10 HUGE WWE Royal Rumble 2020 Predictions You Need To Know

8. Becky Lynch (c) Vs. Asuka

Paige Edge
WWE.com

Becky Lynch and Asuka opened the 2019 Royal Rumble in a match that neither could well afford to lose.

A high energy scrap that was one of the best straight singles exhibitions of Asuka's skills, 'The Man' falling to a noble defeat was a brave swing from the company in light of her growing star power as a WrestleMania main eventer-in waiting. In an even bigger twist than that ending, WWE committing to an actual clean loss for the top babyface has been used to inform a story 12 months later.

Lynch's dominance atop the division since her history-making 'Show Of Shows' win has come with an uncomfortable caveat - the reign has at times been a little short on really strong matches. 'The Empress Of Tomorrow' offers exactly that, not least with the Champion chasing redemption ahead of her Road To WrestleMania march.

The pressure here is on the contest to deliver one of the best matches of the night, rather than the booking. The result doesn't feel in doubt, even if they'll work hard to make it so.

Winner: Becky Lynch

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