WWE Royal Rumble: Ranking Every Winner After Lynch, Rollins Wins

Credit: WWE.com

11. Becky Lynch

The coming year may bot be kind to Becky Lynch’s placement this high up the list, but for right now it seems like everything is going her way.

In the second half of 2018, Becky Lynch, by an organic crowd movement unseen since the groundswell of support for Daniel Bryan five years earlier, became one of the biggest stars in WWE. A heel turn against Charlotte Flair at SummerSlam did nothing to cool the ravenous reactions from the audiences, so WWE was forced to adapt on the fly.

Lynch became “The Man,” in a mockery of Flair’s father’s famous catchphrase and took up the rebellious mantle of stars like Stone Cold Steve Austin and CM Punk. “The Man” captured the SmackDown Women’s Championship from Flair at Hell in a Cell, and retained in an instant classic Last Woman Standing match at Evolution.

On the last Raw before Survivor Series, Lynch suffered a concussion and a “broken face” due to an errant punch from Nia Jax. As such, she was forced to sit out her planned match with Ronda Rousey, with Flair subbing in on her behalf. This did nothing to cool Lynch’s momentum, however, as she took to Twitter to engage in a constant stream of trash talk toward Rousey.

At TLC, Asuka defeated Lynch and Flair to win the Championship. Lynch also lost her rematch the Royal Rumble. During the Women’s Royal Rumble match, however, Lynch subbed in for an injured Lana and won the match, last eliminating Flair to a thunderous crowd ovation.

As of now, it seems likely that she will jump brands to challenge Ronda Rousey in what is sure to be a classic encounter. While Becky Lynch’s placement on this list is based largely on past booking and speculation, it would be a shame to see her meteoric rise come to an end anytime soon.