Updated WWE Royal Rumble 2019 Match Card and Battle Royal Predictions

WWE's road to WrestleMania begins each and every year with the Royal Rumble pay-per-view, and this year, there's plenty of excitement and unpredictability surrounding one of the standout shows of the calendar.

With the majority of the company's titles on the line, as well as the two traditional Royal Rumble matches, the path to the biggest show of the year could look a whole lot different by the time this month's show has aired.

Who emerges through the pack to earn a title shot in both the men's and women's Rumble matches will shape Mania's card the most, but any number of shocks across the whole Rumble card will have a major impact, too.

Can Finn Balor stun the world and defy the odds against Brock Lesnar? Will Becky Lynch capture the title she feels is truly hers?

And who will be the last one standing in the Rumble matches to move on to WrestleMania? Here's an early look at the entire card and predictions for each match on the main roster.

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

Perhaps the most intriguing thing about the bout for the SmackDown tag titles at Royal Rumble is that Shane McMahon and The Miz's partnership could literally head in any direction from here.

The duo, newly-formed after Miz finally convinced Shane to team with him, could easily have a long-term future as a tag team, and could even win the straps at the upcoming pay-per-view.

But with WrestleMania season just around the corner, it's also impossible to avoid the possibility of Miz or McMahon turning on one another, immediately thrusting the two into a feud just in time for the biggest pay-per-view of the year.

So what's more likely here?

The Bar are great champions, make no mistake about it. They've done a fantastic job of heading up the division at a time when it's been particularly strong, and in truth, it doesn't really feel right for them to drop the titles going into Mania season.

So with that in mind, bank on a double-cross in the McMahon-Miz set-up, likely from McMahon, given how Miz is thriving in his new role as a babyface.

Winners: The Bar

Rusev vs. Shinsuke Nakamura (United States Championship)

Royal Rumble, given its 30-man and 30-woman bouts, is typically one of the hardest pay-per-views on WWE's calendar to predict.

However, one match is far more straightforward to call later this month.

Fans are yet to see too much of Rusev since he won the United States Championship, underlined by a lack of real storyline development on this week's taping of SmackDown.

However, while his rematch with Shinsuke Nakamura will be entertaining and a great addition to the card, it's hard to imagine The King of Strong Style capturing the title back at the first attempt.

What's more interesting for the duo is who appears as their respective WrestleMania opponents. In terms of this bout, it's a fairly safe bet Rusev retains.

Winner: Rusev

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

It's easily the match that could end up stealing the show, even with the presence of two Royal Rumble matches.

While it's easy to glance further into the future to get a hold of Becky Lynch's long-term plans, fans shouldn't be led too far astray from what could be a blockbuster showdown with Asuka at Royal Rumble.

The Empress of Tomorrow was somewhat of a surprise pick at Tables, Ladders and Chairs late last month, but it's increasingly clear that while she holds up the SmackDown women's division, Lynch and potentially Charlotte Flair will be fighting someone from a different brand altogether at WrestleMania.

Expect the champ to retain here, but not without controversy. A clean defeat would do Lynch no favors as she heads toward a likely showdown with Ronda Rousey in the coming months, and it may well be Rousey who has the decisive say in this particular bout.

Winner: Asuka

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

Much like Becky Lynch's presence in SmackDown's women's title match, it's not hard to look down the line at WrestleMania for Ronda Rousey's plans.

Make no mistake about it, her bout with Sasha Banks at Royal Rumble will be a contest well worth watching, and it's likely to be a solid addition to the Rumble card.

But realistically, does Banks have a chance of winning?

With Rousey likely to have an inter-brand match against Becky Lynch and potentially Charlotte Flair too, there's a case to be made for Rousey to drop the belt and allow the Raw title to take proper prominence with a feud of its own heading into WrestleMania.

But given the time and effort that has gone into building toward Rousey vs. Lynch and/or Flair, a title being on the line only feels right.

Banks' time will come again, but for now, Rousey is the smart pick.

Winner: Ronda Rousey

Daniel Bryan vs. AJ Styles (WWE Championship)

Unlike Becky Lynch and Asuka's willingness to hold off fighting one another until Royal Rumble arrives, it's been the exact opposite for Daniel Bryan and AJ Styles.

The build for the WWE Championship match at the Rumble has been about Bryan and Styles taking it to each other at every opportunity, and while aspects of the build has been unconventional and off the mark, the chemistry both guys possess has made it a pretty enjoyable feud.

But who leaves the Rumble with the title?

In truth, while Styles as WWE champion is never a bad thing, it feels like fans are yet to see Bryan truly get into his stride with the belt. 

It's easy to pick out some future opponents for him leading into WrestleMania too, given SmackDown's abundance of talent, so WWE would be wise to invest in a long-term title feud for Bryan, like it did with Styles.

It'll be the final match between these two for some time, you suspect, with Bryan emerging victorious however possible.

Winner: Daniel Bryan

Brock Lesnar vs. Finn Balor (Universal Championship)

The biggest swerve WWE has thrown up in some time? Potentially.

With Braun Strowman stepping back from the Universal Championship picture for whatever reason on Monday night, it opened the door for someone else to take on The Beast at Royal Rumble.

It's hard not to be excited about the fact that it's Finn Balor who emerged through the pack and got the opportunity.

Not only does it present a match that throws up a real contrast in styles, bouts of which kind Lesnar has enjoyed his better WWE matches in recent times, but it gives Balor an opportunity to win back the title he never lost.

Can he achieve that? It's going to be tough, especially if a babyface comes through the field in the men's Royal Rumble match. For now, Balor may have to bide his time until the summer to get his hands on the Universal Championship again, but expect him to put up a heck of a fight regardless.

Winner: Brock Lesnar

30-Woman Royal Rumble Match

This year's 30-woman Royal Rumble match is unlikely to have the same drama that accompanied Ronda Rousey's arrival on the scene this time last year, but it will still be a brilliant bout.

What makes this year's contest more intriguing is that most of the bigger, more established names on the women's roster like Sasha Banks, Becky Lynch and Asuka are all locked into championship matches, meaning there's a real chance for a new name to emerge in the title picture for WrestleMania.

The likes of Bayley, Mandy Rose and Sonya Deville all have to be considered strong contenders, but an early prediction for the winner? 

Charlotte Flair.

It's an unbelievably safe choice from WWE, and one that no doubt won't sit all that well with fans who are keen to see a new championship challenger, but the company is almost certainly looking at ways it can build to Rousey vs. Lynch vs. Flair at Mania.

There's still so much unfinished business in that feud given what happened at Tables, Ladders and Chairs after all.

Winner: Charlotte Flair

30-Man Royal Rumble Match

It's the most stacked Royal Rumble match in history in terms of talent.

A glance down the names already announced makes for exciting reading: Seth Rollins, John Cena, Samoa Joe, Dean Ambrose, Andrade.. any of those guys could win the contest on merit.

Certainly after his recent in-ring performances, you could make a strong case for the newly-renamed Andrade. However, that would likely be dependent on a shock defeat for Daniel Bryan, so he may have to wait his turn. Joe falls into a similar category given his heel persona.

On Raw, Ambrose vs. Brock Lesnar would be fantastic, as would Ambrose vs. Finn Balor if he shocks Lesnar and wins the Universal Championship. 

However, it's impossible to avoid the presence of one man as the clear standout pick: Seth Rollins.

Rollins has been the cornerstone of Raw for almost a year now, and if anyone is worthy of being promoted into title contention, it is Seth.

Seth Rollins finally ending Brock Lesnar's grip on the Universal Championship at WrestleMania? Make it happen.

Winner: Seth Rollins