On Sunday, 27th January 2019, WWE will hold its annual Royal Rumble event, laying the foundation for the upcoming Road to WrestleMania…
This article aims to predict the match rating, potential winners and deserved winners for every match at WWE Royal Rumble 2019, including those being held on the main show and pre-show. Additionally, it’ll look to further evolve the Road to WrestleMania predictions from an earlier article on the events that unfolded at WWE TLC.
Pre-Show Match 1: Rusev © vs. Shinsuke Nakamura – WWE United States Championship
#USChampion @RusevBUL will defend his championship, his wife and his honor when faces @ShinsukeN at #RoyalRumble! #USTitle https://t.co/xsmcUgz6uS pic.twitter.com/J0PAuBy30K
— WWE (@WWE) January 16, 2019
The United States Championship has never felt this irrelevant and it’s interesting how its failed to gain traction for a year now. Once again, the entirety of the blame falls on the WWE creative team for diverting their focus towards the WWE Intercontinental Title. After losing to AJ Styles on multiple occasions, it felt like Shinsuke Nakamura would be relegated to mediocrity. When he won the US Title from Jeff Hardy, fans were left hoping that the WWE would rebuild Nakamura as well as the title – but unfortunately, nothing changed.
With the title rarely defended, the champion’s booking was even worse. Nakamura would appear on Smackdown one week and disappear for the following two weeks, leading many to believe that WWE still haven’t formed a plan for Nakamura. However, Nakamura eventually lost the title to Rusev, another superstar who the WWE have failed to capitalize on, most recently through ‘Rusev Day’. Either way, the feud does not feel like a big deal and there is barely any hype surrounding the match.
Who should win the match? Since Nakamura’s title reign was doomed from the get-go, I would say it’s time to experiment with Rusev. After all, he is finally getting a share of the spotlight as champion. Hence, Rusev should retain the title.
Prediction: Rusev wins fair and square via pin-fall.
Match Rating Prediction: 1.75 out of 5 – Should largely be a forgetful affair. Both superstars carry the potential to produce a great match but given that it’s taking place on the pre-show, it’ll lack the time necessary to make it worthwhile.
WrestleMania Prediction: The title will still be defended on the Pre-Show.