Fantasy Booking Decisions That Will Make or Break WWE Royal Rumble 2019

WWE's creative license is never more unpredictable than it is when it comes to the Royal Rumble.

The first pay-per-view of the year always provides the opportunity for the company to produce the unexpected, and this year should be no different.

With two Rumble matches and a stacked card on Sunday, there's plenty of chances for WWE to swerve its fans.

Some fantasy booking always whets the appetite for any show, so with that in mind, here are some options for WWE to consider that could make or break this year's Rumble event at Chase Field in Phoenix.

Keep the Tag Titles on The Bar and Have Shane Turn on Miz

The Bar are arguably the hottest tag team in WWE right now, so with the company on the verge of the most important period of the year, it seems stupid to take the SmackDown tag titles off them Sunday.

SmackDown's tag division, as a whole, includes some serious competition. Teams like The Usos and The New Day are waiting for an opportunity ahead of WrestleMania in April, so adding another team in the mix doesn't make sense.

Thankfully, it doesn't look like Shane McMahon and The Miz will be a long-term thing, but how does WWE break up their alliance?

The best way seems to be for Shane to embark on a new direction for his career and turn heel. It's been years since fans have seen heel Shane in action, and Miz appears to be building momentum as a babyface.

Make the NXT Call-Up for the Rumble Match a Dream One

To date, only 20 men have been confirmed for this year's Royal Rumble men's match.

That means there's scope for returns from an injury, surprise former names coming back and NXT stars to appear in the bout.

And if anyone's coming up from Full Sail, it's got to be Velveteen Dream.

Dream has made no secret of his desire to get called up to the main roster, and the Rumble can provide the perfect opportunity to see how audiences would react to him on either Raw or SmackDown.

He has been sending tweets recently declaring he won't appear on WWE TV again until company officials recognize his worth. That means he's not scheduled for the TakeOver: Phoenix card on Saturday, but what's stopping him showing up at the Rumble unannounced?

Then fans would really get to see where Dream is headed, with WrestleMania season just around the corner.

Becky Lynch Loses, Enters Royal Rumble and Wins It

WWE has to find a sensible and logical way to get to a Becky Lynch vs. Ronda Rousey showdown at WrestleMania 35.

With Charlotte Flair involved too, the bout would have the potential to steal the show, but the absolute priority for the company is that Lynch and Rousey's paths collide.

There are plenty of ways to do this, especially if they both lost their respective title matches on Sunday and were therefore be able to organically build to an interbrand match.

However, what would be much more exciting would be Rousey retaining against Sasha Banks, Asuka defeating Lynch and Becky then entering the women's Royal Rumble—and winning it.

That would then seemingly set up another showdown with Asuka at WrestleMania. Lynch could surprise everyone the following night on Raw by showing up and attacking Rousey, confirming that she wants to face the Raw champion at Mania, rather than the SmackDown champion.

The reaction Lynch would get from pulling double duty, as well as winning the Rumble, would make the show a huge hit.

Finn Balor Pulls Double Duty

WWE is doing some good things with Finn Balor right now. While it's still more likely he'll come up short against Brock Lesnar this Sunday rather than win the Universal Championship, the company can still ensure he leaves the Royal Rumble with his head held high.

Balor is not afraid of pulling double duty and wrestling twice in one night. So, if Balor comes up desperately short in his title match, have him enter the Rumble and put on another stellar performance.

That would guarantee defeat earlier in the night would not kill off all the strong momentum Balor has built lately, and it would leave him in a strong position moving into WrestleMania season and the rest of 2019.

Whether he wins the match is another matter, however. There's one guy who would be a far, far more sensible choice.

Seth Rollins Creates History by Lasting the Distance

Only two men have entered the Royal Rumble at No. 1 and gone on to win the match.

It's time to add a third name to that list Sunday.

Seth Rollins has been Raw's, if not WWE's, most consistent and entertaining performer for almost a year now, with Rollins' bouts on Monday nights the cornerstone of Raw's three-hour slot each week.

That should be rewarded with a place in an exclusive club alongside Shawn Michaels and Rey Mysterio, with Rollins as the first entrant in this year's Rumble match—and before being the last one left standing.

It's a huge booking decision—and one that should not be taken lightly. But if WWE is going to build toward a Rollins vs. Brock Lesnar Universal Championship match and wants to establish Rollins as a legitimate threat to Lesnar, then doing something like this would go a long way of doing so.

After all, it's not like Seth would be an unpopular choice to join Michaels and Mysterio.