Matthew Klink (@klinkmatt)

January 23, 2019

This Sunday, the Brothers of Discussion favorite event of the year takes place! (It’s all downhill from here!!!)

With the Royal Rumble match comes so much speculation, hope, and excitement! Whether you’re a numbers guy or a straight up wrestling fan, there is something to love from any angle you dissect it.

The Brothers of Discussion offer their take on the big show taking place at Chase Field, January 27th.

Royal Rumble Preview

For the Men’s and Women’s Royal Rumble, the Brothers of Discussion have provided not only their predictions for winners, but a few other items.

Best and Worst case scenario are pretty self explanatory. Dark Horse is the competitor no one sees winning, but should have a good shot. 

Iron Man/Woman will be the competitor for either Rumble, that lasts the longest. 

Then we finish off the predictions with who will eliminate the most superstars, who is our final four and then our prediction for the match (which is different from Best Case Scenario).

Men's Royal Rumble

There’s too much good going down with Seth Rollins and Drew McIntyre. They’ve been on the minds of the Brothers of Discussion since last May. Most of booking lies with who wins the Championship matches on Sunday, but we’re confident these two will factor into Wrestlemania’s main event.

 Women's Royal Rumble

Will Becky Lynch get into the Royal Rumble? A lot has to happen before this makes sense. If Becky and Asuka Battle early on the match card, it’s a definite possibility. If not, we’re probably getting a victory for Charlotte.

​Brock Lesnar vs. Finn Balor (Universal Championship)

Mike: Brock Lesnar

Matt: Finn Balor​

Brock Lesnar has been dominating this roster for years. As one of the most protected (and hated)​ men on the roster, it makes less sense (everyday) for Brock to hold onto that title.

That being said, ​he’s fighting Finn Balor. Not even Demon Balor. Finn stated he’s relied on the Demon too much in the past, pretty much letting us know that Vince wants to protect the Demon character.

Why does it need protection? Because Brock isn’t losing this title. ​

The WWE may know that Braun Strowman ‘s time has passed (whether he’s injured or not), so Kudos for cancelling that match. But logic says they still don’t have the guts to give Finn a shot.​

I’m going with Finn Balor because I believe! I’m throwing common sense out the window and trying to make sense of it by looking at Braun getting kicked off of the match. If that decision can happen, is the WWE ready to start giving the fans what they want?

Daniel Bryan vs. AJ Styles (WWE Championship)

Mike: Daniel Bryan

Matt: Daniel Bryan​

The Brothers of Discussion agree on a lot of things, when it comes to this Royal Rumble event. One of those things is Daniel Bryan and how his story is quite done being told.​

AJ Styles was a fantastic champion (for over a year) and he’d surely be welcomed back into the spotlight with open arms, but he may be destined for something less “Championship-y” and more Bullet/Balor clubby.​

Whatever is happening, with AJ, I just can’t imagine a scenario where Daniel Bryan is carrying this title into Wrestlemania. His promos are too good and I’m not sure what makes sense for the Royal Rumble (and AJ Styles) that we haven’t seen before.​

Ronda Rousey vs. Sasha Banks (Raw Women's Championship)

Mike: Ronda Rousey​

Matt: Ronda Rousey​

As much as we loved Sasha Banks in NXT and how great she was as the “Boss”, she’s lost a lot of that swagger. Her injuries, the injuries she’s inflicted, and her uninspired promos made her a forgettable superstar. She may be so far down the totem pole that there’s no way she’ll be the one to beat Ronda

We also know that Sasha is going to be battling for those tag team titles next month, so she can’t have another title taking up space around her waist.

All of this analysis can be discussed before arriving to the fact that Ronda is defending the Raw Women’s Title at WrestleMania. She certainly can’t lose to Sasha.​

Hopefully, one day, Ronda’s booking will be less predictable and more variable. ​

Asuka vs. Becky Lynch (SmackDown Women's Championship)

Mike: Asuka​

Matt: Asuka​

This match has so many layers and meaning for the whole show, it would be a crime to only dissect it from a tunnel visioned point-of-view.

Asuka is winning this match, because Becky Lynch has more to do in this division. She needs to face Ronda Rousey at WrestleMania and besides some lazy booking, there’s only one way for her to get there. Winning the Royal Rumble!​

Its great for the SmackDown Women’s Championship and even better for the fans. Look for Rousey to interfere and light the fire needed to motivate a Rumble victory!​

The Bar vs. The Miz and Shane McMahon (SmackDown Tag Team Championships)

Mike: The Bar

Matt: The Bar ​

The Brothers of Discussion are in agreement on this one. We’re hoping for speed (a quick match, not agile wrestling) and maybe some shenanigans. ​

Three of these guys are great pro wrestlers and one is a boy playing with his toys. ​The Miz has made this story fun and very funny, at times, I don’t need to see Shane McMahon fight...ever.

Please win Sheamus and Cesaro! Please!​

Rusev vs. Shinsuke Nakamura (U.S. Championship)

Mike: Rusev​

Matt: Rusev​

If you are watching this feud and are still having trouble understanding the glory and majesty of King of Strong Style (and what could have been) then you’re missing out.​

Nakamura has had a resurgence in this feud (although it is probably too little too late) and I for one, am going to miss Nakamura even more, because of it. A year ago he was given the key to the castle and now he’s battling Rusev (in what could possibly be his last feud) for a mid-card title.​

Both superstars are making the best of this feud, but I think there’s too much speculation on Nakamura leaving to believe that Rusev (the loyal soldier) would lose that title.​

Buddy Murphy vs. Akira Tozawa vs. Kalisto vs. Hideo Itami(Cruiserweight Championship)

Mike: Buddy Murphy​

Matt: Akira Tozawa​

205 Live is a new kind of awesome, for the WWE. If you’re not watching it, you’re missing great wrestling AND tremendous storyline. A lot of those good vibes started when Buddy Murphy got involved in the title picture​

The May be reason enough to argue Buddy Murphy is getting the win, but there’s still no reason Murphy needs to leave the spotlight, should he lose that title.​

Any one of these guys is a believable Cruiserweight Champion (another testament to the good booking on the show).​ But Akira Tozawa spoke some truth in his latest promos. He’s tired of being a joke on this roster and is tired of feeling like he flew around the world for nothing!

Promos are always a good indicator of where the booking is headed, but when all is said and done, it might more thought than the WWE is willing to put into this match.​

Enjoy the article? Listen to the full analysis on the Brothers of Discussion podcast! Listen, Subscribe and Review the Podcast on SoundCloud and iTunes!