WWE: Three storylines that must happen in the build to the Royal Rumble

Royal Rumble season is in the air, and exciting times are coming to WWE.

WrestleMania will always be the number one WWE PLE, but in my opinion, the Royal Rumble event slots in at number two, ahead of both SummerSlam and Survivor Series. The Royal Rumble premium live event should be presented as the land of opportunity to create new stars to kick off the new year. This is the one night of the year where it can truly feel like anything can happen.

Survivor Series may be the start of the seeds being planted for WrestleMania, but the road to WrestleMania officially kicks off at the Royal Rumble. There’s still quite a gap for WWE’s next big show, as the confirmed date for the Rumble is January 28th. With the long layoff till the next big PLE, the WWE has hit a point in their schedule where they have a chance to create even more compelling storylines on Monday Night Raw and Friday Night SmackDown.

There’s so much that needs to happen in the build up to the Royal Rumble, but luckily, the company has plenty of time to make great content on national television. For a big PLE like the Royal Rumble, Triple H needs to think long and hard about how he wants to press certain buttons. I’ve narrowed my list down to three things that need to happen in the build up to the Royal Rumble.

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3. Keep Building on Austin Theory’s character and making him a threat in the Royal Rumble Match.

Austin Theory has done a complete 180 since losing his Money in The Bank contract. Winning the WWE United States Championship at Survivor Series War Games against both Seth Rollins and Bobby Lashley. Theory’s promos have been much better since going to a darker side as they come across as more serious.

Triple H has finally pulled the trigger on switching to this more natural Austin Theory character. The WWE seems like they’re going to keep rolling with Seth Rollins VS Austin Theory till the Royal Rumble, and that’s a great call. Rollins knows how to pull the best out of any character, whether it’s in the ring or on the microphone.

It’s important for Theory to keep that menacing behavior as the Royal Rumble approaches. While I do think he should carry the United States Championship into the Royal Rumble match, he should also be one of the last five superstars left in the match. Yes, in no way Theory should win the Royal Rumble, but to have a great performance in this type of match goes a long way.

Having him enter in that #4-#8 range is a great way for him to be showcased for a long time as well as racking up eliminations. Having Theory be built up as one of the last five or so Superstars is a big deal, especially when he does eventually get eliminated by a big name, perhaps a John Cena or Brock Lesnar type of figure.

At the midway point of the year, Theory wasn’t one of the focal points on Monday Night Raw with the Money in the Bank briefcase, and now he’s finally being treated as a focal point without it, which was extremely hard to do..

2. Bray Wyatt’s first match since WrestleMania 37

Bray Wyatt has been back since October, but we still have yet to see him in a match. We surely won’t see him in a match on TV anytime soon. Therefore, his first match should take place at the Royal Rumble against LA Knight.

LA Knight and Bray Wyatt have gone back and forth with fantastic promos, and it’s consistently one of the best highlights on SmackDown. LA Knight is a fresh new opponent for Bray Wyatt, which makes this feud so intriguing. And while it is taking a bit of time for this match to happen, I prefer the slow build.

Rushing to have this match at Survivor Series War Games wasn’t the play. There’s still so much we don’t know about Bray Wyatt’s character or even Uncle Howdy. We need to keep building on that in the month of December, while in early January we can have a big reveal of a character breakthrough for Wyatt. Mapping out the potential match at the Royal Rumble would be easy.

However, reports have surfaced that there could be an added twist to a potential Bray Wyatt return match. Louis Dangoor of GiveMeSport.com reports that a first-ever “Pitch Black” match could be on the way at the Royal Rumble. No details or rules of the match have been released. And there’s also no word if this is a match that happens inside the ring, or if it’s a cinematic match, such as the Firefly Funhouse match.

This potential new match has Bray Wyatt’s creativity written all over it. For a man as wise as Bray Wyatt, we would have to trust him because he’s a genius. The Firefly Funhouse match at WrestleMania 36 with John Cena had very mixed reviews. As a fan, I loved it and was entertained throughout the entirety of the match. I thought it was one of the highlights of a WrestleMania that was very bland without a crowd.

If there’s anyone that can pull off a new match presentation, I’m 100% confident Bray Wyatt is that person.

1. Rhea Ripley’s dominance heading into the Royal Rumble Match

Rhea Ripley has been on a rampage since joining Judgment Day back in May. Oftentimes, I see her as the alpha of the group. She’s very entertaining, as well as intimidating in the ring.

Having her be that threat heading into the Royal Rumble match is a smart play. She shouldn’t be afraid of anyone, and she should eliminate everyone, whether they’re a babyface or a heel. At the moment, Ripley is on another level right now compared to the babyface character that she presented back at WrestleMania 36.

Having her be that menacing and aggressive-looking heel as the Royal Rumble approaches is important. I think this year’s Woman’s Royal Rumble should be a Royal Rumble Match we’ve never seen before. Not only do I think Ripley should win, but she should do it in a convincing fashion.

It would be great to see the most dominant Royal Rumble performance end up being the winner. Too many times the best performance in a Royal Rumble Match has lost. Brock Lesnar and Kane are the two prime examples where superstars go on a monster tear during the match, only to lose in the end.

Ripley should break that streak once and for all, and then some. In the end, I want her to set the record for eliminations in a single Royal Rumble and throw 15 other women out of the Rumble match. Having her throw out half the field would be an insane number, but it makes sense given her dominating personal trait as a character.

Going on to the main event of WrestleMania, against Bianca Belair would be a dream match. However, if she doesn’t go on to win the Royal Rumble, the only person who makes sense of eliminating her is Beth Phoenix. Ripley and Judgment Day took out Beth Phoenix with a ConChairTo back at Extreme Rules in October. For Phoenix to get revenge in the Rumble match, makes all the sense in the world, especially if it all comes to a head at WrestleMania 39.

What do you think needs to happen in the build-up to the Royal Rumble event?