10 Fascinating WWE Royal Rumble 2019 Facts

6. Brock Lesnar Handpicked Finn Bálor As His Opponent

Royal Rumble 2019 Becky Lynch Charlotte Flair
WWE.com

The original plan for the 2019 Royal Rumble PPV was for Braun Strowman to be the one challenging for Brock Lesnar's Universal Championship.

Once the Monster Amongst Men was forced to undergo elbow surgery a month before the Rumble, that meant that the search was on to find a new challenger for Lesnar's crown. And on that front, it was Brock himself who personally requested to face Finn Bálor at the 2019 Royal Rumble.

As per a report from the Wrestling Observer's Dave Meltzer at the time of the '19 Rumble PPV, Lesnar went directly to Vince McMahon and told McMahon that he wanted Bálor to take Strowman's spot.

The inaugural Universal Champion, fans had been clamouring for years to see Finn get a rematch for the title he was forced to vacate only one night after winning it at SummerSlam 2016. Finally, Bálor had the opportunity to reclaim the championship that he never lost - although it was an opportunity that ultimately saw the Irishman come up short.

Unlike so many modern-day Brock Lesnar matches, this Royal Rumble effort changed things up a tad by having Bálor hot on offense from the get-go, pick-up some great near-falls, before eventually being put down by Paul Heyman's Beast after eight minutes.

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