10 Reasons Why The 2019 Royal Rumble Will Be The Best Ever

9. A Show That Paces Itself

Monday Night Rollins
WWE

Most WWE pay-per-view cards look very good on the surface.

The key drawback, in addition to broad/inconclusive storytelling, is the sheer length of these joint-brand shows. Fans reserved energy at the expense of Daniel Bryan Vs. The Miz at last year's SummerSlam. Even dream matches are slept on in this Network Era. Sunday's Rumble, if only through a series of unconnected coincidences, should be exempt from a practise designed to artificially inflate the Network's popularity. Brock Lesnar Vs. Finn Bálor isn't going longer than 15 minutes, Sasha Banks Vs. Bayley is going even less. Straight singles matches in WWE's Women's division tend not go long for long's sake, so Asuka Vs. Becky Lynch shouldn't overstay its welcome, either. At time of writing, two matches seem destined for the Kickoff.

Daniel Bryan Vs. AJ Styles demands an epic duration and "feel" to live up to its potential. The depth of Bryan's storytelling genius and renewed enthusiasm to expand on it further deserves time, as do the respective Rumble matches. The complexion of the card should ensure a level of sustained crowd buzz. There's nothing overtly "methodical", uninteresting, nor over-familiar on it. No filler.

A card of major stakes and potential - one that complements itself, crucially - the Rumble, offering first-time PPV meetings across three fresh, major title matches, offers the sort of vitality this company seemed fundamentally incapable of a month ago.

Contributor
Contributor

Michael Sidgwick is an editor, writer and podcaster for WhatCulture Wrestling. With over seven years of experience in wrestling analysis, Michael was published in the influential institution that was Power Slam magazine, and specialises in providing insights into All Elite Wrestling - so much so that he wrote a book about the subject. You can order Becoming All Elite: The Rise Of AEW on Amazon. Possessing a deep knowledge also of WWE, WCW, ECW and New Japan Pro Wrestling, Michael’s work has been publicly praised by former AEW World Champions Kenny Omega and MJF, and current Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes. When he isn’t putting your finger on why things are the way they are in the endlessly fascinating world of professional wrestling, Michael wraps his own around a hand grinder to explore the world of specialty coffee. Follow Michael on X (formerly known as Twitter) @MSidgwick for more!