WWE Forced To Make Major Changes To Women's Royal Rumble?
At least the women's Rumble delivered the right winner...
Becky Lynch's victory means history will almost certainly be kind to WWE's second women's Royal Rumble, but it was an uneven bout that struggled to get going early on.
There's a good reason for this. Per Dave Meltzer in his latest Wrestling Observer Newsletter, WWE were forced to make multiple changes to the women's Rumble during the course of the bout.
Much of these were down to "timing issues," as a number of ring entrances dragged on too long, and several performers failed to make their scripted spots on time. WWE also failed to account for the massive entrance way, the size of which meant a number of spots had to be drawn out.
The women's Rumble overran at 72 minutes. To contrast, the men's bout lasted just 57. This helps explain why the main event felt so rushed, as entrants were reportedly instructed to hurry through their ring entrances in order to save time.
A mammoth show at seven hours (including the two-hour Kickoff), Royal Rumble 2019 could have benefited from significant trimming, though WWE's refusal to cut matches short is admirable in an era where "they didn't get enough time" is a common complaint.