWE.com

Universal Championship Match: Brock Lesnar (c) vs Braun Strowman

The third and final confirmed match of the night will see Universal Champion Brock Lesnar finally lose— sorry, finally defend his worthless title against Braun Strowman. The announcement that Roman Reigns would have to relinquish the title due to a cancer diagnosis was a tough moment for fans and superstars alike. Not only had Roman finally reached a pinnacle he’d been pushing towards for years, but Raw finally had a fighting champion.

Brock Lesnar tends to only show up when needed, and his absence has undoubtedly influenced the falling ratings on Raw that led to Vince McMahon’s return and this new fresh start. Brock Lesnar has been the Universal Champion for the better part of the last two years, and it’s been about as disgraceful a so-called title reign as one could imagine. While most fans expected Strowman to win the belt from Lesnar back at Crown Jewel, that wasn’t the case.

It’s not clear if that decision came from an opinion on Strowman’s readiness, if WWE felt safer with the belt on Lesnar, or if they didn’t want Strowman’s crowning moment to be at the controversial event in Saudi Arabia. Whatever the reasoning, Strowman came up short and has had to earn his way back to a challenge against Lesnar. His win over Corbin, with some assistance, at TLC has earned Strowman that coveted title shot at Royal Rumble.

He’s still recovering from an elbow injury, but there’s no way WWE would continue to promote this match if they didn’t firmly believe Strowman will be healed and ready in time to take on Brock Lesnar. If there’s an ounce of sincerity in WWE’s commitment to a truly fresh start, we should see The Monster Among Men walk out of the Royal Rumble as the new Universal Champion, and Brock Lesnar can go make his millions in UFC where he only has to appear twice a year.