WWE Royal Rumble 2020: Full Match Card Preview and Predictions
By Mark Justice
WWE Royal Rumble 2020 will take place on Jan. 26 at 7 p.m. ET/4 p.m. PT at Minute Maid Park in Houston, Texas and live on the WWE Network with a two-hour kickoff show beginning at 5 p.m. ET/2 p.m. PT. The following will address full match card predictions less than a week away from a PPV that kickstarts the road to WWE WrestleMania 36.
Dating back from 1988, the Royal Rumble is a special free-for-all match in the WWE, in which the winner earns a world championship opportunity at the grandest stage of them all, WrestleMania. The challenge is to outlast twenty-nine other superstars by hurling them over the top rope so that both feet hit the floor. Indeed, success is all about the numbers.
The Monster Eliminator. Usually, the bigger superstars obtain the most eliminations in a Royal Rumble Match. While Roman Reigns has accomplished the most eliminations in a single Royal Rumble Match, Kane has accomplished the most eliminations out of all Royal Rumbles.
The Iron Man. Usually, the smaller superstars are the most enduring in a Royal Rumble Match. While Daniel Bryan was in the Men’s Royal Rumble for the longest time (1 hour, 16 minutes, 6 seconds) and Natalya was in the Women’s Royal Rumble for the longest time (56 minutes, 1 second), Rey Mysterio is in the record books for having the longest time (62 minutes, 12 seconds) in the Royal Rumble as the ultimate winner in 2006.
The Creative Savior. Usually, the more athletic superstars make the most creative saves in a Royal Rumble Match. While John Morrison, Naomi, and Kacy Catanzaro have done these on separate occasions, Kofi Kingston is the most popular innovator of these creative saves and many WWE fans look forward to the new saves he implements each year.
The Comedic Relief. Usually, the superstars with the lowest chances of winning the Royal Rumble provide some comedic relief for the WWE fanbase. As can be indicated by the 2016 Royal Rumble, R-Truth has made it possible for MITB Ladder Matches to take place in the Royal Rumble Match. Meanwhile, as can be indicated by the Greatest Royal Rumble in Saudi Arabia, Titus WorldSlide has shown how difficult it can be to enter the Royal Rumble Match.
Who will main event WrestleMania? Three brands collide in two Royal Rumbles on one historic night. As fingers are crossed for an ethereal CM Punk or Edge return, WWE Royal Rumble 2020 will give the WWE Universe the answer to that question as we approach that PPV this Sunday and kickstart the road to WWE WrestleMania 36. Per WWE’s official website, the following matches have been made official for this PPV:
"Men’s Royal Rumble Match Confirmed Participants: Roman Reigns, Brock Lesnar, AJ Styles, Erick Rowan, Randy Orton, Rey Mysterio, Ricochet, Drew McIntyre, Elias, King Corbin, Dolph Ziggler, Otis, Tucker, Rusev, Bobby Lashley, Aleister Black, Buddy Murphy, Braun Strowman, Shinsuke Nakamura, Seth Rollins, Kevin Owens, Samoa Joe Women’s Royal Rumble Match Confirmed Participants: Charlotte Flair, Alexa Bliss, Nikki Cross, Sarah Logan Universal Championship Strap Match Bray Wyatt (c) vs. Daniel Bryan Falls Count Anywhere Match Roman Reigns vs. King Corbin Raw Women’s Championship Becky Lynch (c) vs. Asuka SmackDown Women’s Championship Bayley (c) vs. Lacey Evans United States Championship Andrade (c) vs. Humberto Carillo Grudge Match Sheamus vs. Shorty G"
Yes, eight matches seem like enough for a PPV with two Royal Rumbles but there were ten matches on the Royal Rumble PPV card last year. The two other matches that are very likely going to be added to the card at the last-minute are: Braun Strowman (c) vs. Shinsuke Nakamura for the Intercontinental Championship, and The New Day (c) vs. John Morrison and The Miz for the SmackDown Tag Team Championships.
With that being said, it’s time to plunge into a plenitude of surprises for WWE’s very first main roster PPV of 2020. Let’s now predict the full WWE Royal Rumble 2020 card, starting with a recently announced United States Championship match between Andrade and Humberto Carillo and a regular grudge match between Shorty G and Sheamus.