10 HUGE WWE Royal Rumble 2019 Predictions You Need To Know

2. 2019 Men's Royal Rumble Match

Finn Balor, Demon Balor
WWE

The graphic above was taken from WWE.com just four days removed from Sunday's Royal Rumble, right around the time John Cena was officially being ruled out of the match amidst backstage rumours he was supposed to be decked by newcomer Lars Sullivan before the latter's mental health concerns stood in the way of his official debut.

What's WWE's agenda here? If Cena's not fit or able to work - and the organisation noted that Drew McIntyre took him out at a house show to at least retain some of the heat - are they looking to try and replicate the incredible response his 2008 return garnered from the Madison Square Garden crowd by throwing him in there "unannounced"? Perhaps not, but the field is rather thin without him.

Frustratingly, 'The Champ' would have been a hugely popular choice considering the likelihood that Daniel Bryan will remain WWE Champion following Sunday's show. Beyond 'Big Match John', there's big dream Seth and big bad Drew, but neither of them particularly inspire as winners unless the company uncharacteristically rocket-straps one of them in time for a battle with 'The Beast'. But why find a new loser, when one from the same night can immediately be rehabilitated...

And The Winner Is...

Contributor
Contributor

Michael is a writer, editor, podcaster and presenter for WhatCulture Wrestling, and has been with the organisation nearly 8 years. He primarily produces written, audio and video content on WWE and AEW, but also provides knowledge and insights on all aspects of the wrestling industry thanks to a passion for it dating back over 35 years. As one third of "The Dadley Boyz" Michael has contributed to the huge rise in popularity of the WhatCulture Wrestling Podcast and its accompanying YouTube channel, earning it top spot in the UK's wrestling podcast charts with well over 62,000,000 total downloads. He has been featured as a wrestling analyst for the Tampa Bay Times, GRAPPL, GCP, Poisonrana and Sports Guys Talking Wrestling, and has covered milestone events in New York, Dallas, Las Vegas, Philadelphia, London and Cardiff. Michael's background in media stretches beyond wrestling coverage, with a degree in Journalism from the University Of Sunderland (2:1) and a series of published articles in sports, music and culture magazines The Crack, A Love Supreme and Pilot. When not offering his voice up for daily wrestling podcasts, he can be found losing it singing far too loud watching his favourite bands play live. Follow him on X/Twitter - @MichaelHamflett