Projecting Biggest Surprises and Most Shocking Moments of WWE Royal Rumble 2019

Few events have more twists and turns than the Royal Rumble. The WWE event has higher stakes than any event outside of WrestleMania, with so many potential outcomes. Anyone can win. Anyone can make an impact. Anyone can become a star in just one night.

For that reason, it is always exciting to speculate on exactly what WWE will do to make each year's event stand out. Who will win the Royal Rumble matches? Will a major title change hands just in time for WrestleMania season? Could a major star return or a legend make an appearance?

This year, it feels like the primary focus will be on the younger stars shining through. While Brock Lesnar and Shane McMahon do have matches on Sunday, most of the contests are driven by the work of the new stars who have emerged in the past few months.

From the potential for Superstars like Mustafa Ali and Ember Moon to stand out in the Rumble to the prospective returns of top stars like Bray Wyatt, these are the biggest likely surprises this event has in store.

Shane McMahon and The Miz Capture the SmackDown Tag Team Championships

When The Miz first asked McMahon to team with him, it felt like a one-off storyline. Nothing about this story felt serious, and it was more likely to set up a feud between the two than a genuine tag team. However, as time has passed, the possibility of the two winning gold together has become far clearer.

Sheamus and Cesaro should keep the championships. Anyone hoping for the SmackDown tag team division to be taken seriously would expect The Bar to retain. The problem is that the division has never been highly regarded.

By having The A-Lister capture gold with a McMahon, a higher degree of attention will be placed on the SmackDown Tag Team Championships. That attention may not be the right kind of publicity, but WWE has never been one to avoid bad stories just to get people talking.

Miz and Shane have been genuinely solid as a tag team in promo segments and can continue to be entertaining in that role at least. It's just a shame it will likely come at the expense of strong wrestling and the tag teams that have put their focus on the division.

Braun Strowman Gets Eliminated Early

Credit: WWE.com

Braun Strowman should be a huge star. He was built as the kind of monster no one could match up against. Roman Reigns sold him as an unstoppable force of nature. Big Show put him over as his clear successor.

He has the most eliminations ever in an Elimination Chamber match, Survivor Series match and a Rumble match. Despite all this, the only active WWE championship he has held is the Raw Tag Team Championships, handed to him in a joke segment for one day.

It felt like his career was riding on overcoming Lesnar, but that time has passed. His match for the Universal Championship has turned into a likely spot in the Rumble. Since he has already broken the contest's elimination record, barring a win, he's not set up for success.

Much like Big Show or Kane in the past, he is in the worst position of being an obstacle everyone will join forces to overcome. He may just be the first big name to get taken out in the men's Rumble just to protect him.

WWE will always try to protect The Monster Among Men, but it needs to soon reward him for the work he has been doing.

Mustafa Ali and Ember Moon Last the Longest in the Royal Rumbles

The iron man spot has long been heralded as one of the highest honors leaving the Rumble for anyone who does not win. The contest is about endurance, and those who stand out by surviving usually get a push afterward for their efforts.

This year, there's not a clear performer to take that role in either Rumble, so it may be the perfect time to start pushing some young talent forward. It would be especially effective if clear stars in the making like Mustafa Ali and Ember Moon got that attention.

Finn Balor and Sasha Banks had those spots last year, and they are both contending for the top titles on Raw. Neither Ali nor Moon is immediately in the title picture, but it would not be hard to believe in either as a future contender.

The War Goddess was putting on incredible matches in NXT with Asuka and Shayna Baszler and has been waiting to get a spotlight on the main roster. This feels like the perfect time to show off her resilience and will to win.

The Heart of SmackDown Live has already pinned Daniel Bryan, but a recent loss to Samoa Joe slowed his momentum. His passion and wherewithal are well documented. It is time for him to get to showcase it.

Bray Wyatt Returns as a Brand-New Man

Credit: WWE.com

The biggest surprise about Wyatt's possible appearance in the Rumble might be for those who forgot he was still signed with the company. Since Matt Hardy's unofficial retirement, The Eater of Worlds has disappeared from television beyond sporadic Twitter posts and an appearance at Starrcade.

He is too good to remain on the sidelines given he is not suffering from any known injuries, and the Rumble would be the perfect spot for his return. What would make all that time off worth it would be a complete change in Wyatt's persona.

Most of Wyatt's tweets about changing have been deleted, with only one pinned tweet left. It is clear there is some destination in mind, and as good a gimmick as he has, he needs a fresh start. It will be interesting to see what he does upon his return.

Talent should not be wasted. The New Face of Fear has been squandered for most of the past year. It is a shame, but this could be just what he needed. Time away has allowed him to rest up and get refocused for a moment that could be his big break.

Becky Lynch Loses to Asuka Clean and Then Wins the Women's Royal Rumble

Both the men's and women's Rumble matches have clear favorites going in. Seth Rollins is the front-runner in the former, with Drew McIntyre standing out as a distant rival. Charlotte Flair similarly has the standing as odds-on favorite in the women's match, though it is more likely Becky Lynch could sneak in and take that spot.

It would not be hugely surprising for The Man to emerge as the Royal Rumble winner, but it would be shocking for her to lose clean to The Empress of Tomorrow before doing just that. Lynch has been highly protected since her return from injury. A clear loss would be a major risk.

However, having Lynch pinned by or even submit to SmackDown women's champion Asuka before running through the field to earn a shot at either champion would make for engaging television for months to come.

While everyone expects The Irish Lass Kicker to get a chance at dethroning Ronda Rousey, a clean defeat at the hands of Asuka would complicate things. Lynch would have legitimate reasons to face either champion, with fighting Rousey seeming like the easy way out.

This would help set up The Queen to earn her own title shot against one of the two champions and make everyone involved look dangerous. It would be difficult to piece together what the final goal would be for WrestleMania rather than telegraphing Rousey vs. Lynch or Rousey vs. Lynch vs. Flair.

WWE has been known to take risks when necessary, and a Rumble win can balance even a momentum-swinging title defeat. It's harder to say whether such a loss would be the right move.